Lesson II THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

> CRISMALYN B. LAGADAN:

Introduction: When we were born, do you think that your infant self just said, "Oh, I
think males should go for the blue and play guns, while girls should choose pink and
play dolls? Did you already decide on your own that you will do these hobbies, that you
will follow a certain religion, or that you will be a part of the Filipino nation? What if you
were born, you were raised by gorillas just like Tarzan? You might look like a human
being, but will you still act like one? What if you never saw any human being at all from
the moment you were born, will you have those things that make up what you call your
"self" right now? For a long time, philosophers have debated over
the "Self" in a mind-body perspective. The advent of the institutionalization of the
other social sciences, like history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and
psychology, among others, as academic and research fields have widened this
perspective of the self. As most of these branches of the social science study society
and culture, the
"Self"- was also seen as part of social sciences. There is a common saying in the social
sciences, especially in sociology and anthropology: Human beings are, by nature, social
beings. That is, each of us do not exist in a vacuum. We interact with people and even
the most introvert of us would have to relate and communicate with a few.
:Tarzan Story
• The little boy named TARZAN was left in the middle of the forest.
Growing up, he never had an interaction with any other human being but apes and other
animals.
Tarzan grew up acting strangely like apes and unlike human persons.
Tarzan became an animal, in effect.
His sole interaction with them made him just like one of them.
• Human persons will not develop as human persons without intervention.
This story, which was supposed to be based on real life, challenges the long-standing
notion of
human persons being special and being a particular kind of being in the spectrum of
living
entities.
We may be gifted with intellect and the capacity to rationalize things but at the end of
the day,
our growth and development and consequently, our selves are truly products of our
interaction
with external reality.

Characteristics of the Self?

Separate
– the self is distinct from other selves
– the self is always unique and has its own identity
– one cannot be another person
– even twins are distinct from each other
Self-contained & independent
– in itself it can exist
– its distinctness allows it to be self-contained with its own thoughts,
characteristics,
and volition
– it does not require any other self for it to exist
Consistent – it has a personality that is enduring and therefore can be
expected to persist for
quite some time
– its consistency allows it to be studied, described and measured
– a particular self’s traits, characteristics, tendencies and potentialities are
more or
less the same
Unitary – it 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
– this whole process is never accessible to anyone but the self
– the self is isolated from the external world
– it lives within its own world• Social Constructionist Perspective
– concerned about understanding the vibrant relationship between the self
and external
reality
– merged view of “the person” and “their social context” where the
boundaries of one
cannot easily be separated from the boundaries of the other
– the self should not be seen as a static entity that stays constant through
and through
– the self has to be seen as something that is in unceasing flux, in a
constant
struggle with external reality and is malleable in its dealings with society
– the self is always in participation with social life and its identity subjected
to
influences here and there

Hughes and Kroehler (2008)

"We are born into a social environment; we fully develop into human beings in a social
environment; and we live our lives in a social environment. What we think, how we feel,
and what we say and do all are shaped by our interactions with other people."
CULTURE -Every person lives in a society which is defined as a group of people
sharing the same culture and typically interacts in a definite territory. Each society has
culture or a way of life for those living in that specific society.
Culture is divided into two:
 1. Material culture - the attires, tools, weapons, architectural designs, religious
implements.
2. Non-material Culture - the belief or the systems, the values, the norms or
expected behaviors, as well as the shared language and symbols.
"Society- is composed of the people.
Culture- is compose of ideas, behavior, and material possessions" –
(Kendall 2006)
society and the culture- coexist and is interdependent with each other. Theoretical
Approaches- These approaches and frameworks enable us to combine and use
concepts in a meaningful way to look and understand a part of reality- in this case, the
connection of self, society, and culture.
Under the theory of Symbolic Interactionism- for example, George Herbert Mead
(1863-1931) claimed that the self is created, developed, and changed through human
interaction (Hogg and Vaughan 2010).
There are at least three reasons why self and identity are social products (Elmore,
Oyserman, and Smith 2012):
1.The "self" did not just come out of thin air. We are affected by our sociocultural
context, who we are, even most of the choices we think we freely make. The influence
of the society and culture will still influence you even if you move to a different place.
2.We need others to affirm and reinforce who we think we are. We also need them as
reference about our identity. Ex: Social media interactions that we have. In case of
Facebook there are those who will consciously or unconsciously try to garner more likes
or positive reactions and that can and will reinforce their self-concept.
3.Our notion of what is personally important to us is also influence by the current trends
of what is important in our society.
Ex: Education might be important to you because you grew up in a family that values
education
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS :
Institutions are organized to address the needs of a society and they, too, have
profound effect on our concept of "Self." Five Social Institutions
1.Kinship/Family - the basic social institution of a society that organizes us based on
our familial ties. Family is the almost miniature society where you learn to relate to the
outside world. Your parents were the first interaction with authority and economy. From
your siblings or cousins, you first learn how to relate with younger people. They showed
you what to do and what not to do while you were at home, so when the time come that
you go outside the house to a larger community, you have idea on how to act.
2.Economics/Market - This system aims to regulate the flow of resources and services.
This ensures everyone gets a fair share if goods or that other person in need will get the
service he or she needs in order to address a necessity. Ex: A committee in charge of
food during a school activity. Their function is to ensure that everyone gets to eat.
However, they must also calculate and announce the budget for it to be included in the
registration process.
3.Politics/Government - Composed of various organizations ensuring peace and
order by legitimizing the use of power of certain people or groups. In the Philippines, the
government is divided intro three equal branches:
-The executive branch, headed by the President and who is in-charge of enforcing the
law.
- The Legislative branch, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate,
oversee creating, amending, or repealing those laws.
- The Judiciary, led by the Supreme Court to interpret the laws and ensure that they
are following the Constitution and basic human rights. These three branches are treated
equally with powers to check and balance each other.
4.Education/School - The basic function of the school is to ensure that the knowledge
of the past and the culture of the society gets transmitted from one generation to
another. It aims to produce people who can live harmoniously in the given social environment
as well as able to be productive citizens to the economy.

Thus, good education should be sought after. It does not only dictate a person's skill on
the job, but it will also affect his or her behavior and attitude toward social issues and
life in general.
5.Religion/Church - This is an organize set of practices, symbols, and artifacts
regarding the belief of the supernatural. Several reasons why people believe in the
Supernatural
1.1 Explanation of the unexplainable
1.2 Meaning and purpose of life
1.3 Continuity of relationship with the people that we care about even after death among
others. Note: -Most of the things we use to describe our "self" came from these social
institutions. However, as pointed by Geertz, a person can still choose what to adapt,
reject, or change. -The "self" or our identity if we want to call it is a result of the
interaction and discourse between a person and the society. -We are introduced and
socialized into our groups, teaching us all the status, roles, values, norms that we need
to live in this society which became part of our description to ourselves. In return, the
way we collectively live, express, and recreate this imbibed culture reinforces and
transforms our society and culture .
“ THE SELF IS A PRODUCT OF SOCIETY”