LESSON 2- THE SELF, SOCIETY AND THE CULTURE

There is a common saying in the social sciences, especially in sociology and anthropology:
Human beings are by nature, social beings. That is, each of us do not exist in a vacuum. We
interact with people and even the most introvert of us would have to relate and communicate
with a few.
We are born into a social environment, we fully develop in to human beings in a social
environment, and we live our lives in a social environment. What we think, how we feel, and
what we say and do all are shaped by our interactions with other people.
Let us discuss the idea by first looking at the key concepts from sociology and anthropology,
theoretical perspective on how the “self” operates with society and culture, as well as the main
social institutions that affect our idea of who we are.
KEY CONCEPTS
Every person lives in a society which is defined as a group of people sharing the same culture
and typically interacts in a definite territory. Each society has culture or a way of life for those
living in that specific society.
Culture is divided into two:

 Material culture- the attire, tools, weapons, architectural designs, religious

implements
 Nonmaterial culture- belief system, values, norms or expected behaviors as
well as the shared language and symbols.
Norms are rules on what to do or what not to do in a certain situation.
Values are ideal behaviors or principles that set the standard of what is acceptable and
admirable from a person who is a part of society. For example, you must kiss the hand (mano)
of your elders to show respect.
The norm is the “pagmamano” and the value is respect or “pagkamagalang”. When you
see someone who has an accident, the norm prohibits you from laughing but prescribes you to
help. The values that are promoted there are being considerate and helpful.
Simply, society is composed of people and culture is composed of ideas, behaviour, and
material possessions. These two coexist and interdependent with each other. What do you think
would be a culture of a Filipino society?
To maintain a smooth functioning society, social institutions are created, which are
sets of ideas, norms, practices, or mechanisms organized and focused on addressing the needs
of the community. An example of such institution is the government, which functions to maintain
peace and order, among others. These institutions have a profound effect on our concept of
“self”, because they basically provide a systematic process of doing things.
For example, you are considered a Filipino citizen because it is provided by the law,
which is under the processes of the government.
Other things that a person will learn that will affect his or her “self” are status and roles.
Status is our position in a society or a particular group. You may be the first child, a teenager, a
student, or a president of a student organization among others. You can also say that it is your
distinguishing title relative to the other members of the group. Status can either be ascribed,
which is inherited or given at birth, or achieved, which is personally acquired for achieving
something. An ascribed status is being a prince for example, while an achieved status is being
elected as a president. However, each position or title also have expected roles or parts to play.
Included in our roles are expected behaviors, norms, values, and attitudes.
THEORETICAL APPROACHES
Theoretical approaches and frameworks enable us to combine and use concepts in a
meaningful way to look and understand a part of reality, in this case, the connection of self,
society, and culture. Under the theory of Symbolic Interaction for example, George Herbert
Mead claimed that the self is created, developed, and changed through human interaction.
Basically, there are at least three reasons why self and identity are social products.
1. The “self” did not just come out of thin air. Our sociocultural context affected who we are,
even most of the choices we think we freely make. This influence of society and culture
will still have an effect on you even if you move from one place to another and adapt a
new perspective.
2. Whether we like to admit it or not, we actually need others to affirm and reinforce who
we think we are. We also need them as reference points about our identity. One
interesting example is the social media interactions that we have. In the case of
Facebook, there are those who will consciously or unconsciously try to garner more
Likes and/or positive Reactions, and that can and will reinforce their self-concept. It is
almost like a battle between who got more friends, more views, and trending topics. If
one says she/he is a good singer but his or her performance and the evaluation of his or
her audience says otherwise, that will have an effect on that person’s idea of himself or
herself, one way or another.
3. Our notion of what is personality important to us is also influenced by the current trends
of what is important in our society. Education might be an important thing to your self-
concept, because you grew up in a family that valued education. Money might be
important to some, because they have grown in a poor family and realized how
important money is in addressing certain needs, like medical emergencies. Being a
nurse or a lawyer can be priority in your self-schema, because it is the in-demand course
during your time.
Social interaction and group affiliation, therefore. Are vital factors in creating our self-concept,
especially our social identity or our perception of who we are based on our membership to
certain groups.
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
As mentioned earlier, social institutions are organized to address the needs of a society and
they, too, have a profound effect on our concept of “self”.
For the purpose of our discussion, let us look at five sample social institutions.
1. Family- this is the most basic social institution of a society that organizes us based on
our familial ties. It can be based on blood-relations, like sibling relations (consanguineal),
by marriage, like a husband and a wife (affinal), or social, which are relationships not
falling under the first two but you still consider them as family (Crossman 2019).
2. Economics- this system aims to regulate the flow of resources and services. Ideally,
this should ensure that everyone gets a fair share of goods or that a person in need will
get the service he or she needs in order to address a necessity.

Ideally, this system should also regulate the price of the products to ensure fair
competition among producers and sellers. At times, it can also control the demand by
promoting a need or want for a certain product.

An example of this is the committee in charge of food during a school activity. Their
function is to ensure that every participants gets to eat. However, they must also
calculate and announce the necessary budget in order for it to be included in the
registration fee or target funds to be requested from the school or donors. Furthermore,
they can add a special cake or limited item that can be bought for an additional price.
3. Government- this is usually composed of various organizations ensuring peace and
order by legitimizing the use of power of certain people or groups.

In the Philippines, the government is divided into three equal branches: the executive,
headed by the president and who is in-charge of enforcing the law; the legislative,
composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines who are
in-charge of creating, amending, or repealing those laws, and the judiciary, led by the
Supreme Court to provide proper interpretation of the laws and ensure that they are
following the Constitution and basic human rights.

Note that while the President represents the Philippines, he or she is not treated as a
king with the sole authority and power in a republic and democratic country like the
Philippines. These three branches are treated equally with powers to check and balance
each other. Under the constitution, they serve the country and the utmost authority still
comes from the people.
4. Education- The basic function of schools is to ensure that the knowledge of the past
and the culture of the society gets transmitted from one generation to another. It
safeguards continuity or brings about changes to the other social institutions. It aims to
produce people who can live harmoniously in the given social environment as well as
able to be productive citizens for the economy.
Thus a good education from a reputable school must always be sought after. The effects
of almost twenty years in school to the mind-set of a person cannot be diminished. It
does not only dictate a person’s skill on the job but it will also affect his or her behaviour
and attitude toward social issues and life in general.
5. Religion- this is an organized set of practices, symbols, and artefacts regarding the
belief of the supernatural. There are several reasons why people believe in the
supernatural: a) explanation of the unexplainable b) meaning and purpose of life; and c)
continuity of relationship with the people that we care about even after death among
others.
Aside from the supernatural, religion or the church can also function to teach and
reinforce values, norms, and morals in partnership with the family and the school.

If you will reflect on it, most of the things we use to describe our “self” came from
these social institutions. Other social institutions include mass media, community service
organizations, health services and recreation.
However, as pointed by Geertz, a person can still choose what to adapt, reject, or
change.
The self or our identity is a result of the interaction and discourse between a person and
the society. We are introduced and socialized into our groups, teaching us all the status,
roles, values and norms that we need to live in this society which became a part of our
description of ourselves. In return, the way we collectively live, express and create this
imbibed culture reinforces and transforms our society and culture (Berger and Luckmann
1991).