Lesson 3-Notes and Activity-Sociological

UNIT 3
The Self in the Sociological Perspective
“One’s behavior when he or she is alone differs from his or her behavior when he
or she is with others.”
Sociology as a scientific study of social groups and human relationships

generates new insights into the interconnectedness between the self and other people.
The Sociological Perspective of the self assumes that human behavior is influenced by
group life. A view of oneself is formed through interactions with other people, groups, or
social interactions. This module draws on the principles and concepts of well-known
sociologists to foster student understanding of sociology and how sociology impacts
students’ everyday lives and provide a pathway to self-understanding of “who you are”
and “what you are” in the society. It emphasize the careful gathering and analysis of
evidence about social life to develop and enrich our understanding of key social
processes.
Sociologists who became the pioneering contributors to sociological perspectives

of the self were so eager to unlock the various factors which they believe to have been
the major contributing elements to the development of the self. Below are the most
popular sociologists and their interpretations:
A. Charles Cooley
“One’s sense of self depends on seeing one’s
self-reflected in interactions with others.”
He who believed that the influence

of groups within a society had a strong
impact on human behavior. He was the
proponent of the “looking glass self”
theory which states that our self-concepts
and identities are a reflection of how other
people perceive us.
According to Cooley, self-identity or self-image is achieved through a three -fold
event or processes namely:
1. the conceiving of an idea of how we present our self to others (How do I
appear to others?
2. the understanding of how we analyze how others perceive us (What must
others think of me?)
3. the creating of an image of ourself (Revise how we think about ourselves.)
Example:
A student who believes in the power of hard work submitted all the written
outputs on time. When he received his works back, he was so
disappointed when he saw all the comments and corrections of his
teacher, (not knowing that his teacher did it on purpose as she saw his
potential, believing that correcting his works would help him become much
better). The student then, considers himself as a bad student because he
thinks that his teacher thinks of him as not doing his best by the kind of
output he submitted.
According to sociologist Charles Horton Cooley, individuals develop their concept
of self by observing how they are perceived by others, a concept Cooley coined as the
“looking-glass self.”
The Looking-glass Self Theory
This refers to the notion that the self develops through our perception of others’
evaluation and appraisal of us. This means that the image people have of themselves
is based on how they believe others perceive them.
Ex:
Your image of yourself is based on how the people around you think of you.
Your parents consider you as a responsible child, your boyfriend however
thinks of you as dependent and clingy. Your classmates see you as diligent
and smart while your closest friends say that you are a complete opposite
of a wise man. The image that you create then about yourself is based on
their evaluations about you.
B. George Herbert Mead

“One’s behavior when he or she is alone differs
from his or her behavior when he or she is with others.”
He is an American sociologist best known

as a founder of American pragmatism. He
is a pioneer of symbolic interaction theory.
Mead's theory of the self-maintains that the
conception a person holds of themselves in
their mind emerges from social interaction
with others.
Social Self Theory
Mead's work focuses on the way in which the self is developed. Mead's theory
of the social self is based on the perspective that the self emerges from social
interactions, such as observing and interacting with others, responding to others'
opinions about oneself, and internalizing external opinions and internal feelings about
oneself. The social aspect of self is an important distinction because other sociologists
and psychologists of Mead's time felt that the self was based on biological factors and
inherited traits. According to Mead, the self is not there from birth, but it is developed
over time from social experiences and activities.
Development of Self
According to Mead, three activities develop the self: language, play, and games.
 Language develops self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through

symbols, gestures, words, and sounds. Language conveys others' attitudes and
opinions toward a subject or the person. Emotions, such as anger, happiness,
and confusion, are conveyed through language.
Ex: The development of the self, started since we were still

young. When others tell us of something like feelings through
language, A baby for instance smiles and gets excited when her
siblings play with her a ‘peek-a-boo’ game. The baby gets the
expressions through the language conveyed.
 Play develops self by allowing individuals to take on different roles, pretend, and

express expectation of others. Play develops one's self-consciousness through
role-playing. During role-play, a person is able to internalize the perspective of
others and develop an understanding of how others feel about themselves and
others in a variety of social situations.
‘Bahay-bahayan’ is a good example of this. When kids take roles

such as a mother or father or community service people. Kids get
have an idea about the different roles of these characters that
eventually influence their self -development when internalized.
 Games develop self by allowing individuals to understand and adhere to the

rules of the activity. Self is developed by understanding that there are rules in
which one must abide by in order to win the game or be successful at an activity.
This stage is best explained through the rules of game. That for one
to be considered a hero or villain, winner or failure, there is a rule or
standards to follow.
Two Sides of Self: Me & I
Sociologist George Herbert Mead supports the view that a person develops a
sense of self through social interaction and not the biological preconditions of that
interaction. Mead’s Theory of the Social Self explained that the self has two divisions:
the “I” self and the “ME” self. The “I” is the subjective element, and this is who an
individual really is. It is one’s opinion of himself and known as the unsocialized self. It is
manifested when one acts naturally for his own motivations and not for others. The “ME”
as the objective element of the self is the awareness of how others expect one to
behave; known as the social self. This represents the internalized attitudes and
demands of other people and the individual’s awareness of those demands. The full
development of the self is attained when the “I” and “ME” are united. This means that a
person achieves a true sense of self if his or her attitudes and behavior are in most
cases the same when he or she is alone or when interacting with others.
Simply, the 'me' represents learned behaviors, attitudes, and expectations of

others and of society. This is sometimes referred to as the generalized other. The 'me'
is considered a phase of the self that is in the past. The 'me' has been developed by the
knowledge of society and social interactions that the individual has gained.
The 'I', therefore, can be considered the present and future phase of the self.
The 'I' represents the individual's identity based on response to the 'me.' The 'I' says,
'Okay. Society says I should behave and socially interact one way, and I think I should
act the same (or perhaps different),' and that notion becomes self.
The 'me' and the 'I' have a didactic relationship, like a system of checks and
balances. The 'me' exercises societal control over one's self. The 'me' is what prevents
someone from breaking the rules or boundaries of societal expectations. The 'I' allows
the individual to still express creativity and individualism and understand when to
possibly bend and stretch the rules that govern social interactions. The 'I' and the 'me'
make up the self.
Ex: You dislike alcohol (your I-self), but your closest friends insisted to
invite you for a night out. They forced you to drink with them. Because you
dislike to be labeled as ‘KJ or Killjoy’ (your Me-Self), you gave in. When you
got home, you pretended not to be drunk and still went to the school
despite the serious headache because you don’t want to disappoint your
parents and teachers (Me-Self). While listening to the discussion, you were
contemplating and feeling guilty about drinking alcohol for the first time
(your I-Self).
This theory emphasizes the dual nature of the self which refers to the
belief that we experience the self as both subject and object, the “I” and “me”.
C. Erving Goffman
“A person is like an actor on a stage.
Choose your self-presentations carefully,
for what starts out as a mask may become your face.”
He is an American sociologist best known

as a founder of American pragmatism. He
is a pioneer of symbolic interaction theory.
Mead's theory of the self-maintains that the
conception a person holds of themselves in
their mind emerges from social interaction
Goffman believed that when we are born, we are thrust onto a stage called
everyday life, and that our socialization consists of learning how to play our assigned
roles from other people. Role performance is how a person expresses his or her role.
Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage.
Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression
management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each
situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is
present (Goffman 1959).
Ex: Think about the way you behave around your coworkers versus the way
you behave around your grandparents versus the way you behave with a
blind date. Even if you’re not consciously trying to alter your personality,
your grandparents, coworkers, and date probably see different sides of you.
As in a play, the setting matters as well. If you have a group of friends over to
your house for dinner, you are playing the role of a host. It is agreed upon that you will
provide food and seating and probably be stuck with a lot of the cleanup at the end of
the night. Similarly, your friends are playing the roles of guests, and they are expected
to respect your property and any rules you may set forth (“Don’t leave the door open or
the cat will get out.”). In any scene, there needs to be a shared reality between players.
In this case, if you view yourself as a guest and others view you as a host, there are
likely to be problems.
Impression management is a critical component of symbolic interactionism. For

example, a judge in a courtroom has many “props” to create an impression of fairness,
gravity, and control—like her robe and gavel. Those entering the courtroom are
expected to adhere to the scene being set. Just imagine the “impression” that can be
made by how a person dresses. This is the reason that attorneys frequently select the
hairstyle and apparel for witnesses and defendants in courtroom proceedings.
Goffman’s dramaturgy ideas expand on the ideas of Charles Cooley and
the looking-glass self. According to Cooley, we base our image on what we think other
people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this
speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear
makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of
ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if
lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley
believed that our sense of self is based upon this idea: we imagine how we look to
others, draw conclusions based upon their reactions to us, and then we develop our
personal sense of self. In other words, people’s reactions to us are like a mirror in which
we are reflected.
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UNIT 3

The Self in the Sociological Perspective

Sociology as a scientific study of social groups and human relationships

Sociologists who became the pioneering contributors to sociological perspectives

He who believed that the influence

B. George Herbert Mead

He is an American sociologist best known

 Language develops self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through

Ex: The development of the self, started since we were still

 Play develops self by allowing individuals to take on different roles, pretend, and

‘Bahay-bahayan’ is a good example of this. When kids take roles

 Games develop self by allowing individuals to understand and adhere to the

Two Sides of Self: Me & I

Simply, the 'me' represents learned behaviors, attitudes, and expectations of

He is an American sociologist best known

Impression management is a critical component of symbolic interactionism. For

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