Section 1: The Social Self

This section discusses the social and environmental factors that shape
oneself. This included environmental systems, cultural orientations, and other
social factors that play a crucial role to one’s self.

 The Self and Its Social Agency

 Human development is largely influenced by membership in
crucial social groups that shape various aspects of the self; from belief
systems, values orientation, and behavior.
 At the beginning of life, one already belongs to a social
group: his/her family. It is the most pervading influential social group that
impacts the self in its entire course of development. The views one holds
about the world, values upheld in making choices ane decisions, and the
habits and persistent behavior one carries have been formed in the
context of one’s family and home environment.
 Next to family, schools and the general academic
environment form a sgnificant part of the social self. Worldviews expand
as one gets exposed to more people in different social learning
environment. Knowledge and social skills gained from mentors, relatives,
and peers contribute to how the social self is harnessed.
 Aside from one’s family and school
environments, communities also shape one’s social self to a large extent.
 The social seld inevitably changes as one accomodates and
eventually assimilates beliefs promoted by the society as he/she thinks,
appreciates, and behaves according to standards set by micro and
macrosystems.
 Culture
 “Culture is the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief,
law, art moral, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man

as a member of society.” (Tylor, 1871)

 To further understand the nature of culture and its influences on
oneself, the following models illustrate how culture functions in relation to
one’s social self.
 Biological Systems Theory

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 Urie Bronfenbenner’s (1935) Biological Systems of
Development explains an individual’s social development, using
biological, environmental, and ecological lenses.
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 Individualism-Collectivism Model

 Another model that

highlights the impact of culture to the self is the Individualism-
Collectivism model proposed by Hazel Markus and Shinobu Kitayama
(1991).
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 According to the model, individualism as an orientation
focuses on one’s individual attributes and personal distinctiveness.
People who are individualistic are observed to be competitive and self-
reliant. On the other hand, the collectivist orientation values
relationships and harmony. People who are collectivistic prioritize
interests to maintain healthy relationships.
 I vs. Me
 One’s behavior when he or she is alone differs from his or
her behavior when he or she is with others.
 This is what Herbert Mead (1934) posited in his theory of
the social self. He posited that the self is divided into 2 parts:
the I which is known as the unsocialized self, and the Me which is
known as the socialized self.
 The I is manifested when one acts naturally for his/her own
motivations and not because of others. On the other hand, the Me is
the awareness of how others expect one to behave. This is also known
as the social self.
 These different models present ideas on the process of the self’s
social development. Studying these models helps in understanding
oneself and other people. It is not ideal, however, to generalize a certain
culture based on these models.