The Self on a

Socio-Anthropological
Perspective
Lesson
2.2

THE SELF
AND
CULTURE
French Anthropologist, Marcel Mauss, claimed that
the self has two faces:

➢ the Moi which refers to a person’s sense of who

he is, his body, and his basic identity as well as his
biological givenness; and
➢ the Personne which is composed of the social
concepts of what it means to be who he is.
REFLECTIVE
QUESTION:

How do you
negotiate your self-
identity in different
social groups you
How we see ourselves shapes our lives,
and is shaped by our cultural context.
No two people have or will ever see
themselves or build their sense of
identity in the same way, since no two
people have identical experiences in
life. The cultural structures around an
individual, however, may affect how
they see themselves, how they
translate their experiences into their
identity and how they communicate
with others.
Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge,
experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings,
hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial
relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects
and possessions acquired by a group of people in the
course of generations through individual and group
striving. Culture becomes an integral and inescapable
part of our humanity, hence, shapes the development of
the self.
According to Sir Edward B. Tylor, culture is
defined as “that of a complex whole which
includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals,
laws, customs, and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by [humans] as a
member of the society” (Popular Science
Monthly, 1884 as cited by Palean et. al
2018).
Culture is the meeting point of Sociology and Anthropology
in terms of self understanding.

➢ Sociology is defined as the “scientific study of human life,

social groups, whole societies and human world whose
subject matter is our own behavior as social beings in
relationship with many other people” (Giddens et. al, 2016
as cited by Palean et. al, 2018).

➢ Anthropology “is the inclusive study of the human race,

its culture, and society and its physical development”
(Heacock, 2009 as cited by Palean et. al, 2018).
Culture helps define how individuals see
themselves and how they relate to others.
Remember that individuals differ in many
ways: language diversity, cultural diversity,
gender diversity, religious diversity, and
economic diversity (Selmi, Gallagher, & Mora-
Flores, 2015). All of these aspects of diversity
work together to form your sense of self.
Almost everything around us is a part of our
culture: from the things that we use, to the
food that we eat; from the people we
consider dear to the place we were raised in,
are all part of our culture, and all play a vital
role in the development of the self.
Types of Culture
1. Material Culture refers to the physical objects,
resources, and spaces that people use to define
their culture. These include homes,
neighborhoods, cities, schools, churches,
synagogues, temples, offices, factories and
plants, tools etc. All of these physical aspects of a
culture help to define its members' behaviors
and perceptions. This can be an extension of
ourselves because of the attachment and/or
value we put into.
2. Non-material Culture refers to the
nonphysical ideas that people have about their
culture. For instance, the non‐material cultural
concept of religion consists of a set of ideas
and beliefs about God, worship, morals, and
ethics. These beliefs, then, determine how the
culture responds to its religious topics, issues,
and events. Four of the most important of
these are symbols, language, values, and
norms.
 According to
developmental
psychologist Catherine
Raeff (2010), culture can
influence how you, your
coworkers, and the
families you serve view:
Relationships:

Culture influences how you enter into and

maintain relationships. For example, relationships
may be seen as voluntary or as duty-based. This
influences how adults encourage children to form
relationships: Do they choose whom to play with
or are children encouraged to play in certain ways
to promote group welfare?
Personality traits:

Culture influences whether and how you

value traits like humility, self-esteem,
politeness, and assertiveness. Culture
also influences how you perceive
hardship and how you feel about relying
on others.
Achievement:

Culture influences how you

define success and whether you
value certain types of individual
and group achievements.
Expressing emotions:

Culture influences how and

whether you consider feelings
public or private.