The Self, Society,

and Culture
How was your “Self”
shaped by the society?
 The arrival of social sciences made it possible to look at
the self and reexamine it in a different perspective.
 People had stopped the debate on the relationship of
the body and soul.
 It was settled that the human person is composed of
two components and the relationship between theses
two components is less important than the element of
self.
Self

 Separate
 Self- contained
 Independent
 Consistent
 Unitary
 Private
Social Constructivism

 Theboundaries of the self and the external world

cannot be separated from each other.
 Self is not a static entity.
 The self is multifaceted.
 We play different role and act in different ways
depending on the situation that we are in.
The self and culture

 According
to Marcel Mauss, every self has
two façade:
Moi
The basic identity of the person
Personne
The social concepts regarding the self.
The Development of the Social World

 Mead and Vygotsky

Human personality develops through the use of
language and social interaction.
We internalize our social beliefs, norms and
values through our dialogue and exposure of
the external world.
Self in Families

 The kind of family that we are born in together with

privilege and resources available for us contributes
to the formation of self.
 Thevalues and beliefs that we acquire from our
respective families are reflected into our “self”.
 We internalize behaviors of our family in a conscious
or unconscious manner.
Gender

 Genderis subject to change, alteration, and

development.
 Youcannot be truly yourself if you cannot express
your gender identity.
 Contributes to how we view ourselves in the world.
 Gender has to be personally discovered and
asserted!