The Sociological Approach Of Self And Identity
THE SENSE OF THE HUMAN SELF
The sociological approach of self and identity begins with the assumption that there is a reciprocal relationship between the self and society. The Self influences society through the actions of individuals thereby creating groups, organizations, networks, and institutions. And, reciprocally, society influences the self through its shared language and meanings that enable a person to take the role of the other, engage in social interaction, and reflect upon oneself as an object. The latter process of reflexivity constitutes the core of selfhood (McCall & Simmons, 1978; Mead, 1934). Because the self emerges from social interaction and it is reflective of society, the …show more content…
Mead contrasts his social theory of the self with individualistic theories of the self (that is, theories that presuppose the priority of selves to social process). "The self is something which has a development; it is not initially there, at birth, but arises in the process of social experience and activity, that is, develops in the given individual as a result of his relations to that process as a whole and to other individuals within that process" (Mind, Self and Society135). Mead's model of society is an organic model in which individuals are related to the social process as bodily parts are related to bodies. The self is a reflective process — i.e., "it is an object to itself." For Mead, it is the reflexivity of the self that "distinguishes it from other objects and from the body." For the body and other objects are not objects to themselves as the self …show more content…
In a social setting like the Church everybody tries as much as possible to demonstrate Goffman’s impression management. For the pastor of the church who happens to be identified as a religious leader by the members of the church (social identity), displays a particular type of self only on Sundays. Even though the pastor had three bottles of beer before coming to church on Sunday; that’s his own offstage, the church altar is the front stage where he must impress his audience. For example a sociologist who specializes in the Sociology of Science & Religion, who happens to be a guest lecturer and also lectures a class for the first time, he had two audience: the professor and the students and wanted to impress his audience. He wanted to validate his role as an expert in the Sociology of Religion to the professor and also to validate his newfound role as a worthwhile guest lecturer in a university class to both the professor and the students, in an attempt of impression management. He won’t be able to act has two different identity at the same time because he tried to display a multiple
The sociological approach of self and identity begins with the assumption that there is a reciprocal relationship between the self and society. The Self influences society through the actions of individuals thereby creating groups, organizations, networks, and institutions. And, reciprocally, society influences the self through its shared language and meanings that enable a person to take the role of the other, engage in social interaction, and reflect upon oneself as an object. The latter process of reflexivity constitutes the core of selfhood (McCall & Simmons, 1978; Mead, 1934). Because the self emerges from social interaction and it is reflective of society, the …show more content…
Mead contrasts his social theory of the self with individualistic theories of the self (that is, theories that presuppose the priority of selves to social process). "The self is something which has a development; it is not initially there, at birth, but arises in the process of social experience and activity, that is, develops in the given individual as a result of his relations to that process as a whole and to other individuals within that process" (Mind, Self and Society135). Mead's model of society is an organic model in which individuals are related to the social process as bodily parts are related to bodies. The self is a reflective process — i.e., "it is an object to itself." For Mead, it is the reflexivity of the self that "distinguishes it from other objects and from the body." For the body and other objects are not objects to themselves as the self …show more content…
In a social setting like the Church everybody tries as much as possible to demonstrate Goffman’s impression management. For the pastor of the church who happens to be identified as a religious leader by the members of the church (social identity), displays a particular type of self only on Sundays. Even though the pastor had three bottles of beer before coming to church on Sunday; that’s his own offstage, the church altar is the front stage where he must impress his audience. For example a sociologist who specializes in the Sociology of Science & Religion, who happens to be a guest lecturer and also lectures a class for the first time, he had two audience: the professor and the students and wanted to impress his audience. He wanted to validate his role as an expert in the Sociology of Religion to the professor and also to validate his newfound role as a worthwhile guest lecturer in a university class to both the professor and the students, in an attempt of impression management. He won’t be able to act has two different identity at the same time because he tried to display a multiple