SECTION 1: THE SOCIAL SELF

SOCIAL SELF inevitably changes as one accommodates and eventually assimilates

beliefs promoted by the society as he or she thinks, appreciates, and behaves
according to standards set by micro and macrosystem.

THE SELF AND ITS SOCIAL AGENCIES

Human development is largely influenced by membership in crucial social groups that shape
various aspects of the self: from belief systems, values orientation and behaviors.

FAMILY

● It is the most pervading influential social group that impacts the self in the
entire course of development
● Parents are one's first teacher; from a very early age, it is from them that creates
initial impressions of the world beyond his or her home.
● As one's family grows, his or her siblings become his or her first friends and
playmates.

SCHOOLS AND THE GENERAL ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

● Worldviews expand as one gets exposed to more people in different social learning
environments.
● The information from books, lectures of mentors and insights from classmates are
assimilated in the inner recesses of the self.
● Knowledge and social skills gained from mentors, relatives, and peers contribute to
how social self is harnessed.
● About a third of people's lives are spent as students in educational institutions

COMMUNITIES

● One's cultural beliefs and practices are influenced by what communities and societies
dictates.
● Values such as respect for the elderly, persistence and dedication for tasks and love
for country are its product
● Specific practices such as attending worship, avoiding conflicts and strife with others,
taking part in rituals and ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, and other religious
activities are embedded in one's social self as communities and society have
developed shared meanings

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.”
(Edward Tylor, 1871)

Culture has a great impact on human being and this is manifested in his or her thoughts,
behaviors, and expression. Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of
people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted
from generation to generation

BIOECOLOGICAL SYSTEM THEORY

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s (1935) Biological Systems of Development explains an individual’s

social development, using biological, environmental, and ecological lenses. –

Biological Systems theory explains how one's environment and everything inside of them
influence how they grow and develop.

FIVE SYSTEMS THAT SHAPE AN INDIVIDUAL’S SENSE OF SELF

1. MICROSYSTEM

● This is the layer closest to the child and contains the structures with which child has
DIRECT CONTACT. (It refers to the institutions and social groups that the
individual has direct contact and interaction with)
● The microsystem encompasses the relationships and interactions a child has with
her families, peers, schools, religious institutions and the immediate surroundings.
● Relationships in a microsystem are called BI-DIRECTIONAL. Meaning, your
reactions to the people in your microsystem will affect how they treat you in return.

2. MESOSYSTEM

● This layer provides the connection and involves the RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN THE STRUCTURES OF THE CHILD’S MICROSYSTEM that affects his
behavior or beliefs. (eg. Parent-Teacher, Parent-Peer and Community-others)
● At this level the microsystems are not seen independently; they are instead viewed
by how they intertwine

3. EXOSYSTEM

● The exosystem is represented by the formal and informal structures that DO NOT
DIRECTLY impact the child but do influence the child through their direct impact on a
member of the child's microsystem. (refers to the social setting that an individual
has no direct interaction with but nevertheless affect his or her development.)
● This layer outlines the greater social structure, which the child does not directly
interact with
4. MACROSYSTEM

● This system encompasses the LARGER CULTURAL CONTEXT in which the

individual resides in. A cultural context may include the socioeconomic status of his
or her country, issues of ethnicity, societal values embraced by social institutions,
cultural beliefs, and practices handed down from generation to generation, and how
all these affect an individual’s behavior and opportunities in the society.

5. CHRONOSYSTEM

● The chronosystem includes the TRANSITIONS AND SHIFTS IN ONE'S LIFESPAN.

● FOCUSES ON PATTERNS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS, including
sociohistorical events from a specific to a general context that may influence a
person

INDIVIDUALISM-COLLECTIVISM 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. They are likely
to be independent in achieving their personal interest rather than becoming dependent on a
group. WESTERN
Collectivist orientation values relationships and harmony. People who are collectivist
prioritize interests to maintain healthy relationships. They are likely to be adaptive to other
people, and cooperative in group task. EASTERN

I VS ME

George Herbert Mead

● · Sociologist who has known for the theory of “Social Self”

● · “People developed self-images through interaction from other people”

One’s behavior when he or she is alone differs from his or her behavior when he or she is
with others. Different situations trigger particular behaviors because of differing social
expectations. In being alone, one does not need to keep up appearance, which difference
when there are others is observing.

I : UNSOCIALIZED SELF

● Who an individual really is.

Me : SOCIALIZED SELF

● Awareness of how others expect one to behave.

SECTION 2: THE SOCIO- DIGITAL SELF

THE SELF IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY

In the past, interpersonal relationships can only be established through face-to-face

interactions within physical communities. Nowadays, people can interact with others even if
they are not present in the same place.

SOCIAL MEDIA

● Defined as the websites and applications that make it easier to create and share
information, ideas and interests. I also allow people to create other forms of
self-expression via virtual communities and networks.
ONLINE DISEMBODIMENT

● The idea that once the user is online, the need for the body is no longer
required and the user can participate separately from it. With this, people are
less likely to display their real selves to others, especially to strangers.

DIGITAL IDENTITY

● Defined as the identity a person claims in cyberspace.

● It allows a person to be part of a virtual community that goes beyond physical and
geographical boundaries.
● However, participation in virtual environments may entail changes that may affect a
person’s sense of self.

ONLINE DISINHIBITION EFFECT

According to Suler, online disinhibition effect is when people adopt fake identities, they are
likely to engage in behaviors that they would not do in real life interactions.

TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF ONLINE DISINHIBITION EFFECT

1. BENIGN DISINHIBITION

● They reveal secret emotions, fears, wishes. Or they show unusual acts of kindness
and generosity.
● Occurs when people TEND TO SELF-DISCLOSE MORE ON THE INTERNET
THAN THEY WOULD IN REAL LIFE go or out of their way to help someone or
show kindness.

2. TOXIC DISINHIBITION

● OUT SPILLS RUDE LANGUAGE AND HARSH CRITICISMS, ANGER, HATRED,

EVEN THREATS. Or people explore the dark underworld of the internet, places of
pornography and violence, places they would never visit in the real world.

MANAGING RESPONSIBLE ONLINE BEHAVIOR

Responsible digital citizenship means taking part in online community life safely, ethically
and respectfully.

Some suggestions that you may follow to be a responsible digital citizen.

● Do not post or send anything that will embarrass you.

● Avoid posting statements when experiencing strong emotions.
 ● Do not hang out with the “wrong crowd” online.
● Do not hang out with the “wrong crowd” offline.
● Be careful with oversharing, especially confidential information that may be used
irresponsibly.
● Always ask permission before you post a picture of someone else online.
● Respect other people in the online community.

SECTION 3: THE MATERIAL OR ECONOMIC SELF

MATERIAL SELF pertains to the objects, places, or even people which have the label
“mine”. according to William James

BASIC COMPONENTS OF MATERIAL SELF

Body - the innermost aspect of the material self. We are investing in our body, which we
strive hard to ensure that this body functions well.
● Clothing - It is a form of self-expression. We choose and wear clothes that reflect our
self.
● Family - Our family holds another great important part of ourselves. What they do or
become affects us.
● Home -It is where many aspects of your life have been developed, and it is greatly
linked to your identity.
● Other Possessions such gadgets, collections, etc.

THE SELF IN A MATERIAL WORLD

● Material possession signifies some aspects of one’s sense of self and identity.
● Possessions tell a lot about their owners. Things are bought because of personal
association.
● Thus, One’s sense of self and identity is influential on how an individual chooses to
purchase his or her wants and how he or she makes economic decisions that will
address his or her personal and social needs.

FACTORS THAT SHAPE HIS/HER ECONOMIC DECISIONS

● Availability of Items and Services
● Financial Constraints
● Influence of Family and Friends
● Items and Services as Wants or Needs

NEEDS - are those important for survival.

 ● Food, clothing, and shelter (basic needs)

WANTS - are synonymous with luxuries.

● People buy them for reasons that do not warranty necessity.

Regardless of whether the things that people have are needs or wants, material possessions
tell something of the personality and social values of those who own them.

Possessions are extended versions of oneself.

In the process of acquiring material goods, people generally consider 2 things:

● UTILITY - Concerned with how things serve a practical purpose.

● SIGNIFICANCE - Concerned with the meaning assigned to the object. It is also
concerned with how objects become powerful symbols or icons of habit and ritual
which can be quite separate from their primary function.

ROLAND BARTHES
● French critical theorist
● First one to observe the relationships that people with objects in particular looked at
objects as signs or things which could be decoded to convey message beyond their
practical value
● In 1950s, he popularized the field of Semiology (the study of objects as signs)
● Sign - anything that conveys meaning
● He revealed that everyday objects are not just things but a complex system of signs
which allows to read meaning into people and places
● “What people increasingly produce are not material but signs.”

It is through objects that people assert their identities. Objects are not just things but are
reflections of wider lives.

The possession of material things also indicates one’s status in the society.

One’s possession are perceived as personal choices that define people to a certain extent,
which build one’s material and economic self.