The Self as a Social Construct and Cultural Perspectives

Vocabulary flashcards covering the sociological and anthropological views of the self, Mead's stages of development, Taylor's definition of culture, Geertz's concepts, and characteristics of individualist and collectivist societies.

Sociology

A social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life.

Anthropology

The scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species.

Edward B. Taylor

An anthropologist who in 1884 defined culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, moral, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by (a human) as a member of society".

Gilbert Geertz

An anthropologist who stated that culture is not just an ornament of human existence, but the principal basis of its specificity and an essential condition for it.

George Herbert Mead

A theorist who stated that the development of the self occurs through socialization across three developmental stages.

Preparatory Stage

The first stage of Mead's development of the self, lasting from birth until about age two, during which children mimic those around them.

Play Stage

The second stage of Mead's development of the self, lasting from about age two to six, during which children play pretend and do not adhere to rules in organized games.

Game Stage

The third stage of Mead's development of the self, from about age seven onwards, where children understand and adhere to rules of formalized games and consider the perspective of the generalized other.

Generalized Other

The viewpoint of the social group at large, which a child begins taking into account during the game stage.

Individualist Society

A society in which people look after themselves and immediate family, learn to think in terms of "I", utilize low-context communication, and prioritize individual interests and self-actualization.

Collectivist Society

A society in which people are born into extended families or groups that protect them in exchange for loyalty, think in terms of "we", utilize high-context communication, and prioritize harmony, consensus, and collective interests.