ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SELF:

“the SELF” and “the OTHERS”

 ANTHROPOLOGY
The science of human beings
especially : the study of human
beings and their ancestors through
time and space and in relation to
physical character, environmental
and social relations, and culture
Key Points on Anthropology

o “Anthropology encroaches on the territory of sciences

as well as the humanities, and transcends the
conventional boundaries of both while addressing
questions from the distant past and the pressing present-
perhaps with implications for the future (Peacock,1986)”

o “It considers human experience as an interplay of

nature (genetic inheritance which sets the individual’s
potentials) and nurture (the sociocultural environment)
(Haviland, 2013)”.
 o “Anthropology provides insights into
the nature of self-based on continuous
understanding of the basic elements of
culture (Peacock,1986).”

o Both biological and cultural factors have

significant influence on the development
of self- awareness among individuals in
the society.
The CULTURAL Construction of Self and
Identity

British anthropologist Edward Tyler defines culture as

“that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief,
art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

“Anthropologists have emphasized that culture is NOT

behavior itself but the SHARED UNDERSTANDING that
GUIDE behavior and are EXPRESSED in behavior
(Peacock,1986)
Identity Toolbox refers to the features of a
person’s identity that he or she chooses to
emphasize in constructing a social self. Family
membership could be the most significant
feature to determine a person’s social identity.
Personal Naming is a universal practice with
numerous cross-cultural variations, establishes a
child’s birthright and identity. A name is an important
device to individualize a person and legitimize him as
a member of a social group such as family
(Haviland,2013). A person’s name may symbolically
represent his or her cultural self.
Activity 1. The Story Behind My Name

1.Ask your parents on how did they

come up with your name.
2.Comment under this post the story
behind your name.
 CULTURE DEFINES THE SELF
• The self and culture are seen as mutually
constitutive ( Fiske, Kitayama,
Markus&Nisbett,1998).
• The INDIVIDUAL SELF develops within a
particular culture that
structures how the self
is to think, feel, & act.
Cultural context can be a custom or norms of a
society, the characters live in and at how
their culture can affect their behaviour and their
opportunities,it also looks about where and
when each text is set. Think about the values
and attitudes that matter to these customs and
how they formed.
• In turn, the INTERACTION of many INDIVIDUAL
SELVES transforms the CULTURAL SYSTEM.
• Our sense of self, is shaped by our cultural context
(Matsumoto & Juang,2004)
• Different cultures produce different self- concepts in their
members.
• Even though the self is a basic psychological concept that is
commonly assumed to have a universal nature, the meaning
of the self varies across
different cultural contexts.
 YOUR Two selves
• Independent selves view themselves as individual, unique,
influencing others and their environments, free from
constraints, and equal (yet great!).  This is the sort of self that
mainstream American culture overwhelmingly nurtures.
• Interdependent selves, by contrast, view themselves as
relational, similar to others, adjusting to their situations,
rooted in traditions and obligations, and ranked in pecking
orders. Many
other parts of the world support
and reflect mostly interdependent
selves.
 Individualist or Collectivist?
• Individualism is the political philosophy or
ideology that emphasizes independence and
self-reliance. Individualists advance the idea of
realizing one's goals and desires, while
opposing most external interference upon
those objectives, by society, or any outside
agency.
 Individualist or Collectivist?
• Collectivism is a term used to describe any
perspective that stresses human
interdependence and the importance of a
collective or group, rather than the importance
of separate individuals. In this view, the
emphasis is on community and society, and
priority is given
to group goals over
individual goals.
Different cultures have different
orientations and those
orientations greatly influence
how we view ourselves.
Many of the asian cultures are collectivist, while
anglo cultures tend to be individualist.
A market research firm conducted a survey of tourist
agencies around the world. The questionnaires came
back from most countries in less than a month. But the
agencies in the asian countries took months to do it.
After many telexes, it was finally done. The reason was
that, for example, American tourist agencies assigned
the work to one person, while the Filipinos delegated
the work to the entire department, which took longer.
The researchers also noticed that the telexes from the
Philippines always came from a different person.
 Problems Caused by Cultural Differences

Case 1.
A Canadian conducting business in Kuwait is
surprised when his meeting with a high-
ranking official is not held in a closed office
and is constantly interrupted. He starts
wondering if the official is as important as he
had been led to believe, and he starts to doubt
how seriously his business is being taken
Case 2.
A British boss asked a new, young American
employee if he would like to have an early
lunch at 11 am each day. The employee said
'Yeah, that would be great!' The boss
immediately said "With that kind of attitude,
you may as well forget about lunch!" The
employee and the boss were both baffled by
what went wrong. [In England, saying "yeah"
in that context is seen as rude and
disrespectful.
Case 3.
You greet your Austrian client. This is the sixth
time you have met over the last 4 months. He
calls you Herr Smith. You think of him as a
standoffish sort of guy who doesn't want to
get really friendly. That might be true in
America, where calling someone Mr. Smith
after the 6th meeting would probably mean
something -- it is marked usage of language --
like "we're not hitting it off". But in Austria, it
is normal.
Failure to understand one’s culture might
lead to these three basic kinds of problems:

• interpreting others comments and

actions,
• predicting behavior,
• and conflicting behavior.
 
How does your culture shape
and influence you?
 How is my self shaped and
influenced by my culture? (May be
discussed at either or both the
national or regional levels)
 MY CULTURAL SELF
• List down some of your behaviors and
characteristics which are influenced by the
culture you have at home, in school, in your
community or your country.

Activity 2:
Comment under this post a short description of
your cultural self.