CHAPTER 2

SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE:
THE SELF AS A
PRODUCT OF
SOCIETY
Presented by: Group 1
Sociological Perspective of the self based on the
assumption that human behavior is influenced by
group life.

• Particular view of oneself is formed through

interactions with other people, institutions, etc.

Mead and Cooley – self doesn’t depend on

biological predispositions; but, it is a product of
social interaction.
• Modern Society – individual seeks for solid and
stable self-identity
• Postmodern – individual tries to avoid fixation
and keeps the options open for self-improvement
Jean Baudrillard – in the postmodern society, self is
found in the prestige symbols of goods consumed by
people

• Postmodern person has become an insatiable

consumer

Sociology – scientific study of social groups and

human relationships generates new insights into the
interconnectedness between the self and other people

• Sociologists: self emerges as a product of social

experience
The Looking-glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley) and
Theory of the Social Self (George Herbert Mead) –
helpful in understanding how a person views himself
as he interacts with the social environment including
family, school, peer groups, and mass media

Charles Horton Cooley: Looking-glass Self

• To highlight that the people whom a person interacts
with become a mirror in which he views himself
• Self-identity (self-image)– achieved through a
threefold event
1. By conceiving an idea of how a person presents
himself to others
2. How he analyzes how others perceive him
3. How he creates an image of himself
• These perceptions are subjective. A person might have
wrong interpretations of how other people evaluate
him

George Herbert Mead: Theory of the Social Self

• He supports the view that a person develops a sense
of self through social interaction and not the
biological preconditions of that interaction
• This theory explained that the self has Two
Divisions: the “I” and the “me.”

1. The “I” is the subjective element and the active side

of the self. It represents the spontaneous and unique
traits of the individual.
2. The “me” objective element that represents the
internalized attitudes and demands of other people and
the individual’s awareness of those demands

• Full development of self– attained when the “I” and

the “me” are united
• “Self is not present at birth”. It develops only with
social experience in which language, gestures, and
objects are used to communicate meaningfully.
• Role-taking – process in which a person infers
people’s intention or direction of action, which may
lead him to understand the world from other’s points
of view, since there is meaning in human actions
 THREE STAGES
PROCESS
(DEVELOPMENT
OF THE SELF)
1. Preparatory Stage (0-3 years old) – children imitate the people around them especially family members. They have daily
interaction, But they copy behavior without understanding underlying intentions, and so at this stage, they have no sense of
self. During this stage, children are just preparing for role-taking.

2. Play Stage (3-5 years old), children start to view themselves in relation to others as they learn to communicate through language and other
symbols. At this stage, role-taking is exhibited; however, children do not perceive role-taking as something expected of them. At this stage, the
self is developing.
3. Game Stage ( begins in the early school years;
about 8 or 9 years old) children understand not only
their own social position but also those of others around
them. At this stage, children become concerned about
the take into account in their behavior the generalized
others which refer to the attitudes, viewpoints, demands,
and expectations of the society which include cultural
norms and values that serve as references in evaluating
oneself. During this stage, the self is now present.
 THE SELF AS A
PRODUCT OF MODERN
AND POSTMODERN
SOCIETIES
 Gerry Lanuza’s (2004) The
Constitution of the Self
• “The Constitution of the Self” –
relationship between society and the
individuals

• In modern socities, the attainment and

stability of self-identity are freely
chosen. It is no longer restricted by
customs and traditions.
• There is need to discover the “authentic core” of the
self for the individual to freely work towards self-
realization.

• The dissolution of traditional values and communities

in modern society has led the individuals to construct
a solid and stable self-identity, the postmodern
individuals welcome all possibilities for self-
improvement.

• In postmodern socities, self-identity constinuously

changes due to the demands of multitudes of social
contexts, new information technologies, and
globalization
 Jean Baudrillad (French
Sociologist)

• Exposes the negative consequences of

postmodernity to individuals in the society

• For him, consumption structures the

postmodern society

• Postmodern individuals achieve self-identity

through prestige symbols that they consume
• Feeling of goodness and power- consume goods not
for their primary value and utility because of the
cultural practices of advertising and mass media

• Postmodern person – insatiable consumer and may

never satisfied in his life.

• Therefore, the self may be in a never-ending search

for prestige in the postmodern society.