Understanding the Self
WEEK 3
Sociology- the study of how human society is
established its structure and how it works, the people’s
interaction with each other and the effects they have to
one another is an aspect in which we have to consider
with regards to the development of a person
George Herbert Mead
 1863-1931
 Born in Massachusetts
 Attended Oberlin College (Ohio)
 Taught at the University of Chicago with John
Dewey
 One of the pioneers in the field of social
psychology because of his contributions on the
development of the person relating to various
social factors
 Rejected the idea of biological determination of
the slef which proposes that an individual
already has an established self from the
moment he is born
 The self is established through the construction
and reconstruction of the ideas of who we are
as a person during the process of social
experience
“I” and the “Me”
“Me”
 are the characteristics, behaviour and or actions
done by a person that follows the “generalized
others” that person interacts with
 are the attitude and behaviour of the person
with reference to their social environment
 doing “me”- my behaviour and my activity
 performing “me”- my social roles and public
persona
“I”
 Is the reaction of the individual to the attitude
of others, as well as the manifestation of the
individuality of the person.
 Is one’s response to the established attitude
and behaviour that a person assumes in
reference to their social interactions.
 Existential “I”- my being and my existing
 The cultural “I”- my meaning-making and my
values
THE ROLE-PLAYING STAGES OF SELF DEVELOPMENT
 Preparatory Stage (Birth – 2 years old)
 Play Stage (2-6 years old)
 Game Stage (6-9 year old)
Preparatory Stage (Birth- 2 years Old)
 The infant simply imitates the action and
behaviours of the people that the infant
interacts with.
 The child is only mimicking what he or she
observes from his or her environment their
actions are only the reflection of what they can
remember.
Play Stage (2-6 years Old)
 The time where children begins to interact with
other which certain rules apply, these rules
often time does not adhere to any set or
standards but rather are rules that are set by
the children themselves
 The child practices real life situations through
pretend play and is the onset of self-
consciousness
Game Stage (6-9 years Old)
 Characterized by the ability of the children to
recognize the rules of the game and be able to
identify their roles and the roles of the others
that is playing with them.
 Learns the implications of their actions as well
as the understanding or taking into account
how one can take into account the view points
of the society on the attitudes and actions.
Socialization- is a lifetime endeavour, and the people
one interacts with will change throughout a person’s life
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
Self by definition is a reference by an individual to the
same individual person. Having its own or single
character as a person, referring to the person as same
individual
Cognitive and Affective
William James

 “me-self”- is the phenomenal self, the

experienced self or the self as known. It is the
self that has experience the phenomena and
who had known the situation
 The “I-self” is the self-thought or the self-
knower

3 CATEGORIES IN UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

1. Its constituents
2. Self-feelings- the feelings and emotions
they aroud
3. Self-seeking and self-preservation- the
actions to which they prompt

Material Self- is constituted by our bodies, clothes,

immediate family and home. It is in this that we
attached more deeply into and therefore we are most
affected by because of the investment we give to these
things

Social self- is based on our interactions with society and

the reaction of people towards us. It is our social self
that thought to have multiples divergence or different
versions of ourselves. It varies as to how we present
ourselves to a particular social group

Spiritual self- is the most intimate because it is more

satisfying for the person that they have the ability to
argue and discriminate one’s moral sensibility,
conscience and indomitable will

Carl Rogers