Self, Society and Culture

SOCIETY

A society is a group of individuals

involved in persistent social interaction,
or a large social group sharing the same
geographical or social territory, typically
subject to the same political authority
and dominant cultural expectations.
ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY

INTERACTION

GOVERNMENT PEOPLE

CULTURE EVENT

LOCATION
 CULTURE

THE ARTS AND OTHER MANIFESTATIONS OF

HUMAN INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENT
REGARDED COLLECTIVELY.
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ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE

THE SELF SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS A STATIC ENTITY

THAT STAYS CONSTANT THROUGH AND THROUGH.
RATHER, THE SELF HAS TO BE SEEN AS SOMETHING
THAT IS IN UNCEASING FLUX, IN A CONSTANT
STRUGGLE WITH EXTERNAL REALITY.
CASE STUDY

• CONSIDER A GUY NAMED AL. AL IS A STRICT

BOSS BUT A LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER.
HE LOVES OPM BUT ALSO LOVES KOREAN
BARBEQUE. HE IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF
CHURCH BUT ALSO FAILS TO WALK HIS TALK
AT TIMES. HE LOVES RED BUT IT IS ALSO
FINE FOR HIM TO WEAR BLACK SHIRTS.
SELF
• CHARLES HORTON COOLEY’S THEORY
• GEORGE HERBERT MEAD’S THEORY

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY OF SELF

 CHARLES HORTON
COOLEY’S THEORY

• MAN DEVELOPS THE CONCEPT OF SELF WITH THE HELP OF

OTHERS. MAN DOES NOT COME TO FORM OPINIONS ABOUT
HIM UNLESS AND UNTIL HE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH
OTHER PEOPLE AND KNOWS THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT
HIMSELF. HE FORMS TO THE CONCEPT OF HIMSELF ON
THE BASIS OF OPINIONS HELD BY OTHERS ABOUT HIM.
 A PERSON UNDERSTAND AND ABLE TO
CONSTRUCT A VIEW OF HIMSELF THROUGH
OTHER PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OR HOW OTHERS
VIEW THEM. THIS IS THE PROCESS CALLED
“LOOKING GLASS SELF”
CASE STUDY

BUNINAY’S POINT OF VIEW ABOUT HERSELF CHANGES

AS OTHER PEOPLE’S VIEW ABOUT HER CHANGES.
THREE PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF
LOOKING GLASS SELF

OUR PERCEPTION OF HOW WE

LOOK TO OTHERS

OUR PERCEPTION OF THE

JUDGEMENT OF HOW WE LOOK

OUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE

JUDGEMENT
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY

• THE SELF IS THE PERSON’S DISTINCT

IDENTITY THAT IS DEVELOPED THROUGH
SOCIAL INTERACTION. IN ORDER TO
ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS OF “SELF”, AN
INDIVIDUAL HAS TO BE ABLE TO VIEW
HIMSELF THROUGH THE EYES OF OTHERS.
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY

• MEAD HAS GIVEN A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE

PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION. ACCORDING TO HIM, THE
SELF DEVELOPS OUT OF THE CHILD’S COMMUNICATIVE
CONTRACT WITH OTHERS. THE NEWBORN INFANT HAS
NEED LIKE THOSE FOR FOOD AND CLOTHING THAT
PRESS FOR SATISFACTION. THE MOTHER SATISFIES
THESE NEEDS AND THE CHILD COMES TO DEPEND UPON
HER AND IDENTIFIES HIMSELF WITH HER EMOTIONALLY.
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY
• MEAD HAS GIVEN A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
OF THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION.
ACCORDING TO HIM, THE SELF DEVELOPS OUT
OF THE CHILD’S COMMUNICATIVE CONTRACT
WITH OTHERS. THE NEWBORN INFANT HAS
NEED LIKE THOSE FOR FOOD AND CLOTHING
THAT PRESS FOR SATISFACTION. THE MOTHER
SATISFIES THESE NEEDS AND THE CHILD
COMES TO DEPEND UPON HER AND IDENTIFIES
HIMSELF WITH HER EMOTIONALLY.
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY
• HOWEVER, IN COURSE OF TIME, THE CHILD
DIFFERENTIATES HIMSELF FROM HIS MOTHER
AND THEN HE HAS TO INTEGRATE HIMSELF AND
MOTHER INTO A TAKING OF SUBORDINATE ROLE
TO THE SUPERIOR ROLE OF THE MOTHER. THEN
THE CHILD REPEATS FOR HIS FATHER. HE
DIFFERENTIATES HIS FATHER FROM HIS
MOTHER AND THEN INTEGRATES HIM INTO THE
SOCIAL SYSTEM.
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY
• IN THIS WAY THE NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT
OTHER INCREASES FOR THE CHILD AND THE
CHILD INTERNALIZES THE ROLE OF THESE
OTHERS. HE PUTS HIMSELF IN THE ROLE OF THE
OTHERS, THEN RESPONDS TO HIS OWN WORDS,
AND ACTS IN TERMS OF THE MEANING THEY
WOULD CONVEY TO THE OTHER PERSON.
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY
• IN THIS WAY, THE SELF DEVELOPS AND GROWS,
AN ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SELF
IS ITS REFLEXIVE CHARACTER. BY THIS
METHOD, GEORGE H. MEAD MEANS THAT THE
SELF CAN BE BOTH SUBJECT AND OBJECT TO
ITSELF. IT CAN REFLECT UPON ITSELF OR IN
OTHER WORDS, IT CAN BE SELF-CONSCIOUS.
MAN CAN DO SO ONLY THROUGH ASSUMING
THE ROLE OF OTHER PERSONS AND LOOKING
AT HIMSELF THROUGH THEIR EYE.
 GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD’S THEORY
• HE LEARNS TO IMAGINE HOW TO APPEARS TO
OTHERS AND HOW DO THEY JUDGE THIS
APPEARANCE. THEN HE REACTS HIMSELF TO
THIS JUDGEMENT AS HE IMAGINES IT. THUS BY
ADOPTING TOWARDS HIMSELF THE ATTITUDE
THAT OTHERS TAKE TOWARDS HIM, HE COMES
TO TREAT HOMSELF AS AN OBJECT AS WELL AS
SUBJECT.
CASE STUDY

• IF MY MOM IS A RESPONSIBLE MOTHER

• MY DAD IS A HARDWORKING FATHER
• MY SISTER IS AN INTELLIGENT LADY
• MY BROTHER IS AN ADVENTUROUS JUNKY
• I AM AN HONEST AND CHARMING INDIVIDUAL
THE SELF IS A PRODUCT OF SOCIETY

A PEACEFUL SOCIETY
PRODUCES A PEACEFUL SELF.