THE SELF & THE

PERSON IN
CONTEMPORARY
ANTHROPOLOGY
 ANTHROPOLOGY SOCIOLOGY

Emphasis on culture and its Emphasis on society and its

physical and social origins and development (social
characteristics (kinship, classes, institutions and
language, religion, gender, art, structures, social movements)
etc.)

Micro-level focus – studies how Macro-level focus – studies how

individuals, families, and the larger society and social
communities engage with the trends affect individuals,
larger society and social trends families, and communities

It is done to understand It is done to solve contemporary

different cultures social problems
ANTHROPOLOGY
 it is the study of people, past and present.
 it focuses on understanding the human condition in its cultural aspect.
 it is concerned with understanding how humans evolved and how they differ from
one another.

A UNIT BUT UNITARY

 Anthropologist and professor, Katherine Ewing (1990), described the self as
encompassing the “physical organism, possessing psychological functioning and
social attributes.”
Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux (2002) conceptualized the implicit and explicit
aspects of the self.
Explicit is the aspect of self that you are consciously aware of.
Implicit is the one that is not immediately available to the consciousness.
This concept can be traced to the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud's level of
consciousness.
According to LeDoux (2002), “the self is not static; it is added to and substract
from by genetic maturation, learning, forgetting, stress, ageing and disease.”
SELF AS REPRESENTATION

 Ewing (1989) asserted that a “self” is illusory.

 “People construct a series of self-representations that are based on

selected cultural concepts of person and selected 'chains' of personal
memories. Each self-concept is experienced as whole and continuous,
with its own history and memories that emerge in a specific context to
be replaced by another self-representation when the context changes.”
 According to Ewing (1990), people from all cultures have been
observed to be able to rapidly project different self-representation,
depending on the context of the situation.
 The person is unaware of these shifts; however, he/she will still
experience wholeness and continuity despite of these shifts.
THE SELF EMBEDDED IN CULTURE

 Cultural anthropologists have argued that the self is culturally shaped

and infinitely variable.

 The basic idea is that the principles of how the mind works cannot be
conceived of as universal, but that it is varied as the culture and
traditions that people practice all over the world.
 Cultural psychologists distinguished two ways of how the self is
constructed. These are independent and interdependent constructs.
 The independent construct is characteristic of individualistic culture.
 The interdependent construct is typical of the collectivist culture.
 Developmental psychologist Catherine Raef (2010), believed that
culture can influence how you view: relationships, personality traits,
achievement, and expressing emotions.
 Culture influences how you enter
 Culture influence whether (and
into and maintain relationships.
how) you value traits, like
humility, self-esteem, politeness,
 Relationships may be seen as
assertiveness and so on, as well
voluntary or as duty-based.
as how you perceive hardship or
how you feel about relying on
others.
 Culture influences how you
Culture influences what will
define success and whether
affect you emotionally, as
you value certain types of
well as how you express
individual and group
yourself, such as showing
achievements.
your feelings in public or
keeping it private.