CHAPTER 2

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF SOCIETY

I. MODULE OVERVIEW

Human behaviours can be influenced and formed by a certain group of life. Sociological perspective is
grounded in the thought that people around you can mold the way you think and act. It gives importance to
interaction with people, groups or social institutions. For sociologist lke Mead and Cooley, the self does not depend
on the biological predispositions; rather, it is a product of social interactions.
The sense of self emerges as the individual takes part in the society. In modern society, people seeks of
stable and consistent self-identity. On the other hand, the post-modern society would avoid stagnant life and avoids
fixation and keeps options for self-imporvement.

II. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this topic, the students should be able to:
1. Understand what is sociological persective in understanding the sellf and others.
2. Discuss George Herbert Mead’s Theory of the social self.
3. Explain how individuals view self as a product of socialization
4. Appreciate their own social experiences that have been particularly helpful in understanding the
self.

III. TAKE OFF/MOTIVATION

“The task for sociology is to come to the help of the individual. We have to be in service of freedom. It is
something we have lost sight of”
- Zygmunt Bauman

IV. CONTENT FOCUS

Definition of terms:

Sociology- A scientific study of social groups and human realtionships that opens new insight into the
interconnectedness between the self and other people.
The Looking-glass self- A concept introduced by Charles Horton Cooley that explains the developments of
one’s self and identity through interaction with others.
Theory of Social Self. The theory explained by George Herbert Mead that supports the view of a person
developing a sense of self through social interactions. Mead believes that self passes through three stages of
development: preparatory, play, and game.

LOOKING GLASS SELF (Charles Horton Cooley, 1902)

Cooley theorized that people view themselves not only from the way they think about who they are, but also
from the perception of how other people perceive them. He realized that this process can happen through
three steps.

shorturl.at/mPX12

1
 First, a person will imagine how they appear to other people. To their friends, families and
whoever around their circle of influence.
Second, a person will imagine how other people will evaluate or judge him/her based on
their observation to that person. They may describe that person as friendly, noisy, funny,
quiet and other qualties that they can see.
Third, that person will develop feelings about himself/herself based on the way they appear
to others and their actual observations.

One important point in this theory is that people are not actually influenced by the opinion of others, but
instead they are influenced by what they imagine the opinions would be. So this theory ultimately states,
that we can develop identities based on the correct or incorrect perceptions of how other people may see us.
It would be critical if a person would think that others judge him or her unfavorably because that could lead
to a negative self image.

THEORY OF SOCIAL SELF (George Herbert Mead)

Preparatory Stage (0 to 3 years old). Children try to copy people around them, especially close family
members that has daily interactions with them. They imitate their bahviours but do not understand the
meaning behind those behaviours. They do not have a sense of self yet at this stage.

Play Stage (3 to 5 years old). At this stage, children start to view themselves in relation to others as they

shorturl.at/mPn01

learn to communicate through language and other gestures. Children exhibits role-taking but they do not
realize or perceive that role-taking is something expected for them. The self gradually emerges as the
children pretend to take roles of specific people and those individuals who are important in socialization.
The self is still developing at this stage.

shorturl.at/ngX32
Game Stage (begins in early school years; about 8 to 9 years old). Children at this stage can recognize
their own social position as well as the social postions of the people around them. They become concerned
about and take into consideration their own behaviour based on the attitudes, viewpoints, demands, and
expectation of the society which inlcude cultural norms and values that serve as a reference in evaluating
oneself. This stage of their development allow them to be mindful of the people around them and respond to
numerous members of the social environment. Self is now present during this stage.

2
THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF MODERN AND POSTMODERN SOCIETIES.

In modern societies, the attainment and consistency of self-identity are freely chosen (Lanuza, 2004). It is
no longer restricted by customs and traditions. This freedom offers inifinite possibilites in self-cultivation and
improvement. However, in the rise of these possibilities, problems such as alienation and dehumanization of the self
also emerges which hinder the full development of human potentials. With this in mind, it is important to to
discover the “authentic core” of the self so that the individual can work towards self-realization.
Post-modern societies on the other hand continously offer changes in self-identity due to the demands of
multitude social context, new information technologies, and globalization. French sociologist Jean Baudrillard
reveals the negative consequence of postmodernity to the society (Demeterio, 2013). According to him, to consume,
is what postmodern society is all about. These individuals achieve self-identity by consuming prestige symbols.
They seek for a position in the society through the quality of prestige symbols that they can afford to consume.
The practice we are living right now where advertising, mass media, and even social media can greatly
influence the individuals to consume goods not because of the primary purpose it can give, but because they can
give feelings of power and goodness when compared to others. Hence, postmodern person cannot be satisfied in his
or her life and will continue to consume.
For example, when a person buys an expensive cellphone not because of its usefulness for communication
but for the brand and popularity it gives, and another upgrade of that phone will appear, he or she will desire to buy
shorturl.at/mPX02
another upgraded phone because it will give more prestigious feeling. Therefore, we can say that self in the post-
modern society is on a never-ending quest for prestige and power.

3
 V. SELF CHECK

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Instruction: The students will be required to answer the

following questions. Only letter will be chosen and written in the space provided before
the number.

________1. He introduced the concept “looking-glas self”

a. George Herbert Mead b. Charles Horton Cooley c. Gerry Lanuzad. Jean

Baudrillard

________2. He proposed the theory of social self.

a. George Herbert Mead b. Charles Horton Cooley c. Gerry Lanuzad. Jean

Baudrillard

________3. During this stage, there is no self.

a. Game stage
b. Play stage
c. Preparatory stage
d. Role playing stage

________4. During this stage, the self is developing.

a. Game stage
b. Play stage
c. Preparatory stage
d. Role playing stage

________5. The attitudes, viewpoints, demands, and expectations of others and the society.

a. Role Taking c. Generalized Others

b. Role Playing d. Looking-glass Self

VI. SELF-REFLECT

Write an essay on the theories and concpets of Mead, Cooley, Baudrillard, and Lanuza.
Consider the following questions in writing your essay. Write your answers on the space
provided.

NOTE: There are no right and wrong answers about getting to know more about yourself.
Just be confident and honest as you answer these guide questions

1.Give three things that you have discovered in your social self?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________

2. How are you going to apply your insights in understanding your social self.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________

3. If there is one lesson you learned in knowing about social self, what is that lesson? And
why ?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________

4
 VII. REFERENCES

Demeterio, F. (2013). Understanding the postmodern culture and philosophy. In Garcia, L. (Ed.),
Exploring the Philosophical Terrain. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.

Kendall, D. (2013). Sociology in our times (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.

Lanuza, G. (2004). The Constitution of the self. In David, R (Ed.), Nation, Self, and Citizenship:
An Invitation to Philippine sociology. Mandaluyong: Anvil Publishing

Understanding the Self pdf retrieved on August 29, 2020 at

https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Understanding-the-Self.pdf

“Understanding the Self” by Ma. Joycelyn A. Go-Monilla & Normaliza C. Ramirez

Compiled and edited by

Jither Ken V. Patalinghug
Phoebe M. Castillo
Instructor I/DEBESMSCAT