UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Philosophers and
their perspectives
of understanding
the self
Assignment: INVICTUS
1. In your own perspective, how was the “self”
represented in the poem?
2. Based on your reading of the poem, as well as
the information you have researched, which of
the philosophical ideas discussed in this lesson
best describes the representation of idea about
the self in this poem? Provide a brief
explanation.
3. From the discussions, what now is your idea of
the “self”?
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1.explain the relationship of the self, society, and culture;

2.compare and contrast how social institutions and culture
affected the formation of the self; and
3.examine one’s “self” against the different perspectives in
this lesson and various experiences of your classmates.
 ACTIVITY
Directions: Let us do a simple character association. Answer the
questions based on your own impressions.

What is the commonly expected behavior,

attitude, or even appearance of the following:

1. A male teenager
2. A religious person
3. A father
4. A mother
5. A student in your own course
 ANALYSIS
After answering the activity, reflect on the following guide
questions.
1. Where did you get the stereotypical expectations in
behavior, attitude, and appearance of each character/
2. What would you feel if someone does not fit your
common ideas about one of the characters (ex. A
religious person who cannot preach, a male fulfilling the
role of a mother)? Note: these are sample stereotypes
for discussion purposes only.
3. If you are to change one of the typical perceptions or
impressions of the characters, what would it be and what
change would you like to introduce? Cite just one.
Further reflection on your answers would show that you
have formed your ideas about a person from your interaction
from other people. There are similarities of experiences, but
each person can also have a different perspective based on
the people or groups he/she interacts with.

Also, you should realize by now that not all the expected
attitudes and behaviors are biologically programmed but are
socially determined, and because they are socially
determined, they can differ from society to society and
change through time. You can also check about the
perceptions and practices of other cultures for comparison.
There is a common saying in the social sciences, especially
in sociology and anthropology that Human beings are, by
nature, social beings. That is, each of us don’t exist in a
vacuum. We interact with people and even the most
introvert of us would have to relate and communicate with
few. As Hughes and Kroehler 2008) puts it:

“We are born into a social environment; we fully develop

into human beings in a social environment; and we live
our lives in a social environment. What we think, how we
feel, and what we say and do, all are shaped by our
interactions with other people.
Every person lives in a society, which is defined
as a group of people sharing the same culture
and typically interacts in a definite territory. Each
society has culture or a way of life for those living
in a specific society.

Culture is commonly divided into;

 material culture – attires, tools, weapons,
architectural designs, religious implements
 Nonmaterial culture – the belief systems,
the values, the norms or expected
(428-347 BCE)
behaviors, as well as the shared language
and symbols.
CULTURE – described as a
group of people’s way of life
which includes behaviors,
values, beliefs and symbols
that they accept (usually
unconsciously) that are
socially transmitted through
communication and imitation
from generation to generation
Source: people.tamu.edu/~i-choudhury/culture.html)
 Key Concepts

Values Norms
Ideal behaviors or Rules on what to do
principles that set or what not to do in
the standard of what a certain situation.
is acceptable and
admirable from a
person who is part of
a society.
Ex.

 You must kiss the hand of your elders (mano) to show

respect. The norm is the “pagmamano” and the value
is respect or “pagkamagalang”.

 When you see someone who has an accident, the norm

prohibits you from laughing but prescribes you to help.
The values that are promoted
there are being considerate and
helpful.
Simply put, “society is composed of people” and culture is
composed of ideas, behavior, and material possessions”
(Kendall 2006). These two coexist and are
interdependent with each other.

To maintain a smooth-functioning society, social institutions

are created.
Social Institutions: Sets of
ideas, norms, practices, or
mechanisms organized and
focused on addressing the
needs of the community
(McIntyre 2002).
An example of such institution is the government, which
functions to maintain peace and order , among others.
These institutions have a profound effect on our concept of
“self”, because they basically provide a systematic process
of doing things.

You are considered a Filipino citizen because it is provided by

the law, which is under the processes of the government.

As a person grows into a society, he/she imbibes the culture

of that society through the processes of socialization.
Socialization (or enculturation in anthropology) is a
lifelong process of learning, teaching, internalizing, and living
the culture of a society. (354-430 CE)
Other things that a person will learn that will affect his/her “self’ are
status and roles.
Status is our position in a society or a particular group. You may be
the first child, a teenager, a student, or a president of a student
organization; it can also your distinguishing title relative to the other
members of the group. Status can either be:
1. ascribed - inherited or given at birth, or
2. achieved - personally acquired for achieving something.
An ascribed status is being a prince for example,
while an achieved status is being elected as a
president.
However, each position or title also have expected
roles or parts to play. Included in our roles are
expected behaviors, norms, values, and attitudes.
 GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
• George Mead was born February 1863 in
Massachusetts, USA. He graduated
and taught grade school at the
Oberlin College. In 1887, he enrolled
at Harvard University where his main interests
were philosophy and psychology.
• During the span of his career, he wrote and published
many articles and book reviews but did not publish any
book. It was his students who put together his numerous
writings and edited them for publication.
• Mead died of heart failure in 1931 (www.britannica.com>biography).
 THEORETICAL APPROACHES
Theory of Symbolic Interactionism
(G
George Herbert Mead claimed that the self is created, developed, and
changed through human interaction (Hogg and Vaughan 2010) for
three reasons:
1. The “self” did not just come out of thin air. Our sociocultural
context affected who we are, even most of the choices we think we
freely make. This influence still have an effect on you even if you
move from one place to another and adapt a new perspective.
2. Whether we like to admit it or not, we actually need others to affirm
and reinforce who we think we are. We also need them as a
reference points about our identity. In the case of Facebook, there
are those who will consciously or unconsciously try to garner more
likes and/or positive reactions, and that can and will reinforce their
self-concept.
 THEORETICAL APPROACHES
3. Our notion of what is personally important to us is also influenced by
the current trends of what is important in our society. Education might
be an important thing to your self-concept, because you grew up in a
family that valued education. Money might be important to some,
because they may have grown in a poor family and realized how
important money is in addressing certain needs. Being a nurse or a
lawyer can be priority in your self-schema, because it is the in-demand
course during your time.
Social interaction and group affiliation, therefore, are vital factors in
creating our self-concept, especially our social identity or our
perception of who we are based on our membership to certain groups
(Jhangiani and Tarry 2014). It is also inevitable then, that we can have
several social identities, which can overlap, and that we can
automatically play the roles as we interact with our groups.
Culture and Personality
Another school of thought founded by Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead
which argued that the personality or the self is dependent on the
cultural practices and socialization process of a certain group.
Thus, studying a person’s personality can already provide us an idea of
his/her cultural background and social upbringing and vice versa (Dia
et.al. 2014). This is especially highlighted in Mead’s “Patterns of
Culture” masterpiece.

Meanwhile, Ruth Benedict in her anthropological books, concluded that

personal development, especially on gender roles and
Wrong. The person is
traits, is not actually based on not a passive
biological traits. Most of these Seems like I have no recipient of all these
roles are based choice but to follow, things. You have a
on cultural expectations. right?
(1596-1650) choice.
Symbolic and Interpretive Anthropology
Clifford James Geertz looks at culture as a collection of symbols with
meanings, and these meanings are made, communicated, and
negotiated by each person to make sense of their lives and interactions
(Clifford Geertz: Work and Legacy, n.d.)

Looking Glass Self

Charles Horton Cooley said that people change or develop their
respective concept of self as they engage in social interaction. This idea
is called looking glass self – a process by which a person develops his
self-image based on how others treat him. Their treatment therefore is
like a mirror reflecting one’s personality. Seeing oneself as boastful or
timid is based on how others treated him as such. Just a person cannot
see himself without a mirror, so with self-image which cannot be seen
unless others react to a person’s(1596-1650)
behavior.
He was an American sociologist who made use
of the sociopsychological approach to
understanding how societies work.
 He earned his doctorate at the University of
Michigan and taught at the same university as a
sociology professor until the end of his life. in his
written work, Human Nature and the Social
Order (1902), he discussed the formation of the
self through interaction.
Looking Glass Self
Cooley suggested that the looking glass self is a life-long mental
process that is characterized by three phases:

1. How one imagines how he appears to others. Ex. One may think of
himself as gaining some extra weight, such as becoming “fat”.
2. How one imagines how others will judge his appearance. People
typically think of obese people as unattractive. Hence, based on the
example given, one will conclude that he is unattractive in the eyes
of others.
3. How one perceives other’s judgment to be such as pride or shame.
In this case, one will feel embarrassed or ashamed regarding his
“obese” state. This will lead to the development of emotional
reaction. Looking glass self is a subjective process and it is not
necessarily in accordance with(1596-1650)
what is real.
 • He was a Canadian-American
sociologist known for his role in the
development of Modern American
Sociology.
• Goffman was the 73rd president of the
American Sociological Association. His
best-known contribution to social
theory is his study of symbolic
interaction. This took the form of
dramaturgical analysis, beginning with
ERVING his 1956 book The Presentation of Self
GOFFMAN in Everyday Life.
Dramaturgical Analysis
According to Erving Goffman, people in their everyday life are very
much like an actor performing in a stage. If one imagines himself doing
what goes on in a theatre of everyday life, he is doing dramaturgical
analysis – the study of social interactions in terms of theatrical
performance.

As people interact, they behave like actors by following a script that

they have learned from their parents, teachers, and friends. The script
essentially dictates a person how to behave based on his status and
roles. Ex. In describing the changes that occurs in a waiter’s behavior
from the kitchen to the dining room. In the dining room (frontstage),
the waiters project a polite gesture to his customers. While in the
kitchen (backstage), they openly reveal their irate behavior or
sometimes ridicule the servility they must portray frontstage.
• He referred to this process of altering how the
person presents himself to others as impression
management.
• In this book, he wrote how he observed that
people early in their social interactions learned to
slant their presentation of themselves in order to
create preferred appearances and satisfy
particular people.
• In Goffman's observation of people in everyday
interactions, he sees similarities of real social
interaction to a theatrical presentation.

This is the reason for the

label dramaturgical
approach to his view.

It was also Goffman, who

used the phrase face-work
to describe another aspect
of the self.
• This was usually
observed in situations
where face-saving
measures are resorted
to in the maintenance
of a proper image of
the self in frustrating or
embarrassing situations
(Schaefer, 2012).
Theory of Cultural Determinism
Theory of Cultural Determinism
• The contention that culture has a strong
impact on how the individual views
himself.
• Human nature is determined by the
ideas, meanings, beliefs and values
learned as members of a society.
• With the different cultures that exist not
only in a society but all over the world,
anthropologists suggest that THERE IS
NO UNIVERSAL or RIGHT WAY OF BEING
HUMAN; the right way is always based on
ONE’S CULTURE.
 SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
1. Kinship/Family – the most basic social institution of a society that
organizes us based on our familial ties. It can be based on blood
relations, like sibling relations (consanguineal), by marriage, like a
husband and a wife (affinal), or social, which are relationships not
falling under the first two but you still consider them as family
(Crossman 2019).

2. Economics/Market – this systems aims to regulate the flow of

resources and services. Ideally, this should ensure that everyone gets
a fair share of goods or that a person in need will get the service
he/she needs in order to address a necessity. Ideally, this system
should also regulate the price of the products to ensure fair
competition among producers and sellers. At times, it can also control
the demand by promoting a need or want for a certain product.
(1632-1704)
3. Politics/Government – this is usually composed of various
organizations ensuring peace and order by legitimizing the use of
power of certain people or groups. In the Philippines, the government
is divided into three equal branches:

a. executive – headed by the president and who is in-charge of

enforcing the law;

b. legislative – composed of House of Representatives and the Senate

of the Philippines who are in-charge of creating, amending, or
repealing those laws.

c. judiciary – led by the Supreme Court to provide proper

interpretation of the laws and ensure that they are following the
Constitution and basic human rights.
(1632-1704)
Note that while the President
represents the country, he/she is
not treated as a king or queen with
the sole authority and power in a
republic and democratic country like
the Philippines. These three
branches are treated equally with
powers to check and balance each
other. Under the constitution, they
serve the country and the utmost
authority still comes from the
people.
4. Education/School – the basic function of schools is to ensure that the
knowledge of the past and the culture of society gets transmitted from
one generation to another. It safeguards continuity or brings about
changes to the other social institutions. It aims to produce people who
can live harmoniously in the given social environment as well as able
to be productive citizens for the economy.
Some may look at this as a mechanistic way of producing workers,
but one must also consider that education has also played in bringing
new ideas that changed what we have been oppressive status quos
in the past. Ex. Is the creation of illustrados, like Jose Rizal and his
colleagues, that brought concepts for reformation as well as revolution
against an oppressive Spanish regime in the Philippines. Thus, a good
education from a reputable school must always be sought after. The
effects of almost twenty years in school to the mindset of a person
cannot be diminished. It does not only dictate a person’s skill on the
job, but it will also affect his/her behavior and attitude toward social
(1632-1704)
issues and life in general.
5. Religion/Church – an organized set of practices, symbols and artifacts
regarding the belief of the supernatural. There are several reasons why
people believe in the supernatural:

a. explanation of the unexplainable

b. meaning and purpose of life
c. continuity of relationship with the people that we care about even
after death among others.

• The Philippines is a Catholic country but our notion about supernatural

and mythical beings is a very prominent part of our lives most
especially those Filipinos who come from the country side.
• Many Filipinos who live in rural or mountainous areas still believe in
mythical spirits and monstrous creatures because they are said to be
present only in the country side where there are forests and other
(1632-1704)
uninhabited cares.
• Although believing in superstition and supernatural beings
conflicts with Catholicism, Filipinos simply cannot ignore the
stories because there is always that curious and freakish view
of the unknown.
• Belief in supernatural beings is one of the basic characteristics
of religion.
• A supernatural being is a being that is better and more
powerful than any creature in the natural world.
(https://www.thoughtco.com/religion-is-belief-in-supernatural-beings-250678).
• The supernatural or above natural includes all that cannot be
explained by the law of nature, including things with
characteristics of or relating to ghosts, gods or other types of
spiritual and other non-material beings, or to things beyond
nature.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural)
Religion/Church can also function to teach and reinforce values,
norms, and morals in partnership with the family and the school.

If you will reflect on it, most of the things we used to describe our “self”
came from these institutions. However, as pointed by Geertz, a person
can still choose what to adapt, reject or change.

The self, or our identity if we want to call it, is a result of the interaction
and discourse between a person and the society. We are introduced and
socialized into our groups, teaching us all the status, roles, values, and
norms that we need to live in this society which became a part of our
description of ourselves.

In return, the way we collectively live, express, and recreate this

(1711-1776)
imbibed culture reinforces and transforms our society and culture
(berger and Luckmann 1991)
6. Mass/Social Media - The media plays a role in self-concept
development as well—both mass media and social media. When
these media promote certain ideals, we're more likely to make those

ideals our own. And the more often these ideals are presented, the
more they affect our self-identity and self-perception.
(https://www.verywellmind.com)

Mass media refers to technological devices

that reach a large number of people, whereas
social media refers to computer-based
technology that allows users to create and
distribute information as well as participate in
social networking.
(1711-1776)
 
Social media has a tendency to reinforce use. People quickly become
hooked on checking their statuses for comments and likes as well as
perusing other people's posts.
Using social media sometimes activates the brain's reward center by
releasing dopamine, also known as the feel-good chemical. This
dopamine release, in turn, keeps people coming back because they
want to repeat those feel-good experiences.
Social media also can boost self-esteem, the belief that one is good
and valuable to others, especially if a person is viewed favorably online
or gets a number of likes or interactions on their content. And social
media allows some people to share parts of their identity that may be
challenging to communicate in person.
Social media can be particularly helpful for people with social
anxiety, who struggle to interact with people in person.
7. Health services - well-being is a positive outcome that is meaningful
for people and for many sectors of society, because it tells us that
people perceive that their lives are going well. Good living conditions
(e.g., housing, employment) are fundamental to well-being.

Tracking these conditions is important for public policy. However, many

indicators that measure living conditions fail to measure what people
think and feel about their lives, such as the quality of their relationships,
their positive emotions and resilience, the realization of their potential,
or their overall satisfaction with life—i.e., their “well-being.”  Well-being
generally includes global judgments of life satisfaction and feelings
ranging from depression to joy (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention 2008)
8. Recreation - an organized system of social relationships for
satisfying human desire of enter­tainment, amusement and play
among others. Recreation consists of activities or experiences carried
on within leisure, usually chosen voluntarily by the participant –
either because of satisfaction, pleasure or creative enrichment
derived, or because he perceives certain personal or social values to
be gained from them. It may, also be perceived as the process of
participation, or as the emotional state derived from involvement.

Leisure refers to the free time that people can spend away from their
everyday responsibilities (e.g. work and domestic tasks) to rest, relax
and enjoy life. It is during leisure time that people participate in
recreation and sporting activities.

Sport refers to any type of organized physical activity, e.g. soccer,

rugby, football, basketball and athletics (Gulzar 2021).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54pCHvM9oY8
(1900-1976)
 Answer the following questions:

1. What specific message does the video convey?

2. Will you do the same thing to your child in future?

3. What theory supports the condition of the

character in the video?

(1900-1976)
Assignment: Concept Map
Using a concept map, write down three social
institutions that you think have big effects on
your concept of your “self”. The, write down
what those effects are (i.e. behavior, attitude,
expression, likes and dislikes, beliefs and o
on.)
Social Institution 2:
_________________
Effects to your “self”:
_________________
Social Institution 1: __________________
_________________
Effects to your “self”: Social Institution 3:
_________________ _________________
__________________ Effects to your “self”:
_________________
__________________
What could be the things you are doing that help
transform the institutions you have written in your
concept map? Cite one example per institution.

A. _______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
B. _______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
C. _______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
End of Lesson 2