Essentials of Sociology Fourth Edition - PowerPoint - PowerPoint

							Chapter 5


       The Self
          and
      Interaction
                         Overview
   Human Nature and the Self
       What is Human Nature?
           Video presentation
   The Development of the Self
       Freud, Cooley, Mead and Goffman
   The Process of Socialization
     Agents of Socialization
     Adult Socialization
   New Interactional Contexts
           Video Presentation


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    What is Human Nature?
 Is human nature instinctual or
  learned?
 Society makes us human

 How do humans become members of
  society?



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        The Nature –Vs.– Nurture Debate

          NATURE                        NURTURE
   Explains human               Explains human
    behavior traits as            behavior traits as
    related to biology:           related to culture:
       genetics                     learning
       heredity                     social interaction
       instincts                    socialization


    Nature provides a basic genetic blueprint, but …
      We can overcome limitations
      We can fail to live up to our potential
Case Studies in Social Isolation

    The Garden of Eden
    Frederick II in the 13th Century
    Experiments on primates
    Children raised in social isolation
        Feral children, orphanages



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                  “Extreme Isolation”
                   by Kingsley Davis
     Study of children raised in social isolation:
               The case of “Isabelle”

   Illegitimate child          Found by social workers
    (1930’s)                    Tested at 2½ age level
   Mother was deaf-mute        Made rapid progress
   Secluded in dark room        through developmental
   Behaved like a wild          stages
    animal                      Reached “normal” level
   Spoke only in croaking       by 8 years old
    sounds                      Deficiencies can be
   6½ years old                 reversed if caught early
                                 enough
   Video Presentation


       “Wild Child:
The Story of Feral Children”
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          THE DEVELOPMENT OF
                THE SELF

   What is the “self”?
       The experience of the self is central to being
        human
       A conscious experience of a distinct, real,
        personal identity different and separate from
        others
   Where does a sense of self come from?

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Theories on the Development of the Self:
PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH

   Sigmund Freud




                          (1856-1939)

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    PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH
   The mind consists of 3 interrelated systems:
       Id
            Basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic
             energy
       Ego
            Operates on reason and mediates the demands of the id and
             superego
       Superego
            Represents the internalized demands of society
                Conscience keeps us from socially undesirable behavior
                Ego-ideal upholds vision of ideal self

   Psychosexual stages of development
       Transitions or fixations

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Theories on the Development of the Self:
   THE LOOKING-GLASS SELF
Charles Cooley
 “Each to each a
 looking-glass,
 Reflects the other
 that doth pass”


                          (1864-1929)

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           3-PART PROCESS
   1. We imagine how
    we appear to others
   2. We interpret
    others’ reactions
   3. We develop a self-
    concept


There is no sense of “self”
without a corresponding “other”
  Theories on the Development of the Self:
               MIND, SELF and SOCIETY
                  George Herbert Mead

        3-Part Process
1. Imitation
      Young children mimic
2. Play
      Children “play at” or
      pretend
      they take the role of the
       significant other
3. Games
            Older children play organized games
       Understanding the
        rules that apply to all
       Taking the
        perspective of the
        generalized other
           The expectations of a
            network of others
            shape your own
            behavior


   We develop a sense of self by seeing how others see us

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The Social Construction of Reality

   The Thomas Theorem:
       “If people define situations as real, they are
        real in their consequences”
   Society and life experiences define what
    is real
       Our behavior does not depend on objective
        reality, but on our subjective experience of it



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“The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”
          by Erving Goffman



         DRAMATURGY
             An off-shoot of
          Symbolic Interactionism

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            “All the world's a stage
 And all the men and women merely players:
  They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts …”
             William Shakespeare



            “Strike a pose”
               Madonna

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          DRAMATURGY
 Metaphor of the           Roles
 theater                    Performances
 Life as a dramatic        Audiences
 production                 Personal Front
 Similarities between          Appearance, manner,
 the stage and real              costumes, props
 life                       Region
                                Scenery and Settings


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   How performances are constructed
       Back stage
           Where performance is rehearsed
       Front stage
           Where performance takes place
   Impression Management
    An attempt to control the impressions we
     make on others
           Presenting ourselves in the most favorable light


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   Why do we use self-presentation
    techniques?
       to conform to social norms
       to achieve personal goals
       to gain acceptance
   Not all performances are successful
       Losing and saving “face”
           “Cooling the mark out”
   What about the self?
       Can there be any “true” or “real” self if we wear
        masks, if it’s all an act?

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               SOCIALIZATION
   A two-fold process:            Agents of Socialization
       by which a society or          Significant individuals,
        group teaches its               groups or institutions
        members                         that provide structured
       by which members                situations in which
        learn and internalize           socialization takes place
        the values, beliefs            People and groups that
        and norms of their              influence our self-
        society or group                concept, emotions,
                                        attitudes, and behavior


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                 The 4 Major
     AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
1. The Family
    The most significant, lifelong influence
2. Schools
    The first outside influence, hidden curriculum
3. Peers
    The most immediate influence on lifestyle
4. The Media
    The most powerful, overarching influence

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            ADULT SOCIALIZATION
   Re-Socialization               Total Institutions
       Socialization that             Controls activities,
        breaks from or is               strips members of
        integrated with the             previous identity to
        past                            rebuild them
           As part of life                Boarding schools,
            transition                      military, prisons,
               Workplaces,                 cults, monasteries
                partnerships,
                communities,
                organizations

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   What is social                     New interactional
    interaction?                        contexts
                                           The role of technology
       What people think, feel
        and do in each other’s              in postmodern life
        presence                               Interaction in
                                                cyberspace via digital
           Face-to-face
                                                media
            interaction
           Co-presence
                                           The “saturated self”
                                               Exposure to more
           Imaginary interaction
                                                sources and multiple
           Para-social (virtual)               points of view
            interaction
                                               Borrowing bits and
                                                pieces of identity


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 Video Presentation:



“Growing Up Online”

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              SOCIALIZATION AND
                  FREE WILL
   Are humans prisoner’s of socialization?
       Are we robots, products of conditioning, brain-
        washing?
   Humans can exercise agency
       The ability to act freely and independently
   We have a dynamic sense of self
       Actively interpreting and creating our social world
   Socialization is reciprocal
       We socialize others

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