ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

Tagudin Campus

MODULE
Unit 3. Sociological Perspectives

Engage:
Who are the people you usually interact with? How do these people affect
your life- your interests, choices, the way you dress up, the way you talk, etc.?

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Explore:
In your observation, how has this COVID-19 pandemic affected the social
relationships of people in your immediate community?
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Explain: Presentation of Topics/Lessons

Introduction
Sociology is the study of collective behavior of people within society
and focuses on social problems encountered by people. It does not see the individual
on his own, but rather, how social institutions and his social relationships within
society create an impact on his thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It provides tools for
understanding human experience and how society shapes the person and vice versa.
We will briefly look into three sociological theories that explains the
development of the self.

A. Symbolic Interactionism (George Herbert Mead)

Symbolic interactionism is the study of the patterns of communication,
Course Code: Gen Ed 104
Descriptive Title: Understanding the Self Instructor: Blessie Asuncion R. Dolor
ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

Tagudin Campus

MODULE
interpretation, and adjustment between individuals. For Mead, the self and the mind
are like social processes where gestures are taken in by the person and so with the
collective attitudes of others and react accordingly with other organized attitudes.
Hence, the mind and the self are the products of communication process.
The self is a reflexive process who has the capacity to become an object to
one's self, to be both a subject (“I”) and an object (“me”). The “I” is the response of an
individual to the attitudes of others, while the “me” is the organized set of attitudes of
others which an individual assumes, hence, is identified as the social self. In other
words, the “me” is the accumulated understanding of the self of the perceptions of
other people about one’s self, while the “I” is the individual’s impulses. The mind is the
self-reflective movements of the interaction between the “I” (the knower) and the “me”
(the known). The thinking process is the internalized dialogue between the “I” and the
“me”.
The self is both a social product and a social force. The self is socially
constructed, neither completely determined by the social world nor pregiven at birth
(cited in Taag, et al., 2019). Understood as a combination of the “I” and the “me,” the
self is entwined within a sociological existence. A person’s existence in a community
comes before individual consciousness. That is, one must first participate in the
different social positions or groups (i.e. family, school, church, peer group, etc.) within
society and only later can one use one’s social experiences to take the perspectives of
others and eventually become self-conscious.
For example, a girl is not innately born with the idea that she is beautiful. She
has to interact first with the society, like his family, neighbors, and schoolmates. From
these interactions, specifically from how others perceive or see her, she becomes self-
conscious or aware that she is beautiful. The self is a product of a symbolic and
meaningful interaction within the society.

B. Looking Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley)

The looking-glass self is a social psychological concept stating that a
person’s self grows out of society’s interpersonal interactions and the
perceptions of others. The term refers to people shaping their identity based on
the perception of others, which leads the people to reinforce other people’s
perspectives on themselves.
There are three main components of the looking-glass self. First, we
imagine how we must appear to others. Second, we imagine the judgment of that
appearance. Finally, we develop our self through the judgments of others.
For example, Crizzy (an incoming college freshman) imagines at home how she
must appear to her classmates and teachers during the first day of classes. She
imagines how she will look on her dress, how she will introduce herself, and even
how she will approach her classmates. Secondly, Crizzy will also try to imagine
how her classmates and even teachers will react or judge her based on her
appearance or how she will project or ‘carry’ herself. She imagines whether they
will find her likeable or attractive, or will they find her not attractive at all. From
these imaginations, Crizzy will try to improve further her self-presentation.
Course Code: Gen Ed 104
Descriptive Title: Understanding the Self Instructor: Blessie Asuncion R. Dolor
ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

Tagudin Campus

MODULE
Hence, Crizzy tried to develop her self through the imagined (and soon real)
judgments (approval and/or disapproval) of other people.
This means that our self-image is shaped by others, but only through the
intervention of our own mind. There is no way to truly know what others think of us.
According to Cooley, “the mind is mental” because “the human mind is social.” That is,
the mind’s mental ability is a direct result of human social interaction. Humans begin
to define themselves within the context of their socializations starting from their
childhood. In the example above, Crizzy’s imagined judgments of others could have
been affected by her real-life socializations or interactions with other people from her
childhood days until high school, within the different social institutions such as her
family, school, church, community, neighborhood, peer group, and the like.

C. Dramaturgical model of self (Irving Goffman)

Dramaturgy refers to the idea that life is like a never-ending play in which people
are actors. Goffman believed that when we are born, we are thrust onto a stage called
everyday life, and that our socialization consists of learning how to play our assigned
roles from other people. We enact our roles in the company of others, who are in turn
enacting their roles in interaction with us. He believed that whatever we do, we are
playing out some role on the stage of life.
During our everyday life, we spend most of our lives on the front stage,
where we get to deliver our lines and perform. Sometimes we are allowed to retreat to
the back stages of life. In these private areas, we don’t have to act. We can be our
real selves. We can also practice and prepare for our return to the front stage. Goffman
coined the term Impression Management to refer to our desire to manipulate others’
impressions of us on the front stage. We use various mechanisms such as the social
setting, appearance, and manner of interacting, to present ourselves to others.

Elaborate: You are required to submit this activity

 Do our social identities change over time? Elaborate your answer.
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Course Code: Gen Ed 104
Descriptive Title: Understanding the Self Instructor: Blessie Asuncion R. Dolor
ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

Tagudin Campus

MODULE
 To what extent does society shape our self and identity?
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Evaluate: You are required to submit this activity

Applying the concepts of the Looking Glass Self and the Dramaturgical model
of self, write an essay of how your current or present self or personality has evolved over
the years.
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Course Code: Gen Ed 104

Descriptive Title: Understanding the Self Instructor: Blessie Asuncion R. Dolor
ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

Tagudin Campus

MODULE

Course Code: Gen Ed 104

Descriptive Title: Understanding the Self Instructor: Blessie Asuncion R. Dolor