Sociological Self Flashcards
a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them.
Sociology
Study of human relationships and institutions
Sociology
SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWS OF THE SELF
- The Self as Product of Modern Society Among Others
- Self as Necessary Fiction
- Post-modern View of the Self
With modernization, the self becomes a “delocalized” self which is free to seek its own identity; defining religion, theological tradition; free from customary constraints hence, deviating from the traditional way of life.
The Self as Product of Modern Society Among Others
With modernization, the self becomes a ___________ self which is free to seek its own identity
“delocalized”
delocalized self means
free to seek its own identity; defining religion, theological tradition; free from customary constraints hence, deviating from the traditional way of life.
believes that the struggle for one’s individuality is only possible in modern society where religiotheological traditions are gradually replaced by rational and scientific calculations; and the intimate personal affiliations are replaced by exceedingly impersonal associations brought about by urbanized way of life.
Clifford Geertz (1973)
Conditions of the self in the Modern Society that poses certain problem as:
- The newfound freedom threatens the very authenticity of the self (e.g. love).
- Alienation (Marx) – human beings haunted by the very images they have created
- Objectification of the body (e.g. medical practice)
- Dehumanization of self
human beings haunted by the very images they have created
Alienation (Marx)
doctors who did head transplant
Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero and Chinese surgeon Dr. Xiaoping Ren.
First head swap has been carried out on
human corpses
Self is nothing more than a metaphor, a representation of something abstract; symbolic. Self is nothing more than a metaphor, a representation of something abstract; symbolic.
Self as Necessary Fiction
A true given self is not what unites these experiences, but it is the presumed unity of these experiences that gave rise to a concept of the self.
Self as Necessary Fiction
Self is a product of modern discourse that is historically and socially imprisoned by what is acceptable by norms.
Post-modern View of the Self
Self is “digitalized” in cyberspace, a virtual version of who we are
Post-modern View of the Self
Self is _________________ in cyberspace, a _____________________
“digitalized”; virtual version of who we are
who said “Self is “digitalized” in cyberspace, a virtual version
of who we are” and when
Greene, 2017
The following are the manifestations of Post-modern View of the Self
- Information technology dislocates the self, thus, self is “digitalized” in cyberspace.
- Global migration produces multicultural identities.
- Post-modern selves are “pluralized” selves
Social Construction of the Self
- Rewriting the Self as an Artistic Creation
- Self Creation and Collective Identity
- Self Creation and the struggle for cultural recognition
It states that the unity of the self is not pregiven but accomplished through conscious effort - transform self through beautiful work of art
Rewriting the Self as an Artistic Creation
who said “the unity of the self is not pregiven but accomplished through conscious effort - transform self through beautiful work of art”
Nietzsche
who said “Contingencies of selfhood – conceal the “ugly” by reinterpreting the overall aesthetic contours of the self”
Rorty
conceal the “ugly” by reinterpreting the overall aesthetic
contours of the self
Contingencies of selfhood
- Memory and forgetting are most important powers in recreating a person’s identity.
- Such memories of the past include pain, triumph, etc
Self Creation and Collective Identity
are most important powers in recreating a person’s identity
Memory and forgetting
Such experiences of the past can be linked with social transformation
social transformation
- Self creation is necessarily grounded on collective solidarities.
- We create ourselves by struggling with cultural hassles then owning the created self.
- We hide the ugly part of our cultural nature.
Self Creation and the struggle for cultural recognition
is necessarily grounded on collective solidarities
Self creation
The quest or search for self-identity is a _______________________________ but this is complicated by the socio-cultural sensibilities of postmodernity
product of modern society
The self constantly lives in this paradox: to pursue self creation within pre-given, not willfully chosen social circumstances.
Beyond Self Creation
Mead’s Theory of Self
- Mead’s Three Stages of Development of Self
- The Looking-Glass Self: Our Sense of Self is Influenced by Others’ Views of Us
- Social Comparison Theory: Our Sense of Self Is Influenced by Comparisons with Others
is an American sociologist best known as a founder of American pragmatism
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
a pioneer of symbolic interaction theory
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
one of the founders of social psychology
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
Mead’s theory of the self maintains that the conception a person holds of himself/herself in his/her mind emerges from ________________________________.
social interaction with others
The self according to Mead has 2 Components
Me and I
Represents the expectations and attitudes of others organized into a social self
Me
The individual defines his/her own behavior with reference to the generalized attitude of the social group(s) he/she occupies
Me
is the self as object
Me
It is the response to the “me”, or the persons individuality
I
It is the essence of agency in human action.
I
is the individuals impulses
I
is the self as subject
I
Mead’s Three Stages of Development of Self
Stage 1: PREPARATORY STAGE
Stage 2: THE PLAY STAGE
Stage 3: THE GAME STAGE
- Birth to 2 years old
- In this stage children mimic those around them
- This is why parents of young children typically do not
want you to use foul language around them (Rath, 2016)
PREPARATORY STAGE
2- 6 years old
- During this stage, children play pretend and do not adhere to the rules in organized games like patintero or basketball (Rath, 2016)
THE PLAY STAGE
Playing a game with children of this age is far easier to just go with any “rules” they come up with during the course of the game than trying to enforce any rules upon them
THE PLAY STAGE
- They play ‘pretend’ as the significant other.
- This mean that when they play “bahaybahayan”, they are literally pretending to be the mommy or the daddy that they know
THE PLAY STAGE
- 7years old- onwards
- Children can begin to understand and adhere
to the rules of games
THE GAME STAGE
They can begin to play more formalized games because they begin to understand other people’s perspective.
THE GAME STAGE
the degree of personal insecurity you display in social situations is determined by what you believed other people think of you
Charles Horton Cooley (1864- 1929)
Sometimes, the influence of others people’s appraisals of ourselves on our self- concept may be so strong that we end up __________________ them
internalizing
occurs when we are labaled, and others’ views and expectations of us are affected by
that labeling
labeling bias
who said “labeling bias occurs when we are labaled, and others’ views and expectations of us are affected by that labeling”
Fox & Sinnett, 1996
If we are repeatedly labeled and evaluated by others, then ___________________ may occur, which happens when we adopt others’ labels explicitly into our self- concept.
self- labeling
which occurs when individuals turn prejudice directed toward them by others onto themselves
Internalized Prejudice
has been found to predict more negative self concept and poorer psychological adjustment in members of various
groups, including sexual minorities (Carter, 2012) and racial minorities (Szymanski & Obiri, 2011)
Internalized Prejudice
are also heavily influenced by the process of social comparison (Blunk, et.al 2007).
Self-concept and self-esteem
Self-concept and self-esteem are also heavily influenced by the process of (Blunk, et.al 2007).
social comparison
occurs when we learn about our abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and validity of our opinions, and about our relative social status by comparing our own attitudes,
beliefs, and behaviors with those of others.
social comparison
However, the most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those
we see as similar to ourselves
who said “However, the most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those we see as similar to ourselves”
Festingr, 1954
Self is nothing more than a metaphor, a representation of something abstract; symbolic
Self as Necessary Fiction
Self for ____________, is the sum of individual’s action, thoughts and feelings
Nietzsche
Self is not discoeveref; it is made through the socialization process. But individuals are not just hapless victims of socialization. The individual is an active, strategizing agent that negotiates for the definition of himself. Self is acquired socially through language, like symbols. We construct ourselves based on our social roles through socialization agents - family, school, sommunity etc.
Social Construction of the Self
