The Sociology and

Anthropology of
the Self
EMMANUEL R. SANTOS, LPT, MBA
TEACHER
 Nota bene: This Instructional material (IM) is not
entirely written by the course specialist but is just a
compilation of reading materials only for purposes of
research and study of the course UNDERSTANDING
THE SELF. The attached materials are credited to the
author of said articles as properly acknowledged in
the parenthetical citation, relevant links in the slides
and reference page. This material is not for sale.
Students are not allowed to reproduce or duplicate
the same. For strict confidentiality and compliance.
At the end of the lesson, you will be
able to:

 Explain the relationship between and among the self, society, and
culture
 Describe and discuss the different ways by which society and
culture shape the self
 Compare and contrast how the self can be influenced by the
different institution in the society
 Examine one’s self against the different views of self that were
discussed in the class
What is Sociology and
Anthropology?
SOCIOLOGY ANTHROPOLOGY
 Sociology is the study of human social  Anthropology is the systematic study
relationships and institutions. (sociology.unc.edu) of humanity, with the goal of
understanding our evolutionary
 study of social life, social change, and origins, our distinctiveness as a
the social causes and consequences of species, and the great diversity in
human behavior. Sociologists investigate our forms of social existence across
the structure of groups, organizations, the world and through time.
and societies and how people interact (anthropology.ucdavis.edu)

within these contexts. Since all human

behavior is social, the subject matter of
 “the science of humanity,” which
sociology ranges from the intimate family studies human beings in aspects
to the hostile mob; from organized crime ranging from the biology and
to religious traditions; from the divisions of evolutionary history of Homo sapiens
race, gender and social class to the to the features of society and culture
shared beliefs of a common culture. (21st that decisively distinguish humans
Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology, 2014)
from other animal species. (britanica.com)
What is the Self in contemporary
literature and even common sense?
 According to Stevens (1996), the
“Self” is commonly defined by the
following characteristics:

 SEPARATE
 SELF-CONTAINED
 INDEPENDENT
 CONSISTENT
 UNITARY
 PRIVATE

counsellingtutor.com/
HOWEVER…
 The last characteristic of the self
being “private” suggests that the
self is isolated from the external
world. That it lives within its own
world.
 BUT we also see that this potential
clash between the self and the
external reality is the reason for the
self to have a clear understanding
of WHAT IT MIGHT BE, WHAT IT CAN
BE and WHAT WILL IT BE.
 From this perspective then, one
can see that the self is always at
the MERCY of external
circumstances that bump and
collide with it.
 It is ever-changing and dynamic,
allowing external influences to
take part in its shaping.
 The concern then of our WEEK 3
lesson is in understanding the
vibrant relationship between the
self and external reality…
The perspective is known as the SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE…

 “Social Constructionist argue for a

MERGED VIEW of ‘the person’ and
their ‘social context’ where the
boundaries of one cannot easily
be separated from the boundaries
of the other” (STEVENS, 1996)
 The self should not be seen as a
static entity that stays constant
through and through.
 The self is always in participation of
with social life and its identity
subjected to influences here and
there.
http://jeesusjalutasallveelaeval.blogspot.com/
 The self is truly MULTI-FACETED.
THE SELF AND
CULTURE
Let’s consider this…
Graphic
Design
Professor at a
Catholic
University

Johannes has
He serves in
a beautiful
the church as
a lector and Johannes wife who he
met in an
commentator
internship

He is blessed
with 2 doting
kids (a son
and a
daughter)
Let’s analyze…

 As a man of different roles, one can

expect Johannes to change and
 His kids fear him. As a father, he can
adjust his behavior, ways, and even
be stern.
language depending on his social
situation.
 As a lector and commentator, on
the other hand his church mates
 When he is in the university, he
knew him as a guy who is calm, all-
conducts himself in a matter that
smiles, and always ready to lend a
befits his title as a professor.
helping hand to anyone in need.

 As a husband, Johannes can be

intimate and touchy. His wife
considers him sweet, something that
his students will never conceive him
to be.
Marcel Mauss
“Moi” and “Personne”
 Remaining the same person and
turning chameleon by adapting to
one’s context seems
paradoxical…
 However, French Anthropologist,
Marcel Mauss, has an explanation
for this phenomenon.
 Every self has two faces:
PERSONNE and MOI
 MOI- refers to a person’s sense of
who he is, his body, and his basic
identity, biological givenness. It is a
person’s basic identity.
 PERSONNE- on the other hand, is
composed of the social concepts
of what it means to be who he is.
It has much to do with what it
means to live in a particular
institution, a particular family, a
particular religion, a particular
nationality, and how to behave
given expectations and influences
from others.
Further examples…

 An overseas Filipino worker (OFW)

adjusting to the life in another
country is a very good case study.
 In the Philippines, many people
unabashedly violate jaywalking
rules. A common Filipino treats
road, even national ones, as
basically his and so he just merely
crosses whenever and wherever.
 When the same Filipino visits
another country with strict traffic
rules, say Singapore, you will
notice how suddenly law-abiding
the said Filipino becomes.
© 2020 Bloomberg Finance LP
Good point to consider!

 How we see ourselves shapes our

lives, and is shaped by our cultural
 This is because we will never ever
context.
see ourselves being exactly the
same as the others since we all
have different EXPERIENCES. Self
 We all have probably asked
perceptions influence how we
ourselves “Who am I?” a dozen
think about the world, our social
times.
relationships, health and lifestyle
choices, community engagement,
 Certainly, we have heard the political actions, and ultimately
saying, “No two people are alike”, our own and other people’s well
from our personal encounter with being. (Vignoles et Al, 2016)
other people in different situations.
Good point to consider!

 It has been a given fact that social

scientists are well-aware that
people in different parts of the
world see themselves in different
ways.

https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/kids-from-all-over-the-
world-vector-4242925
THE SELF AND THE
DEVELOPMENT OF
THE SOCIAL WORLD
Let’s think about it!

 How do people actively produce

their social worlds?

 How do children growing up

become social beings?

 How can a boy turn out to be just

like an ape?

 How do twins coming out from the

same mother turn out to be terribly
different when given up for
adoption? everydayhealth.com/healthy-living
Good point to consider!
 More than his givenness
(personality, tendencies, and
 Recent studies, indicate that men
propensities, among others), one is
and women in their growth and
believed to be in ACTIVE
development engage actively in
participation in the shaping of the
the shaping of the self. The
self.
unending terrain of
metamorphosis of the self is
mediated by language.

 “Language as both a publicly

shared and privately utilized
symbol system is the site where the
INDIVIDUAL and the SOCIAL make
and remake each other”
(Schwartz, White and Lutz 1993)

in.pinterest.com/pin/569001734173931024/
George Herbert Mead

 In his Social Self Theory, believed

that the sense of self is developed
through social interactions, such as
observing and interacting with
others (Ritzer, 2008)
 The self is not yet present at birth.
Rather, it is developed over time
from social experiences and
activities.
 He identified three activities that
develop the self: LANGUAGE, PLAY https://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Children_Learn_
and GAMES. Best_by_Observing_Behavior_of_Adults

https://images.app.goo.gl/2d7PH3ndbf3ZFVoj6
Charles Cooley
 Looking-Glass Self (Cooley, 1998)
 People develop a sense of self
having 3 elements:
1. How we imagine we appear to
others.
2. Judgment we imagine that
other people may be making
about us.
3. Self-image based upon the
evaluations of others. https://images.app.goo.gl/g3njw9MLobdis1CU7

https://images.app.goo.gl/3bNsavCaCcvKbVmv8
THE SELF AND FAMILY,
GENDER, ETHNICITY,
NATIONALITY,
SOCIO-ECONOMIC CLASS
FAMILY

 A family, by definition, is a group

of people affiliated by a specific
relationship. Basically, the family is Getty Images/iStockphoto

the most fundamental unit of

social organization that with which
we most intimately identify. Your
family influences your personal,
emotional, intellectual, and social
development. (study.com) https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/role-of-
family-in-childs-development/

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-
educators/partnering-with-families/family-engagement-and-student-
success
FAMILY
 While every child is born with
certain givenness, disposition
coming from his parents’ genes
and general condition of life, the
impact of one’s family is still
deemed as a given in
understanding of the self.
 The kind of family that we are born
in, the resources available to us
(human, spiritual, economic), and
the kind of development that we
will have will certainly affect us as https://disneyprincess.fandom.com/wiki/Tarzan

we go through life.
 Without a family, biologically and
sociologically, a person may not
even survive or become a human
person.
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/User_blo
g:Ratigan6688/My_Favorite_Superheroes
 TYPES OF FAMILY
1. Nuclear Family
2. Single Parent
http://parentpumpradio.com/myths-beliefs-and-
3. Extended Family perceptions-regarding-single-parent-families/

4. Childless Family
5. Stepfamily
6. Grandparent Family https://family.lovetoknow.com/advantages-
disadvantages-nuclear-family

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/childless-couples-
happier-kids-study_n_4589368

https://www.learningliftoff.com/unity-blended-family/
https://cmfblog.org.uk/2018/02/08/nhs-crisis-the-role-of-the-extended-family/

Getty Images/BananaStock RF
Share your thoughts…

 On Facebook Group for teachers

in the Philippines, somebody
posted this picture asking if this
teaching material should be
utilized or not? Comments were
varied and intense.

 What do you think? Justify your

answer.
GENDER

SEX GENDER

 Gender, on the other hand, is a

social interpretation that varies
 Sex is a biological term for a
across cultures. This term is
person’s genetic condition of
personal, social and cultural.
being male or female.
 Hence, two sexes.
Concepts under gender:
Sexual Orientation
Gender Identity
Gender Expression
Sexual Behavior
Let’s dig deeper.

https://theconversation.com/rules-of-how-to-be-a-dad-are-
changing-as-gender-roles-continue-to-blur-72907

https://fairplayforwomen.com/biological-sex-differences/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rediscovering-
love/201509/rigid-gender-roles-enemies-the-new-intimacy

https://thoughtcatalog.com/lorenzo-jensen-iii/2015/06/13-real-
differences-between-male-and-female-brains/
ETHNICITY
 Ethnicity also contributes to how
an individual interacts with others.

 Ethnicity is a social construct

determined by a person’s
ancestral origins, culture, and
physical attributes inherited from
their ancestors (Banaag & Cruz, 2016)

 Various studies say that racial or

ethnic differences affect one’s self
image.

https://fatenalmosawi.home.blog/2018/08/22/the-journey-begins/
ETHNICITY

 In a research by Gray-Little &

Hafdahl (2000), African Americans,
who believe that they belong to https://letsbuildnaija.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/rebuild-the-child-self-esteem/
ethnic minorities, are found to
have lower self-esteem when they
compared themselves to Whites,
who are more advantaged.

https://www.eskimi.com/ecc/post?club_id=27361&post_id=935963
NATIONALITY

 Nationality combines with Ethnicity

to further define a person’s identity
within his or her larger community.
 Filipinos have a distinct identity of
being hospitable, making sure that https://balay.ph/filipino-hospitality-culture/

something is offered to visitors in

the house. (Garcia, 2015)
 In Mediterranean countries,
people consider you unkind if you
avoid touching someone’s arm
when talking to them or do not
greet them with kisses or warm
embrace. (Pitta, et. Al, 1999)

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/a-guide-to-kissing-etiquette-around-the-world
NATIONALITY

 In the Philippines, when

introduced to a person we just
met, we sometimes tap their
backs to show acceptance for but
do this to someone who is not a
family member or a good friend in
Korea will keep them
uncomfortable.
 In Philippines, we can pat a child
on his or her head even if we are
stranger to them. In Thailand, the
head is considered sacred-
patting a child on the head is a
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AffectionateGestureToTheHead

big NO (Pitta, et Al, 1999)

Nice to know!

 Stereotypes are assumptions that

are made about individuals
because they belong to a
particular social group. (Cruz, B., 2018)

https://twitter.com/pspsehun/status/1266102209072304131/photo/1
PETA 2

 Paste a picture of you when you

were in elementary, in high school,
and now that you are in college.

My My  Below the picture, list down your

My High
Elementary College salient characteristics that you
School Self
Self Self remember.
PETA 2
After having examined your “self” in its different stages. Answer the following
questions honestly.

• The similarities and differences of all stages of my “self”.

1

• What do you think are the influences of family in your development as an individual?
2

• What social pressures help shape your self? Would you have wanted it otherwise?
4

• Can you provide a time when you felt you were not living your “true self”? Why did you have to live a life like
5 that? What did you do about it?

• What aspects of your self do you think may be changed or you would like to change?
6
Reference List:
1. Alata EJP, Caslib BN, Serafica JPJ & Pawilen, RA. Understanding the Self. Manila: Rex Publishing.
2. American Sociological Association (2005). 21st Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology.
Retrieved 01 August 2020 from:
https://uh.edu/class/sociology/undergraduate/careers/21st_century_careers.pdf
3. Banaag, L. & Cruz, M. (2016). Socio-Anthro. An Integrated and Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Society,
Culture and Politics. Mandaluyong: Books Atbp. Publishing Corporation.
4. Cooley. C. (1998). On Self and Social Organization. Ed. Schubert Hans-Joachim. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
5. Cruz, B.L. (2018). Understanding the Self, First Edition. Paranaque: JTCA Publishing.
6. Muscato, C. What is Family? Definitions, Characteristics and Types. Retrieved on 01 August 2020 from:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-family-definition-characteristics-types.html
7 Oelze, P. (2020). There Are 6 Different Family Types And Each One Has A Unique Family Dynamic. Retrieved on 01
August 2020 from:
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/family/there-are-6-different-family-types-and-each-one-has-a-unique-family-
dynamic/
8. Pitta D., Hung-Gay, F. & Isberg, S. (1999). Ethical Issues Across Cultures: Managing the Differing Perspectives of China
and the USA. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 16 (3),240-256. MCB University Press.
9. Ritzer, G. (2008). Sociological Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill
10. Schwartz, T. & White, G & Lutz, G. New Directions in Psychological Anthropology. Cambridge England; New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Reference List:

11. Steven, R. (1996). Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications.

12. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Lists of Anthropologists. Retrieved 01 August 2020 from:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-anthropologists-2055190

13. The University of North Carolina & Chapel Hill, Department of Sociology. What is Sociology?. Retrieved 01 August
2020 from:

https://sociology.unc.edu/undergraduate-program/sociology-major/what-is-sociology/

14. UCDavis.edu. What is Anthropology. Retrieved 01 August 2020 from:

https://anthropology.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate