THE SOCIAL

SELF: THE ROLE

OF THE SOCIAL
INSTITUTION

Lance
Xavier
Gazo
The self is not created in isolation; we are not
born with perceptions of ourselves as shy,
interested in jazz, or charitable to others, for
example. Rather, such beliefs are determined
by our observations of and interactions with
others.
Are you rich or poor?
Beautiful or ugly?
Smart or not?

Good or bad?
The Looking-glass Self: Our
sense of self is Influenced by
others’ view of us.

part of how we see ourselves comes from

our perception of how others see us.
The Looking-glass Self: Our
sense of self is Influenced by
others’ view of us.
The labeling bias occurs when we are labeled,
and others’ views and expectations of us
are affected by that labelling.

For example, we are often labeled in particular ways by

others, perhaps informally in terms of our ethnic
background, or more formally in terms of a physical or
psychological diagnosis.
The effects of this self-labeling on our
self-esteem appear to depend very much
on the nature of the labels. Labels used in
relation to diagnosis of psychological
disorders can be detrimental to people
whom then internalize them.
Those who self-label may come to
experience internalized
prejudice, which occurs when
individuals turn prejudice directed
toward them by others onto themselves.
Social Comparison Theory:
Our sense of self is Influenced
by Comparison with Others

occurs when we learn about our abilities and

skills, about the appropriateness and validity of
our opinions, and about our relative social status
by comparing our own attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors with those of others.
It primarily occurs on dimensions on
which there are no correct answers or
objective benchmarks and thus on which
we can rely only on the beliefs of others
for information.

What should I wear to the Interview?

What kind of food should I serve this fiesta?

Upward and Downward
Comparisons Influence our
Self-esteem
When we are able to compare ourselves
favorably with others, we feel good
about ourselves, but when the outcome
of comparison suggests that others are
better or better off than we are, then our
self-esteem is likely to suffer.
 DOWNWARD SOCIAL COMPARISONS

when we attempt to create a positive image

of ourselves through favorable comparisons
with others who are worse off than we are.

EXAMPLE: people who are suffering from serious diseases

prefer to compare their condition with other individuals whose
current condition and likely prognosis is worse than their own
UPWARD SOCIAL COMPARISONS

when we compare ourselves with others who

are better off than we are; may lower our
self-esteem by reminding us that we are not
as well off as others.
EXAMPLE: Imagine someone who has had a bad day, or is
generally unhappy with how life is going, then logs onto Facebook
to see that most of his or her friends have posted very positive
status updates about how happy they are, how well they are doing,
or the wonderful vacations they are having.
Social Identity Theory: Our sense of self is
influenced by the groups we belong to

we draw part of our sense of identity and self-

esteem from the social groups that we belong
to
Varieties of Social Identity
Relationships Vocation/avocation Political Stigma Ethnicity/religion
affiliation

Lover Intellectual Old Person American Jewish

Divorced person Bookworm Political Unemployed person Christian

independent

Woman Military veteran Democrat Homeless person Catholic

Man Student Republican Retired person

Self – presentation: Our sense of
self is influenced by the Audience

Positive self-esteem occurs not only when we

do well in our own eyes but also when we feel
that we are positively perceived by the other
people we care about.
1. The goal of ingratiation is to create liking by using flattery or
charm.
2. The goal of intimidation is to create fear by showing that you can
be aggressive.
3. The goal of exemplification is to create guilt by showing that you
are a better person than the other.
4. The goal of supplication is to create pity by indicating to others
that you are helpless and needy.
5. The goal of self-promotion is to create respect by persuading
others that you are competent.
Basic Definitions: Sexual
Orientation, Gender Identity and
Expression (SOGIE)
SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Describes to whom a person is sexually attracted. Some people

are attracted to people of a particular gender; others are
attracted to people of more than one gender. Some are not
attracted to anyone.
Asexual - not sexually attracted to anyone and/or no desire to act on attraction to anyone. Does not necessarily mean sexless.
Asexual people sometimes do experience affectional (romantic) attraction.

Bisexual - attracted to people of one’s own gender and people of other gender(s). Two common misconceptions are that
bisexual people are attracted to everyone and anyone, or that they just haven’t “decided.” Often referred to as “bi.” See also
Pansexual/Fluid and Queer.

Gay - generally refers to a man who is attracted to men. Sometimes refers to all people who are attracted to people of the same
sex; sometimes “homosexual” is used for this also, although this term is seen by many today as a medicalized term that should
be retired from common use.

Lesbian - a woman who is attracted to women. Sometimes also or alternately “same-gender-loving woman” or “woman loving
woman.” See also Gay.

Pansexual/Fluid - attracted to people regardless of gender. Sometimes also or alternately “omnisexual” or “polysexual.” See
also Bisexual and Queer.

Questioning - one who may be unsure of, reconsidering, or chooses to hold off identifying their sexual identity or gender
expression or identity.

Queer - traditionally a derogatory term, yet reclaimed and appropriated by some LGBTQ individuals as a term of self-
identification. It is an umbrella term which embraces a matrix of sexual preferences, gender expressions, and habits that are not
of the heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary majority. It is not a universally accepted term by all members of the
LGBT community, and it is often considered offensive when used by heterosexuals.

Straight - attracted to people of the “opposite” sex (see below); also sometimes generally used to refer to people whose
sexualities are societally normative. Alternately referred to as “heterosexual.”
GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION

The ways in which a person identifies and/or expresses their gender,

including self-image, appearance, and embodiment of gender roles:
One’s sex (e.g. male, female, intersex, etc.) is usually assigned at
birth based on one’s physical biology.
One’s gender (e.g. male, female, genderqueer, etc.) is one’s internal
sense of self and identity.
One’s gender expression (e.g. masculine, feminine, androgynous,
etc.) is how one embodies gender attributes, presentations, roles, and
more.
Androgyny - The mixing of masculine and feminine gender
expression or the lack of gender identification. The terms androgyne,
agender, and neutrois are sometimes used by people who identify as
genderless, non-gendered, beyond or between genders, or some
combination thereof. Cisgender - A gender identity that society
considers to “match” the biological sex assigned at birth. The prefix
cis- means “on this side of” or “not across from.” A term used to call
attention to the privilege of people who are not transgender.
Crossdresser - Cross-dressing refers to occasionally wearing
clothing of the “opposite” gender, and someone who considers this
an integral part of their identity may identify as a crossdresser (note:
the term crossdresser is preferable to transvestite and neither may
ever be used to describe a transsexual person). Cross-dressing is not
necessarily tied to erotic activity or sexual orientation.
Genderqueer/Third Gender/Gender Fluid - These terms are used by people who identify as being between
and/or other than male or female. They may feel they are neither, a little bit of both, or they may simply
feel restricted by gender labels.

Intersex - A general term used for a variety of genetic, hormonal, or anatomical conditions in which a
person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of
female or male. Some intersex individuals identify as transgender or gender variant; others do not. (Note:
hermaphrodite is an obsolete term that is not currently considered appropriate.)

Transgender - First coined to distinguish gender benders with no desire for surgery or hormones from
transsexuals, those who desired to legally and medically change their sex, more recently transgender
and/or trans has become an umbrella term popularly used to refer to all people who transgress dominant
conceptions of gender, or at least all who identify themselves as doing so. The definition continues to
evolve.

Transsexual - The term transsexual has historically been used to refer to individuals who have medically
and legally changed their sex, or who wish to do so. Most transsexual people feel a conflict between their
gender identity and the sex they were assigned at birth. Other labels used within this group are MtF
(maleto-female) or trans woman, and FtM (female-to-male) or trans man.

Two-Spirit – A person who identified with the Native American tradition of characterizing certain
members of the community as having the spirit of both the male and female genders.
THANK YOU!