THE SELF AS A SOCIAL

CONSTRUCT
Jean Maricon D. Regaspi
Instructor
OBJECTIVES

1.Explain the relationship between and among the

self, society and culture;
2.Describe and discuss the different ways by which
society and culture shape the self;
3.Compare and contrast how the self can be
influenced by the different institutions in the
society; and
4.Examine one’s self against the different views of
self that were discussed in the class
FOUR MONKEYS
EXPERIMENT
Does this sound familiar?
Cultural Acquisition of a specific
learned response among rhesus
monkey
-An experiement conducted by G.R. Stephenson in
1967
 01 02
GEORGE MEAD CHARLES COOLEY
THE SOCIAL SELF THE LOOKING
GLASS SELF

03
ERVING COOFMAN
CONSTRUCTING
SITUATIONS AND
DRAMA
01. GEORGE MEAD

The Social Self

“The Self is born of society. The self is inseparable from society and
bound up with communication. It builds on social experience. This is
largely a matter of taking the role of other with increasing
sophistications, broadening out from significant others to greater
complexity.”

-GEORGE MEAD
 THE SOCIAL SELF
• Created through social
interaction
• Process started in
childhood, with children
beginning to develop a
sense of self at about the
same time that they
began to learn language.
The self is the human capacity to be
reflective and take the role of others
To understand
intention you
must imagine
Social
The self the situation
experience
emerges from from another
social
involves person’s point of
experience. It communication view. By taking
is not part of and the the role of the
the body and it exchange of other: the self is
does not exists symbols. People reflective and
at birth. create meaning. reflexive.
 Stages in Mead’s Theory on the Development of the
Self

Preparatory Stage:

 Children mimic /
imitate others
 Stages in Mead’s Theory on the Development of the Self
Game Stage:
 Children pretend to play
the role of a particular or
a significant other
 Particular or significant
other are the
perspectives and
particular role that a child
learns and internalizes
 Stages in Mead’s Theory on the Development of the
Self
Preparatory Stage:

 Children play
organized games and
take on the
perspective of the
generalized other
 Stages in Mead’s Theory on the Development of the
Self
Generalized other:

 The perspectives and expectations of a

network of others (or a society in general)
that a child learns and then takes into
account when shaping his/her own behavior
 Stages in Mead’s Theory on the Development of the
Self
Dual nature of the self:

 The belief that we experience the self as

both subject and object, the “I” and “me”
02. CHARLES COOLEY

The looking-
glass Self
“One’s sense of self depends on
seeing one’s self reflected in
interactions with others”
-Charles Cooley
 The looking- glass self
• Charles Cooley was George Mead’s colleagues.
• The looking-glass self refers to the notion that the self
develops through our perception of others’ evaluation
and appraisal of us.
 The looking- glass self

The image people

have of themselves is
based on how they
believe others
perceive them.
How my college
friend sees me
How my college How my
friends sees me teacher sees me
 How my college How my teacher
How my parent friends sees me sees me
see me
How my parent How my How my How my
see me college teacher online
friends sees sees me friends
me sees me
How my college
friend sees me
How my college How my
friends sees me teacher sees me
 How my How my
How my
college teacher sees
parent see
friends sees me
me
me
How my parent How my How my How my
see me college teacher online
friends sees sees me friends
me sees me
03. ERVING GOOFMAN

Constructing
situations &
Drama
“People routinely behave like actors on a
stage. Everyday social life becomes
theatrical. There are roles, scripts and
actions. Daily life as a series of stagecraft
rules.”
-Erving Goofman
 Believed that
meaning is
constructed through
interaction
 “Interaction order”
-what we do in the
immediate presence of
others
DRAMATURGY ● Focuses on how
individuals take on
roles and act them
out to present a
favorable
impression to their
“audience”
Presentation of the self in everyday life

Goffman argues that people are concerned with

controlling how others view them, a process he
called impression management
“All the world is a stage, and all the men
and women merely players: they have
their exits and their entrances; and one
man in his time plays many parts”
-William Shakespeare
 THE SELF IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION

FRONTSTAGE BACKSTAGE
People play different roles When people engage in
throughout their daily back stage behavior, they
lives an display different are free of the
kinds of behavior expectations and norms
depending on where they that dictate front stage
are and the time of the behavior.
day.
ERVING GOFFMAN

● Each definition of a situation lends itself to a

different approach, and the consequences are
real.
● The self is a Social construction dependent of
a situation.
RESOURCES
● Palean, E., Nazario, M., Valero, J. & Photos:
Descartin, I. (2018). Introspection:
Understanding the Self ● Freepik.com