LESSON II:

Sociological and
Anthropological
Perspective of Self
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 What is my
true “self”?

You are a social being. The aspect of your “self” can be

explored in many ways, in which social situations influence
your view of your self. Your “self” is not created in isolation
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(Villafuerte,et al., 2018)

 What is my
true “self”?

In anthropology, the self comes to be understood as a

process that orchestrates an individual’s personal
experience following which he or she becomes self-
aware and self-reflective about his or her place in society
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(Taylor, 1989).
 01
The self as separate, self-contained,
independent, consistent, unitary,
and private
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 Stevens, 1996 as cited by Villafuerte, et at.,2018

Characteristics of the Self (Stevens,

Description
1996)
Separate Each self is distinct or different from other selves. The
self is unique and has its own
identity; one cannot be another person.
“There is only one YOU in this world.”

Self-contained One’s own thoughts, characteristics, and ability to make

decisions are all unknown to other selves.

Independent The self can exist on its own. It doesn’t require any other
self for it to exist. The self can also make choices and
decisions on its own.
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 Stevens, 1996 as cited by Villafuerte, et at.,2018

Consistent Each self has its own personality that is long-lasting. Its
consistency allows it to be studied, described, and measured.
The consistency of the self also means that the traits,
characteristics, tendencies, and potentialities are more or less
the same.
Unitary The self is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run
through a certain person. It is like the chief command post in
an individual where all processes, emotions, and thoughts
converge.
Private Each person sorts-out information, feelings and emotions,
and thought processes within the self. The whole process is
not accessible to anyone but the self. The self is isolated from
the external world.
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 02
The self as a product of Modern
Society
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 In a traditional society:
Social order is based on
traditional beliefs that provide
people with clearly defined
roles.
Decisions are based on
religiotheological traditions.
In a modern society:
There is freedom from traditional
practices.
Judgments are based on rational
and scientific calculations.

Relationships are in intimate Prominent is a lifestyle of

personal affiliations (being exceedingly impersonal
close and open to one another). associations (not deep and open
relationships) brought about by
urbanized way of life.
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 Delocalization Modernization
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 “
:Oy, nagbago ka na.

:Malamang, people change nga.

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 03
The self as a necessary fiction
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 04
Post-Modern View of the Self
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 “digital self” is the self that is
seen in websites or social
media—Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, etc.
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 Did you know that you have different versions?
The self is “digitalized” in cyber space.

Global migration produces multicultural identities

Post-modern selves are “pluralized” selves (having

several versions of your “self”)
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 THEORIE
S OF THE
SOCIAL
SELF
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 1.Mead’s Theory of the Social Self
maintains that the person’s knowledge about himself/herself
emerges from his/her social interaction with others—constructed
and reconstructed in the process of social experience and activity.

Social experiences and interactions

self-awareness and self-image

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 Components of “I”
It is the response of an
individual to “me” (the
expectations of other
people)
It is the person’s
individuality.
Components of “Me”
o It represents the expectation and attitudes of others (the
“generalized other”) organized into a social self.
o The generalized (internalized in the “me”) other is the major
instrument of social control.

It is the self as subject o It is the self as object.

(Crossman, 2017 as cited by
Villafuerte, et. al, 2018).
It is the response of an o “Me” is the organized set of attitudes of others which an
individual to individual assumes.
the attitudes of others.
It is the knower. o It is the known.
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 Existence in
a community
comes before
individual
consciousnes
s
-
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Mead,2018
 2. The Looking-Glass Self
The concept of looking-glass self states that
part of how we see ourselves comes from our
perception of how others see us

(Cooley, 1902 as cited by Villafuerte, et. al,

2018).
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 • Labeling bias occurs when we are labelled by other people, and
these labels affect how other people perceive us (Foxx &
Stinnett, 1996).
• When those expectations/labels start to become self-fulfilling
prophesies, self-concept and even behaviors start to align with
them.
• Self-labeling may occur if there is repeated labeling and
evaluation by others.
o Happens when we adopt other’s labels explicitly into the self-
concept.
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• Internalized prejudice occurs when individuals turn prejudice

directed toward them by others onto themselves. This may be
 3. Social Comparison Theory
“Our sense of Self is Influenced by Comparisons with Others”
• According to Festinger (1954) as cited by Villafuerte, et. al. (2018), social
comparison;
o occurs when we learn about our abilities and skills, about the
appropriateness and validity of our opinions, and our social status by
comparing our own beliefs and behaviors with those of others
o These comparisons can be with people who we know and interact with,
with those whom we read about or see on TV, or with anyone else we view
as important.
o However, the most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those
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who we see as similar to ourselves.

 • Self-concept and self-esteem are also
heavily influenced by the process of social
comparison (Buunk & Gibbons, 2007;Van
Lange, 2008 as cited by Villafuerte, et. al,
2018).
•
• Social comparison occurs primarily on
dimensions on which there are no correct
answers or objective benchmarks(standards)
(Villafuerte, et. al., 2018)..
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 Social Construction of Self “We also use
social
comparison to
help us
determine our
skills or abilities
—how good we
are at
performing a
task or doing a
job
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 Social Construction of Self According to
Nietzsche, the
unity of the self if
not pre-given but
accomplished
through conscious
effort of
transforming the
self as a beautiful
work of art
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We must fashion, cultivate, and care for ourselves. We can recreate (Villafuerte, et al.,
ourselves to get hold of the present, forgive the past, and plan for the
future.
2018).
 Social Construction of Self • Conceal the “ugly”
part of the self by
reinterpreting the
overall aesthetic
contours of the self. It
means writing again
the description of
one’s self.
• Redescribing one’s
self is just a way of
interpreting and
describing again the
past.
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 Social Construction of Self More than a
person’s givenness
(personality, tendencies,
propensities, etc.), one is
believed to be in active
participation of shaping
the self.
Recent studies
indicate that men and
women in their growth
and development engage
actively in the shaping of
the self (Alata, et al.,
2018).
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 SOCIALIZAT
ION
PROCESS
The sociological basis for the relationship between the self and the
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social world focus on the different institutions and powers at play

in the society (Alata, et al., 2018).
 AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

FAMILY
SCHOOL
RELIGION
PEERS
MEDIA
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 THE SELF
AND
CULTURE
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 TWO FACES OF SELF(Marcel and Mauss):

Personne- different versions of our

self that changes depending on
our environment or the situation.

Moi- the basic identity or the real

essence of the person. These are
the permanent characteristics of
the person
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 Social Roles

Social roles specify the part or position

of a person in a society. It also specifies
behavior expected to be exhibited by an
individual in practicing his or her role.
The self is multifaceted.
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 Gender and the Self

Gender is an aspect of the self that is

subject to change and development.

Gender is part of the selfhood that one

cannot just dismiss. A person maneuvers
through society and identifies him/herself
by taking note of gender identities.
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