Sociological

Self
Do you know him?
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What is the Self?
q Separate - unique
q Self-contained
q Independent
q Consistent
q Unitary
q Private

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What is the Self?

Separate – meant that the self

is distinct from other selves.
The self is always unique and
has its own identity.

4
What is the Self?

Self-contained and independent

– the self can exist by itself. It
does not require other selves for it
to exist.

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What is the Self?

Consistent – the self has a

personality that is enduring and
therefore can be expected to
persist for quite sometime

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What is the Self?
Unitary – It is the center of all
experiences and thoughts that
run through a certain person

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What is the Self?

Private – each person sorts

out information, feelings and
emotions, and thought
processes within the self.

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Self being private suggests that
the self is isolated from the
external world. However, we also
see that there will be a clash
between the self and the external
reality.
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Social Constructivists believed
that the self has to be seen as
something that undergoes a
continuous change through its
constant struggle with the
external reality.

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It is not wrong to say that social
situation defines our self-concept
and our self-esteem.

We rely on others to provide a

“social reality.”

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1.1. The Self as a Product of Modern Society
With modernization
q The self becomes a delocalized1 self which is
free to seek its own identity.
q Free from customary constraints2
q Stability of one’s self-identity is no longer
based on pre-given traditional broad
definition of the self.

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Clifford Geertz believes that the
struggle for one’s individuality is
only possible in modern society
where religio-theological
traditions are gradually replaced
Clifford Geertz
by scientific calculations.1

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1Problems of “modernization”:

q 2Threatens the authenticity of

the self
q Alienation3
q Objectification of the body4
Clifford Geertz
q Dehumanization of self

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Solution:

“For an individual to discover the

true and authentic part of
him/herself to realize his/her
potential, there is a need to abolish
Clifford Geertz
repressive social constraints.”

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1.2. The Self as Necessary
Fiction
q For Nietzsche, the self is nothing more
than a metaphor, a representation of
something abstract1.
q It is possible for us to remember
something even if we have not
experienced it2.
q The self is the sum of individual’s action, Friedrich Nietzsche
thoughts and feelings. The self is
symbolic.

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1.3. Post-modern View of the Self
q Self is a product of modern discourse—historically
and socially imprisoned by what is acceptable by
norms.
q Self is complicated by electronic mediated virtual
interaction of cyber self

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According to N. Green, self is
digitalized. The self is seen in
websites or social media.

N. Green

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Social Construction of the Self
q Rewriting the self as an artistic creation
q Memories
q Self creation & collective identity
q Self creation and the struggle for cultural
recognition

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Mead’s Theory of the Self
q A theory that argues with
Biological Determinism
q Self is constructed in the
process of social experience George Herbert Mead

and activity

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Self is made up of:
q “me” – self as the object; how
others see you
q “I” – self as subject; how you
see yourself
George Herbert Mead

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Mead’s Three Stages of
Development of Self
Stage 1 - Preparatory Stage
q Birth-2yo
q Children mimic those around
them1

Stage 2 - Play Stage

George Herbert Mead
q 2-6yo
q Children play pretend2

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Mead’s Three Stages of
Development of Self
Stage 3 - Game Stage
q 7 onwards
q Children begin to play more
formalized games George Herbert Mead

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The Looking Glass Self
q Our sense of self is influenced by
others’ views of us
q The degree of personal insecurity
you display in social situations is
determined by what you believe Charles Horton Coole
y
other people think of you.

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The Looking Glass Self

q Sometimes the influence of

other people’s appraisals of
ourselves on our self-concept
may be so strong that we end
up internalizing them. Charles Horton Coole
y

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The Looking Glass Self
q Labeling bias - occurs when we are
labeled and other’s views and
expectations of us are affected by that
labeling.
q Self-labeling - may happen when we
Charles Horton Coole
adopt others’ labels explicitly into our y
self-concept.

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The Looking Glass Self
q Internalized Prejudice-occurs when
individuals turn prejudice directed
toward them by others onto them

Charles Horton Coole

y

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The Looking Glass Self
In other cases, labels used by wider society to describe
people negatively can be positively reclaimed by those being
labeled.
Minority group members evaluated these terms less
negatively, reported feeling more powerful, and were also
perceived by observers as more powerful.

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Social Comparison Theory

Social comparison occurs when we learn about our

abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and validity of
our opinions, and about our relative social status by
comparing our own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with
those of others.

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