ANTHROPOLOGICA

L VIEW OF SELF
The Self, Society, and
Culture

Prepared by: Jasper Ann StaMaria, RPm

Intended Learning Objectives
 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 institutions in the
society
 Examine one’s self against the different views of
self that were discussed in class
 ANTHROPOLOGY
Scientific study of humans, human behavior and
societies in the past and present.
Bernardino
de Sahagun
Founder of modern
anthropology.
 CULTURE
 It is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material
traits of a racial, religious, or social group.
 It is the social behavior and norms found in human
societies
 The way that NON-MATERIAL OBJECTS (thoughts,
actions, language , and values- come together with
MATERIAL OBJECTS to form a way of life.
 ENCULTURATION – is the transmission of culture
from one generation to the next.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM – is the view that there
are no universal standards or values or rules for
labeling a behaviors abnormal; instead, behaviors can
only be abnormal relative to cultural norms.

NORMS – a society’s stated and unstated rules for

proper conduct.
Opponents of cultural relativism argue that dangers
arise when cultural norms are allowed to dictate
what is normal or abnormal.

According to Thomas Szasz, the deviations that

calls abnormal are simply “problems in living,”
not signs of something wrong within the person.
 Culture is “a historically
transmitted pattern of meanings
embodied in symbols, a system
of inherited conceptions
expressed in symbolic forms
by means of which men
communicate, perpetuate, and
develop their knowledge and
their attitudes toward life”
(Geertz 1973).
 2 COMPONENTS OF
CULTURE
 MATERIAL CULTURE
Culture of things – like buildings, street signs,
foods, clothing, transportation, etc.

 Non-MATERIAL CULTURE
Culture of ideas. It is made up of the intangible
creations of human society like values, symbols,
customs, ideals.
3 MAIN ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

1. Symbols
Anything that carries a specific meaning that’s recognized
by people who share a culture
(e.g., non-verbal gesture)

CULTURAL TRANSMISSION is the way a group of people

within a society or culture tend to learn and pass on new
information. While interacting with people from other cultures,
an individual generally faces certain obstacles, which are caused
by differences in cultural understanding between the two people
in question.
2. values
The cultural standards that people use to decide
what’s good or good or bad, what’s right or wrong,
they serve as the ideals and guidelines that we live
by.

BELIEFS are specific ideas about what people think is true

about the world
3. Norms
The rules and expectations that guide behavior within
a society.

3 types of norms
 Folkways – the informal little rules that kind of go without saying
 Mores – more official than folkways and tend to be codified, or
formalized, as stated rules and laws of a society
 TABOO – the norms that are crucial to s society’s moral center
involving behaviors that are always negatively sanctioned.
Two Categories of Culture

 Individualism
 Collectivism
 The Individualistic Culture
(Western Thought)

 Stress the importance of each person’s needs

 Emphasize personal achievement regardless of the
expense of group goals, resulting in a strong sense
of competition.
 Oriented around the self, being independent instead
of identifying with a group mentality
Traits of Individualism:
• “I” identity
• Promotes individual goals, initiative and
achievement
• Individual rights are seen as being the most
important. Rules attempt to ensure self-importance
and individualism
• Independence is valued; there is much less of a
drive to help other citizens or communities than
collectivism
• Relying on being independent on others is
frequently seen as shameful
• People are encouraged to do thins on their own;
rely on themselves
• People strive for their own success
 The collectivism Culture
(eastern Thought)

 Stress the importance of groups over individuals

 Emphasize the family and work group goals above
individual needs or desires

Traits of Collectivism:
• Each person is encouraged to be an active player
in society, to do what is best for society as a
whole rather than themselves
• The rights of families, communities, and the
collective supersede those of the individual.
• Rules promote unity, brotherhood, and selflessness
• Working with others and cooperating is the norm;
everyone supports each other
• As a community, family or nation more than as an
individual
• Strong cohesive group
The Self in Differing Cultural Context
“Remaining the same person and turning chameleon
to one’s context seems paradoxical.” – Marcel Mauss

2 FACES OF SELF ACCORDING TO MAUSS:

 MOI – refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body, and
his basic identity, his biological givenness. It is stable and
static.

 PERSONNE – social concepts of what it means to be who he

is.
SOCIETY

A society is a group of individuals involved in

persistent social interaction, on a large social group
sharing the same geographical or social territory ,
typically subject to the same political authority and
dominant cultural expectations.

Societal Norms – patterns of behavior within a given

society.
CATEGORIES OF SOCIETY
 PRE-INDUSTRIAL
In a Pre-Industrial society, food production, which is carried
out through the use of human and animal labor, is the main
economic activity.
Subcategories:
• Hunting and Gathering
• Pastoral
• Horticultural
• Agrarian
• Feudal (Feudalism – a form of society based on ownership
of land)
 INDUSTRIAL
Industrial societies rely heavily on machines powered
by fuels for the production of goods.

Capitalism – marked by open competition in a free

market, in which the means of production are privately
owned.
INDIVIDUALISTIC VS . COLLECTIVE
SELF
PSYCHE – western model of the soul.

ARETE – (according to the Greeks) – the ultimate

goodness, perfection, excellence. (WESTERN)

ATMAN – considered to be the seat of

consciousness.
(EASTERN)
 POST-INDUSTRIAL
Dominated by information, services, and high
technology more than the production of goods. United
states is the first country to have over half of its forced
employed in service industries.
THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND
ORIENTAL/EASTERN
THOUGHT
 The Social Construction of the Self in Western
Thought
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION is a shared assumption
or perception of the people in the society. The
WESTERN SOCIAL CONSTRUCT OF THE
SELF can be characterized in 3 ways:

1. INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF
2. SELF-SUFFICIENCY
3. SELF BEING RATIONAL
INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF
At a very young age, the child is already taught to
pursue what is best for self. Thus later in adult life,
the measure of a successful life is when the self is
able to fulfill the life-goals set for and by the self.
The individualistic self is always conceived as the
autonomous bounded entity. Fro one to be
autonomous, one must be able to show
independence.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY

This construct presumes that a successful self must

be able to supply one’s needs without external
assistance. Being self-sufficient also implies
confidence in one’s capacity to provide what the
self needs from one’s own resources and authority.
Therefore it is important for the self to establish
one’s power and accumulate the needed knowledge
and resources so that one will be able to provide
one’s needs.
SELF BEING RATIONAL

In the western practice, there is no time for the self

to be weak and emotional. The self must not waste
the resources on meditation and other metaphysical
cognitions but to constantly rational and
reasonable. The self masters the causal relationship
of things. Everything must be explained by logic
and reason.
The SELFAS EMBEDDED IN RELATIONSHIPSAND THRU
SPIRITUALDEVELOPMENT IN CONFUCIAN THOUGHT

Eastern social infrastructures are mostly seen as

contrary to the western individualistic construct.
The eastern social is primarily viewed as
collectivistic and is always grounded on nature.
There were many eastern traditions that flourished
in the history of thought that were firmly based on
how the self relates to others, to the Divine Being
and to nature.
 Confucius or Kung Fu Zi ascertained the ancient
Chinese civilization by establishing social order. The
society will be led by wise leaders who guaranteed
peace, prosperity and harmony. Here in the
Confucian system we can immediately notice the
social order is only caused by the unchecked selfish
desires of individuals.
JUNZI – refined and compassionate person . It is the
new self formed in the right education under the
virtuous teacher as a role model
 LI – means sacrifice. Refined manner of spiritual
rituals and sacrifices, and protocols in honoring the
ancestors.

 REN – the character of the self that sincerely shows

compassion for others

 JENZI – sage king – characterized by his practice

of ren in putting others first before the elf.
 THE SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
SOCIAL WORLD

 Men and women are born with particularities that they can
no longer change.
 MEAD and VGOTSKY : The way that humans develop is
with the use of language acquisition and interact with others.
 A young child internalizes values, norms, practices, and
social beliefs and more thru exposure to interaction that
would eventually become part of his individual world.
 A child internalizes real-life dialogs that he has had with
others, with his family, his primary caregiver, or his
playmates.
Family Structures

 Nuclear Family
Is the traditional type of family structure. This
family type consists of two parents and children.
The nuclear family was long held in esteem by
society as being the ideal in which to raise children.
 Single Parent Family
The single parent family consists of one parent raising one or
more children on his own. This family may include a 
single mother with her children, a single dad with his kids, or
a single person with their kids. The single parent family is the
biggest change society has seen in terms of the changes in
family structures.
 Extended Family
The extended family structure consists of two or more adults
who are related, either by blood or marriage, living in the
same home. This family includes many relatives living
together and working toward common goals, such as raising
the children and keeping up with the household duties.
 Childless Family
While most people think of family as including children, there
are couples who either cannot or choose not to have children.
The childless family is sometimes the "forgotten family," as it
does not meet the traditional standards set by society.
Childless families consist of two partners living and working
together. Many childless families take on the responsibility of
pet ownership or have extensive contact with their nieces and
nephews.
 Step Family
Over half of all marriages end in divorce, and many of these
individuals choose to get remarried. This creates the step or 
blended family which involves two separate families
merging into one new unit. It consists of a new husband,
wife, or spouse and their children from previous marriages
or relationships. Step families are about as common as the
nuclear family, although they tend to have more 
problems, such as adjustment periods and discipline issues.
Step families need to learn to work together and also work
with their exes to ensure these family units run smoothly
 Grandparent Family
Many grandparents today are raising their grandchildren for a variety of
reasons. One in fourteen children is raised by his grandparents, and the
parents are not present in the child's life. This could be due to parents'
death, addiction, abandonment or being unfit parents. Many grandparents
need to go back to work or find additional sources of income to help raise
their grandchildren.
 THE SELF IN FAMILIES
 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 the self. The kind of family that we are born
in, the resources available to us (human, spiritual. economic)
 Humans learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood
by being in a family.
 Babies internalize ways and styles that they observe from
their family.
 Children learn by imitation
BIOLOGICAL GENDER
SEX IDENTITY
is assigned at is the gender that
birth, depending a person
on the appearance “identifies” with
of the genitals. or feels
themselves to be.
GENDER
GENDER is the term used to denote the public
(and usually legally recognized) lived role as boy
or girl, man or woman, but in contrast to certain
social constructionist theories, biological factors
are seen as contributing, in social and
psychological factors to gender development.
GENDER ASSIGNMENT – refers to the initial
assignment as male or female. It occurs usually at
birth and, thereby, yields the “natal gender.”
GENDER-ATYPICAL – refers to somatic features
or features that are not typical (in a statistical
sense) f individuals with the same assigned gender
in a given society and historical era; for behavior,
GENDER NON-CONFORMING is an descriptive
alternative term.
GENDER REASSIGNMENT – denotes an official
(and usually) legal change of gender.

GENDER IDENTITY - is a category of social

identity and refers to an individual’s identification
as male, female, or occasionally, some category
other than male or female.
GENDER DYSPHORIA – refers to an individual’s
affective/cognitive discontent with the assigned
gender but is more specifically defined when used as
a diagnostic category. It refers to the distress that
may accompany to the incongruence between one’s
experienced or expressed gender and one’s assigned
gender. Although not all individuals will experience
distress as a result of such incongruence, many are
distressed if the desired physical interventions by
means of hormones and/or surgery are not available.
 TRANSGENDER – refers to the broad spectrum of
individuals who transiently or persistently identify with a
gender different from their natal gender.
 TRANSEXUAL – denotes an individual who seeks, or has
undergone, a social transition from male to female or female
to male, which in many but not all, cases also involved
somatic transition by cross-sex hormone treatment or genital
surgery (sex reassignment surgery).
 TRANSVETISM – where a person occasionally wears
clothes typically associated with the opposite gender for a
variety of reasons.
 GENDER QUEER– an umbrella term used to describe
gender identities other than man and woman.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS (DSM
V)
 NON-CONFORMITY TO GENDER ROLES –
strong desire to be of another gender than the
assigned one and by the extent and pervasiveness
of gender-variant activities and interests. Given the
increased openness of atypical gender expressions
by individuals across the entire range of the
transgender spectrum, it is important that the
clinical diagnosis be limited to those individuals
whose distress and impairment meet the specified
criteria.
 TRANSVESTIC DISORDER – occurs in
heterosexual (or bisexual) adolescent and adult
males(rarely in females) for whom cross-dressing
behavior generates sexual excitement and causes
distress and/or impairment without drawing their
primary gender into question.
 BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER – an
individual with body dysmorphic disorder focuses
on the alteration or removal of a specific body part
because it is perceived as abnormally formed, not
because it represents a repudiated assigned gender.
Individuals wishing to have a healthy limb
amputated because it makes them feel more
“complete” usually do not wish to change gender,
but rather desire to live as an amputee or disabled
person.
GENDER AND SELF
 Gender is one of those LOCI (central point) of the
self that is subject to alteration.
 Oftentimes, society forces a particular identity unto
us depending on our sex/or gender.
 Nancy Chorodow, a feminist, argues that because
mothers takes the role of taking care of children,
there is a tendency for girls to imitate the same and
reproduce the same kind of mentality of women as
care providers in the family.
 LIST OF 58 GENDER OPTIONS
FOR FB USERS
 Agender
 Androgyne

 Androgynous

 Cis

 Cisgender

 Cis Female

 Cis Male

 Cis Man

 Cis Woman

 Cisgender Female

 Cisgender Male

 Cisgender Man

 Cisgender Woman

 Female to Male

 FTM
 Gender Fluid
 Gender Nonconforming
 Gender Questioning
 Genderqueer
 Intersex
 Intersex
 Male to Female
 MTF
 Neither
 Neutrois
 Non-binary
 Other
 Pangender
 Trans
 Trans*
 Trans Female
 Trans* Female

 Trans Male

 Trans* Male

 Trans Man

 Trans* Man

 Trans Person

 Trans* Person

 Trans Woman

 Trans* Woman

 Transfeminine

 Transgender
 Transgender Female
 Transgender Male

 Transgender Man

 Transgender Person

 Transgender Woman

 Transmasculine

 Transsexual

 Transsexual Female

 Transsexual Male

 Transsexual Man

 Transsexual Person

 Transsexual Woman

 Two-Spirit
“THE PURPOSE OF
ANTHROPOLOGY IS TO MAKE
THE WORLD SAFE FOR HUMAN
DIFFERENCES.”

- RUTH BENEDICT