THE SOCIAL SELF DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL SELF

SOCIAL SELF
LEARNING OBJECTIVES ➢ How you maintain who you are with the
• This lesson seeks to understand the construct presence of others
of the self from various disciplinal perspectives; ➢ The SELF is defined in the social perspective
the self as a cognitive construction: ME – Self based on how a person deals with one’s self,
and I – Self, ideal self, true self and false self. with others, with society, and the world.
• This lesson also seeks the answers to the
difficult, but essential question, “What is the DO YOU AGREE THAT THERE ARE ONLY TWO
SELF?” and raising among others, the question, MAJOR POPULATIONS IN THIS WORLD?
“Is there such a construct as the self?” − There are only TWO populations in this world:
YOU & OTHERS
The Interplay between The Self & The Social World − The self is a product of an individual’s
interaction with society among other
No topic is more interesting to people than people
construction.
for most people, moreover, the most intersting is
− We like to interact with others and learn from
the self – Roy F. Bausmeister, 1999
others
There are 3 things extremely hard: steel, a
diamond, and to know one’s self – Benjamin DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL SELF
Franklin • the roles we play
• the social identities we form
• the comparisons we make with others
THE SELF
• Self-Concept: Who am I?
• our successes and failures
• Self-knowledge: How can I explain and predict • how other people judge us
myself? • the surrounding culture
• Self-esteem: My sense of worth
• Social self: My roles as a student, family member, G. MEAD: THEORY OF SELF
and friend; my group identity G. MEAD: SOCIAL SELF
• The SELF arises out of the social act of
SELF CONCEPT communication, which is the basis for
➢ What we know and believe about ourselves. socialization.
o Imitation
SELF SCHEMA o Play stage
• Beliefs about the self that organize and guide the o Games Stage
processing of self-relevant information
• It is an element of self-concept which define 3 Stages of Development of Self
yourself. Language: develops self by allowing individuals to
• Representation of attributes respond to each other through symbols, gestures,
words, and sounds.
Play stage: internalizes the attitudes of others who
SCHEMAS
are significant to him through enacting the roles of
• Mental Template by which we organize our others
worlds Game stage: develop self by allowing individuals to
understand and adhere to the rules of the activity
SELF- CONCEPT
SENSE of SELF ACTUAL SELF TWO FACETS OF SELF
• Self-Concept ME- I-
• Self-schema • Self-Knowledge ✓ is a cognitive object
• Possible selves • Self Esteem ✓ object-self
• Social Self ✓ the individual's
✓ the known
identity based on
✓ represents learned
Possible selves: Image of what we dream of or response to the
behaviors,
dread becoming in the future 'me.’
attitudes, and
✓ self as subject;
expectations of
Self-concept: Self-schemas, Past Self, Present ✓ The knower
others and of
Self, Future/possible Selves society
THE ROLE WE PLAY THE SUBDISCIPLINES OF ANTHROPOLOGY
GOFFMAN AND THE SOCIAL SELF • Cultural Anthropology: the study of human
(SELF AS A PERFORMER) society and culture which describes, analyzes,
• Social interaction may be likened to a theater, interprets, and explains social and cultural
and people in everyday life to actors on a stage, similarities and differences.
each playing a variety of roles. • Archeological Anthropology: describes and
• social interaction, like in theatrical interprets human behavior and cultural patterns
performances, through material remains.
o there is a 'front stage' region where the actors • Biological, or Physical Anthropology: focuses on
are on stage before an audience, and their these special interest, human evolution as
consciousness of that audience and the revealed by the fossil, human genetics, human
audience's expectations for the role they growth and development, human biological
should play influence the actor's behavior. plasticity and the biology, evolution, behavior
o There is also a back region, or 'backstage,' and social life of monkeys, apes, and other
where individuals can relax, be themselves, nonhuman primates.
and the role or identity that they play when • Linguistic Anthropology: studies language in its
they are in front of others. social and cultural context across space and
over time.
Self,
Conscious,
New Role Justification Our Reality
Playing,
Acting
THE SELF EMBEDDED IN THE CULTURE
SELF AND CULTURE
Culture
SPOTLIGHTS AND ILLUSIONS: • Refers to customary behavior and beliefs that
What do they teach us about ourselves? are passed on through enculturation (Kottak,
2008). Enculturation is the social process
SPOTLIGHT EFFECT – the belief that others are which culture is learned and transmitted.
paying more attention to our appearance and o Shared
behavior than they really are. o Symbolic
o Natural
ILLUSION OF TRANSPARENCY – The illusion o Learned
that our concealed emotions leak out and can be o Integrated
easily read by others o Encompassing
o Adaptive and Maladaptive
The Looking Glass Self: o Culture
✓ How my mom & dad see me
✓ How my girlfriend sees me Individualism: The concept of giving priority to one's
✓ How my older brother sees me own goals over group goals and defining one's
✓ How my ex-girlfriend sees me identity in terms of personal attributes rather than a
group identification
SOCIAL COMPARISON
• Evaluating one's abilities and opinions by Collectivism: Giving priority to the goals of one's
comparing oneself with others group and defining one's identity accordingly

Success Failure
• Motivation • Low Self esteem Self-Concept and Culture: Flexible, not stable

SELF: Anthropological Perspective & Western,

Eastern Culture Independent Self
ANTHROPOLOGY • Construing one's identity as an autonomous self
• Studies human species & its immediate • Personal comparison to boost self-esteem
ancestors includes 4 main sub
disciplines/subfields: sociocultural, Interdependent Self
archeological, biological, & linguistic • Construing one's identity in relation to other (I,
anthropology e., mother, father, friends, sibling, co-worker)
• A systematic exploration of human biological & • Relation comparison to improve self
cultural diversity
 INDEPENDENT INTERDEPENDENT CULTURE AND COGNITION
CULTURES CULTURES
• Self = Distinct from The geography of thought….
• Self = Linked to
others
others ➢ SELLING MASS MEDIA
• Importance of
• Importance of o Coca Cola
Acting on One’s
Collective Action
Own
• Group Cohesion &
• Individual Independent Interdependent
Harmony • Personal,
Distinctiveness •
• Prefer Hierarchy & Social,
• Prefer defined by
defined by
Social Group- Identity is individual
Egalitarianism & connections
based Status traits and
Achievement-
based Status • Rules about goals
with others
(Meritocracy) Behavior should • Me- • We- group
consider Context,
• Rules about personal goals and
Relationships, & achieveme solidarity;
behavior should
Group Concerns What nt and our social
apply to everyone
• It takes a village to
• If you want a job matters fulfilment; responsibilit
raise a child my rights ies and
done right, do it
yourself • No need to know and relationship
the person, only the liberties s
• Pull yourself up by
person only the Disapproves
your own • Conformity • Egotism
family of
bootstraps
•
“To thine
Illustrative • “No one is
Concept of Self Western and Eastern Thought own self be
motto an island”
Western Eastern true”
✓ A gentleman by Cultures that • Individualis • Collectivisti
following the moral way support tic Western c World
consisting of the virtues CULTURE AND SELF ESTEEM: I am…
✓ Self is a social
of love, righteousness,
construction SELF- KNOWLEDGE
wisdom propriety &
which is The essence of knowledge is self-knowledge
loyalty in order to
symbolically & – Plato
promote harmony in
signally created
society (Confucianism)
between &
(Theravada) • We rarely explain our behavior correctly
among social
detachment & desire • Self-Prediction are flawed
beings
lessness to reach
✓ Phenomenolo
nirvana; reciprocal Predicting our behavior
gical object
relationship; Planning Fallacy: The tendency to underestimate
which can be
(Mahayana) how long it will take to complete a task
productively
compassion to Impact Bias: overestimating the enduring impact of
studied through
relationship;(Mahayan emotion-causing events
a series of
a) compassion to part
evanescent
of the same ever-
actions, self is
changing universe
multidimension
(Buddhism)
al entity
✓ Concept of Kapwa,
✓ Self is an
recognition of shared
interpersonal
identity, an inner self
unit
shared with others; Two
✓ Self takes form
levels modes of social
in
interaction – ibang-tao
communication
or “outsider” & hindi
ibang-tao or “one-of-us”
(Filipino Psychology)