9/3/2023

Sociological Imagination: A Life Need

C. Wright Mills coined the term
“sociological imagination” to refer
to “...the vivid awareness of the
The Sociological Self relationship between private
experience and the wider society.”
SEEING OURSELVES IN THE LENS OF VARIOUS
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
C. Wright Mills

Definition of Sociology Microsociology vs. Macrosociology

❖Sociology is the systematic
study of human society and social
◦Microsociology is the study of
interaction. everyday behavior during face-to-
❖It is a science assuming that face interaction
society and the individual are ◦Macrosociology is the analysis of
inherently connected, and each
depends on the other.
large-scale social systems

Society as the molder of the Self Socialization: The Power of Society

❖The definitions of sociology provided gives us an idea that
who we are as individuals (SELF) are by-products of the society
we belong.
❖Society is defined as the people who interact that shares the
same geographical territory and is subject to the same
political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
❖ Basically, society is the collection of people that surrounds us
in our everyday existence.
❖ Socialization-The interactive process through which people
learn the basic skills, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns of a
society.
❖Through Socialization, we are transformed into participating
members of this society.
❖Within socialization, a person develops a sense of Self
◦SELF- Conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity that
separates you from other members of society.

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Means of Socialization: “Institutions”

Institutions are the principal social structures that organize, direct,
and execute the essential tasks of living. Theories of Socialization
Family-The Basic Unit of Society Locke’s Tabula Rasa
Education-The formal system of a state that enables its citizen to
achieved literacy and learnings Cooley’s Looking Glass Self
Economy-The system of how goods and services are moving within a
society Mead’s Role-Taking
Religion-The ways people within a society perceive God to give
meaning to their experiences
Law-The set of rules and regulations promulgated within the land
Political Systems-The System how power is distributed within the
society

Theories of Socialization Theories of Socialization

John Locke
◦Insisted each newly born human being is a
tabula rasa
◦Socialization as a process by which individuals
absorb the aspects of their culture with
which they come into contact. Through the
socialization process, they develop the sense
of being distinct members of society.
Charles H. Cooley-Developed idea of looking
glass self
The looking-glass self refers to the
interactive process by which we develop an
image of ourselves based on how we
imagine we appear to others. Other people
act as a mirror, reflecting back the image we
project through their reactions to our
behavior.

3 steps of Looking Glass Theory Theories of Socialization

George Herbert Mead
1. We imagine how we appear to others.
◦Believed that we not only see ourselves as
others see us, but actually take on the roles
2. Based on the other’s reactions, we attempt to determine (actuations) of others.
whether they view us as we see ourselves. ◦Called role-taking
◦ EX: being a good person around grandma!
3. We use our perceptions of how others judge us to develop ◦You do so because she is a good person!
feelings about ourselves.

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Mead’s “Generalized other”

The “I” in “Me”
Mead says a person first individualizes
significant others “I”
◦ Mom ◦The unsocialized, spontaneous, self-
◦ Dad
◦ Sister
interested component of personality.
◦ Brother ◦Very large role in children
As we grow older “Me”
◦ People internalize attitudes, expectations, and
viewpoints of society ◦The part of our self that is aware of the
◦ Generalized other (General Reaction towards
society)
expectations and attitudes of society.
◦Very large role in adults

Aspects of the Self Protecting Oneself (Belief about one’s Value)

◦Self-Schema-Collection of information, ideas
and characteristics used to describe the self. We always tend to protect our self-esteem
◦Self Differentiation-Capacity of identifying by:
oneself as a different social entity from other ◦Coherent Appraisals
present individual
◦Selective Hearing
◦Self-Efficacy- Belief in our own competence
and effectiveness to accomplish tasks ◦Selective Comparison
◦Self-Esteem- Perceived value of one’s self ◦Focusing on positive Feedback

Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

Sociologists and their Man must moved from a theological to

positivist (empirical) perspective of the
world.
view of the Self Secular sociologist should guide man not
the clergy.
Man must have social cohesion in order to
progress. The state is the one responsible
for maintaining such.

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Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)
Championed equality among
individuals. (gender, racial and
economic equality)
Focusing in all aspects of the
individuals.
Harriet Martineau Progress will make men more
leaning to atheism.
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Man can be understand through the conflict in
the society he is involved with.
Saw human history in a continual state of
conflict between two major classes:
• Bourgeoisie—owners of the means of production
(capitalists) (Oppressor)
• Proletariat—the workers (Oppressed)
Religion (Opium of the masses) perpetuate this
system
Predicted that revolution would occur
Emile Durkheim
producing first a socialist state, followed by a
communist society
Max Weber (1864-1920)
Religious beliefs influence the overall
way of expressing oneself in society.
(Protestants and the current capitalist
society)
Social stratification is based on the
combination of your, class, status and
power.
9/3/2023
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
Early Advocate of Evolution
Most well known for proposing a doctrine
called “Social Darwinism”
• Suggested that people who could not compete
were poorly adapted to the environment and
inferior
• This is an idea commonly called “survival of the
fittest”. This will pave the way for a better society
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Religion & Education are the key agents
of reforming man.
Man should be placed on a specific
specialization in order to make the
solidarity in a society more organic
Social Integration is necessary to avoid
suicide.
Self Presentation
Way of presenting our selves in the
society at large.
Attempting to control the impression
that others form of them in social
interaction
Conscious or Unconscious
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Self Disclosure (Correlated to Self-presentation) Types of Self-Presentation

Process of revealing personal aspects of
one’s feelings and behavior to others
Usually Bilateral- Norm of Reciprocity in
Disclosure
Leads to liking or Social Approval
Lonely people is low in self disclosure
Authentic Self-Presentation, Our goal is to create an image of
ourselves in the eyes of others that is consistent on how we view
ourselves
Ideal Self-Presentation, Create a public image consistent with what
we wish we were
Tactical Self-Presentation, Create a public image consistent with
what others wish or expects us to be

Tactical Impression Management Tactical Impression Management

The use of conscious, goal directed activity of controlling
information to influence impression
Purpose:
To make them like us more than they do
To make them fear us
To make them respect our abilities
The use of conscious, goal directed activity of controlling
information to influence impression
Purpose:
To make them respect our morals
To make them feel sorry for us

Various Tactical Impression Management

Techniques Tactics Used in Impression Management
❖Ingratiation Ingratiation
❖Aligning Actions Process of uplifting our
❖Altercasting likeability to achieve certain
❖Deception incentives or personal gains

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3 kinds of Ingratiation
Tactics Used in Impression Management
Opinion Conformity (Pretending to share the same Aligning Actions
belief)
Attempts to define their
Other enhancement (Using flattery on the target apparently questionable
person) conduct as actually in line
Supplication (Convincing others you are deserving) with cultural norms

Two important types of Aligning Actions

Tactics Used in Impression Management
Disclaimers-Warding off negative
criticism by defining actions as Altercasting-Placing
irrelevant (explaining the other side) others in a role or
identity for our own
Accounts-Mitigating the
responsibility for one’s wrong actions advantage.
(Excuses and Justification)

Deception Deception
It can be verbal or non-verbal
Deception-the process of misleading others,
There are people who can still
making them believe what we want them to
hide those cues and lie with all
believe for our own interest
their might
There are some cues to detect it however it is
hard to assess and low in accuracy.

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Embarrassment: Effect of Failed Tactical

Cues of Deception Impression Management
Liars has high pitch in talking The feeling we experience when the
Less control over body movements public identity we claim in an
Speech hesitation and speech errors encounter is discredited.
Pupil Dilation Uncomfortable feeling of exposure,
Touch themselves more mortification, awkwardness and
chagrin (humiliation).

“Yung Feeling Embarrassment

na para bang It entails physiological symptoms
gusto mong as blushing, increased heart rate,
and increased temperature
lumubog sa
Different cultures has various idea
lupa” on what is embarrassing and
coping with embarrassment.

Restoring Face Thank You

Coping with
embarrassment
◦Apologize
◦Be Accountable
◦Realign one’s actions with
normative order