CHAPTER 2: fixation and keeps the options open for the social environment that includes

self-improvement. family, school, peer groups and mass

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: THE SELF AS A media*
PRODUCT OF SOCIETY
Jean Baudrillard
Looking-Glass Self
“Understanding of the self only arises in - French sociologist that posits that
relationship, in watching yourself in in the postmodern society, the self - Introduced by sociologist Charles
relationship to people, ideas and things; to is found in the prestige symbols of Horton Cooley in 1902
trees, the earth, and the world around you goods consumed by people. - Highlights that people whom a
and within you. Relationship is the mirror - The postmodern person has person interacts with become a
in which the self is revealed. Without self- become an insatiable consumer mirror in which he or she views
knowledge, there is no basis for right - Therefore, if people desire to be himself/herself.
thought and action.” satisfied with things in life, they - Self-identity or self-image is
should be persuaded by the achieved through a three-fold
postmodern culture of event which begins by conceiving
-Jiddu Krishnamurti advertisement and mass media an idea of how a person presents
which suggest false needs. himself/herself to others, how
- Sociological perspective of the self is he/she analyzes how others
based on the assumption that human perceive him/her and how he/she
behavior is influenced by group life. - Sociology as a scientific study of creates an image of
- A particular view on oneself is formed social groups and human himself/herself.
through interactions with other people, relationships generates new - These perceptions are subjective,
group, or social institutions. insights int the interconnectedness so a person may have wrong
between the self and other people. interpretations of how other
- For sociologists, like Mead and Cooley, people evaluate him or her.
“the self does not depend of biological - Hence, sociologists offer theories - It would be critical if he or she
predispositions; rather, it is a product of to explain how to self emerges as a thinks that others judge him or her
social interaction” product of social experiences. unfavorably because he could
- The sense of self emerges as the develop a negative self-image.
individual partakes in the society. *the looking-glass self by Charles Horton Theory of the Social Self
- While the individual seeks for solid and Cooley and the theory of the social self by
- Introduced by George Herbert
stable self-identity in modern society, the George Herbert Mead are helpful in
Mead
postmodern individual tries to avoid understanding how a person views
- He supports the view that a person
himself/herself as he/she interacts with
develops a sense of self through
 social interaction and not the point of view—a process that - children start to view themselves
biological preconditions of that Mead labels as role-taking in relationship with others as they learn
interactions. - Then he/she creates his/her own to communicate through language and
- Mead’s theory explain that the self role and anticipates how others other symbols.
has two divisions: will respond.
- at this stage, role-taking is
o “I”- subjective element and - When he/she performs his/her
exhibited; however, children do not
the active side of the self own role, he/she becomes self-
perceive role-taking as something
aware
- the active side of the expected of them.
- The self continues to change along
self; represents the
with his/her social experience. In - the self emerges as children
spontaneous and unique
other words, no matter how much pretend to take the roles of specific
traits of the individual
the world shapes a person, he or people or significant others; those
o “Me”- the objective element she will always remain a creative individuals are important agents of
of the self being, and be able to react to the socialization.
world around him/her
- represents the - at this stage, the self is
- Mead details the development of
internalized attitudes and developing
the self in a three-stage process:
demands of other people
3. Game Stage (begins in the early
and the individual’s 1. Preparatory Stage (0-3 yrs school years; about 8-9 years old)
awareness of those old)- children imitate people
demands. around them, especially family - children understand not only their
members with whom they have own social position but also those
- The full development of the self is
daily interaction. of others around thm.
attained when the “I” and “me” are
united. - they copy behaviors - At this stage, children become
- According to Mead, “the self is not without understanding concerned about and take into
present at birth”. It develops with underlying intentions, and so at account in their behavior the
social experience in which this stage, they have no sense generalized others which refer to
language, gestures, and objects are of self the attitudes, viewpoints, demands
used to communicate and expectations of the society
meaningfully. - children are just which include cultural norms and
- Since there is meaning in human preparing for role-taking values that serve as references in
actions, a person infers people’s evaluating oneself.
intention or direction of action,
- This time, they can have a more
which may lead him or her to 2. Play Stage (3-5 years old)
sophisticated look of people and an
understand the world from others’
ability to respond to numerous
 members of the social identity, the postmodern - Therefore, the self may be in a
environment. individual welcomes all never-ending search for prestige in
possibilities for self-improvement. the postmodern society
- During this stage, the self is now
- In postmodern societies, self-
present.
identity continuously changes due
to the demands of multitude of
social contexts, new information
The Self as a Product of Modern and
technologies and globalization.
Postmodern Societies

For French sociologist Jean

- In Gerry Lanuza’s article, The
Baudrillard…
Constitution of the Self, discusses
the relatiobship between the - He exposes the negative
society and the individual. consequences of postmodernity to
- According to him, in modern individuals in the society.
societies the attainment and - For him, consumption structures
stability of the self-identity are the postmodern society. The
freely chosen. It is no longer postmodern individuals achieve
restricted by customs and self-identity through prestige
traditions. symbols that they consume.
- While this newfound freedom - Individuals seek for a position in
offers infinite possibilities for self- society through the quality of
cultivation, problems such as prestige symbols that they can
alienation and dehumanization of afford to consume
the self appear which hinder the - The cultural practices of
full development of human advertising and mass media
potentials. greatly influence individuals to
- Hence, there is a need to discover consume goods not for their
the “authentic core” of the self for primary value and utility but for
the individual to freely work the feeling of goodness and power
towards self-realization. when compared with others.
- The dissolution of traditional - Hence, the postmodern person has
values and communities in modern become an insatiable consumer
society has led the individual to and may never be satisfied in
construct a solid and stable self- his/her life