Sociological Perspective: The Self as a Product of Society PDF

MIDTERM **SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: The Self as a Product of Society** **SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF --** Is based on the assumption that human behaviour is influenced by GROUP LIFE. - According to Jean Baudrillard, a French philosopher, the self is found in the prestige symbols of...

MIDTERM **SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: The Self as a Product of Society** **SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF --** Is based on the assumption that human behaviour is influenced by GROUP LIFE. - According to Jean Baudrillard, a French philosopher, the self is found in the prestige symbols of goods consumed by people. - The postmodern person has become an insatiable consumer. Therefore, if people desire to be satisfied with things in life, they should not be persuaded by the postmodern culture of advertisement and mass media which suggest false needs. **CHARLES HORTON COOLEY: Looking-glass self theory** - He highlights that the people whom a person interacts with become a mirror in which he or she views himself or herself. - **Self-identity or self-image** is achieved through a threefold event which begins by conceiving an idea of how a person presents himself or herself to others, how he/she analyses how others perceive him/her and how he/she creates an image of himself/herself. **CHARLES COOLEY: Looking-glass self theory** - Since these perceptions are subjective, a person might have wrong interpretations of how other people evaluate him/her. - It would be critical if he/she thinks that others judge him/her unfavourably because he could develop a negative self-image (Kendall,2013; Macionis,2015;Schaefer,2014) **GEORGE MEAD: Social Self Theory** - A person develops a sense of self through social interaction and not the biological preconditions of that interaction. **GEORGE MEAD: Social Self Theory** - Two divisions of self - **"I" -- subjective element** = - the active side of the self. it represents the spontaneous and unique traits of the individual. - **"Me" -- objective element** = represents the internalized attitudes and demands of other people and the individual awareness of those demands. - Note: According to Mead, the full development of the self is attained when "I" and "Me" are united. **According to Mead, the self is not present at birth.** - It develops only with social experience in which language, gestures and objects are used to communicate meaningfully. **Three-stage process of self development:** **GEORGE MEAD: Social Self Theory** 1.**Preparatory Stage (0-2 yrs. old)** - Preparatory Stage (0-2 years old) - in this stage, children imitate the people around them, especially family members. - They copy behaviour without understanding underlying emotions, and so at this stage, they have no sense of self. - At this stage, children are just preparing for role-taking. 2.**Play stage (2-6 yrs. old)** - Children start to view themselves in relation to others as they learn to communicate through language and other symbols. - At this stage, role-taking is exhibited; however, children do not perceive role-taking as something expected to them. - The self emerges as children pretend to take the roles of specific people or significant others, those individuals who are important agents of socialization. - At this stage, the self is developing. **3.Game stage (about 7-9 yrs. old)** - Children understand not only their own social position but also those of others around them. - At this stage, children become concerned about and take into account in their behavior - This time, they can have a more sophisticated look of people and an ability to respond to numerous members of the social environment. - During this stage, the self is now present. **THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF MODERN AND POSTMODERN SOCIETIES** **Gerry Lanuza: The Constitution of the Self** - According to him, in modern societies, the attainment and stability of self-identity are freely chosen. It is no longer restricted by customs and traditions. - While this newfound freedom offers infinite possibilities for self-cultivation, problems such as alienation and dehumanization of the self also appear which hinder the full development of human potentials. - Hence, there is a need to discover the "authentic core" of the self for the individual to freely work towards self-realization. - Whereas the dissolution of traditional values and communities in modern society has led the individual to construct a solid and stable self-identity. - The postmodern individual welcomes all possibilities for self-improvement. - In postmodern societies, self-identity continuously changes due to the demands of multitude of social contexts, new information technologies and globalizations. **Jean Baudrillard** - He exposes the negative consequences of postmodernity to individuals in the society. - For him, consumption structures the postmodern society. The postmodern individuals achieve self-identity through prestige symbols that they consume. - Individuals seek for a position in society through the quality of prestige symbol that they can afford to consume. - The cultural practices of advertising and mass media greatly influence individuals to consume goods not for their primary value and utility but for the feeling of goodness and power when compared with others. **PHYSICAL SELF** - refers to the body, the body\'s ability to perform its functions gradually changes through an individual\'s aging. **Life span -** refers to the development from conception to death. Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlines the stages in the life span: - **Prenatal**- fertilization to birth - **Infancy**- birth to 2 weeks of life - **Babyhood**- 2 weeks of life to 2nd year - **Early childhood**- 2 to 6 years old - **Puberty**- 10 or 12 to 14 years old - **Adolescence**- 14 to 18 years old - **Early adulthood**- 18 to 40 years old - **Middle adulthood**- 40 to 60 years old - **Late adulthood or senescence-** 60 years old to death **Two Factors Affecting Physical Growth and Development** 1. **Heredity**- the biological process of the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring. 2. **Environment**- the factors an individual is exposed to throughout life which includes learning and experiences. - Heridity - physical or mental characteristics **Theories of Physical Self** 1. **Theory of physiognomy** - suggest that a person\'s physical characteristics such as facial features and expressions and body structures could be related to a person\'s character or personality. - According to ancient Chinese practice of face reading, the face is a three-dimensional reflection of \"who we are and how life has affected us. 2. **Face readers** - observe how facial features and markings correspond to a person\'s mental, emotional, and physical makeup. **Theory based on the prominence of body fluids** - developed by Hippocrates in ancient Greece. - suggests that an excess of or deficiency in any of the four bodily fluids (or humors) in a person, influences their personality, temperament, and well-being. 1. **Sanguine type** - has the prominence of red bile. - they tend to be impulsive, cheerful, happy, and optimistic. 2. **Melancholic type** - has the prominence of black bile. they tend to be depressed and pessimistic. 3. **Choleric** - has the prominence of yellow bile. - they are easily angry, jumpy, and temperamental. 4. **Phlegmatic** - has excess phlegm - they tend to be sluggish, dull, and slow. **Body-type Theory by William Sheldon** - based on physical characteristics The three body types are: 1. **Endomorphic** - is soft and plump - perceived to be easy going and sociable. **2. Mesomorphic** - characterized by a strong muscular body - perceived to be energetic, adventurous, assertive, and courageous. - they are competitive and tend to be dominant 3. **Ectomorphic** - is tall and thin. - people who have this body type tend to be restrained, quiet, introverted, and artistic. The Wisdom of Your Face by Jean Haner 1. **Oval-shaped faces-** are generally hospitable and tactful. 2. **Round-shaped faces-** tend to be friendly, kind hearted, and selfless. 3. **Square** -- shaped faces. tend to be witty, analytical, and great leaders 4. **Heart-shaped faces-** are patient and intuitive by nature 5. **Long-shaped faces-** are perfectionist and tend to be aggressive 6. **Triangle-shaped faces-** tend to be creative, artistic, sensitive, and determined. 7. **Diamond- shaped faces-** are very detail-oriented and like to be in control **The Wisdom of Your Face by Jean Haner** - Haner also suggest that people with thick eyebrows are tend to be confident, assertive, and goal -oriented. **Body Image**- refers to how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance. **Appearance-** refers to everything about a person that others can observe such as height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle. **Self-esteem-** is related to body image. Which is a person\'s overall evaluation of his or her own worth. **Anorexia**- is an eating disorder in which a person refuses to eat for fear of gaining weight which can result in severe starvation and death. It mostly afflicts females between ages of 12 and 40. **Bulimia Nervosa**- in which the person induces purging after binging on large quantities of food.