Lesson 2: Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives of the Self
Introductory Activity 2: Read the questions and input your answers in the space
provided.
Write at least 5 things (one in each box) that other people (family, friends, peers,
classmates, teachers, neighbors, and others) describe you to be.
Source: [Link]
Next, explain in a few words why you believe these descriptions are true or untrue
about who you truly are.
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Introduction:
Understanding our self requires understanding how our environment affects us.
Society and culture impacts how we behave, how we view certain circumstances in the
world, how we make decisions and ultimately how we view our selves.
Sociology is the study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale
institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions. This study
involves how society behaves as a group and how these behaviors affect humans and vice
versa. In deepening the understanding of the “self”, we must take into consideration how
society plays the role in the molding of the identity of a person.
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A. The Looking Glass Self
Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley introduced the “Looking Glass Self” in 1902 to
highlight that the people with whom we interact with becomes a mirror in which we view
ourselves. According to this sociological theory, our self-identity is achieved through a
threefold event as specified below:
1. Conceiving an idea of how
you present yourself to
others
2. How you analyze how
others see you
3. How you adjust
accordingly to that analysis
and create a self-image
Image Source: [Link]
Let’s have an example for this one.
Lisa, a 16 year old, went to school wearing a loose shirt and loose pants thinking it was
trendy. Some of her classmates reacted that she looked like a boy and shouldn’t be wearing
it. Lisa thought that her classmates hated her because of her outfit. Thus, the next time
around, she only wears what her classmate’s outfits were.
In the situation, Lisa analyzed that her classmates hated her because of her outfit
and then adjusted how she behaved afterwards due to this analysis.
This tendency sometimes becomes disadvantageous for us. It is not all the time that our
analysis or assumptions of what other people think of us is correct. In the situation above,
what if her classmates only shared their sentiment and not necessarily “hated” her? There
are times that we assume incorrectly what other people think of us. And this assumption
greatly affects us.
What about you? Were there moments you had assumptions of how people see
you? Do you think you could have assumed it correctly or incorrectly? Were there
moments you were affected by how people see you? Or were you greatly affected by
“what you think” how they see you?
Take note, be careful in being very critical on how others see you. As times, this
would lead in creating a negative self-image of ourselves and this becomes unhealthy for
us.
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B. I and Me
Another sociological theory that talks about the formation of the self is George H.
Meads, “I & Me” theory. He supports the view that person develops a sense of self through
social interaction and not the biological preconditions of that interaction.
Mead’s theory explained that the self has two divisions: the “I” and the “me”.
“I” is the subjective element and the active side
of the self. It represents the spontaneous and
unique traits of the individual. This refers to
your usual reaction/behaviour towards a
specific event. (e.i. crying when sad, screaming
when afraid)
Image Source: [Link]
“Me” is the element of the self that represents
the demands of other people and individual’s
awareness of those demands. Example would
be – controlling one’s crying when in front of
people or being silent when attending class or
going to church.
Image Source: [Link]
According to Mead, the full development of the self is attained when “I” and “me”
are united. The self develops only with social experience in which language, gestures and
objects are used to communicate meaningfully. Through experiences, the self continues
to change and develop. Thus, the self is created through his adjustment to one’s
environment (me) and his natural behavior of things.
Let have an example for this one.
Ben is a very talkative person. He makes a lot of friends by talking to them about random
things. One time as he was attending a conference, he was scolded by the organizer for
talking while the event is ongoing. Later on, Ben adjusts and waits for the time to be able to
chit-chat with friends while attending certain events.
In the example above, what do you think is the “I” here? ____________________________
What about the “me”? ___________________________.
Take note that according to Mead, our social self is continuously adapting
depending on the demands of our social experiences. Thus, our self is dynamic and
evolving.
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C. The Self as Embedded in Culture
The concept of Anthropology also contributes to the understanding of the “Self”.
Anthropology is the study of people throughout the world, their evolutionary history,
how they behave, adapt to different environments, communicate and socialize with one
another.
One concept of Anthropology that enables in understanding the “self” more is
Culture. Culture is defined by Clifford Geertz as a system of inherited conceptions
expressed in symbolic forms by means of which people communicate, perpetuate, and
develop their knowledge about the attitudes toward life. He further proposes that it is
necessary that humans give meanings to their experiences so that order can be
established. This perspective in culture is helpful in trying to understand the conceptual
world where human beings live. In trying to understand the self, Geertz suggests two
important ideas:
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Culture should not be perceived only as behavioral
patterns such as traditions, habit clusters, customs
usages. It should be also thought as set of control
mechanisms- plans, recipes, rules, and instructions for
governing behavior.
Image Source: [Link]
Man is the only animal most desperately dependent
upon such control mechanisms and culture programs
to govern his behavior. Image Source: [Link]
Therefore, man is defined by his genetic potentials shaped into actual
accomplishments which is made possible by culture. Geertz also emphasizes that human
nature is interdependent with culture. Without men, there is no culture but most
importantly without culture there is no man.
The following examples below show the culture of Filipinos:
Filipinos are known to be very resilient Filipinos are very respectful
Filipinos take pride in their families Filipinos help one another “bayanihan”
Filipinos are very religious Filipinos love to eat and sing
These examples mentioned above has one way or another affected who we are as
individuals. Because these cultures have been taught to us by our elders and have been
practiced everywhere in the Philippines, it becomes automatic for us to acquire in our
“selves”.
Thus, these practices whether positive and negative will have an effect of who we
are as individuals. It is up to us to analyze whether these practices adversely affect us and
our daily lives. Therefore, we must always check whether some Filipino practices are
good or bad for us and if it is rightful to continue doing these practices.
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Name: _______________________________ Course, Year & Section: _________________________
Application:
Directions: Answer the following questions honestly. Write your answers in the space
provided.
1. How do you think did your family and relatives influence in your
development of the self?
2. What social pressure do you think has affected the development of your
“self”?
3. In what way did these social pressures become good or bad for you?
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