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Course Code and Title: GE 101 – Understanding the Self

Lesson Number: Lesson 3 (Week 4)
Topic: Sociological Perspective of the Self

INTRODUCTION:
This chapter draws on the principles and concepts of well-known sociologists to foster student
understanding of sociology and how it impacts students’ everyday lives, and provide a pathway to
self-understanding of “who you are” and “what you are” in contemporary society.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 Recognize what sociology says about understanding the self and others;
 Discuss how individuals view the self as a product of socialization;
 Discuss the self as a product of modern and postmodern societies;
 Appreciate your own social experiences that have been particularly helpful in understanding
the self; and
 Explain George Herbert Mead’s theory of the social self.
PRE-ASSESSMENT:
Read carefully and answer the following statements/questions.
1. What is Sociology?

2. He introduced the concept “Looking-glass self”.

3. According to him, self-identity continuously changes due to the demands of multitude of

social contexts, new information technologies, and globalization.

4. He suggests that the self has two divisions: the I and the me.

5. Enumerate in order George Herbert Mead's development of the self three-stage process.
1.
2.
3.
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LESSON PRESENTATION:

Understanding of the self only arises in a relationship, in watching

yourself in relationship to people, ideas, and things; to trees, the earth,
and the world around you and within you.
The relationship is the mirror in which the self is revealed. Without self-knowledge
There is no basis for right thought and action.
-Jiddu Krishnamurti

The sociological perspective of the self focuses on the assumption that human behavior is
influenced by interactions with other people, groups, or social institutions.

For sociologists like Mead and Cooley, the self does not depend on biological predispositions;
instead, it is a product of social interaction. The sense of self emerges as the individual partakes in
society. While the individual seeks solid and stable self-identity in modern society, the postmodern
individual tries to avoid fixation and keeps the options open for self-improvement. French sociologist
Jean Baudrillard sets that in the postmodern society, the self is found in the prestige symbols of
products consumed by people. This led to the postmodern person to become an insatiable
consumer. Therefore, if people desire to be satisfied with things in life, they should not be
persuaded by the postmodern culture of advertisement and mass media which suggest false needs.

Sociology, as a scientific study of social relationships, generates insights into the

interconnectedness between the self and other people. Hence, sociologists offer theories to explain
how the self emerges as a product of social experience. The looking-glass self by Charles Horton
Cooley and the theory of the social self by George Herbert Mead is helpful in understanding how a
person views himself or herself as he or she interacts with the social environment that includes
family, school, peer groups, and mass media.
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CHARLES HORTON COOLEY AND THE LOOKING-GLASS SELF THEORY

Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley in 1902, introduces the looking-glass self to highlight that the
people whom a person interacts with becoming a mirror in which he or she views himself or herself.
Self- identity or self-image is achieved through a threefold event, which begins by conceiving an
idea of how a person presents himself or herself to others, how he or she analyzes how others
perceive him or her, and how he or she creates an image of himself or herself. Since these
perceptions are subjective, a person might have wrong interpretations of how others evaluate him
or her. It would be critical to think that others judge him or her unfavorably because he could
develop a negative self-image (Kendall, 2013; Macionis, 2015; Schaefer, 2014).

The following images/illustrations show the looking-glass self theory:

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GEORGE HERBERT MEAD’S “I” AND “ME”

Another sociologist, George Herbert Mead, also believes in the view that an individual develops a
sense of self through social interaction and not the biological preconditions of that interaction.
Mead's theory of the social self-explained that the self has two divisions: the "I" and the "me." The
"I" is the subjective element and the active site of the self. It represents the natural or spontaneous
and unique traits of the individual. On the other hand, the "me" is the objective element of the self
that represents the internalized attitudes and demands of other people and the individual's
awareness of those demands.

The self's full development is attained when the "I" and the "me" are united. According to Mead, the
self is not yet formed or present at birth. The self develops only with social experience in which
language, gestures, and objects are used to communicate meaningfully. Since there is meaning in
human actions, a person infers people's intention or direction of action, which may lead them to
understand the world from others' points of view- a process that Mead labels as role-taking. Then
he or she creates his or her role and anticipates how others will respond. When he or she performs
his or her particular role, he or she becomes self-aware. The self will continue to change, along with
his or her social experience. In other words, no matter how much the world shapes a person, he or
she will always remain a creative being and be able to react to the world around him or her
(Kendall, 2013; Macionis, 2015).

GEORGE HERGERT MEAD’S STAGES OF THE SELF

Mead details the development of the self in a three-stage process:

1. In the preparatory stage (0-3 years old), children imitate the people around them, especially
family members with whom they interact daily. But they would imitate behavior without
understanding underlying intentions, and so at this stage, they have no sense of self. During this
stage, children are just preparing for role-taking.
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2. During the play stage (3 to 5 years old), children start to view themselves in relation to others as
they learn to communicate through language and other symbols. At this stage, role-taking is
exhibited; however, children do not perceive role-taking as expected. The self develops as children
pretend to take the roles of specific people or significant others, those individuals who are important
agents of socialization. At this stage, the self is developing.

3. In the game stage (begins in the early school 8 or 9 years old), children understand their social
position and those around them. At this stage, children become concerned about and take into
account the generalized others' behavior, which refers to the attitudes, viewpoints, demands, and
expectations of the society. Cultural norms and values tend to serve as references in evaluating
oneself. They can have an ability to respond to numerous members of the social environment and a
more sophisticated look of people. During this stage, the self is now present.

THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF MODERN AND POSTMODERN SOCIETIES

Gerry Lanuza's (2004) article, "The Constitution of the Self," discusses the relationship between
society and the individual. According to him, in modern societies, the accomplishment and solidity
of self-identity are freely chosen. Customs and traditions no longer restrict it. Although this
newfound freedom offers countless possibilities for self-cultivation, problems such as alienation and
dehumanization of the self also appear which hampers the full development of human potentials.
Hence, there is a need to discover the "authentic core" of the self for the individual to work towards
self-realization freely. Whereas the ending of traditional values and communities in modern society
has led the individual to create a solid and stable self-identity, the postmodern individual welcomes
all possibilities for self-improvement. In postmodern societies, there is a continuous change in self-
identity due to the demands of a multitude of social contexts, new information technologies, and
globalization.

French sociologist Jean Baudrillard exposes the negative consequences of postmodernity to

individuals in society (Demeterio, 2013). For him, consumption structures the postmodern society.
Self-identity is achieved by postmodern individuals through prestige symbols that they consume.
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Individuals seek a position in society through the quality of prestige symbols they can afford to
consume. The cultural practices of advertising and mass media incredibly impact individuals to
spend on goods not for their primary value and utility but the feeling of goodness and power when
compared with others. Hence, the postmodern person has become an insatiable consumer and
may never be satisfied in his or her life. For example, suppose a person buys an expensive cellular
phone not merely as a useful communication device but also because of its prestige symbol. In that
case, he or she will desire to buy a new cell phone when he or she learns that a new and more
prestigious model has come out in the market, or when he or she discovers that other people are
using more expensive mobile phones. Therefore, the self being insatiable may be in a never-ending
search for prestige in the postmodern society.

SUMMARY:

The sociological perspective of the self focuses on the assumption that human behavior is
influenced by interactions with other people, groups, or social institutions. The self does not depend
on biological predispositions; instead, it is a product of social interaction. The sense of self emerges
as the individual partakes in society.

Sociology as a scientific study of social relationships generates new insights into the
interconnectedness between the self and other people. Hence, sociologists offer theories to explain
how the self emerges as a product of social experience.

The looking-glass self, a concept introduced by Charles Horton Cooley, describes the development
of oneself and identity through interactions with others.

George Herbert Mead suggests that the self has two divisions: the I and me. The I is the subjective
element and the active site of the self, whereas I is the objective element. According to Mead, the
self passes through three stages of development: preparatory, play, and game.

According to Gerry Lanuza, there is a continuous change in self-identity due to the demands of a
multitude of social contexts, new information technologies, and globalization.
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Jean Baudrillard explains that individuals achieve self-identity through prestige symbols that they
consume.

APPLICATION # 3:
You may browse your notes and module to aid in answering the following activity.

Critical Thinking – Essay (5 points each – 10 points)

Instruction: In not more than 8 sentences for each number, write an essay regarding the
following question/statement. Briefly elaborate on your answer.

1. Discuss Mead's stage of self. Describe how the development of self is unique for every
individual, and cite personal experiences showing how Mead's stages relate to your skills.

2. How do you think the sense of self is achieved in our present society wherein
consumption has been the main organizing element? Focus your discussion on
Baudrillard's theory on the impact of postmodernity on social life.

ACTIVITY/EVALUATION # 3:
This is a closed module activity. Please observe honesty.

A. Multiple Choice. (1 point each – 5 points)

Instruction: Choose the letter that corresponds to your answer.
Time limit: 3 minutes

1. He introduced the concept of "looking-glass self."

a. George Herbert Mead
b. Charles Horton Cooley
c. Gerry Lanuza
d. Jean Baudrillard
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2. He proposed the theory of social self.

a. George Herbert Mead
b. Charles Horton Cooley
c. Gerry Lanuza
d. Jean Baudrillard

3. During this stage, there is no self.

a. Game stage
b. Play stage
c. Preparatory stage
d. Roleplaying

4. During this stage, the self is developing.

a. Game stage
b. Play stage
c. Preparatory stage
d. Roleplaying

5. The attitudes, viewpoints, demands, and expectations of others and society.

a. Role taking
b. Roleplaying
c. Generalized others
d. Looking-glass self

B. True or False. (1 point each – 5 points)

Instruction: Choose T if the statement is true and write F if it is false.
Time limit: 3 minutes

____ 6. The I is the objective element of the self.

____ 7. Me represents the spontaneous and unique traits of the individual.
____ 8. The full development of the self is attained when the I and me are united.
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____ 9. The postmodern individuals achieve self-identity through prestige symbols that they
consume.
____ 10. During this play stage, individuals have a more sophisticated look of people and an
ability to respond to numerous members of the social environment.

REINFORCEMENT/ASSIGNMENT # 3:
You may browse your notes and module to aid in answering the following activity.

Identification (10 points)

Instruction: Consider Mead’s concepts of the I and me self. Using the graphic organizer below,
make a list of your characteristics for each of these categories. Which one better describes your
social self?

My Social Self

I Self Me Self
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REMINDER:
 Do advance reading of module # 4 in Understanding the Self entitled Anthropological
Perspective of the Self.

ONLINE RESOURCES:
 https://www.all-about-psychology.com/images/the-looking-glass-self.jpg
 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/The_looking_glass_self.png
 https://sbt.blob.core.windows.net/storyboards/karinkoga/the-looking-glass-self-theory.png

REFERENCE:
 Go-Monilla, M.J. & Ramirez, N. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc.