GNED 08: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
2. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
- The ‘self’ is not present at birth but it develops
SOCIOLOGY
● It is a social science that deals with the study of
human interactions, societies and processes which
preserve or change them.
- how we interact w/ each other.
- study of how people come together in groups
- investigates social causes and consequences
● Coined by Isidore Auguste Comte, a French
philosopher, who originally created the term
sociologie which is derived from the Latin words
Socius (companion) and logos (study).
Prominent Figures in Sociology
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
● February 27, 1863 – April 26, 1931
● Popular in the fields of social psychology,
sociology, philosophy and pragmatism
THE THEORY OF SOCIAL SELF
- It’s about how you be yourself and who you
really are
- strongly influenced by the people around you
and the roles you play.
Social Behaviorism – we develop our own self-
image as we interact with other people
● “Self” is the dimension of our personality that
consists of our individual self-image and self-
awareness.
- individual’s perception of themselves
- looking at who you really are and how you fit
into the world around you.
over time through social interaction and social
experience.
Stages of Self-Formation
PREPARATORY STAGE
● Birth – 2 years
● They learn through imitation (through
demonstration of parents)
●They become familiar with the symbols people
use in interaction
● no sense of self
PLAY STAGE
● 2 – 7 years
● They start role-playing on the role of their
significant beings
● Role playing – process of mentally assuming
the perspective of another person to see how this
person might behave or respond in a given
situation.
● The “self” starts to develop
GAME STAGE
● 8 – 9 years
● They learn their role in relation to others and
how to take everyone else in a “game”
● present sense of self
● They can function in organized groups and
determine what they will do in a particular group.
● They develop the “generalized other”
THE “I” AND “ME”
● I Self – set of characteristics based on how the
person sees himself/herself
- responsible for initiating actions and decisions
● Me Self – set of characteristics based on how
the person is seen by others
- socialized aspect of an individual’s self
- judgements and expectations of the “generalized
other”
- “what would others think”
 CHARLES HORTON COOLEY
● August 17, 1864 – May 7, 1929
SOCIO PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
● Goffman's "Presentation of the Self in Everyday
Life" highlights how individuals engage in
impression management, adopting different roles
and behaviors to create specific impressions in
social interactions.

● Imagine you're looking at how people behave
and think in different situations, like at school,
with friends, or at home. Sociology is like
studying how groups of people act and interact in
these situations. Now, the socio psychological
approach adds a special twist to this. It's like
looking inside people's heads to understand why
they act the way they do in social situations.
DRAMATURGICAL APPROACH
● how people express themselves can be
associated with theatrical representation to portray
the nuances as well as the importance of face-to
face interactions
● humans are like actors who puts
show to an audience.
● theatrical representation

LOOKING-GLASS SELF THEORY

● it’s like looking at people’s heads to understand

why they act the way they do in social
interactions.

● The person’s “self” grows out of the society’s

interpersonal interactions and the perception of
others

● Imagine you have a magic mirror, you see

yourself, but you also see what:
1. People imagine how they present themselves to
others.
2. People imagine how others evaluate them.
3. People develop some sort of feelings about
themselves as a result of these impressions.

ERVING GOFFMAN
● June 11, 1922 – November 19, 1982
● Most influential American Sociologist
● Sixth most cited author in humanities and social
sciences

THE PRESENTATION OF THE SELF IN

EVERYDAY LIFE
● At initial stages of socialization, people modify
their presentation of their self to make a preferred
characteristics and satisfy particular groups of
people (impression management)

● impression management – make preferred

characteristics to satisfy group of people

● front stage and back stage