SOC SCI 02

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

LECTURE 3
SOCIOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE SELF

NATURE VS. NURTURE: THE LONGSTANDING DEBATE

NATURE: ​grounded on the basis of biology, mainly of heredity. It asserts that we are who we are because of the
genetic code that we inherited from our parents. It further says that our actions and behaviors are all
biologically predetermined.

NURTURE: ​based on the contention that the self is the product of socio-cultural factors. It means that our
actions and behaviors are the result of the relationships, interactions and caring that surround us.

*​THE EPIGENETIC VIEW by JUDITH HARRIS: ​This modern view of the factors which affect the formation of the
self aims to reconcile the rift between Nature and Nurture. This view recognizes that both Nature and Nurture
take an active part in developing the self. It gives credit to the role of heredity while acknowledging that
individuals could also be co-authors of their own self-development.

A. What constitutes a Society?

1. In Anthropology: a society connotes a group of people who are linked together through sustained
interactions, a common culture or at least a recognized set of norms, values and symbolism that defines
its members (Kottak, 2015:31; Peoples and Bailey, 2016:22).
2. In Sociology: a society is composed of a group of people sharing a common territory, a common culture and
who are in continuous interaction with one another. Societies may be separated in terms of geography,
language, beliefs and practices at the very least (Macionis, 2015:20).

B. Defining Culture
Culture is people’s way of life. It is composed of behavioural patterns, which has been created by human beings.

Culture is composed of thoughts and tangible things:

1. Material Culture: ​refers to the objects or belongings of a group of people.
2. Nonmaterial Culture:​ consists of the ideas, attitudes and beliefs of a society.

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF CULTURE

1. Universality: ​Culture is universal. There are patterns or traits that are globally common to all societies.
The social institutions like marriage and family, religion, education, polity, economy and sports that are
found across countries and cultures are considered as cultural universals. Societies have developed
values, norms, beliefs and other patterns of behavior that govern these institutions.
2. Variability: ​Alongside universality is variability. By merely looking at the social institutions in the society,
one could see so much variation in how different people and cultures practice them. An example would
be the different types of marriage: love marriages, exchange marriages, marriages by purchase,
exogamy and endogamy. In families on the other hand, we find: nuclear families, patriarchal families,
matriarchal families, egalitarian families, matrilocal, patrilocal, avinculocal and bilocal families.
 3. Learned: The key factor in learning culture is through interaction, mainly through the process of
Socialization (the process of learning the norms, values and standards of the society). Knowing how to
speak a particular language, dressing up in a particular way and other sets of behaviors are
manifestations of culture being learned.
4. Shared: It is necessary for culture to be shared. Culture is not a property of one individual or a particular
group. This necessity in sharing culture is one of the prime factors in appreciating diversity in cultures.
When the process of sharing culture stops, the culture itself dies.
5. Transmitted: It is an essential feature of culture because it is expected that culture must not end with
the death of a person or a group. Culture must be passed on from one generation to another.
Transmission of culture aids socialization, and the flourishing of the culture itself.
6. Changing: Culture is continuously changing. The transmitted patterns of behavior are constantly
modified to cater to the changing needs of time and demands of people. Modernity and Globalization
are seen as the primary forces of cultural change.

COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

1. Cognitive
a. Value: ​the basis of our judgment of what is good and what is bad depending on the situation and on
how an individual make use of them. Example: pakikisama, honesty, cooperation
b. Beliefs: statements about reality or convictions that people hold to be true, and are divided
between ​Primitive/Superstitious beliefs or Scientific beliefs ​(beliefs with empirical basis)
c. Symbols:​ they represent things other than itself. Symbols are composed of:
-​Paralanguage: extra linguistic noise
-​Objects: physical things
-​Gestures: actions and behaviors
-​Characteristics: colors, emblems, designs and marks
-​Language: a complex system of written, verbal and non-verbal cues that is governed by grammar and
syntax.
2. ​Normative: ​guidelines of behavior in our society that tells us what is wrong or tight, proper or improper in
the society. Any deviations from it is followed by sanctions.
a. Folkways: ​norms without moral underpinnings; they direct appropriate behavior in the everyday
practices and expressions of a culture.
b. Mores: ​norms which have moral significance; their source mainly is from the ten commandments.
Example: the universal incest taboo, monogamy/polygamy
c. Laws: ​formal and written codes of conduct that have been formally integrated in the constitutional
laws established and created by the state and the sanction depends upon the degree of violation.
Example: Euthanasia, Anti-Abortion
3.​ ​Material: ​any man-made creation or thinking; tangible objects
Technology: ​refers to techniques and know how in utilizing raw materials to produce food, tools, shelter,
clothing, means of transportation and weapon. These products become artifacts.

PATTERNS OF CULTURE
High Culture. ​A term which describes the pattern of cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in the highest
class segments of society.

Popular Culture. ​Refers to the pattern of cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in mainstream society.

Cultural Change: ​Culture is always evolving. Cultures change when something new opens up new ways of living
and when new ideas enter a culture. (Globalization, Innovation, Inventions)

Cultural Lag: ​coined by William F. Ogburn. It refers to the time that elapses between when a new item of
material culture is introduced and when it becomes an accepted part of nonmaterial culture.

Ethnocentrism. ​The practice of judging other’s culture by the standards of one’s own culture.

Xenocentrism. ​Considering other’s culture as superior to one’s own.

Cultural Relativism. ​The practice of judging a culture by its own standards; a particular pattern of behavior is
right or wrong as it is declared by the people who follow it.

C. SOCIALIZATION AND PERSONALITY

Socialization ​is the process through which people are taught to be proficient members of the society. It
describes the ways that people come to understand societal norms and expectations, to accept society’s beliefs,
and to be aware of societal values. ​Socialization ​is not the same as ​socializing (interacting with others, like
family, friends, and coworkers); to be precise, it is a sociological process that occurs through socializing.

Sociologists have long been fascinated by circumstances in which a child receives no social interaction because
they highlight how much we depend on social interaction to provide the information and skills that we need to
be part of society or even to develop a “self”.

WHY SOCIALIZATION MATTERS

Socialization is just as essential to us as individuals. Social interaction provides the means via which we gradually
become able to see ourselves through the eyes of others, learning who we are and how we fit into the world
around us. In addition, to function successfully in society, we have to learn the basics of both material land
nonmaterial culture, everything from how to dress ourselves to what’s suitable attire for a specific occasion;
from when we sleep to what we sleep on; and from what’s considered appropriate to eat for dinner to how to
use the stove to prepare it. Most importantly, we have to learn language in order to communicate and to think.

FUNCTIONS OF SOCIALIZATION
1. Transmission of values, customs, beliefs from one generation to another.
2. Development of a person into a socially functioning person.
3. Social control mechanism.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
 SOCIAL GROUP AGENTS: ​Social groups often provide the first experiences of socialization. Families and
later peer groups, communicate expectations and reinforce norms.

1. FAMILY: ​the first agent of socialization; influenced by race, social class, religion and other factors.

2. PEER GROUPS: ​made up of people who are similar in age and social status and are sharing the same
interests. Peer groups provide their own opportunities for socialization since kids usually engage in
different types of activities with their peers than they do with their families.

INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS: ​The social institutions of our culture also inform our socialization. Formal
institutions—like schools, workplaces, and the government—teach people how to behave in and
navigate these systems. Other institutions, like the media, contribute to socialization by inundating us
with messages about norms and expectations.

1. SCHOOL: ​It serves a latent function in society by socializing children into behaviors like teamwork,
following a schedule and using textbooks. School and classroom rituals regularly reinforce what society
expects from children. Sociologists describe this aspect of schools as the ​hidden curriculum, ​the
informal teaching done by schools.

2. RELIGION: It focuses on practices related to formal institutions. From ceremonial rites of passage that
reinforce the family unit, to power dynamics which reinforce gender roles, religion fosters a shared set
of socialized values that are passed on through society.

3. MASS MEDIA: Refers to the distribution of impersonal information to a wide audience. It greatly
influences social norms, people learn about objects of material culture (technology options), as well as
non material culture (beliefs, values and norms).

THEORIES REGARDING THE SELF, SOCIETY and CULTURE

THE LOOKING GLASS SELF THEORY by CHARLES HORTON COOLEY: ​People’s self-understanding is constructed, in
part, by their perception of how others view them.
Elements of the Theory:
1. The imagination of how we appear to other persons.
2. The imagination of the judgment of the appearance.

THE GENERALIZED OTHER: ROLE TAKING & ROLE PLAYING THEORY by GEORGE HERBERT MEAD: ​the self (a
person’s distict identity that is developed through social interaction). Before an individual develops the self, he
must first see himself in the eyes of others through the roles he takes.

STAGES CHARACTERIZATION

Imitation The preparatory stage; they copy the actions of people with whom they regularly interact with
(0-1 year) like their mothers and fathers.
Play Stage Role playing takes place where the child becomes gradually conscious of the role he plays but
(2-7 years old) do not have a complete idea of the role; Example: acting out grownup behavior, dress up and
acting the mom role, talking on a toy telephone the way they see their fathers do.
Game (8 years Children learn to consider several roles at the same time and how those roles interact with
old onwards) each other. They learn to understand interactions involving different people with a variety of
purposes.

JOHN TURNER AND HENRI TAJFEL: SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY

a.) Asserts that we draw part of our sense of identity and self-esteem from the social groups that we belong to.
b.) We can gain self-esteem by perceiving ourselves as members of important and valued groups that make us
feel good about ourselves.
c.) Social identities can be diversified through various categories such as ethnic and religious groups (e.g. Asian,
Jewish), political affiliations (e.g. left-wing/right-wing, conservative/liberal), occupations and hobbies (e.g.
lawyer, accountant, golf, gardening), personal relationships (e.g. husband/wife, daughter/son,
married/separated), and marginalized groups (e.g. LGBTQIA+, homeless).

ERVING GOFFMAN: DRAMATURGICAL THEORY

a.)​ ​Builds on the idea that “men are mere actors and actresses in a large stage called the society”.
b.) Its key concept is impression management defined as a conscious or subconscious process in which people
attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event. They do so by regulating
and controlling information in social interaction.
c.) Impression management and dramaturgy need the combination of certain elements for it to be successful: