Metacognitive Reading Report # 2

Trainee: Agustin, Seth Jarl G. Date:

03/09/2020
Understanding the Self
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
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The Social Self

Topic/Lesson
1. What did you learn?
We humans are social beings that are capable of socializing, and thus being able
to communicate our thoughts and emotions with one another. When we say the
social self, it is the self that is influenced by the social group one belongs to. Such
social groups are our family, friends, school, society and cultural beliefs. These social
groups greatly affects the development of our social self. Once we are born, we
already belong to a social group, and that is our family which is said to be the most
significant part of the development. Our first teachers were our parents and at a
very early age, we start to learn how to distinguish right from wrong as well as
creating our first impressions of the world. Family is also where we start learning
how to talk and socialize especially when one has a sibling. Next in the development
is our friends and the school’s academic environment. As we expose ourselves as we
grow up, our social self also broadens as we get to know different social learning
environments. The knowledge we learn from books, lessons from teachers, and ideas
from fellow classmates are already getting engraved in the deepest part of our self
which later on help us progress in the society. Next is the culture one belongs.
According to Edward Tylor, “culture is the complex whole which includes knowledge,
belief, law, art, moral, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as
a member of society”. This means that culture has a significant contribution on one’s
social self and to understand its influence, one must understand the Biological
Systems Theory and Individualism-Collectivism Model.
The Biological Systems Theory defines an individual’s social development by
using biological, environmental, and ecological lenses. The theory consists of five
specific systems that shape an individual’s social self. Starting with Microsystem –
This system consists influences that includes families, peers, schools, religious
institutions, and immediate community. This sys is also the closest to oneself.
Included in microsystem is mesosystem which is connections that are relevant to
each other. Next in system is Exosystem – This system basically refers to the
external effect of an individual to another without any direct contact. An example of
this is a parent losing its job where the child is affected indirectly that can impact the
development of social self. Next in the system is the Macrosystem – This system is
basically the cultural context one belongs to and is even practiced by every
generations to come that creates a social group of similar cultures. Lastly, the
Chronosystem – These are social events wherein one entails changes in his or her
social self. Basically, if you are to graduate from college, then you are able to help
your family and contribute to the society.
There is also another model which shows the impact of culture to an individual’s
social self. The individualism-collectivism Model proposed by Hazel Rose Markus and
Shinobu Kitayama shows the characteristics of an individualist and collectivist
person. An individualist person is independent, competitive, and self-reliant, while a
collectivist person values relationships and depends on peers to adapt. These
models portrays that self is directly influenced by the society and its norms, thus
being part of one affects one’s social self and behavior. Furthermore, speaking of
behavior, the self has different behavior when he or she is alone and when he or she
is not. According to Herbert Mead, “I” is the self that is unsocialized while “me”
being the self that is socialized. We can say that “I” is when one acts of his/her own
accord and not of other, while “me” is how you see others want you to behave.
Moreover, by having both the same means that one has achieved the “Actual Self”.
This means that you are who you are. The you outside is also the you inside.
 Learning these models of theory will give insight on understanding oneself and
others as well. Furthermore, by learning this, we should be able to see each other’s
difference and by knowing it, one should as well respect it.
2. Personal Insights
 We exist in this world to socialize with one another. Without socializing,
how can one grow in a society where everybody is evaluated based on
his or her contribution? If not, then why did God even bother giving us a
voice? As the philosopher Aristotle said, “Man is by nature a Social
Animal” which is definitely true. We exist to socialize because
socializing helps us in interacting with each other and is a key
component in the innovation and success of humanity.
 I know that some prefer to be an individualist because they prefer to be
independent, however, I believe that no person was born already an
individualist. I believe that everyone is born a collectivist for the reason
that it is not possible to get along with society without socializing. So, I
think that there must be a reason or circumstance for a person being an
individualist. In my theory, I also think that psychological trauma is a
possible reason for a person to shift from being a collectivist to an
individualist. This theory may or may not already exist, however, this
idea is just a speculation of mind and shall not be entertained in this
report.

3. What are the Questions you would like to ask?

- How can one improve his/her social self?
- Is it possible for an individualist to be a collectivist?
- Is it possible for a collectivist to be an individualist?
- How do introverts adapt in a collectivist society?