Name: Score

Course, Year and Section: Submit on: SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

MODULE1:
DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
PERSPECTIVES ON SELF AND IDENTITY
Lesson 2: The Self, Society, and Culture
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 explain the relationship between and culture; among the self, society, and
 describe and discuss the different ways by which society and culture shape the self-compare
 and contrast how the self can be influenced by the different institutions in the society, and
 examine one's self against the different views of self that were discussed in the class.

INTRODUCTION

Across time and history, the self has been debated, discussed, and fruitfully or otherwise conceptualized by
different thinkers in philosophy. Eventually, with the advent of the social sciences, it became possible for new
ways and paradigms to reexamine the true nature of the self. People put a halt on speculative debates on the
relationship between the body and soul, eventually renamed body and the mind. Thinkers just eventually got tired
of focusing on the long-standing debate since sixth century BC between the relationships of these two components
of the human person. Thinkers just settled on the idea that there are two components of the human person and
whatever relationship these two have is less important than the fact that there is a self. The debate shifted into
another locus of discussion given the new ways of knowing and the growth of the social sciences, it became
possible for new approaches to the examination of the self to come to the fore. One of the loci, if not the most
important axis of analysis is the relationship between the self and the external world.

What is the relationship between external reality and the self? In the famous Tarzan story, the little boy named
Tarzan was left in the middle of the forest. Growing up, he never had an interaction with any other human being
but apes and other animals. Tarzan grew up acting strangely like apes and unlike human persons. Tarzan became
an animal, in effect. His sole interaction with them made him just like one of them. Disappointedly. Human
persons will not develop as human persons without intervention. This story, which was supposed to be based on
real life, challenges the long-standing notion of human persons being special and being a particular kind of being
in the spectrum of living entities. After all, our selves are not special because of the soul infused into us. We may
be gifted with intellect and the capacity to rationalize things but at the end of the day, our growth and development
and consequentially, our selves are truly products of our interaction with external reality.

How much of you are essential? How much of who you are now a product of your society, community, and
family? Has your choice of school affected yourself now? Had you been born into a different family and
schooled in a different college, how much of who you are now would change?

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ACTIVITY 1: My Self through the Years
Paste a picture of you when you were in elementary, in high school, and now that you are in college. Below the picture,
list down your salient characteristics that you remember.

My Elementary Self My High School Self My College Self

ANALYSIS
After having examined yourself in its different stages, fill out the table below

Similarities in all stages of my Difference in my “self” across the Possible reasons for the
“self” three stages on my life differences in me

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ABSTRACTION

What Is the Self?

The self, in contemporary literature and even common sense, is commonly defined by the following
characteristics: "separate, self-contained, independent consistent, unitary, and private" (Stevens 1996). By
separate, it is meant that the self is distinct from other selves. The self is always unique and has its own identity
One cannot be another person. Even twins are distinct from each other. Second, self is also self-contained and
independent because in itself it can exist. Its distinctness allows it to be self-contained with its own thoughts,
characteristics and volition. It does not require any other self for it to exist. It is consistent because it has a
personality that is enduring and therefore can be expected to persist for quite some time. Its consistency allows it
to be studied, described, and measured Consistency also means that a particular self's traits, characteristics,
tendencies and potentialities are more or less the same. Self is unitary in that it is the center of all experiences and
thoughts that run through a certain person. It is like the chief command post in an individual where all processes,
emotions, and thoughts converge. Finally, the self is private. Each person sorts out information, feelings and
emotions, and thought processes within the self. This whole process is never accessible to anyone but the self.

This last characteristic of the self being private suggests that the self is
isolated from the external world. It lives within its own world However,
we also see that this potential clash between the self and the external
reality is the reason for the self to have a clear understanding of what it
might be, what it can be, and what it will be. From this perspective then,
one can see that the self is always at the mercy of external circumstances
that bump and collide with it. It is ever-changing and dynamic, allowing
external influe nces to take part in its shaping. The concern then of this
lesson is in understanding the vibrant relationship between the self and
external reality. This perspective is known as the social constructionist
perspective. "Social constructionists argue for a merged view of the
person and their social context' where the boundaries of one cannot easily be separated from the boundaries of
the other" (Stevens 1996).

Social constructivists argue that the self should not be seen as a static entity that stays constant through and
through. Rather, the self has to be seen as something that is in unceasing flux, in a constant struggle with external
reality and is malleable in its dealings with society. The self is always in participation with social life and its
identity subjected to influences here and there. Having these perspectives considered should draw one into
concluding that the self is truly multifaceted.

Consider a boy named Jon. Jon is a math professor at a

Catholic university for more than a decade now. Jon has a
beautiful wife whom he met in college, Joan. Joan was Jon's
first and last girlfriend. Apart from being a husband, Jon is
also blessed with two doting kids, a son and a daughter. He
also sometimes serves in the church too as a lector and a
commentator. As a man of different roles, one can expect
Jon to change and adjust his behaviors, ways, and even
language depending on his social situation. When Jon is in
the university, he conducts himself in a matter that befits his
title as a professor. As a husband, Jon can be intimate and
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touchy. Joan considers him sweet, something that his students will never conceive him to be. His kids fear him.
As a father, Jon can be stern. As a lector and commentator, on the other hand, his church mates knew him as a
guy who is calm, all-smiles, and always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. This short story is not
new to most of us. We ourselves play different roles, act in different ways depending on our circumstances. Are
we being hypocritical in doing so? Are we even conscious of our shifting selves? According to what we have so
far, this is not only normal but it also is acceptable and expected. The self is capable of morphing and fitting itself
into any circumstances finds itself in.

Self and Culture

Remaining the same person and turning chameleon by adapting to one's context seems paradoxical. However, the
French Anthropologist Marcel Mauss has an explanation for this phenomenon. According to Mauss, every self
has two faces: personne and moi. Moi refers to a person's sense of who he is, his body, and his basic identity, his
biological givenness. Moi is a person's basic identity Personne, on the other hand, is composed of the 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, a particular family, a particular religion, a particular nationality, and how to behave given expectations
and influences from others.

In the story above, Jon might have a moi but certainly, he has to shift personne from time to time to adapt to his
social situation. He knows who he is and more or less, he is confident that he has a unified, coherent self. However,
at some point, he has to sport his stern professorial look. Another day, he has to be the doting but strict father that
he is. Inside his bedroom, he can play goofy with his wife, Joan. In all this and more, Jon retains who he is, his
being Jon-his moi-that part of him that is stable and static all throughout This dynamics and capacity for different
personne can be illustrated better cross-culturally. A overseas Filipino worker (OFW) adjusting to life in another
country is a very good case study. In the Philippines, many people unabashedly violate jaywalking rules. A
common Filipino treats road, even national ones, as basically his and so he just merely crosses whenever and
wherever. When the same Filipino visits another country with strict traffic rules, say Singapore, you will notice
how suddenly law-abiding the said Filipino becomes. A lot of Filipinos has anecdotally confirmed this
observation.

The same malleability can be seen in how some men easily transform into sweet, docile guys when trying to woe
and court a particular woman and suddenly just change rapidly after hearing a sweet "yes." This cannot be
considered a conscious change on the part of the guy, or on the part of the law-abiding Filipino in the first example.
The self simply morphed according to the circumstances and contexts In the Philippines, Filipinos end to consider
their territory as a part of who they are. This includes considering their immediate surrounding as a part of them
thus the perennial tapat ko, linis ko. Filipinos most probably do not consider national roads as something external
to who they are. It is a part of them and they are a part of it, thus crossing the road whenever and wherever
becomes a no-brainer. In another country, however, the Filipino recognizes that he is in a foreign territory where
nothing technically belongs to him. He has to follow the rules or else he will be apprehended.

Language is another interesting aspect of this social constructivism. The Filipino language is incredibly interesting
to talk about. The way by which we articulate our love is denoted by the phrase, "Mahal kita." This, of course, is
the Filipino translation of "I love you." The Filipino brand of this articulation of love. unlike in English, does not
specify the subject and the object of love, there is no specification of who loves and who is loved. There is simply
a word for love, mahal, and the pronoun kita, which is a second person pronoun that refers to the speaker and the
one being talked to. In the Filipino language, unlike in English, there is no distinction between the lover and the
beloved. They are one.

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Interesting too is the word, mahal. In Filipino, the word can mean both "love love is intimately bound with value,
with being and "expensive." In our language, expensive, being precious. Something expensive is valuable.
Someone whom we love is valuable to us. The Sanskrit origin of the word love is "lubh," which means desire.
Technically, love is a desire. The Filipino word for it has another intonation apart from mere desire, valuable.

Another interesting facet of our language is its being gender-neutral. In English, Spanish, and other languages,
the distinction is clear between a third person male and third person female pronoun. He and she; el and ella. In
Filipino, it is plain, siya. "There is no specification of gender. Our language does not specify between male and
female. We both call it "siya”

In these varied examples, we have seen how language has something to do with culture. It is a salient part of
culture and ultimately, has a tremendous effect in our crafting of the self. This might also be one of the reasons
why cultural divide spells out differences in how one regards oneself. In one research, it was found that North
Americans are more likely to attribute being unique to themselves and claim that they are better than most people
in doing what they love doing. Japanese people, on the other hand, have been seen to display a degree of modesty.
If one finds himself bom and reared in a particular culture, one definitely tries to fit in a particular mold. If a self
is born into a particular society or culture, the self will have to adjust according to its exposure.

The Self and the Development of the Social World

So how do people actively produce their social worlds? How do children growing up become social beings? How
can a boy turn out to just be like an ape? How do twins coming out from the same mother turn out to be terribly
different 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. Most often, we think the human
persons are just passive actors in the whole process of the shaping of selves. That men and women are born with
particularities that they can no longer change. Recent studies, however, indicate that men and women in their
growth and development engage actively in the shaping of the self. The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the
self is mediated by language. "Language as both a publicly shared and privately utilized symbol system is the site
where the individual and the social make and remake each other" (Schwartz, White, and Lutz 1993).

Mead and Vygotsky

For Mead and Vygotsky, the way that human persons
develop is with the use of language acquisition and
interaction with others. The way that we process
information is normally a form of an internal dialogue in
our head. Those who deliberate about moral dilemmas
undergo this internal dialog. "Should I do this or that?"
"But if I do this, it will be like this." "Don't I want the other
option?" And so cognitive and emotional development of
a child is always a mimicry of how it is done in the social
world, in the external reality where he is in.

Both Vygotsky and Mead treat the human mind as

something that is made. constituted through language as
experienced in the external world and as encountered in dialogs with others. A young child Internalizes values,
norms, practices, and social beliefs and more through exposure to these dialogs that will eventually become part
of his individual world. For Mead, this takes place as a child assumes the "other" through language and role-play.
A child conceptualizes his notion of "self through this. Can you notice how little children are fond of playing role-
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play with their toys? How they make scripts and dialogs for their toys as they play with them? According to Mead,
it is through this that a child delineates the "1" from the rest. Vygotsky, for his part, a child internalizes real-life
dialogs that he has had with others, with his family, his primary caregiver, or his playmates. They apply this to
their mental and practical problems along with the social a nd cultural infusions brought about by the said dialogs.
Can you notice how children eventually become what they watch? How children can easily adapt ways of cartoon
characters they are exposed to?

Self in Families
Apart from the anthropological and psychological basis for the relationship between the self and the social world,
the sociological likewise struggled to understand the real connection between the two concepts. In doing so,
sociologists focus on the different institutions and powers at play in the society. Among these, the most prominent
is the family.

While every child is born with certain givenness, disposition coming from his parents' genes and general condition
of 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 us as we go through life. As a matter of evolutionary fact, human persons are one of
those beings whose importance of family cannot be denied. Human beings are bom virtually helpless and the
dependency period of a human baby to its parents for nurturing is relatively longer than most other animals.
Learning therefore is critical in our capacity to actualize our potential of becoming humans. In trying to achieve
the goal of becoming a fully realized human, a child enters a system of relationships, most important of which is
the family.

Human persons learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood by being in a family. It is what a family
initiates a person to become that serves as the basis for this person's progress. Babies internalize ways and styles
that they observe from their family. By imitating, for example, the language of its primary agents of rearing its
family, babies learn the language. The same is true for ways of behaving. Notice how kids reared in a respectful
environment becomes respectful as well and the converse if raised in a converse family. Internalizing behavior
may either be conscious or unconscious. Table manners or ways of speaking to elders are things that are possible
to teach and therefore, are consciously learned by kids. Some behaviors and attitudes, on the other hand, 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. It is then clear at this
point that those who develop and eventually grow to become adult who still did not learn simple matters like basic
manners of conduct failed in internalizing due to parental or familial failure to initiate them into the world,

Without a family, biologically and sociologically, a person may not even survive or become a human person. Go
back to the Tarzan example. In more ways than one, the survival of Tarzan in the midst of the forest is already a
miracle. His being a fully human person with a sense of selfhood is a different story though The usual teleserye
plot of kids getting swapped in the hospital and getting reared by a different family gives an obvious manifestation
of the point being made in this section. One is who he is because of his family for the most part..

Gender and the Self

Another important aspect of the self is gender. Gender is one of those loci of the self that is subject to alteration,
change, and development. We have seen in the past years how people fought hard for the right to express, validate,
and assert their gender expression. Many conservatives may frown upon this and insist on the biological.
However, from the point-of-view of the social sciences and the self, it is important to give one the leeway to find,
express, and live his identity. This forms part of selfhood that one cannot just dismiss One maneuvers into the
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society and identifies himself as who he is by also taking note of gender identities. A wonderful anecdote about
Leo Tolstoy's wife that can solidify this point is narrated below:

Sonia Tolstoy, the wife of the famous Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. wrote when she was twenty-one. "I am nothing
but a miserable crushed worm, whom no one wants, whom no one loves, a useless creature with morning sickness,
and a big belly, two rotten teeth, and a bad temper, a battered sense of dignity, and a love which nobody wants
and which nearly drives me insane." A few years later she wrote, "It makes me laugh to read over this diary. It's
so full of contradictions, and one would think that I was such an unhappy woman. Yet is there a happier woman
than 1?" (Tolstoy 1975)

This account illustrates that our gender partly determines how we see ourselves in the world. Oftentimes, society
forces a particular identity unto us depending on our sex and/or gender. In the Philippines, husbands for the most
part are expected to provide for the family. The eldest man in a family is expected to head the family and hold it
in. Slight modifications have been 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

Nancy Chodorow, a feminist, argues that because mothers take the role of taking care of children, there is a
tendency for girls to imitate the same and reproduce the same kind of mentality of women as care providers in
the family. The way that little girls are given dolis instead of guns or any other toys or are encouraged to play
with makeshift kitchen also reinforces the notion of what roles they should take and themselves they should
develop. In boarding schools for girls, young women are encouraged to act like fine ladies, are trained to behave
in a fashion that befits their status as women in society.

Men on the other hand, in the periphery of their own family, are taught early on how to behave like a man. This
normally includes holding in one's emotion, being tough, fatalistic, not to worry about danger, and admiration for
hard physical labor.Masculinity is learned by integrating a young boy in a society. In the Philippines, young boys
had to undergo circumcision not just for the original, clinical purpose of hygiene but also to assert their manliness
in the society. Circumcision plays another social role by initiating young boys into manhood.

The gendered self is the shaped within a particular context of time and space. The sense of self that is being taught
makes sure that an individual fits in a particular environment. This is dangerous and detrimental in the goal of
truly finding one's self, self-determination, and growth of the self. Gender has to be personally discovered and
asserted and not dictated by culture and the society

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answers in the space provided.
1. How would you describe yourself?

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2. What are the influences of family in your development as an individual?

3. Think of a time when you felt you were your "true self." What made you think you were truly who you
are during this time of your life?

4. Following the question above, can you provide a time when you felt you were not living your "true
self"? Why did you have to live a life like that? What did you do about it?

5. What social pressures help shape yourself? Would you have wanted it otherwise?

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6. What aspects of your self do you think may be changed or you would like to change?

REFRERENCE

 Eden Joy Pastor Alata, Bernardo Nicolas Caslib, Jr., Janice Patricia Javier Serafica R.A. Pawiler. 2018.
Understanding the Self, Rex Bookstore.

Disclaimer: The School and the teachers do not claim any rights or ownership of the information found in
the learning module. this is solely educational purpose only.

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