1.1.2. Sociological Perspective of the Self

• Sociology


  The science of society and social interactions taking place
• Charles Horton Cooley in 1902 introduced the looking-glass self
• Looking-glass self is to highlight that the people whom a person interacts with become a mirror in which he or she views himself or herself.
• The self-identity or self-image is achieved through a treefold event conceiving of an idea, analyzes how other perceive him or her, how creates an image of the self.
• If he or she thinks that others judge him or her unfavorably, he coul develop a negative self-image
• For George Herbert Mead and Lev Vygotsky, the way that human persons develop is with the use of language acquisition and interaction with others
• Human mind


  Made and constituted through experiences in the external world and dialogs with others
• Two Sides of Self

  Me-self and I-self
• Development of the self in a three stage: Preparatory stage, Play stage, Game stage
• Preparatory stage


  (0-3 years old) children imitate the people around them, especially family members with whom they have daily interaction, without understanding underlying intentions, and so at this stage, they have no sense of self, they are just preparing for role-taking
• Play stage


  (3-5 years old) children start to view themselves in relation to others as they learn to communicate through language and other symbols
• Game stage


  Begins in the early school years, about 8 or 9 years old, children understand not only their own social position but also those of others around them
• Gerry Lanuza (2004) discusses the relationship between society and the individual in the article, "The Constitution of the Self"
• According to Gerry Lanuza, the attainment and stability of self-identity are freely chosen in modern societies
• There is a need to discover the "authentic core" of the self for the individual to freely work towards self-realization
• Jean Baudrillard is a French sociologist, exposes the negative consequences of postmodernity to individuals in society
• Postmodern individuals


  Achieve self-identity through prestige symbols that they consume