UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

LESSON 3: Social and Cultural View of the Self

Sociology is the science of society and institutions. Studying society and institutions, structures, and
processes helps us understand various aspects of our social world. Not only is it central to understanding
the social milieu, but it also vital to understanding one’s self as a member of society. Along this line,
society helps us understand the role of members of a social group and how it affects our behavior.

The Self and the Society

Society is a group of people who live in a defined geographical area, interact with one another,
and share a common culture (Conerly, Holmes and Tamang 2021). People within society learn basic
skills, values, beliefs and behavior patterns through the process of socialization. Society helps in the
development of the self because the group we belong to influences how we see ourselves and how
others see us.

You identify your “self” against the members of society by being self-aware of your unique
characteristics. This conscious awareness of your individuality makes you who you are.

We have the agents of socialization to make up your identity:

 Family
 School
 Peer Group
 Mass media
 Religion

At this juncture, let us how the prominent sociologists explain the concept of the self.

In this lesson, you will examine how society and culture shape your identity and personality.
Learn from views about self and society from these sociologist: George Herbert Mead, Charles
Cooley, Leon Festinger, Henri Tajfel, John Turner, Erving Goffman, and Geert Hofstede

1. GEORGE HERBERT MEAD: THE SOCIAL SELF

Mead was an American sociologist, philosopher and psychologist and the founder of social
psychology. He is considered the father of symbolic interactionism.

Mead believed that socialization is crucial to the development of the self. Hence, the self is the
result of social processes and interactions.

According to Mead, the self is not inborn. It develops through time from social interactions and
experiences. These experiences are possible through the aid of language and other symbols.
 Symbolic Interactionism Theory

This theory gives the importance of language and other symbols in human interactions.
It explains how communication is impossible without the aid of words, gestures, and symbols
with a common meaning. However, we interpret words, symbols, and experiences differently
depending on other people’s reactions to our use of words. And though symbols are universal,
they do not carry an absolute definition. This explains how common words have various
meaning depending on the person, place or context.

Mead believed its shaped by the way we interact with others. He developed SIT which
says that our self-idenity is formed through social interaction and communication. He believed
that we defined ourselves based on how others see us and how we respond to them.

Mead suggest that the self progress through three stages. These include;

PREPARATORY STAGE - PLAY STAGE - GAME STAGE

a. The Preparatory Stage

At this stage, children mimic adult behavior. Children in this period have no understanding
of the concept of right and wrong. Parents and immediate family members play a crucial role in
being excellent examples for children.

b. The Play Stage

At this stage, children role-play and experience independence in doing specific tasks.
Role-playing helps the development of the self by allowing children to take on various roles.
Children become capable of role-taking, which reflects their expanding awareness of the
importance of social relationships.

c. The Game Stage

During this stage, children learn to consider multiple roles simultaneously and how these
roles interact. They gain an understanding of interactions involving different people with
different objectives.

Role-taking, identification, and internalization continue as the child extends the range of his
social relations. That is, as we develop the capacity to take on the role of others, the self develops. The
“other” in this context refers to our relationships with others. There are two types of “others”:

i. Significant Other – a significant other is someone we know and who exercises a certain
degree of influence on us. Significant others are influential because of the roles they
play in one’s life. Significant others may include your parents, teachers, girlfriend,
boyfriend, friends, etc. These are people who are essential to one’s well-being.
ii. Generalized Other – a generalized other refers to the idea of the expectations that
others have about his/her actions and behaviors in a particular situation.
 2. CHARLES HORTON COOLEY: LOOKING -GLASS SELF THEORY

Cooley was an American social psychologist, sociologist and educator. Cooley believed hat our
sense of self is influenced and affected by how others view us. The looking-glass self is defined as how
you assess yourself based on how onlookers (friends, parents, strangers, etc.) see you. You use other
people’s reactions as your mirror to confirm your self-identity. It is like believing that you are beautiful
because most people have told you so.

The core assumptions of the looking-glass self are:

 You make an image in your mind of how you appear in front of other people
 You make an assumption about how other people will react or judge your appearance.
 You create emotions and act based on your perceived judgements.

Self-labeling is the outcome of consistent labeling and evaluation of other people. This happens
when you accept how other people label you and incorporate this into your self-concept. As a
result, other’s views and impressions of you are influenced by the labels you have. They create
biases on your part because they limit your true potential and hinder you from doing things
against the label given to you. Hence, it is imperative to evaluate yourself based on reality and
not mere assumptions you believe what other people think of you.

3. Leon Festinger – SOCIAL COMAPRISON THEORY

Leon Festinger was an American cognitive psychologist. He believed that our sense of self is
influenced and affected by comparing ourselves with others. Social comparison takes place
when you compare your abilities, skills, opinions, social status and behaviors with those
other people. People value their personal and social worth by assessing how they compare
to others.

There are 2 classifications of Social Comparison:

Downward Social Comparison -happens when you try to compare yourself with others with
whom you have an edge, making yourself feel better and competent.

Upward Social Comparison – happens when you compare yourself with others who have an
edge over you.

4. Henri Tajfel and John Turner: Social Identity Theory

Tajfel was a Polish-born social psychologist. Turner was a British psychologist. Tajfel and
Turner believed that our membership influences our sense of self in certain groups. The feeling
is of being in-group or out-group affects our social identity.

Social identity theory explains that part of a person’s self-concept depends on the groups to
which they belong. Social Identity explains that a part of your self-concept comes from the
groups you belong to. You may therefore act in accordance with your groups affiliation. These
groups include your, family, nationality, religious group, sports team, the neighborhood you live
in and so on.
 5. Erving Goffman: Self-Presentation Theory
Goffman was a Canadian-American sociologist.
Self-presentation states that your sense of self is influenced and affected by the kind of
audience you have. This theory suggest that people tend to present a constructive self-
image to others.

Strangor points out the five self-presentation strategies which include:

Ingratiation – the aim is to be liked by others by being friendly, use of flattery, and
charm.
Intimidation – the aim is to be feared by displaying aggressive behavior.
Exemplification -the aim is to create shame by showing that you are far better than
others.
Supplication – the aim is to be pitied by showing that you are hopeless, indigent,
incompetent, etc.
Self-promotion – the aim is to be respected by showing that you are competent, skilled,
capable, etc.

6. Geert Hofstede: Individualism vs. Collectivism

Hofstede was a Dutch social psychologist. He is best known for developing one of the
earliest known frameworks for understanding cultural differences globally.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory identifies six categories that define culture. One
of which is individualism vs. collectivism.

Culture is a way of life. Indeed, cultural background affects how you view yourself.
Researchers (Kitayama 1997) investigate this matter by studying how individualistic and collectivistic
culture’s affect a person’s view of themselves. This means that they see themselves as different from
others. Meanwhile, people exposed to a collectivist culture see themselves as interdependent. They
define themselves in terms of their relationships with others.