Marcel Mauss: Lesson 2:Socio-Anthro View of Self

1LESSON 2:SOCIO-ANTHRO VIEW OF SELF

2.1 NATURE AND NURTURE

NATURE is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance

and other biological factors.
NURTURE is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception,

e.g., the product of exposure, life experiences and learning on an individual.
However, in discussing the Self from the Sociological perspective, the focus shall be
on the concept of Nurture.
2,2 SELF AND CULTURE

Marcel Mauss – claimed that the self has two faces.
 MOI which refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body, and his
basic identity as well as his biological givenness; and
 PERSONNE which is composed of the social concepts of what it means to
be who he is.
How we see ourselves shapes our lives, and is shaped by our cultural context. No
two people have or will ever see themselves or build their sense of identity in the
same way, since no two people have identical experiences in life.
The cultural structures around an individual, however, may affect how they see
themselves, how they translate their experiences into their identity and how they
communicate with others.
CULTURE
- refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values,
attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial
relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions
acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through
individual and group striving.
- becomes an integral and inescapable part of our humanity, hence, shapes
the development of the self.
- is the meeting point of Sociology and Anthropology in terms of self-
understanding.
Sir Edward B. Tylor - he claims that culture is defined as “that of a complex
whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other
capabilities and habits acquired by [humans] as a member of the society”
Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

SOCIOLOGY - is defined as the “scientific study of human life, social groups,

whole societies and human world whose subject matter is our own behavior as
social beings in relationship with many other people”
ANTHROPOLOGY - “is the inclusive study of the human race, its culture, and
society and its physical development”
2.3 TYPES OF CULTURE
MATERIAL CULTURE – refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that
people use to define their culture. These include homes, neighborhoods, cities,
schools, churches, synagogues, temples, offices, factories and plants, tools etc. All
of these physical aspects of a culture help to define its members' behaviors and
perceptions. This can be an extension of ourselves because of the attachment
and/or value we put into.
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE – refers to the nonphysical ideas that people have
about their culture. For instance, the non‐material cultural concept of religion consists
of a set of ideas and beliefs about God, worship, morals, and ethics. These beliefs,
then, determine how the culture responds to its religious topics, issues, and events.
Four of the most important of these are symbols, language, values, and norms.
Catherine Raeff – she stated that culture can influence how you, your coworkers,
and the families you serve view:
Relationships: Culture influences how you enter into and maintain relationships.
For example, relationships may be seen as voluntary or as duty-based. This
influences how adults encourage children to form relationships: Do they choose
whom to play with or are children encouraged to play in certain ways to promote
group welfare?
Personality traits: Culture influences whether and how you value traits like
humility, self-esteem, politeness, and assertiveness. Culture also influences how
you perceive hardship and how you feel about relying on others.
Achievement: Culture influences how you define success and whether you value
certain types of individual and group achievements.
Expressing emotions: Culture influences how and whether you consider feelings
public or private.

2.4 SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WOLRD

George Herbert Mead – he is interested in the study of the connection of the
emergence of the self and its development as a member of the society
Claims:
- “the individual sees himself as the focus of everything until such time that
the self emerges because of the influence of those who play a prominent
role in their self-development”
- people develop self-images through interactions with other people. He
argued that the self, which is the part of a person's personality consisting
of self- awareness and self-image, is a product of social experience.
- the self is developed with the presence of individuals and by learning to
interpret situations by “taking on the role of the other.”
STAGES
IMITATION PLAY GAMES GENERALIZED
"no one" “one” other in “many” others in OTHERS
“one” situation “one” situation "many” others in
The child engages “many” situations
with imitation The child begins The child learn to
because he still to take on the understand The individual is
has no ability to role that one interactions able to imagine
take role of the other person might involving different how he or she is
other. have. people with a viewed by one or
variety of many others.
they have no they have no purposes.
ability to imagine ability to imagine the common
how others see how others see children learn to behavioral
things. things. consider several expectations of
roles at the same general society.
time and how
those roles
interact with each
other.
Lev Vygotsky – believed that social interaction plays a critical role in children's
learning. Through such social interactions, children go through a continuous process
of learning

“Sociocultural Theory”
Talks about development, social interaction, language and culture. This explains
mainly that socialization influences human learning processes. As a consequence of
socialization, it seeks to describe consciousness or perception. Which means people
speak to their friends or adults for the sake of conversation.
2.5 PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT
According to Vygotsky, this "is the distance between the actual development level as
determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as
determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with
more capable peers."
Essentially, it includes all of the knowledge and skills that a person cannot yet
understand or perform on their own, but is capable of learning with guidance.
As children are allowed to stretch their skills and knowledge, often by observing
someone who is slightly more advanced than they are, they are able to
progressively extend this zone of proximal development.
2.6 SELF AND FAMILY
More than his givenness (personality, tendencies, and propensities among others),
one’s social group is believed to be in active participation in the shaping of the self.
THE FAMILY - played a very significant role in the early stage of socialization.
They instilled in us the ideas of “ought and ought nots” in our limited minds as
children which in turn would affect our behavior as well as our decision making later
in life.
Note: The impact of family, for instance, is still deemed as a given in
understanding the self. Aside from the genes, the kind of family born and
raised into as well as the resources available (affective, economic, spiritual)
play a vital role in the development of the self. In becoming a fully realized
human being, one enters system of relationships and first of which is the
Family.
2.7 SELF AND GENDER
GENDER - is a term that refers to social or cultural distinctions associated with
being woman, man, or neither that may or may not correspond to one’s biological
sex. Gender is one of those loci of the self that is subject to alteration, change,

and development. Sometimes, the society forces people a particular identity based
on gender which may limit one’s expression and orientation.
For example, in the Philippine Setting:
- Husbands are expected to provide for the family; and wives are expected
to take care of the kids and do household chores.
- Color blue is for boys and color pink is for girls.
Note: These are all social constructions but affects the development of the self. It is
therefore important to five one the leeway to find, express and live his identity.
“Social Construction of Gender”
Is a theory in feminism and sociology about the manifestation of cultural origins,
mechanisms, and corollaries of gender perception and expression in the context of
interpersonal and group social interaction.
2.8 SELF FROM EASTERN AND WESTERN THOUGHT

SELF-CONSTRUCTION - is a form of cultural activity (Raeff (2006) as cited by
Palean et. al, 2018). As a cultural activity, it is important to understand about the
concept of cultural relativism.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM - refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of
what is right or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try to understand
cultural practices of other groups in its own cultural context. This relativism should
be evident in the construction of self from both Western and Eastern cultures.

2.9 SELF AS A REFLECTION OF COLLECTIVIST TEACHING OF CONFUCIUS

Confucius - "The identity and self-concept of an individual is interwoven with the
identity and status of his/her community or culture, sharing its prides as well as its
failures." he highlighted the importance of indulging the self with the other members
of the society. This is because the symbiosis of selfhood and otherness in the
Confucian concept of self as a complex mechanism of spiritual growth. Confucianism
therefore is a social philosophy that delineate the very core of human relationships,
with the end goal of spiritual growth.
Claims:
- As we ritualize and achieve human relationships, we grow spiritually
SELF-CULTIVATION - includes a complex process within the spirit of filiality,

fellowship, friendship, discipleship and loyalty
These five relationships were considered building blocks of social order. This further
ensures the harmony in society and maintaining certain “proper attitude” or the Yi
were expected to adopt in these relationships. The smooth functioning of government
and society rested on five key relationships:
1. Between ruler and the subject;
2. Between father and the son;
3. Between husband and the wife;
4. Between older brother and younger brother; and
5. Between an older friend and a younger friend.
As an ancient Chinese poem, quoted in the Confucian book, the Doctrine of the
Mean, put it:
When wives and children and their sires (fathers) are one,
‘Tis like the harp and lute in unison.
When brothers live in concord and at peace, The strain of harmony shall never
cease. The lamp of happy union lights the home,
And bright days follow when the children come.
“To serve those now dead as if they were living is the highest achievement of true
filial piety (family devotion).”
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE, the self is a product of the society.

The development of the self is embedded in one’s culture, and the self can
generate, alter, and restore it for his own purpose and benefit. The social behavior
of the self is indeed can be explained by the sociological and anthropological

perspectives as the self is greatly influenced by a person’s cultural background,
whether the s/he comes from the East or the West. Hence, culture is an
indispensable part of the self. As Geertz (1973) as cited by Palean et. al
(2018) explained, “Culture is not just an ornament of human existence but the
principal basis of its specificity – an essential condition for it.”

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1LESSON 2:SOCIO-ANTHRO VIEW OF SELF

2.1 NATURE AND NURTURE

NATURE is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance

NURTURE is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception,

2,2 SELF AND CULTURE

Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

SOCIOLOGY - is defined as the “scientific study of human life, social groups,

Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

2.4 SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WOLRD

Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

2.8 SELF FROM EASTERN AND WESTERN THOUGHT

Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

2.9 SELF AS A REFLECTION OF COLLECTIVIST TEACHING OF CONFUCIUS

SELF-CULTIVATION - includes a complex process within the spirit of filiality,

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE, the self is a product of the society.

of the self is indeed can be explained by the sociological and anthropological

Compiled by: Melliza Arquines Fines (BS ARCH 1-C)

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