Transcript Chapter 5 The Self and Interaction

Chapter 5
The Self
and
Interaction
Overview

Human Nature and the Self

What is Human Nature?


The Development of the Self


Video presentation
Freud, Cooley, Mead and Goffman
The Process of Socialization
Agents of Socialization
 Adult Socialization


New Interactional Contexts

Video Presentation
2
What is Human Nature?
Is human nature instinctual or
learned?
 Society makes us human
 How do humans become members of
society?

3
The Nature –Vs.– Nurture Debate

NATURE
Explains human
behavior traits as
related to biology:



genetics
heredity
instincts

NURTURE
Explains human
behavior traits as
related to culture:



learning
social interaction
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
5
“Extreme Isolation”
by Kingsley Davis
Study of children raised in social isolation:
The case of “Isabelle”






Illegitimate child
(1930’s)
Mother was deaf-mute
Secluded in dark room
Behaved like a wild
animal
Spoke only in croaking
sounds
6½ years old





Found by social workers
Tested at 2½ age level
Made rapid progress
through developmental
stages
Reached “normal” level
by 8 years old
Deficiencies can be
reversed if caught early
enough
Video Presentation
“Wild Child:
The Story of Feral Children”
8
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?
9
Theories on the Development of the Self:
PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH

Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939)
12
PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH

The mind consists of 3 interrelated systems:

Id


Ego


Basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic
energy
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
13
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)
14
3-PART PROCESS



1. We imagine how
we appear to others
2. We interpret others’
reactions
3. We develop a selfconcept
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
17
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
18
“The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”
by Erving Goffman
DRAMATURGY
An off-shoot of
Symbolic Interactionism
19
“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
20
21
DRAMATURGY
Metaphor of the
theater
 Life as a dramatic
production
 Similarities between
the stage and real
life

Roles
 Performances
 Audiences
 Personal Front



Appearance, manner,
costumes, props
Region

Scenery and Settings
22
23

How performances are constructed

Back stage


Front stage


Where performance is rehearsed
Where performance takes place
Impression Management
An attempt to control the impressions we
make on others


Presenting ourselves in the most favorable light
24

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?
25
SOCIALIZATION

A two-fold process:


by which a society or
group teaches its
members
by which members
learn and internalize
the values, beliefs
and norms of their
society or group

Agents of Socialization


Significant individuals,
groups or institutions
that provide structured
situations in which
socialization takes place
People and groups that
influence our selfconcept, emotions,
attitudes, and behavior
26
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
27
ADULT SOCIALIZATION

Re-Socialization

Socialization that
breaks from or is
integrated with the
past

As part of life
transition

Workplaces,
partnerships,
communities,
organizations

Total Institutions

Controls activities,
strips members of
previous identity to
rebuild them

Boarding schools,
military, prisons,
cults, monasteries
28
29

What is social
interaction?

What people think, feel
and do in each other’s
presence




Face-to-face
interaction
Co-presence
Imaginary interaction
Para-social (virtual)
interaction

New interactional
contexts

The role of technology
in postmodern life


Interaction in
cyberspace via digital
media
The “saturated self”


Exposure to more
sources and multiple
points of view
Borrowing bits and
pieces of identity
30
Video Presentation:
“Growing Up Online”
31
SOCIALIZATION AND
FREE WILL

Are humans prisoner’s of socialization?


Humans can exercise agency


The ability to act freely and independently
We have a dynamic sense of self


Are we robots, products of conditioning, brainwashing?
Actively interpreting and creating our social world
Socialization is reciprocal

We socialize others
32
Next …
33