Social and
Cultural View of
the theSelf
Understanding Self – Chapter 1
The Self From Various Perspectives
Introductio
n
The self has been a topic of debate and
discussion in philosophy throughout
history. With the advent of social
sciences, new paradigms emerged,
emphasizing the importance of the self
over the body and mind.
What is self?
Self is defi ned as being distinct, self-
contained, independent, consistent,
unitary, and private, distinct from others
and possessing unique thoughts,
characteristics, and volition.
01. SEPARATE it is meant that the self is distinct from
other selves. The self is always unique and has its
own identity one cannot be another person. Even
twins are distinct from each other
SELF-CONTAINED & INDEPENDENT - because in
02. itself it can exist its distinctness allow it to be self-
contained with its own thoughts, characteristics,
and volition. It does not require any other self for it
to exist.
CONSISTENT - because it has a personality that is enduring
03.
and therefore can be expected to persist for quite some time
its consistency allows to be studied, described, and measured,
consistency also means that a particular self traits,
characteristics, tendencies, and potentialities are more or less
the same.
O4 UNITARY - in that it is the center of all
experiences and thoughts that run through a
. certain person it is like the chief command
post in an individual where all processes,
emotion, and thoughts converge.
PRIVATE- Each person sorts out information,
05. feelings and emotions, and though processes
within theSELF-CONTAINED
self. This &whole INDEPENDENT process
- is never
02.
because in itself it can exist its distinctness
accessible allow
to it anyone butwiththe
to be self-contained its ownself. This last
thoughts, characteristics, and volition. It
characteristic of any
does not require theother self
self being private
for it to
exist.
suggest that the self is isolated from the
external world.
The Self and Culture
Remaining the same person and turning chameleon by adapting to one's context
seems paradoxical. A French Anthropologist MARCEL MAUSS has an explanation
for this phenomenon. According to Mauss, every self has two faces: personne
and moi.
Moi
refers to a person's sense of
who he is, his body, and his
basic identity, his biological
governess. Moi is a person's
basic identity personne on the
other hand, is composed of the
social concepts of what it
means to be who he is.
Personne
has much to do with what it
means to live in a particular
institution, a particular family, a
particular religion, a particular
nationality and how to behave
given expectations and
infl uences from others.
Sample shifts in
personne
✓ adjusting countries cultures in other
✓ Man courting a woman (tone and mood)
✓ When in church
✓ the use of language
✓ Other adjustments in cultural ways
The Self and the Development of
Social Word
The development of social beings in childhood involves
both innate characteristics and active participation in
shaping the self. Twins raised separately can exhibit vast
diff erences due to the infl uence of environment and
individual experiences. Language plays a crucial role in
this process, serving as a shared tool for both personal
and social expression.
Mead & Vygotsky
emphasise the importance of
language and social interaction in
human development. They believe
that internal dialogue plays a
crucial role in decision-making and
understanding external reality
through cognitive and emotional
mimicry.
The Self in families
The impact of one's family is crucial
in understanding the self, as it
shapes the resources and
development potential available to
a child. Factors such as genetics,
upbringing, and family dynamics all
play a role in infl uencing one's
identity and overall well-being from
birth onwards.
Human beings learn the ways of living and therefore
their selfhood by being in a family. How kids are reared
by a kind of refl ect their behavior and attitude. Some
attitudes and behavior may be indirectly taught
through rewards and punishments. Others, such as
sexual behavior or how to confront emotions are
learned through subtle means like the tone of the
voice or intonation of the models. Without a family,
biologically and sociologically a person may not even
survive or become a human person. One is who he is
because of his family for the most part.
Gender and the Self
Gender is a signifi cant aspect of the self that
can be altered and validated. People have
fought for their gender rights against
conservative beliefs in biological
determinism. It is essential to allow
individuals to explore, express, and live their
true identity as part of their selfhood.
One maneuvers into the society and identifi es
himself as who he is by also taking note of
gender identities. As part of the culture, there
are roles which are expected from a particular
person based from his sex or gender, however
slight changes have been observed on the
way due to feminism and lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activism but
for the most part patriarchy has remained to
be at work
Thank you
very
much!
