Understanding the Self

Lesson 2
The SELF in SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

• Societies can shape the development of their members in very different ways. Each society
teaches its concepts, values, and accepted behaviors to its children.

George Herbert Mead

• a famous sociologist from the late 1800s, is well known for his theory of the social self, which
includes the concepts of 'self ‘, 'me ‘, and 'I’.
• Mead’s work focuses on the way in which the self is developed.
• Mead's theory of the social self is based on the perspective that the self emerges from the various
processes of social interactions, such as:
• observing and interacting with others
• responding to others' opinions about oneself
• and internalizing external opinions and internal feelings about oneself
• The social aspect of self is an important distinction because other sociologists and psychologists
felt that the self was based on biological factors and inherited traits.
• However, according to Mead, the SELF is NOT there from birth, but it is developed over time
from social experiences and activities.
• The “me” represents the expectations and attitudes of others (the generalized other).
• It has been developed by the knowledge of society and social interactions that the individual has
gained.
• The” me “allows the individual to still express creativity and individualism and understand when
to possibly bend and stretch the rules that govern social interactions.
• One must participate in the different social positions within society and only subsequently can
one use that experience to take the perspective of others and thus become self-conscious.

Mead’s Development of Self has three activities that develop within the self, namely:

Language
• develops self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through symbols, gestures,
words, and sounds.

Play
• develops self by allowing individuals to take on different roles, pretend, and express
expectation of others. Play develops one's self-consciousness through role-playing.

Games
• develop self by allowing individuals to understand and adhere to the rules of the activity. Self is
developed by understanding that there are rules in which one must abide by in order to win the
game or be successful at an activity.

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 • The SELF is enhanced through Socialization Process by these varied groups of individuals.
Humans learn the expectations of society through socialization.
• Socialization may be different based on race, gender and class of a particular society, state, region
or country where one resides at a period of time.
• Family. The families introduce, orient, condition and guide children to the expectations of
society. However, socialization is different based on race, gender and class.
• Social Media. The average young person (age 8–19) spends 6 3/4 hours per day immersed in
media in various forms, often using multiple media forms simultaneously. Television is the
dominant medium, although half of all youth use a computer daily.
• Peers. For children, peer culture is an important source of identity. Through interaction with
peers, children learn concepts of self, gain social skills, and form values and attitudes that would
fit the group.
• Religion/Church (People of God). Children tend to develop the same religious beliefs as their
parents. Very often those who disavow religion return to their original faith at some point in their
life, especially if they have strong ties to their family of origin and after they form families of
their own.
• Schools. In school, teachers and other students are the source of expectations that encourage
children to think and behave in a particular way. Research finds that teachers respond differently
to boys than to girls, with boys receiving more of their attention.
• Other Sectors: Governance and Politics including Sports. Through these sectors, men and
women learn the concepts of leadership and legalities that have great impact and influence the
self.
• Sports. through sports, men and women learn concepts of self. Men learn that being competitive
in sports is considered a part of “manhood

• To sum up, all of these agents are interrelated to one another that the person could no longer
evenly identify or justify which of the agents are more acting on the SELF.
• The fact is everybody should be aware that if the anticipated consequence/s may not have
pleasant effects to the physical and mental self, then all other aspects of the human person or the
SELF are harmoniously affected and could be difficult enough to get out from the trap of it.
• Other dynamics in the human body may have sunk in like habit, conditioning and other learned
processes of the self that is fixated.

Bibliography

Aligada, Gloria R & Ma. Shirley C. Trajeco (2013) Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology.
Quezon City: AMMS Publications.
Otico, Magdalena E. Compiled Handouts on Understanding the Self From Training- Workshop June
5-10, 2018

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