SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY:

THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF

MODERN SOCIETY AND
CULTURE
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON
SELF-DEVELOPMENT
• Freud is one of the influential modern scientist to put
theory about how people develop a sense of self
• Failure to properly engage in or disengage from a specific
stage results in emotional and psychological consequences
throughout adulthood
Stage Age Focus of Key Adult Fixation (consequence)
Libido Developmental Examples
Tasks
Oral 0-1Year old Mouth Weaning of breast Overeating
(chewing, sucking) Smoking
Alcoholism
Anal 1-3 Years old Anus Toilet training Orderliness
Messiness
Phallic 3-6 Years old Genitals Identify gender Difficulty with intimate relationship
Promiscuous/ emotionally immature
Latency 6-12 Years old None Social Interaction Develop Defence Mechanisms
Genital 12+ (Puberty & Genitals Intimate If all stages were successfully
later) relationships completed then the person should
be sexually matured and mentally
healthy
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND
PSYCHOLOGY
• An easy way to begin to understand the difference between sociology
and psychology is that sociology deals in the collective, or society,
while psychology focuses on the individual.
• Sociology tends to look at large groups of people, whereas psychology
tends to look at individuals or small groups of people. Your
coursework as a psychology major will focus on the study of human
behavior and mental processes.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGY AND
SOCIOLOGY
Psychology
Focuses on how the mind influences the
behaviour.
Interested in people’s mental
development and how their minds process an individual’s relationship with his
their world.
Tend to look inward;
Mental health and emotional processes
Sociology
Studies the role of society in shaping
behaviour.
Different aspects of society contribute to
world.
Tend to look outward;
Social institutions, cultural norms, and
interaction with others
 EMILE DURKHEIM

• French social scientist that developed a vigorous methodology

combining  empirical research with sociological theory.
Empirical Research - A way of gaining knowledge by

means of direct and indirect observation or experience.

• He is widely regarded as the founder of the French school of 
sociology.
 EMILE DURKHEIM
• He attributed differences in suicide rates among people to social
causes rather than to psychological causes.
Psychological Causes
Mental health wellbeing
Suicide is the act of intentionally
causing one's own death due to mental
disorder/illness.
Social Causes
Religious differences and cultural norms
Religious group:
Suicide is a sin but does not show lack of
faith, rather lack of hope and confidence.
Cultural Norms:
Suicide may differ based on cultural
standards –
Asian-American: It’s related to shame that
one has brought on one’s family name
ERIK ERIKSON

• Eriksons’ Psychological Development theory was based, in part, on

the works of Freud.
• However, Erikson believed the personality continued to change over
time and was never truly finished.
• Erikson’s view of self-development gave credit to more social
aspects, like the way we negotiate between our own base desires
and what is socially accepted.
Age Stage Major Virtue to Successful Outcome Unsuccessful Outcome
Crisis Question develop
0-2 Trust Vs. “Can I trust the Hope Developed trust in Developed suspicious,
Years Mistrust world?” environment and fear of future events
people who are (anxious)
supposed to care for
them
2-4 Autonom “Can I do things Will Developed a sense of Feelings of shame and
Years y Vs. myself or I must independence and doubt over their abilities
Shame rely on others? personal control
and
Doubt
4-5 Initiative “Is it ok for me Purpose Developed initiative or Developed guilt and
Years Vs. Guilt to do things? ability to be a “self lack initiative
starter” and
Motivated.
Age Stage Major Virtue to Successful Outcome Unsuccessful Outcome
Crisis Question develop
5-12 Industry “How can I be Competence Success leads to Failure leads to feeling
Years Vs. good?” feeling of competence of inferior (less worthy).
or Puberty Inferiorit (capable). May conform (obey and
y Ability to learn how follow others) or rely on
things work, others.
understand and
organize
12-19 Identity “Who am I? Fidelity Develops a strong Not sure of who they
Years Vs. Role sense of self. are.
Adolescenc
e
Confusio Seeing oneself as Confusion of real self;
n unique and integrated which is true about self.
(unified) person.
20-40 Intimacy “Can I love and Love Develop a loving and Dissatisfaction with
Years Vs. be loved? lasting relationships. life.
Early Isolation Ability to make May lead to feeling of
adulthood
commitments to loneliness and
others. isolation.
Age Stage Major Virtue to Successful Outcome Unsuccessful Outcome
Crisis Question develop
40-65 Generativit “What can I Care Developed sense of Developed sense of
Years y Vs. contribute to concern for family and concern only for self-
Stagnation the world?” society in general. one’s own well being
Contributing to the and prosperity (wealth).
world helps to feel a May feel uninvolved in
sense of the world.
accomplishment
65- Integrity “Was my life a Wisdom Developed of sense of Dissatisfaction with
Death Vs. Despair good one?” integrity and life; despair over
fulfilment; willingness prospect of death
to face death. May lead people to
look back at their life
with regret, sorrow,
and bitterness.
JEAN PIAGET
• Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view
are together called "genetic epistemology".
• He is most famously known for his theory of
cognitive development that shows; how children develop
intellectually throughout the course of childhood specifically on the
role of social interactions in their development.
• 
Term Definition
Object Permanence The ability to visualize things that are not physically present.
Pretend play It sometimes called symbolic play, imaginative play, or good
old make-believe, also introduces the concept that one thing
can "be" another.
Egocentrism Thinking only of oneself, without regard for feelings or
desires of others; self-centered.
Conservation It refers to a logical thinking ability that allows a person to
determine that a certain quantity will remain the same despite
adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size.

Abstract thinking It is the ability to absorb information from our senses and
make connections to the wider world.
SOCIOLOGIST THEORIES OF SELF
DEVELOPMENT
CHARLES COOLEY
• He is asserted that people’s self
understanding is conducted. In part by
their perception of now other view them
a process termed “The looking glass self”

• Charles Cooley believed that our sense of self develops through our
perception of others evaluations and appraisals of us
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
• He studied the self, a person’s distinct identity that is developed
through socialization.

• Mead identified three stages of social experience leading to the

emergence of the self children.
1. PLAY STAGE- children imitate activities of people around them
2. GAME STAGE- children begin to take on the role that one other person might have
3. GENERALIZED OTHER- children develop, understand and learn the common
behavioral expectation of general society
 I ME
The self as subject The self as object
The part of self that accounts for The part of self formed through
unlearned and spontaneous acts or socialization
unpredictable element of self. - Predictability and conformity
Self Identity The socialized self

PROCESS
• “I” developed first
• “ME” is formed during first three stages of self development
Kohlberg’s Theory of MORAL DEVELOPMENT
• The term refers to the way people learn what society
considered to be “good” and “bad”.

• It rested on the assumption that the justice perspective was

right, or better, perspective.

• Prevents people from acting on unchecked urges, instead

considering what is right for society and good for others.
Preconvention
• Young children who lack a higher level of cognitive ability,
experience the world around them only through their senses.
Conventional
• When youngsters become increasingly aware of others’
feelings and take those into consideration when determining
what’s good and bad.
Post conventional
• is when people begin to think of morality in abstract terms.
Gilligan’s theory of moral development and gender
• Carol Gilligan is an American feminist, ethicist, and psychologist best known
for her work on ethical community and ethical relationships, and certain 
subject-object problems in ethics.
• She set out to study differences between how boys and girls developed
morality.
BOYS- Justice perspective is placing emphasis on rules and laws
GIRLS- Have a care and responsibility; consider reasons behind a
morally wrong behavior
 .
• Gilligan in contrast of Kohlberg’s theory;
neither perspective is “better”; the two norm
of justice served different purposes.
 LISA BLOOM AUTHOR OF THINK:
STRAIGHT TALK FOR WOMEN TO STAY SMART IN A
DUMBER DOWN WORLD

• Bloom asserts that we are too focused on the appearance

of young girls, and as a result, our society is socializing
them to believe that how they look is of vital importance.
• Sociologist are interested in this type of gender
socialization, where societal expectation of how boys and
girls should be.
SOCIALIZATION
• Is critical both to individuals and to the societies in which
they live.
• It is essential to us as individuals.
• Social interaction provides the means via which we
gradually become able to see ourselves through eyes of
others.
SOCIALIZATION
• In a society, we have to learn basics of both material and nonmaterial
culture, everything from how to dress ourselves to what’s suitable or
appropriate attire for a specific occasion.
• We have to learn language- whether dominant language or one
common in a subculture, whether it’s verbal or through signs
- In order to communicate and to think. As we saw with Danielle,
without socialization we literally have no self.
NATURE VS. NURTURE
Nature
- Our Temperaments, interests, and
talents are set before birth.
- The character or personality of a
person is based in genetic and
hormones.
Nurture
- The care and attention given to
someone or something that is
growing or developing.
- The relationship and caring that
surround us.
- The environment mold us.
Studies to prove the impact of Nature;
Studying twins

• The pair shared the same genetics, but, in some cases, were
socialized in different ways
• It give researchers insight into how our temperaments,
preferences, and abilities are shaped by genetic makeup
versus our social environment.
ELYSE SCHEIN AND PAULA BERNSTEIN
(TWIN)
• The twins were born to a mentally ill mother, got separated
from each other, and raised in different households.
• They reunited at age 35.
• Not only they look alike, but they behaved alike, using the
same gestures and facial expressions.
Though genetics and hormones play an important role in
human behavior, sociology’s larger concern is the effect that
society has on human behavior. All of these factors affect the
lives of a person.
- To what race do the twin belong?
- From what class were their parents?
- What about the gender? Religion?
CHRIS LANGAN: THE SMARTEST MAN
YOU’VE NEVER HEARD

• He had no college degree, few resources, and a past filled

with much disappointment.
• He had an IQ of over 195, nearly 100 points higher than
the average person
• However, he did not possess the set of social skills
necessary to succeed on such a high level-skills that are
not innate, but learned
(According to Macolm Gladwell 2008: The Story of Success)
• He lacked practical intelligence, or; “knowing what to say to
whom, knowing when to say it, and knowing how to say it for
maximize effect”(Robert Sternberg)
• Sociologists all recognize the importance of socialization for
healthy individual and societal development.
• Structural functionalist would say that socialization is
essential to society, both because it trains members to operate
successfully within it and because it perpetuates culture by
transmitting it to new generations.
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