Sociology

Understanding the Self

 Meaning of Sociology

• Is a social science that studies human

societies, their interactions, and the
processes that preserve and change
them.

• Study of human relationships and

institutions
 A. SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWS
OF THE SELF
1.The Self as Product of Modern
Society Among Others
2. Post-modern View of the Self
3. Rewriting the Self as an
Artistic Creation
4. Self Creation and Collective
Identity
5. Self Creation and the struggle
for cultural recognition
A.1 The Self as Product of
Modern Soc iety Among Others

• With modernization, the self

becomes a “delocalized” self
which is free to seek its own
identity; defining religion,
theological tradition; free from
c ustomary c onstraints henc e,
deviating from the traditional way
of life.
 The Self as Product of Modern
Soc iety Among Others

• Clifford Geertz (1973) believes that

the struggle for one's individuality is
only possible in modern soc iety where
religio- theological traditions are
gradually replaced by rational and
scientific calc ulations; and the
intimate personal affiliations are
replaced by exc eedingly impersonal
associations brought about by
urbanized way of life.
 The Self as Product of Modern
Soc iety Among Others

Conditions of the self in the Modern Soc iety

1. The newfound freedom threatens the
very authenticity of the self (e.g. love).
2. Alienation (Marx) – human beings
haunted by the very images they have
created
3. Objectification of the body (e.g. medical
practice)
4. Dehumanization of self
Solution: For the individual to
discover the “true” and
“authentic” part of
himself/herself to realize
his/her potentials, there is the
need to abolish repressive
social constraints.

How?
A.2 Post-modern View of
the Self
The following are the manifestations:

1. Information technology dislocates

the self, thus, self is “digitalized” in
cyberspace.
2. Global migration produces
multicultural identities.
3. Post-modern selves are
“pluralized” selves .
Social Construction of
the Self:
self is not discovered; it is made
through the socialization process.
We construct ourselves based on our
social roles through socialization
agents –family, school. Community,
etc.
 Who is Mead?
• George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) is
an American sociologist best known
as a founder of American
pragmatism, a pioneer of symbolic
interac tion theory, and as one of the
founders of social psychology.
• Mead's theory of the self maintains
that the c onception a person holds
of himself/herself in his/her mind
emerges from social interac tion with
others.
 SOCIETY AND THE
SELF
According to Mead, individuals compose
society; without people, society
cannot exist. The selves, minds, and
roles carried by individuals enable a
society to exist.
 The “I” and “Me”

Mead presented interactive facets if

the self namely “I” and “me”.

The “I” facet refers to the self

that impulsive or spontaneous and
unsocialized.
 The “I” and “Me”

Mead presented interactive facets if

the self namely “I” and “me”.

The “me” facet is the perspective of

the self that one assumes to view
and analyze their own behaviors and
actions. Taking roles in society.
 Mead’s 3 Stages of
Development of Self
1. The preparatory stage – starts from the time we are
born until about age two. In this stage, the children
mimic those around them.

2. The play stage – from age two to six years old. Here,
the children play pretend and do not adhere to the
rules in organized games.

3. The game stage – from the age of seven years old

onwards. The children can begin to understand other
people’s perspective.
 The Looking Glass Self
Charles Horton Cooley
• Looking-glass self:a self c oncept
based on what you believe others
think of you
• Labeling: refers to the process of
defining a person or group in a
simplified way – narrowing down
the c omplexity of the whole
person and fitting them into
broad categories.
• Self-labeling: happens when
persons adopt others’ labels
explic itly into their self-c oncept.
Social Comparison

• Social comparison occurs when

individuals learn about their
abilities and skills, about the
appropriateness and validity of
their opinions, and about their
relative social status by
c omparing their own attitudes,
beliefs and behaviors with those
of others.