SOCIAL SELF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF (GEC101)

MODULE 3.2
Interaction VS
Relation

• In social science, a social

relation or social
interaction is any
relationship between two or
more individuals. Social
relations derived from
individual agency form the
basis of social structure and
the basic object for analysis by
social scientists. Relationship
is a strong, deep, or close
association or acquaintance
between two or more people.
Interaction

• Interaction is a kind of action

that occur as two or more
objects have an effect upon one
another. The idea of a two-way
effect is essential in the concept
of interaction, as opposed to a
one-way causal effect. A closely
related term is interconnectivity,
which deals with the interactions
of interactions within systems:
combinations of many simple
interactions can lead to
surprising emergent
phenomena. Interaction has
different tailored meanings in
various sciences. Changes can
also involve interaction
 • Example: Communication of two or more

SOCIAL people talking to each other, or

communication among groups, organizations,
nations or states: trade, migration, foreign
SELF relations, transportation.
Person Perception

• Person perception refers to a general tendency to form

impressions of other people. Some forms of person
perception occur indirectly and require inferring information
about a person based on observations of behaviors or
based on second-hand information. Other forms of person
perception occur more directly and require little more than
seeing another person. Both of these types of person
perception provide a foundation from which subsequent
judgments are formed and subsequent interactions are
shaped.
Indirect Person Perception

• Indirect Person Perception- Many of the personal attributes that

observers may want to know about another person (e.g., whether the
person is loyal, honest, or contemptible) are not directly observable.
Instead, these attributes or traits must be discerned—either from
observing the person’s actions (actually watching the person behave in
a loyal or honest manner) or from interpreting information provided by
a third party (e.g., what a roommate conveys about Jill or what the
experimenter reveals). In each case, the general perception of a person
is the product of inference, and the attribution theories that were
proposed a half a century ago remain valid in understanding how such
perceptions occur.
Direct Person Perception

• Direct Person Perception- Many of the personal attributes that

observers notice about another person need not be inferred
because they are directly observable and are therefore noted
immediately. Some of these attributes include categorical
judgments about other people such as their sex, race, and age.
Some researchers have argued that noticing certain personal
characteristics is unavoidable, and that observers automatically
categorize people according to their group membership.
• Social Norms - From a sociological
perspective, social norms are informal
Social
understandings that govern the
behavior of members of a society. Norms,
Social psychology recognizes smaller
group units, such as a team or an office,
may also endorse norms separately or in
Social
addition to cultural or societal
expectations. In other words, norms are
Facilitatio
regarded as collective representations of
acceptable group conduct as well as n,
Conformity
individual perceptions of particular
group conduct. They can be viewed as
cultural products (including values,
customs, and traditions) which represent
individuals' basic knowledge of what and Social
others do and think that they should do.
Roles
 Social
• Social Facilitation -or
the audience effect, is the Norms,
tendency for people to perform
differently when in the presence Social
of others than when alone.
Compared to their performance Facilitatio
when alone, when in the
presence of others, they tend to
n,
perform better on simple or
well-rehearsed tasks and worse
Conformity
on complex or new ones. and Social
Roles
• Conformity- is the act of matching Social
attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to
group norms. Norms are implicit,
specific rules, shared by a group of
Norms,
individuals that guide their
interactions with others. This
Social
tendency to conform occurs in small
groups and/or society as a whole,
Facilitatio
and may result from subtle
unconscious influences, or direct and n,
overt social pressure. Conformity can
occur in the presence of others, or Conformit
when an individual is alone. For
example, people tend to follow social
norms when eating or watching
y and
television, even when alone. Social Role
 Social
Norms,
• Social Roles- is a set of
connected behaviors, rights, Social
obligations, beliefs, and norms
as conceptualized by people in Facilitatio
a social situation. It is an
expected or free or continuously n,
changing behavior and may
have a given individual Conformit
social status or social position
y and
Social Role
 Stereotype

• In social psychology,
a stereotype is an
over-generalized
belief about a
particular category of
people. Stereotypes
are generalized
because one assumes
that the stereotype is
true for each
individual person in
the category.
 • Racial Profiling
One of the more common
stereotype examples is
Common stereotypes surrounding
Stereotype race. For example, saying
that all Blacks are good at
s sports is a stereotype,
because it's grouping the
race together to indicate that
everyone of that race is a
good athlete.
 • Gender Profiling
There are also some common
stereotypes of men and women, such
as:
Common • Men are strong and do all the work.
Stereotype • Men are the "backbone."
s • Women aren't as smart as a man.
• Women can't do as good of a job as a
man.
• Girls are not good at sports.
• Guys are messy and unclean.
• Men who spend too much time on the
computer or read are geeks.
 • Cultures
Stereotypes also exist about cultures and
countries as a whole. Stereotype examples of this
sort include the premises that:
• All white Americans are obese, lazy, and dim-
witted. (Homer Simpson of the TV series The
Simpsons is the personification of this
Common stereotype.)
• Mexican stereotypes suggest that all Mexicans
Stereotype are lazy and came into America illegally.
• All Arabs and Muslims are terrorists.
s • All people who live in England have bad teeth.
• Italian or French people are the best lovers.
• All Blacks outside of the United States are poor.
• All Jews are greedy.
• All Asians are good at math. All Asians like to eat
rice and drive slow.
• All Irish people are drunks and eat potatoes.
• All Americans are generally considered to be
friendly, generous, and tolerant, but also
arrogant, impatient, and domineering.
 • Groups of Individuals
A different type of stereotype also involves grouping
of individuals. Skaters, Goths, Gangsters, and Preps
are a few examples. Most of this stereotyping is
taking place in schools. For example:
• Goths wear black clothes, black makeup, are
depressed and hated by society.

Common • Punks wear mohawks, spikes, chains, are a menace

to society and are always getting in trouble.

Stereotype • All politicians are philanders and think only of

personal gain and benefit.

s • Girls are only concerned about physical appearance.

• All blonds are unintelligent.
• All librarians are women who are old, wear glasses,
tie a high bun, and have a perpetual frown on their
face.
• All teenagers are rebels.
• All children don't enjoy healthy food.
• Only anorexic women can become models.
• The elderly have health issues and behave like
children.
 • Sexual Stereotypes

Sexual stereotypes, on the

other hand, suggest that any
Common feminine man is gay and any
Stereotype masculine woman is a
s lesbian. Those who believe
gay stereotypes may also
believe that homosexuality is
immoral, wrong and an
abomination.
God bLess and Keep
Safe> 

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND