LA

Understanding-the-Self-G1

SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

INTRODUCTION

  • The self has been a topic of debate throughout history, with various perspectives offered by philosophers.

  • The rise of social sciences has allowed for new paradigms to explore the nature of the self.

WHAT IS SELF?

  • Defined as the set of characteristics, such as personality and ability, that differentiate one person from another.

  • Characteristics are non-physical attributes.

CONTEMPORARY DEFINITIONS OF SELF (Stevens, 1996)

  • Separate: Distinct individuality; unique identities.

  • Self-Contained and Independent: Ability to exist autonomously; own thoughts and volition.

  • Consistent: Enduring personality traits; reliable representations of oneself over time.

  • Unitary: Central command of all experiences and thoughts; unity in emotional and cognitive processes.

  • Private: Internal processing of thoughts and emotions; exclusivity to the individual.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

LEV VYGOTSKY

  • Russian psychologist who emphasized the role of culture and context in knowledge construction and social interactions.

  • Culture provides cognitive tools essential for individual development; adults (e.g., parents, teachers) transmit these tools.

  • Vygotsky argues against viewing the self as static; rather, it is shaped and influenced by societal interactions.

CULTURE AND THE SELF

MARCEL MAUSS

  • Believed every self has dual aspects: Personne and Moi.

  • Personne: Influenced by societal institutions (family, religion, nationality, etc.).

  • Moi: Refers to a personal sense of self and basic identity.

EXAMPLE OF SELF IN SOCIAL CONTEXT

  • At a party, responses can invoke either 'moi' (personal identity) or 'personne' (social identity).

WHAT IS CULTURE?

  • Describes the lifestyles, customs, beliefs, and behaviors of a specific group at a certain period.

  • Culture greatly influences self-perception and relationships with others.

THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE

SIR EDWARD B. TAYLOR

  • Defined culture as a complex whole comprising knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and habits.

NORMS AND MATERIAL CULTURE

  • Norms: Guidelines for behavior within a society.

  • Material culture: Includes human-made objects and the social practices surrounding them; influenced by technological advancement.

MEAD'S STAGES OF SELF DEVELOPMENT

GEORGE HERBERT MEAD

  • American sociologist and pragmatist rejecting biological determinism in self-development.

  • Self is formed through social interaction and belonging to a social structure.

STAGE ONE - PREPARATORY

  • Lasts from birth to approximately age two; involves mimicking without understanding meaning.

STAGE TWO - PLAY

  • Ages two to six; children pretend and do not adhere to organized game rules.

STAGE THREE - GAME

  • From age seven and onward; children begin to understand and follow rules of games, becoming independent in their roles.

THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

WILLIAM JAMES

  • Early psychologist dividing the self into two aspects: the "I" (active self) and the "me" (identity).

CARL ROGERS

  • Humanistic psychologist focusing on therapeutic relationships and self-actualization.

  • Coined terms similar to James: 'I' as decision-maker, and 'me' as self-perception.

IDENTITY AND SELF-CONCEPT

  • Identity: Composed of personal traits, social roles, and affiliations.

  • Self-concept: The immediate thoughts about oneself in response to inquiries.

  • Both are fluid over time, shaped by past (valedictorian), present (president), and future aspirations (engineer).

SELF-SCHEMA

  • A collection of organized knowledge about the self including hobbies, family, and nationality.

SELF AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

SIGMUND FREUD

  • Founder of psychoanalysis, proposed that self and behavior result from interactions among the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO.

  • ID: Primitive instinctual drives.

  • EGO: Responsible and realistic part of the personality.

  • SUPEREGO: Contains ideals and conscience.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

MEAD AND WEBER

  • Society as constructed through shared symbols; the meanings derived from social interactions shape the self.

SELF-AWARENESS

  • The realization of one's self-concept; includes understanding actual, ideal, and ought self.

SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL COMPARISON

  • Self-esteem is influenced by social relationships and can be assessed through social comparison theory.

  • Downward comparison: Enhances self-concept by comparing with lesser-performing individuals.

  • Upward comparison: Can demotivate by highlighting weaknesses when comparing with superior individuals.

SELF-EVALUATION MAINTENANCE THEORY

ABRAHAM TESSER

  • Focuses on maintaining self-esteem relative to close individuals; success of others can simultaneously uplift or diminish self-evaluation, dependent on psychosocial closeness.

NARCISSISM

  • Characterized by excessive self-esteem, self-admiration; often associated with self-centeredness and image management.

  • The distinction between healthy self-esteem and narcissism is subtle, influenced by social perceptions and self-representation.