SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWS

OF THE SELF

ANA CARMELA S. LARA

Subject Teacher
The Self as a Product of
Modern Society Among
Others
Delocalized Self- free to seek its own identity; defining religion, theological
tradition, free from customary constraints , hence deviating from the traditional
way of life.
Cliifford Geertz (1073)- the struggle for one’s individuality is only possible
modern society.
PROBLEMS OF DELOCALIZED SELF
1. The newfound freedom threatens the authenticity of the self.
2. Alienation (Marx)- human beings are being haunted by the very images they
have created.
3. Objectification of the body.
4. Dehumanization of self
Solution: Abolish repressive social constraints
Self as Necessary
Fiction

Self (Nietzsche) - is the sum of

individual’s action, thoughts and
feelings. Self is nothing more than a
metaphor, a representation of something
abstract; symbolic.
 Post-modern View of
the Self
Self- is a narrative, a text written and rewritten.
Self is a story. It is dynamic. Self is a product of
modern discourse that is historically and socially
imprisoned by what is acceptable norms.

Self is complicated by electronic mediated

virtual interaction of cyber self such as change in
Self is “digitalized in appearance (in the cyberspace).
cyberspace, a virtual version of
who we are. MANIFESTATIONS OF DIGITALIZED SELF
- N. Green
1. Information technology dislocates the self, thus self is
“digitalized” in cyberspace.
2. Global migration produces multicultural identities.
3. Post-modern selves are “pluralized” selves.
 Social Construction of
the Self

Self is not discovered; it is made through the socialization process. But

individuals are not just hapless victims of socialization. The individual is an
active strategizing agent that negotiates for the definition of oneself.
 Rewriting the Self as an
Artistic Creation

The unity of the self is not pre-given but accomplished through conscious
effort-transform self through beautiful work of art.
- Nietzsche

Contingencies of selfhood- conceal the “ugly” reinterpreting the overall

aesthetic contours of the self
- Rorty
 Self Creation and
Collective Identity

Memories- play significant role in creating the self identity. Memory and
forgetting are most important powers in recreating a person’s identity.

Self creation is formed within imagined communities.

Self Creation and the
Struggle for Cultural
Recognition
This is a challenge of self-identity amidst
recognition of racial and ethnic identities.
Self creation is necessarily grounded on
collective solidarities. We create ourselves
struggling with cultural hassles then
owning the created self. We hide the ugly
part of our cultural nature. We learn to
adjust.
Beyond Self Creation
The quest for self identity is a product of
modern society, but this is complicated by
the socio-cultural sensibility of
postmodernity.
Self-creation is embedded within imagined
communities. The self constantly lives in
this paradox: to pursue self-creation within
pre-given, not willfully chosen
circumstances.