UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

The Sociological Perspective of the Self modernization

delocalizes the self
Self-concept
- In pre-modern time people’s significant
- In the field of sociology, it is the decisions were not analyzed and thought
presence of the larger society and the of so much because choices were
significant other play a major role in the already prescribed by their traditions
understanding of the genuine nature of and customs.
the self which is found in the realm of a - In modern Societies, people frequently
collective whole ask questions like what to do, what to
- A product of cultural practices which is be, and how to act.
the realm of anthropology. - The self, who once a coherent, unitary,
and consistent being, is now
*The cultural conceptions of the “self” and disappearing because of the influence of
identity is a concern in anthropological modern societies; the self is becoming
discourse increasingly fragmented, fractured, and
unstable
2. The Self as a necessary Fiction
Sociology - Nietzche (1844-900)
 A German philosopher
- Scientific study of society
and cultural critic
- Includes patterns of social relationships,
 Society may have
social interactions and culture
influenced your
- Focuses primarily on the influence of
experiences and
social relationship on your attitudes and
behavior, but these are
behavior
only temporal and have
no enduring essence
because the self is only
VARIOUS SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWS OF THE a necessary fiction
SELF - Necessary Fiction
1. The self as product of modern society  Belief that cannot be
- Because of modernization your own proven to be true but
identity is not any more stable and necessary to sustain life
evidently these values are near since people need some
extinction sense of certainty on a
- Manheim: world of constant
 author of the book change.
sociological research 3. Post-modern View of the Self
and philosophy - Postmodern societies, globalization,
 modernization is the media, and technology as well as
destruction of the self; consumerism have a more effective
 influence on how you construct yourself
and culture
- Postmodern human by nature, you have
Mead and the social self
no authentic self, meaning your self-
identity keeps on changing, and being
redefined by the kind of society you are
associated with, so finding the true,
cohesive self cannot be obtained in post-
modern society
- Walter Truett Anderson
 Discusses four terms
postmodernists use to
speak of the self
a. Multiphrenia
o Refers to many voices in
different cultures that tell who
and what a person is
b. Protean
o The popular notion “walang
forever” may best describe this
postmodern view of self because
this means that the self is
capable of changing constantly
to conform with the present
circumstances
c. Decentered Self
o A belief that there is no self at
all because the self is constantly
undergoing change. Self is not
fixed and has no enduring
meaning
d. Self in Relation
o A person’s life is not lived of
himself/herself but in relation to
people and to certain cultural
contexts
e. The self as an artistic creation
- Giddens
 A British sociologist
and the author of the
book modernity and
identity
 In the post traditional
order, self-identity is a
reflective project- an
endeavor that everyone
continuously works and
reflect in
- “Idiot”
 Greek word
 Meant someone lived
by himself and
considered mentally
incompetent.
 A non-social self is an
idiot
- The attainment of the self can only be
achieved through the process of
socialization, and it does not end at
childhood or adolescent stage but as
long as we live
- The maxim “no man is an island”
strongly manifests that the self or
yourself- concept cannot be attained
without interaction with the elements in
the society. This is one of the principal
studies of sociology
- George Herbert Mead
o One of the pioneering
contributors to the study of
sociological perspective on self
o Social interaction is absent from
early experience, you as a
person will have no ability to
see yourself as others would see
you
o You have no self
o “Who am I”- most pressing
question; what Mead wants to
explain in hos concept of
symbolic interaction and his “I”
and “ME” self
o Social beings interact with one
another through symbols and the
most evident of which is
language
o It is through constant
communication that one can
assert his or her right toward
meaning existence
 o To attain self-realization for
Mead, it is through Role taking
Mead’s Three main stages in the development of
the self in childhood
1. Language stage
- Through symbols, actions, and sounds
2. Play stage
- An individual pretends to be someone
else
3. Game stage
- There are rules to obey and adheres to

According to Mead’s theory there are two sides

of the self:
  Homonaleti- first human skeleton, Africa/ first
human in the world

Anthropology

- Deals with biological features that

makes us human and social aspects,
adapt to surroundings
Main viewpoint of anthropology

- Development of culture

Symbol is one of the fundamental aspect’s

cultures

- Most important symbol is LANGUAGE

Major distinction among aspects of self

Greatly affect human behavior:
1. The private self
2. The public self
3. The collective self
Psychology

- Concerned with how we develop our

sense of self over the course of its
development
- 1879: it became a scientific discipline

Greek word:
Psyche- soul or mind
Logos- study of
Different physiological perspectives
1. Me- self and I-self
- Self-view

Makeup of the Me-self

1. Material self
2. Social self
3. Spiritual self
 Differentiation of the selves refers to the degree to
which able to balance.