Understanding

the Self
Presented by:
Group 1
 Lord thank you for this day that you
given to us,
thank you for the life and for the
blessing. Thank
you for guiding and for protecting us
so that we
can get in here safe and sound. As we
proceed to
our class right now, may you
continue to
give us some knowledge and wisdom
so
that we can understand our lesson
and we gain
more knowledge. Amen
 CHAPTER 2

Sociological Perspective of the Self

Sociology:

Is the study of how human society is

Established, its structure and how it works,
the people’s interaction with each other and
the effects they have to consider with
regards to the development of a
Person.
 It is also important to understand
that the establishment of the “Self”
based on social structures could give
us a better understanding of who we
we are and provide reasons how our
interactions can affect us as a person.
George Herbert Mead and
the Social Self
George Herbert Mead

Mead is an American Sociologist,

He is considered as the Father of
American pragmatism, and one of
of the pioneers of the field of social
psychology.

He is regarded as one of the founders of symbolic

interactionism, and was an important influence on
what has come to be referred to as the Chicago
School of Sociology.
 Mead’s rejected the idea of biological determination
of the self which proposes that an individual already
has an established self from the moment he is born.
 Mead reiterated that the process of establishing the
self is through the construction and reconstruction of
the idea of who we are as a person during the process
of social experience. The “I” and the “Me”
 According to Mead the concept of “I” is one’s
response to the established attitude, and behaviour
that a person assume in reference to their social
interactions while the “Me” are the attitudes, and
behaviour of the person with reference to their social
environment.
Mead’s Three Role-Playing
Stages of Self
Development
 Mead propose that there are three stages
in which a person has to go through for one
to develop one’s self. These 3 stages are the
Preparatory stage, Play stage, and Game stage.
 The Preparatory Stage
(Birth-2 years old)

According to Mead, during this stage the infant simply

imitates the actions and behaviours of the people that the
infants interact with. Because the child is only mimicking
what he or she observes from his or her environment their
actions are only the reflection of what they can remember
without any intention or meaning behind their actions or
behaviour .
 The Play Stage
(2-6 years old)

For the Play stage, it is the time where children begins to

interact with other with which certain rules apply, these
rules often time does not adhere to any set or standards
but rather are rules that are set by the children themselves.
Also, these stage where the child practices real life situation
through pretend play and is the onset of self-consciousness.
This stage occurs through the preliminary experiences that
serve as a practice for the child.
 The Game Stage
(6-9 years old)

The Game stage or the final stage of self-development

according to Mead where are characterize by the ability
of the children to recognized the rules of the game and
be able to identify their roles and the roles of the others
that is playing with them. The children at this stage learns
the implications of their actions as well as the understanding
or taking into account how one can take into account the
view point of the society on the attitudes and actions.
 The idea of “self” maybe based on the general attitudes
and behaviour of other people or the individuality of the
person that manifest as a response to those attitudes and
behaviours of others.
THANK YOU!