GE 1 - UTS

Module 3

JERWIN SALAZAR ATIGA

Student’s Name: _______________________________________________________

BSME - 1B
Course, Year & Section: ____________________ 02-07-25
Date Submitted: ______________

Lesson 2: THE SELF, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1. explain the relationship between and among the self, society and culture..
2. identify the sociological perspectives about the self.
3. Demonstrate critical and reflective thinking in showing different aspects of the
self; and,
4. examine one’s self against the different views of self that were discussed.
Overview:
In Sociology, the self is a product of modern society versus other constructs or
archetypes. When talks about Sociology, one talks about social norms, and social
values. Social factors such as political system, children, partners, school, location,
education, economic status, physical status, religion, wealth, family and ethnicity are
also considered.
In the previous module, you learned about the different philosophical
perspectives on the self and encountered some philosophers who defined the self. In
this module, you will learn the different viewpoints of the self in relation to society and
culture. In addition, you will meet more people and their ideas on the self.

Activity 1: Self-examination
List down your salient characteristics that you remember about yourself.
My Elementary Self

Curious and playful. I loved exploring the world around me and asking endless
questions. I was very imaginative and spent hours playing pretend. I was also quite
shy and reserved around new people.

My High School Self

Independent and driven. I was focused on my studies and achieving my goals. I was
also involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs, which helped me
develop my social skills and build friendships. I became more confident and outgoing
during this time.

My College Self

Confident and self-assured. I am pursuing my passions and working towards my

future career. I am also more aware of my strengths and weaknesses and am actively
working to improve myself. I value my independence but also cherish my relationships
with friends and family. I am learning to balance my personal life with my academic
pursuits.

Analysis:
After having examined your “self” in its different stages, fill out the following table:
Similarities in all Stages Differences in “Self” Possible reasons for the
of my Life across the Three Stages differences in Me
of my Life
Maintain a strong sense of Elementary: Shy, Maturation and life
curiosity and a desire to imaginative, playful. experiences.
learn
High School: More Changes in social
Value close relationships independent, focused on environment and
with friends and family. academics and social expectations.
activities.
Striving for personal Increased self-awareness
growth and improvement. College: Confident, self- and personal growth.
assured, focused on
career goals and balancing
personal life with
academics.

Abstraction:
Please read Lesson 2: The Self, Society and Culture (Pages 12-36)
(References stated below)

Sociological Perspective on the Self

George Mead’s Social Self

Sociologist George Mead argued that the self is not biological but social. Self is
something that is developed through social interaction. The self is developed as one
grows and ages. Self, therefore, is constructed by directly engaging in the world
through interaction and through reflections on those interactions.

Mead explained that self has two parts: (1) self-awareness and, (2) self-image. He
proposed the idea that the self develops through social interaction; that social
interaction involves the exchange of symbols (i.e., language): and that understanding of
symbols involves being able to take the role of another. This can be demonstrated
through role playing. Role playing is the process in which one takes on the role of
another by putting oneself in the position of the person with whom he or she interacts.

For Mead, self is not inborn. Babies cannot interpret the meaning of other people’s
behavior. It is usually learned during childhood which comes in three stages of
development

1. Imitation or preparatory stage. A child imitates the behavior of his or her parents
like sweeping the floor.
2. Play Stage. A child plays the role of others. He learns the difference between
himself and the role he is playing.

3. Game Stage. The child sees himself in terms of the collective viewpoints of other
people and the attitude generalized by others.

Charles Horton Cooley’s Looking Glass Self

The looking-glass self is a social psychological concept introduced by Charles Horton

Cooley. In this view, the self is developed as a result of one’s perceptions of other
people’s opinions. The concept of looking-glass provides an idea on how the self
develops in relation to the perception of others. It should serve only as a guide for
reflection and should not be taken to end up living in accordance with other people’s
expectations.

People are the way they are at least partly because of other people’s reactions to them
and to what they do. The self, which is essentially an individual’s awareness of one’s
social or personal identity is, for Cooley, a social development.

The self is built through social interaction which involves three steps: first, people
imagine how they must appear to others; second, they imagine the judgment on that
appearance; and finally, they develop themselves through the judgment of others.

For Cooley, the social self is the central element of society. The imaginations which
people have of one another are the solid facts of society.
Private Self, Public Self and Collective Self

Private self, or individual self, is the cognition that involves traits, states and behaviors.
It is assessment of the self by the self.

Public self is the cognition concerning the generalized other’s view of self. It
corresponds to an assessment of the self by the generalized others.

Collective self is the cognition concerning a view of the self that is found in
memberships in social groups (e.g. family, coworkers, tribe, and professional
organizations).

Social Identity Theory

The social identity theory was conceived by Henri Tajfel. Social identity has been
defined as the person’s sense of who he or she is according to his or her membership
to a certain group. Group membership, according to the social identity theory, is an
important source of pride and self-esteem. It gives a sense of social identity – a sense
of belongingness to the social world.

The world is divided into “us” and “them” through the process of social categorization
forming the social groups. These social groups developed by William Graham Sumner
is further divided into two. An in-group is an esteemed social group commanding a
member’s loyalty. It is a group to which a person belongs. An out-group is a scorned
social group to which one feels competition or opposition. It is a group to which one
does not belong. Social identity theory states that the in-group will discriminate against
the out-group to enhance its self-image. A person has an inherent feeling of enhancing
the status of their group.

Tajfel and Turner (1986) identified three mental processes involved in evaluating others
as “us” or “them”

1. Social categorization. This is similar with how people categorize things in order to
understand and identify them. People also categorize other people in order to
understand the social environment. (Christian/non-Christian, first world
countries/developing countries, capitalists/socialist, etc.)

2. Social identification. People adopt the identity of the group to which they have
categorized themselves. (If you categorized yourself as Christian, you will adopt
the identity of Christian)

3. Social comparison. They tend to compare that group with other groups. Hence,
they might begin to discriminate and criticize the other groups.
Postmodern View of the Self

Postmodernism is not a philosophy but more of a report on the mindset of western

culture in the latter half of the 20th century. In this post modernist view, self is not the
creator of meaning, nor the center or starting point of social injury. For French
philosopher Michel Foucault, the self is also seen as a product of modern discourse that
is socially and historically conditioned.

Anderson (1997) gives, four basic postmodernist ideas about the self, which addresses
the issues of change and multiple identities.

1. Multiphrenia refers to the many different voices speaking about “who we are and
what we are”. In the postmodern world, you just do not get to be a single and
consistent somebody. An individual plays so many roles.

2. Protean refers to a self capable of changing constantly to fit the present

conditions. The protean self is a manifestation that people do not have a true
stable self.

3. De-centered is a belief that there is no self at all. The self is constantly being
redefined or constantly undergoing change. We are what we are described to be.

4. Self in relation means that humans do not live their lives in isolation but in
relation to people and certain cultural context In this view, the person has no
center, but is drawn in many directions and is constantly changing and being
defined externally by his or her various relations with other people.

The postmodern social condition is dominated by two realities: the rise of new media
technologies and the dominance of consumerism. Lyon (1997) argued that the
predicament of the self in postmodern societies is complicated by the advent pf
electronic-mediated virtual interactions of cyber selves and the spread of information
technology. This phenomenon disrupts the self from the traditional constraints of time
and space.

For postmodernists, there is no “I” as Mead maintained. The self is shaped by outside
forces. The self is socially constructed. What defines a person are the norms, values,
languages, arts, and culture of society.

Erving Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Erving Goffman, one of the most influential American sociologists of the 20th century
introduced a theory, which referred to as a dramaturgical model of social life. For him,
social interaction may be compared to a theater and people to actors on a stage where
each plays a variety of roles. In this theory, he posited that the idea that as people
interact with one another they are constantly engaged in impression management – a
process in which people regulate and control information in social interaction.

Kenneth Gergen’s Saturated or Multiplicitous Self

For Kenneth Gergen, the saturated self is characterized by constant connections to

others, a self that absorbs a multitude of voices and takes in a seemingly endless
streams of information. This saturation, contradicts the notion of a singular, true,
authentic self, and instead gives way to a self consisting of multiple selves. This is due
to the splitting of the self into multitude of options, which Gergen calls multiphrenia. That
is, people establish multiple selves through absorption of the multiple voices of people
in their lives, either in real life or through the media. People then internalize these
different selves, thus creating a seemingly endless pool of selves that they can choose
to draw upon depending of the needs of the current situation.

Application and Assessment:

Answer the following questions as honestly as you can:

Do you live your life in accordance with other people’s expectations of you or in
accordance with your expectations of yourself?

I strive to live my life in accordance with my own expectations and values. While I
respect and consider the opinions of others, I ultimately make decisions based on
what I believe is best for me and aligns with my personal goals. There are times
when I may compromise to maintain healthy relationships, but I prioritize aligning my
actions with my personal values and aspirations.

What are the influences of your family in your development as an individual?

My family has profoundly influenced my development in several ways. Their values,

beliefs, and behaviors have shaped my moral compass and worldview. Their support
and encouragement have fostered my confidence and resilience. The dynamics
within my family, both positive and challenging, have taught me valuable lessons
about relationships and communication. Their expectations, while sometimes
pressuring, have also pushed me to strive for excellence and achieve my full
potential. Ultimately, my family has provided a foundation for my personal growth and
shaped who I am today.
How accurate does your Facebook profile reflect yourself?

My Facebook profile offers a curated glimpse into my life, but it doesn't fully represent
who I am. It showcases the highlights and positive aspects, omitting the complexities
and less glamorous parts of my daily life. It's a representation of myself that I choose
to present to the world, rather than a completely accurate reflection of my inner self.

Is your cyberself different from real self? Why or Why not?

Yes, my cyber self is somewhat different from my real self. Online, I tend to present a
more polished and positive version of myself, focusing on aspects I want to share
publicly. In real life, I am more multifaceted and complex, with experiences and
emotions that I don't always share online. This difference is partly due to the nature
of social media, which encourages a curated presentation of self, and partly due to
my own desire for privacy and control over my online image.

What aspects of yourself do you think may be changed or you would like to change?
Why?

I would like to improve my ability to manage stress and anxiety. I sometimes let these
emotions overwhelm me, impacting my productivity and well-being. By developing
better coping mechanisms and self-care practices, I aim to become more resilient and
emotionally balanced. I also want to be more assertive in expressing my needs and
opinions. In the past, I've been hesitant to speak up, which has sometimes led to
missed opportunities and unmet needs. By becoming more confident in my ability to
express myself, I hope to build stronger relationships and achieve my goals more
effectively.

Reflection:
Self is a member of a society; a society is the shared understanding of its citizens and
the personality of this shared understanding is the culture of the society.
There are different sociological perspectives on the self. One can rely on a single
concept to support one’s idea of self in relation to the society but it is also significant to
consider the different viewpoints that explain how one displays the self in a society and
how the society and culture affects one’s view of the self.

How should you develop your self-image? Is it based on your own evaluation of
yourself or is it based on how you believe others perceive you? Explain your
answer in five to ten sentences.

Developing a healthy self-image is a complex process that involves both self-

reflection and considering external perspectives. While your own evaluation of your
strengths, weaknesses, values, and accomplishments is crucial, relying solely on it
can lead to an inaccurate or skewed self-perception. It's equally important to consider
how others perceive you, but not to the point of basing your entire self-worth on their
opinions. External feedback can offer valuable insights and help you identify blind
spots, but it shouldn't dictate your self-worth. A balanced approach involves
integrating your self-assessment with constructive feedback from trusted sources.
This allows you to develop a realistic and positive self-image that is grounded in both
internal understanding and external validation. Ultimately, your self-image should be
built on self-acceptance and a continuous process of self-improvement, rather than
solely on external validation or self-criticism.

Self and Module Evaluation:

Rate your learning experience in using this module according to the following
scale: Put a check mark on your response.
 4 - I learned a lot from this module
___ 3 - I learned just right
___ 2 - I still need guidance on certain topics
___ 1 - I did not understand anything

References:
Alata, Eden Joy P. et al, (2019), Understanding the Self, 1st Ed. Manila, Rex Book Store
Brawner, Dalisay G., Arcega, Analiza F. (2018), Understanding the Self, Quezon City,
C & E Publishing Inc.