Social Construction of the SELF

Socialization- Socialization is the lifelong process through which people learn the values,
norms, beliefs, and expectations of their society.
Through socialization, people learn how to be members of their society, by developing and
understanding how to behave in a way society finds appropriate.
In turn, by learning and internalizing their society's culture, norms, values, and beliefs,
individual self-concept and pass on the core characteristics of their society and culture.
Socialization takes place throughout a person's lifetime, but the effects of socialization are
most clear in childhood
Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
Social learning theory suggests that social behavior is learned by observing and imitating the
behavior of others.
Think back to your childhood. Do you remember learning to ride a bike, how to play
checkers, and do simple addition problems? you learned these skills by watching someone
else ride their bike, play a game of checkers, and solve addition problems. That is what
Albert Bandura’s theory
George Herbert Mead's Theory Of The Social Self
George Herbert Mead, a sociologist, is well known for his theory of the social self, which
includes the concepts of 'self,' 'me,' and 'I.
No matter what kind of environment, people always bring a "mask" for themselves to
realize their wishes and become part of a group.
The Self as a Product of Modern Society Among Other Constructions
Modernization has significantly changed society, and this has affected how an individual
builds and develops his/her self – identity.
Pre – modern society was centered on survival. People behaved according to social rules
and traditions while the family and the immediate environment provided supervision on
how to get through life. Choosing where to live, what line of work to do are limited.
Modernization however, has improved people’s living conditions. A person in the modern
society is free to choose where to live, what to do, and who to be with. However, stability
has also decreased as traditions and traditional support systems, such as the family, have
decreased in importance. In modern societies, individualism is dominant, and developing
one’s self identity is central.
The COGNITIVE SELF
COGNITIVE means involving conscious intellectual activity such as thinking, reasoning, or
remembering; the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding
through thought, experience and understanding.
COGNITIVE THEORY
Cognitive self involves the development of a set of constructive behaviors that affect one's
use of cognitive abilities to integrate learning processes.
These processes are planned and adapted to support the pursuit of personal goals in
changing environments
Cognitive-experiential self-theory of personality.
Cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST) is a psychodynamic global theory of personality
Cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST) is a dual-process model of perception developed is
based around the idea that people operate using two separate systems for information
processing:
Analytical-rational and intuitive-experiential
The analytical-rational system is deliberate, slow, and logical.
The intuitive-experiential system is fast, automatic, and emotionally driven
Jean Piaget Stages of cognitive development
Sensorimotor stage (birth -2 years) - This is characterized by innate responses to stimulus
which is essentially reflexive.
Pre-Conceptual Stage (2-4 years) - The child starts to use different kind of symbols to play
behavior and in language.
Intuitive Phase (4-7 years) The child is now able to respond to group of objects. He can now
classify according to increasing size or in alphabet formation.
Two (2) characteristics of the intuitive stage of thought
1. Egocentrism- inability of the child to take the point of view of another
2.Emphasis on successive states of a situation rather than transformation
Period of Concrete Operations - The child is less egocentric and group objects and events
based on concrete observations
Period of Formal Operations – The child uses formal verbal rules of thought and logic
Factors that Influence Intellectual Development: Heredity, Environment, Maturation,
Learning, Health and Physical Conditions
Understanding the Self
Understanding the SELF-* The course deals with the nature of IDENTITY as well as the
factors and forces that affect the development and maintenance of personal identity
PURPOSE of Understanding the SELF
Practicing SELF-AWARENESS is about learning to better understand why you feel, what you
feel and why you behave in a particular way. Having this awareness gives you the
opportunity and freedom to change things about yourself, enabling you to create a life that
you want
OBJECTIVES
To have a BETTER understanding of ONE’s SELF
• To know different aspects of SELF and IDENTITY
• Identify the different influences, factor and forces that shape the SELF
• Acquire and hone NEW skills and learnings for better managing of one’s self and behavior
• Apply these new skills to one’s self and functioning for a better quality of life
GOAL
1. To describe yourself
2. To understand yourself
3. To control yourself
5. To change or modify yourself
SELF
⇨ - is a unified being, essentially connected to consciousness and awareness
⇨ - the set of someone's characteristics, such as personality and ability, not only physical
but the totality of an individual that makes them different from other people
Different theories about the “SELF”
1. Socrates- A Greek Philosopher who believed that the real self is not the physical but the
PSYCHE or SOUL. He was the first one to focus on the full power of reason on the human
self, who we are, who we should be, and who will become
2. Plato -A Greek Philosopher who introduce the three (3) parts of the self:
a. reason or rational - the truth, the one that rules the part of the soul through reason
b. physical or sensual – the element that enjoys sensual experience such as food
c. spirit or passion – inclined toward reason but und
The SELF THEORY comprises of four factors that are explained below;
1. Self -Image: Self-image means what an individual thinks about himself. Everybody has
certain beliefs about themselves, such as who or what they are, these beliefs form the self-
image and identity of a person. According to Erikson, identity is formed through a lifelong
development usually unconscious to the individual and his society.
Suzaan Oltmans: There are three elements of self - image are:
1. The way a person perceives or thinks of themself ;
2. What a person thinks others think about themselves;
3. and, the way a person would like to be, or their ideal self.
Self-image is the product of thought patterns developed through the social influences of
those around someone from childhood on.
Self-image is a product of learning. Early childhood influences, as well as one's experiences
with others on the individual and societal scales can influence one's image of themselves.
2. Ideal -Self: The ideal -self means, the way an individual would like to be. It is very much
different from the self-image, as it shows the ideal position perceived by an individual,
whereas the self - image is the reality that an individual perceives
3. Looking -Glass -Self: The looking -glass self means, an individual’s perception of how
others are perceiving his qualities or feeling about him. Simply, it is the perception of other’s
perception, perceiving what others perceive about yourself and not see what actually you
are.
4. Real -Self: The real -self is what others show you with respect to your self -image. It is an
individual’s true wishes and feelings and his or her potential for further growth and
development
erstands the demands of passion like love, honor, victory etc.
3.Aristotle - A Greek Philosopher who believed that the soul is the essence of the self. He
said that anything with life has a soul. He introduced the 3 kinds of soul.
a. Vegetative - physical or the body that grows
b. Sentient - desires, emotion and feelings
c. Rational – includes intellect that allows man to know and understand things
4. Immanuel Kant-A German Philosopher and a central figure in modern philosophy. He
believed that MAN is the only creature who governs and directs himself and his actions, who
set-up for himself and his purpose.
5.Rene Descartes-- A French Philosopher and father of modern philosophy
The self is a combination of 2 entities, the “cogito” which is the mind and the “extenza” or
the body which is the extension of the mind.
6.John Locke - An English Philosopher Human mind at birth is a “tabula rasa” He holds that
personal identity or the self is a matter of psychological continuity.
7. David Hume - A Scottish Philosopher Rationalism
- the theory that reason rather than experience is the foundation of all knowledge The self
is nothing but a bundle of impressions.
8. Gilbert Ryle - A British Philosopher He believed that the self is best understood as a
pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a certain way
9.Paul Churchland - A Canadian Philosopher and advocate of eliminative materialism or the
idea that the self is inseparable from the brain.
10. Maurice Merleau Ponty - A French Philosopher who emphasized that the body is the
primary site of knowing the world. The “body acts what the mind perceives.”
11. St. Augustine – he believed that the SELF has immortal soul, love and justice and a
foundation of individual self.
⇨ Sigmund Freud – the psychological theory of self is based on “Psychoanalytic theory.
⇨ That the human personality of composed of 3 aspects: ID, EGO and SUPER EGO
Erik Erikson – he developed the “Psychosocial Theory “or the psychosocial stages of self -
development. He formulated 8 stages with unique developmental task and crisis that the
individual must overcome.
STAGES PSYCHOSOCIAL CRISIS
Infancy TRUST vs. MISTRUST
Early Childhood AUTONOMY vs. SHAME & DOUBT
Pre -School INITIATIVE vs. GUILT
School Age INDUSTRY vs. INFERIORITY
Adolescence IDENTITY vs. INDENTITY Confusion
Young Adulthood INTIMACY vs. ISOLATION
Middle Adulthood GENERATIVITY vs. STAGNATION
Old Age INTEGRITY VS. DESPAIR
According to Giddens, the most patent, major characteristics of modernity:
1. Industrialism – the social relations implied in the extensive use of material power
and machinery all in process of production;
2. Capitalism – a production system involving both competitive product markets and the
commodification
3. Institution of surveillance – the massive increase of power and reach by institutions,
especially in government.
4. Dynamism – the most evident characteristic of a modern society. Dynamism is
characterized as having vigorous activity and progress.