The Sociological

Perspectives
Chapter 3: Prelim

UTS 100 | Vicente

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

explain how cultural factors affect or

shape one's perception of self;
compare and contrast the impact of social
groups on your personality; and
evaluate the influence of individualism and
collectivism on one's identity.
 The Sociological
Perspectives
Knowing the self requires understanding our
society and its culture and how it provokes
us to make decisions that are culturally
influences and socially constructed.

The self, as a social being, is influenced by

culture where a person's belief, values, and
traditions comes in.
THEORIES AND
CONCEPTS IN
SOCIOLOGY AND
ANTHROPOLOGY
REGARDING THE
SELF
 SOCIAL SELF
George Herbert Mead
He argued that the self is developed as one grows and
ages and is constructed by directly engaging in the
world through interaction and reflections on those
interactions.

For the correct interpretation of the meanings of

symbols and intention of others, there should be the
existence of common symbols. This can be
accomplished through role-playing.
 SOCIAL SELF
George Herbert Mead

ROLE-PLAYING
the process in which one takes on the role of another
by putting oneself in the position of the person with
whom they interact. One’s response to the action of
another comes after putting oneself in the place of
another person.

Through role-playing, the

individual develops a concept
of self.
 DEVELOPMENTAL
STAGES OF THE SELF
The self is not inborn.

PREPARATORY STAGE PLAY STAGE GAME STAGE

also called as imitation involves the child playing where the child comes to
stage where the child the role of others. In doing see themselves from the
imitates their parents' these, they become aware perspective of other people.
behavior. that there is a difference To play the game, the child
between themselves and must be aware of their
the role that they are relationship with others and
playing. place themselves in their
roles to appreciate their
particular role.
 I and Me
For Mead, the self is a social process between the I and Me.

"I" "Me"
the self that is unsocialized and represents the conventional and
spontaneous. It is the subjective objective part of the self, which
and acting part of the self, an results from the progressive
immediate response to others. stages of role-playing or role-
taking and the perspective one
assumes to view and analyze
one’s behaviors.
 GENERALIZED OTHER
This is the best-known concept of Mead.

He described it as an organized community or social

group which gives the individual their unity of self. The
attitude of the generalized other is the attitude of the
community as a whole.

At the macro-level, it is considered that the self then

becomes aware at this stage of the cultural values,
norms, traditions, and beliefs, acting in consideration of
everything that the society holds dear.
 LOOKING-GLASS SELF
Charles Horton Cooley

Charles Cooley introduced the view that the self is

developed as a result of one’s perceptions of other people’s
opinions. For Cooley, the self, an individual’s awareness of
one’s social or personal identity, is a social development.

The self is built through social interaction, which involves

three steps:

1. People imagine how they must appear to others;

2. they imagine the judgment on that appearance;
3. they develop themselves by assessing others.
 LOOKING-GLASS SELF
Charles Horton Cooley

The concept of the looking-glass self provides an idea

of how the self develops in relation to the perception
of others. It should serve only as a guide for
reflection and should be taken to avoid ending up
living following other people’s expectations.
 PRIVATE, PUBLIC, and
COLLECTIVE SELF
Harry Triandis

Private Self or Individual Self Public Self

the cognition concerning the
the cognition that involves
generalized other’s view of
traits, states, and behaviors.
the self.
It shows one’s knowledge of
It shows one’s relationship
attributes that differentiate
with others and the role one
them from others.
assumes in that relationship.

Collective Self
the cognition concerning a
view of the self found in
memberships in social
groups.
SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY
Henri Tajfel & William Sumner

According to the social identity theory,

group membership is an essential source
of pride and self-esteem. It gives a sense
of social identity--a sense of belonging to
the social world.

In this view, the world is divided into “us”

and “them” through the process of social
categorization and forming social groups.
 SOCIAL GROUPS
Henri Tajfel & William Sumner

in-group out-group

An esteemed social group a scorned social group to

commanding a member’s which one feels
loyalty. competition or opposition.

It is a group to which a It is a group to which a

person belongs. person does not belong.

Social identity theory states that the in-group will

discriminate against the out-group
to enhance its self-image.
Three mental processes involved in
evaluating others as "us" or "them"

Social Categorization
People also categorize other people to identify and
understand the social environment.

Social Identification
People adopt the identity of the group they have
categorized themselves with.

Social Comparison
They tend to compare that group with others.
Here, they might begin to discriminate and criticize
the other groups.
 ANTHROPOLOGY OF
THE SELF
Brian Morris
For Morris, “self” is defined as an individual’s mental
representation of their person as self-representation.

The concept of “other” refers to how one perceives

the mental representations of others.

He reiterated that the self is not an entity but a process

orchestrating an individual’s experience. As a result, a
person becomes self-aware and self-reflective about
their place in the surrounding world.
The most crucial form of
interaction and
exchange occurs
between the self and the
cultural environment as
mediated by social
practices.
DIALOGICAL SELF
“self” as the “society of Mind"
Hubert Hermans

an individual’s sense of self is established

by identifying oneself with the different
positions they hold, internally or externally
to themselves. All these constitute to the
functionality of the self.
 DIALOGICAL SELF
Hubert Hermans

Internal I-position External I-position

refers to how one refers to how one
functions in oneself identifies themselves
based on particular
external factors.

The dialogic self approach is designed to

stimulate the conversations between the internal
and external positions of the self.
 SATURATED SELF
Kenneth Gergen

The saturated self is characterized by constant

connection to others. This self absorbs many voices
(sometimes contradictory) and takes in seemingly
endless streams of information.

Multiphrenia
splitting the self into many options
 SATURATED SELF
Kenneth Gergen

Through mediums such as the internet and video

games, people can construct idealized versions of who
they are by selectively representing various aspects of
their selves, like self-promotion on the internet.

Saturated Self is not limited to

technology only.
 THE SELF IN THE WESTERN AND
ORIENTAL THOUGHT
Culture plays a very significant role in the development of
the self-concept. It embodies specific values, thoughts, or
ideas that are central to determining a person’s sense of
“self.” This relativism is evident in the Western and
Eastern construction of the self, with its prominent
difference: individualism and collectivism.
 THE SELF IN THE WESTERN AND
ORIENTAL THOUGHT
Individualism
refers to the extent that you value independence and personal uniqueness.
Highly individualist people value personal freedom, self-sufficiency, control
over their lives, and appreciation of their unique qualities that distinguish them
from others.

Collectivism
refers to the extent that we value our duty to groups to which we belong and
to group harmony. Highly collectivist people define themselves by their group
membership and value harmonious relationships within those groups.
 SELF AS A PRODUCT OF THE
MODERN WORLD
Culture’s values change over time, and if they do
not, society is trapped in the challenges of the
modern world. As a social construct, the self
becomes a product of the contemporary society,
among other constructions. The internet age
brought an understanding of the self as a part of
the global world, not just the micro-society.
THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE

Culture has become an integral and

an inescapable part of our humanity.
Culture has been introduced to us the
very moment we were born. The
significance of culture in our self-
understanding and awareness is vital
since we have been brought up with it
- the traditions and customs of our
family, the laws we obey, and even
the different art forms that our
society regards so clearly.
THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE
Our culture sets the norms of our
people.

Norms
are what dictates our behavior in
the society. The acceptability of the
act including its approval and
disapproval.
The material and the non-material
culture, its two components, are
essential in understanding how the
self is influenced by it.
THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE
Material Culture

Consists of human technology - all the things that people

make and use. The evolution of material culture can be
attributed to the technological advances that humanity
was able to make.
THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE
Non-Material Culture
Inclusive of the intangible human creations that include
beliefs, values, norms and symbols. Non-material
culture could also manifest in the material culture of
people.

Conservatism
The Self Within Generations as
Culture Creators
 The Self Within Generations as
Culture Creators

The effect of culture in

today's younger
generation must be
highlighted since the
Generation Z, also
known as the self(ie)
generation is not
considered as passive
user of the culture. In
fact, they have become
culture creators.
Thank you!