Republic of the Philippines

EULOGIO “AMANG” RODRIGUEZ

INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cavite Campus
General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite

GEUNDETS: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

MODULE 2: THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

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 social sciences, it became possible for new ways and paradigms to reexamine the
true nature of the 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.
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson you should be able to:
 Explain the relationship between and among the self, society, and culture.
 Describe and discuss the different ways by which society and culture shape
itself.
 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.
What is 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”
Characteristics of self:
• Separate - it is distinct from other selves always unique has its own identity
• Self-contained and independent - because in itself it can exist.
• Consistent because it has a personality that is enduring and therefore can be
expected to persist for quite some time.

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 • Unitary- Self is in that it is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run
through a certain person. All process, emotions, and thoughts converge. It is like
the chief command post in an individual where all processes, emotions, and
thoughts converge.

• Private - Person sorts out information, feelings and emotions and thought
processes within the self. Whole process is not accessible to anyone but the self
Social Constructivist Perspective
• This concerns in understanding the vibrant relationship between the self and
external reality
• Social constructionist argued for a merge view of the “person” and their “social
context” where the boundaries of one cannot easily be spirited from the
boundaries of the other.
• 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 unceasing flux, in
constant struggle with external reality and is malleable in its dealing with society.
• The self always in participation with social life and its identity subjected to
influences here and there. Having these perspective considered should draw one
into conclusion that the self is truly multifaceted.
• Example: In the Philippines, Filipinos tend to consider their territory as part of
who they are. This includes their immediate surrounding as part of them.
• Language is another interesting aspect of this social constructivism.
• The Filipino language is incredibly interesting to talk about. ex. The way we
articulate our love is denote by the phrase “Mahal kita” this is 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.
• Another interesting facet of our language is being gender- neutral. In English,
Spanish and other languages, the distinction is clear between a third person
male and a third person female pronoun. Ex. He/She, El and Ella
• In Filipino we only say “siya”. There is on specification of gender.

The Self and Culture

-Remaining the same person and turning chameleon by adopting 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.

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 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
the expectations and influences from others.
The Self and the Development of the Social World
• More than a person’s givenness (personality, tendencies, propensities, etc.), one
is believed to be in active participation of shaping the self. Most often, we think
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.”

Mead and Vygotsky

• For Mead and Vygotsky, human persons develop 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.

• A 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 Mead and Vygotsky treat the human mind as something that is made,
constituted through language as experienced in the external world and as
encountered in dialogues with others.
Self in Families
Apart of anthropological and psychological basis for the relationship between the self
and the social world. Sociological likewise struggled to understand the real connection
between the two concept.
• While every child is born with certain giveness, disposition coming from his
parents’ gene and general condition of life, the impact of one’s family is still
deemed as a given in understanding the self.

• 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

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 this person’s progress. Without a family, biologically and sociologically, a
person may not even survive or become a human person.

Gender and the Self

• Another important aspect of 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
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.
• 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.
• The gendered self is then shaped within a particular context of time and space.
The sense of self that is being taught makes sure that an individual fits 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
society.