LESSON 2 : THE SELF FROM THE “I” and “ME” of the SELF

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
“I” – what is out there, acting, being spontaneous,
doing things in the world.
SOCIOLOGY - represents the individual's identity based on the
- the study of human social institutions and individual's response to the 'me.'
relationships - The 'I' says that we adapt to society’s norm and
- its main purpose and that is to understand how interaction that if society says we should behave
human action and consciousness both shape and socially interact one way, and think that we
and are shaped by surrounding cultural and should behave the same or perhaps differently,
social structures that notion becomes self.

”ME” – an object, the aggregate combined image of

SOCIOLOGIST yourself that has been given to you from interacting with
- a person who is performing sociology society
- 'me' is regarded as the individual's socialized
aspect or social self.
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD - The 'me' represents learned behaviors,
- Sociologist from University of Chicago attitudes, and societal expectations. This is
- Symbolic Interactions Perspective referred to as the generalized other at times.
- The 'me' is regarded as a past incarnation of the
THEORY OF SELF self. The individual's knowledge of society and
social interactions have helped to shape the
Two parts of Self: 'me.'
Self-awareness and Self-image
Example : I feel hurt because I was cheated on
- Our bodies age biologically, but the self is “ I “ – would feel hurt
something that emerges thorough social “Me” I would feel hurt because that’s the norm when
interaction you’re cheated on
- Self is developed as we age, as we grow Self
develops through interacting with others,
through reflecting on that interaction, to thinking HENRI de SAINT-SIMON (1760-1825)
about how others are perceiving you, and that - Historic founder of French Socialism
helps you generate an image of yourself - Origin of many ideas elaborated into Comtism- the
- Our self is mirrored in the reaction of the other philosophy of Auguste Comte;
Self-image was developed in recognizing how others - His idea of the reconstruction of society were
are perceiving us, we are constantly trying to put
conditioned by the French Revolution and by feudal
ourselves in the shoes of another and think about how
and military system.
they are seeing this event or situation or this action
transpiring - He insisted on the necessity of new and positive
o this is imitation reorganization of society Industrial chiefs should
o refers to how a person perceives control society.
themselves, both physically and - In medieval church, spiritual direction of society
mentally. should fall to the men of science.
- When you have internalized the widespread - Industrial state directed by modern science, in
cultural norms, Mores, and expectations of which universal association should suppress war.
behaviors – this is generalized others. - Men who are successfully able to organize society
- By taking the role of other, we can become self- for productive labor are entitled to govern it.
aware. - The social aim was to produce things useful to life.
Self awareness is the recognition of one's own Call for “society of science” – influenced his disciple
emotional state at any given point in time, - the ability Auguste Comte
to perceive and comprehend the characteristics that
define you as an individual
HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903) Collective representations
- The symbols and images that come to represent
Synthetic Philosophy - Encompasses realms of the ideas, beliefs, and values elaborated by a
physical, psychological, biological, sociological, and collectivity and are not reducible to individual
ethical. constituents.
- Created through intense social interaction and
MORAL PHILOSOPHY are products of collective activity
- Controlled by society (as a whole) yet
Social Statistics simultaneously by virtue of that individual’s
- Human happiness can be achieved only when participation within the society.
individuals can satisfy their needs and desires - A language product of collective action,
without infringing on the right of others to do the language contains within it a history
same. accumulated knowledge and experience that no
- In obtaining full satisfaction, one must derive individual would be capable of creating on their
pleasure from seeing pleasure in others own.
- Language – a social product that structures and
Principles of Ethics – basic law of ethics and morality shapes our experience of reality

- Extension of laws in the natural world, and much

of his scientific justification for his moral ALBERT BANDURA (1925)
position
- Moral dictum: Once physical and biological Social Learning Theory
realms are discovered, humans should obey - Theory that attempts to explain socialization
them and cease trying to construct, through and its effect on the development of the self It
political legislation, social forms that violate looks at the individual learning process, the
these laws. O formation of self, and influence of society in
- Scientific position: The laws of social socializing individual.
organization can no more be violated than can - Formation of one’s identity is a learned
those of the physical universe, and to seek to do response to social stimuli
so will create, in the long run, more severe - An individual’s identity is not the product of
problems. the unconscious, but instead is the result of
- Humans should be as free from external modeling oneself in response to the
regulation as possible – “implicitly obey expectations of others.
them!” - Behaviors and attitudes develop in response to
reinforcement and encouragement from people
around us.
DAVID EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)
- French sociologist, cited as the principal Self-Efficacy
architect of modern social sciences - People’s belief about their capabilities to
- Established academic discipline with Marx and produce designated levels of performance that
Weber exercise influence over events that affect their
- How societies could maintain their integrity and lives.
coherence in modernity, an era in which a - This belief determines how people feel, think,
traditional social and religious tie are no longer motivate themselves, and behave ▪ People with
assumed, and in which new social institutions high assurance in their capabilities approach
have come into being. difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered
- Acceptance of sociology as a legitimate science rather than as threats to be avoided
- They set themselves challenging goals and
Sociology of Knowledge maintain strong commitment to them despite
- How concepts and categories of logical thought series of failures
could arise out of social life - They attribute failure to insufficient effort or
- Certain aspects of logical thought common to all deficient knowledge and skills which are
human did exist, but they were products of acquirable
collective life and that they were not universal a  Not on their personal deficiencies, on the
priori since the content of categories differed obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds
from society to society. of adverse outcomes
  They approach threatening situations with ✓ You gain personality within a field only by stepping
assurance that they can exercise control out of your own self
over them ✓ Teach the subject, not your interpretation of the
subject
FOUR MAIN SOURCES OF SELF-EFFICACY ✓ Make your students interested in the subject itself,
rather than in the person teaching it
1. Mastery Experience
- Successes build a robust belief in one’s
personal efficacy
LEWIS MORGAN
- A resilient sense of efficacy requires experience
- The League of the Ho-dé-no-sau-nee,
in overcoming obstacles through perseverant
or Iroquois (1851)
effort
- This presented the complexity of Iroquois
2. Vicarious Experience society in a path-breaking ethnography that was
- Provided by social models a model for future anthropologists
- Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by - He wanted to provide evidence for
monogenesis, the theory that all human beings
sustained effort raises observers’ beliefs that
they too, possess the capabilities to master descended from a common source
- The structure of the family and social institutions
comparable activities required to succeed
- People seek proficient models who possess the develops and change according to a specific
competencies to which they aspire sequence

Theory of Social Evolution

3. Social Persuasion
- People who are persuaded verbally that they  Kinship relations as a basic part of society
possess the capabilities to master given  Critical link between social progress and
activities are likely to mobilize greater effort and technological progress
sustain it than if they harbor self-doubts and  Interplay between the evolution of technology,
dwell on personal deficiencies when problem of family relations, of property relations, of the
arises larger social structure, and systems of
- People who have persuaded that they lack governance, and intellectual development
capabilities tend to avoid challenging activities
that cultivate potentials and give up in the face
of difficulty Karl Marx
THEORY OF SELF-ESTRANGEMENT
4. Psychological Responses OR SELF-ALIENATION
- People rely partly on their somatic and - a worker can feel self-estranged from their
emotional states in judging their capabilities work, their production, and other workers.
- They interpret their stress reactions and - describes the estrangement of people from
tensions as signs of vulnerability to poor aspects of their human nature
performance

SUMMARY
MAX WEBER (1864 – 1920)  George Mead – Symbolic Interactions Perspective;
- German sociologist and political economist two parts of Self: Self-awareness and Self-image
- Capitalism developed out of a Protestant ethic,  Henri de Saint-Simon – French Socialism; synthetic
a religious calling and moral philosophies
- “iron cage” – as the religion became  David Emile Durkheim – Sociology of Knowledge
peripheral, capitalism decoupled from its roots  Albert Bandura – Social Learning Theory
and established itself as the dominant force in  Karl Marx – Theory of Self-Estrangement or Self-
society Alienation
 Max Weber – Self-help Imagination
Exercise Self-Help Imagination
 Lewis Morgan – Theory of Social EvolutioN
✓ “Personality” makes little sense in its modern usage
✓ “an inner devotion to the subject and only to the
subject”
✓ which raises one “to the height and dignity of the
subject”