The Self ,Society and Culture

Understanding the Self

1. Chapter- 1 Lesson 2 THE SELF, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

2. Introduction Across time and history the self has been debated, discussed and fruitfully conceptualized by different thinkers in philosophy. With the advent of social sciences, it became possible for new ways and paradigms to re-examine the true nature of self. Tired of the ideas of ancient philosophers regarding the body and the mind, thinkers settled on the idea that whatever relationship these two have is less important than the fact that there is a self .

3. What is self? In contemporary literature and in common sense, self is equated to being separate, self contained, independent, consistent, unitary, and private. This means that self isdistinct from others, unique and has own identity. Even twins have their own self identity Its distinctiveness allows its being self contained with own thoughts, independence , characteristics and volition.

4. By consistency, it means that a particular self’s traits , characteristics, tendencies, and potentials are more or less the sama and can be studies, described and measured. Sef is unitary- it is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run through a certain person. Being private – suggests that self is isolated from the external world, living within its own, however we see the clash between the self and the external reality- that one can see that the self is always at the mercy of the external circumstances that bump and collide with it.

5. Social Constructivists Perspective of the Self Social constructivists argue that self should not be seen as a static entity but rather as something that is in unceasing flux , allowing external influences to take part in its shaping. The point is on understanding the vibrant relationship between the self and the external reality. This points out the merged view of “ the person ” and their “ social context” where the boundaries of one cannot easily be separated from the boundaries of the other.

6. The Self and Culture What does this mean? ( Remaining the same person and turning into a chameleon adopting to one’s context seems paradoxical ) According to a French anthropologist Marcel Mauss every self has two faces: personne and moi . Moi- refers to his sense of who he is, his bidy and his basic identity and personne -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, particular family , particular religion, etc. One may shift personne from time to time.

7. Sample shifts in personne : adjusting cultures in other countries Man courting a woman (tone and mood) When in church the use of language Other adjustments in cultural ways

8. The Self and the Development of Social World how do children growing up become social beings? how do twins grow from the same mother turn out so differently when given up for adoption? more than his givenness (personality, tendencies, and propensities, among others) one is believed to be in active participation in the shaping of the self. The unending terrain of the metamorphosis of the self is mediated by language. Language is both publicly shared and privately utilized symbol system is the site where the individual and the social make and remake each other (Schwartz, White and Luke 1993)

9. MEAD and VYGOTSKY For Mead and Vygotsky humans develop through the use and acquisition of language and interaction with others. The way information is processed is a way of internal dialogue in our head. “ Should I do this or that? If I do this…Do I have other options?” In this way cognitive and emotional mimicry of how things are to be done in the social world is the external reality where he is in.

10. The Self in Families While every child is born with certain givenness, disposition coming from his parents’ genes and general condition in life , the impact of one’s family is still deemed as a given in understanding the self. The kind of family that we are born in , the resources available to us (human, spiritual , economic) and the kind of development that we will have will certainly affect the development of the self. Our potential of becoming human depends largely on the family starting from birth and the nurturing times of every child.

11. Human beings learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood by being in a family. How kids are reared by a kind of reflect 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.

12. Gender and the Self Gender is one of the loci 0f the self that is subject to alteration, change and development. We have observed how some people fought hard to express, validate and assert their gender rights. Conservatives frown upon this and insist on the biological. From the point of view of the social sciences and the self , it is important to give one the leeway o find, express and live his destiny. This forms part of selfhood that one cannot just dismiss.

13. One maneuvers into the society and identifies 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.