Module 3.

Unfolding
the Social
Self

Your understanding of your inner self holds the meaning of your life Click Here to Start
Module 3. Unfolding the
Social Self

Module Objectives
To discuss the how cultural, digital, and
material/economic factors within one’s
environments shape the social self. Further, the
module aims to provide learners with a deeper
understanding of themselves through a socio-
cultural perspective.
Module 3. Unfolding the Unit 2. The Socio-Digital Self
Social Self This unit discusses the impact of
social media platforms and other
This module focuses on the social aspects of digital landscapes on self
self representation and development. As representation. Also, the unit
social beings, individuals tend to associate and tackles some of the issues on
relate oneself to others. Undeniably, social interpersonal relationships in
processes and systems are strong influencers virtual communities.
of one’s being; thus, several of our traits and
characteristics are founded on certain social Unit 3. The Material/
factors: the cultural, digital, and economic Economic Self
aspects of one’s social life. This unit tackles about how we
Unit 1. The Cultural Self maintain extensions of ourselves
through our material goods and
This unit tackles how the socio-cultural aspects maintenance of lifestyles, within
(from the microsystem to macro system) influence the context of what society
our development as we age and grow. values as needs and wants and
what do these material goods say
about ourselves and sense of self.

Click Here to Begin

Unit 1. The Cultural Self
This unit introduces you the journey of
understanding the self. This will highlight the
different factors (Social, Environmental,
Biological, and other life factors) that contribute
to the development of self

Intended learning outcomes

At the end of this Unit, students are expected to

demonstrate the following:

1. Explain, elaborate, and give examples of social factors that shaped the development of one’s
self.
2. Create a conceptual diagram of how these social factors are intertwined and interactively
influence their self.
3. Evaluate the different influences of social factors one’s self.
Diagnostics
 Learning Checkpoint
Do you AGREE or DISAGREE?

 Culture is important in the development of one’s social self.

 People you don’t know do not affect your social self.

 Our behavior is affected by what others think about us.

We don’t care or we become reckless when people are not looking.

 We can live even though we are alone in this world.

Unit 1. The Cultural Self FAMILY
Our development is largely influenced by membership to
crucial social groups that shape various aspects of our
self; from our beliefs system, values orientation, and
manifest behavior. Indeed, we are born into a family and
toward the end of our lives, we evaluate our self in the
context of our contribution to society, quality of our
social relationships, and how we have helped touch lives
of people we have directly encountered.

At the beginning of life, we are surrounded by our family.

It is the most pervading, influential social that group that
impacts our self in the entire course of development. The
conceptions we hold about our world, the values we
uphold in making choices and decisions, and our habits
and persistent behavior have been formed in the context
of our respective families.
Unit 1. The Cultural Self SCHOOLS
Next to family, schools form a significant part of our
social self. Our world perspectives go bigger as we get
exposed to more people and a formal set of standards;
but this time, we are expected to meet a certain criteria
of achievement and oftentimes, in collaborative learning
conditions. We harness our knowledge that we get from
our mentors and apply the socialization skills we got
from our families in developing relationships with our
school peers. The information we glean from books,
lectures of our mentors, insights from our classmates are
assimilated and imbibed consequently in the inner
recesses of our self.
Unit 1. The Cultural Self SCHOOLS
Aside from one’s family and school, our communities
also shape our social self to a large extent. From an
anthropological and sociological perspective, our cultural
beliefs and practices are influenced by what our
communities and societies dictate. Values such as faith in
God, respect for the elderly, task persistence &
dedication, and love for our country are often the
products of communal settings we belong to and societal
expectations imposed on us.
 Bio ecological Systems Theory
(Urie Bronfenbrenner, 1935)
The latest model of Bronfenbrenner’s Bio Ecological
Systems of Development explains an individual’s
social development, using biological, environmental,
and ecological lenses. The theory explains the
bidirectional influence of individual and systems to
each other and posits five specific systems that shape
an individual’s progress. These are:

Microsystem Exosystem
Chronosystem
Mesosystem Macrosystem
 Microsystem

It refers to institutions and social groups that the individual has direct
contact and interaction with, including families, peers, schools, religious
institutions, and the immediate neighbourhood.

Mesosystem

This system refers to the interconnections among aspects of the

microsystems that impact on the individual concerned. Pragmatic examples
of this would include parent-teacher relationships (PTA), parent and peers
connections, family and parish relations, and the like. The focus of the
relationship is to the individual, as a family member and as a student.
 Exosystem

This system focuses on a social setting that an individual has no direct interaction
within but nevertheless affects their development. An example of this could be the
work setting of the parentsa; a major company decision that results to the loss of job
of either parent will have a significant impact to the child.

Macrosystem

This system encompasses the larger cultural context in which the individual resides in.
Cultural contexts may include the socioeconomic status of his country, issues of
ethnicity, societal values embraced by social institutions, cultural beliefs and practices
handed down from generation to generation, and media content.
 Chronosystem

The latest system of Bronfenbrenner’s theory focuses on patterns of environmental

events, including sociohistorical events from a specific to a larger context. Graduation
from college would entail changes in the social self as the individual is expected to
work and contribute to family and society at large. Social events such as political
rallies, elections, and other of a similar nature would also influence the social self in a
very vital way.
Module 3. Unfolding the Unit 2. The Socio-Digital Self
Social Self This unit discusses the impact of
social media platforms and other
This module focuses on the social aspects of digital landscapes on self
self representation and development. As representation. Also, the unit
social beings, individuals tend to associate and tackles some of the issues on
relate oneself to others. Undeniably, social interpersonal relationships in
processes and systems are strong influencers virtual communities.
of one’s being; thus, several of our traits and
characteristics are founded on certain social Click Here to Begin
factors: the cultural, digital, and economic
aspects of one’s social life. Unit 3. The Material/
Unit 1. The Cultural Self Economic SelfThis unit tackles
This unit tackles how the socio-cultural about how we maintain
aspects (from the microsystem to macro extensions of ourselves through
system) influence our development as we age our material goods and
and grow. maintenance of lifestyles, within
the context of what society
values as needs and wants and
what do these material goods say
about ourselves and sense of self.
Unit 2. The Socio-Digital Self
This unit discusses the impact of social media
platforms and other digital landscapes on self
representation. Also, the unit tackles some of the
issues on interpersonal relationships in virtual
communities.

Intended learning outcomess

At the end of this Unit, students are expected to

demonstrate the following:

1. Discuss and elaborate the different concepts of the digital self.

2. Identify the different behaviors that show online disinhibition.
3. Synthesize and evaluate the different influences of social media to one’s social self.
Diagnostics
 Learning Checkpoint
Do you AGREE or DISAGREE?

 Everything we post on our social media will remain there forever.

 Through the use of social media, you can feel invisible.

 How we present ourselves through the use of social is the same with how we
present ourselves to the real world.

 There is no authority in the virtual world.

 We are more confident when we cannot see the people we are talking to.
The Socio-Digital Self

With the rise of technology, our way of socializing has

significantly changed. Before, when we wish to talk to a
person, we really need to approach them personally. But now,
when we want to talk to a person, whether they are near or
far, they are just a social network away. One of the
innovations that improved our socialization processes is the
use of social media
Digital Identity
Sociological perspectives tell that people have “role
identities”. These are the characters and the roles an
individual creates as a member of a particular social
position. The ‘self’, on the other hand, is the hierarchical
ordering of identities by salience. It is known that the
greater the commitment on an identity is, the greater the
salience of this identity. Hence, salience of identity impacts
behavioral choices in a situation.

However, with the presence of the internet, our identity is

affected. As mentioned, people tend to separate himself
from his physical body while engaged in social media, thus,
disembodiment. It is known that social media allows us to
adopt identities independent from our bodies.
Online Disinhibition Effect (Suler, 2004)
When we behave differently in virtual spaces than we would in
a face-to-face interactions, we loosen up, we become less
restrained and we tend to express ourselves more openly. This
phenomenon is known as online disinhibition

There are two main categories of behavior that fall under the
online disinhibition effect, the benign disinhibition and toxic
disinhibition. Accordingly, the benign disinhibition includes
behavior in which people tend to self-disclose more on the
internet than they would in real life. Also, they tend to go out
of their way to help someone or show kindness. On the other
hand, toxic disinhibition includes behavior that in which
people tend to use rude language, threats, and visiting places
of pornography, crime, and violence on the internet. They may
also go to places they might not have been to in real life.
Disinhibition and Personality Managing Online Disinhibition
Even though there are people who exhibit • Don’t post or send anything you would be
online disinhibition, it should be noted that not
embarrassed for certain others to see.
every person will be disinhibited in the same
way or to the same level in virtual interactions.
• Do be careful about over-sharing.
Individuals can be predisposed to being more • Don’t hang out with the “wrong crowd”
disinhibited based on personality. The intensity online.
of a person’s underlying feelings, needs, drives • Don’t hang out with the “wrong crowd”
and the likes affect susceptibility to online offline.
disinhibition as well. • Do consider your emotional state before
virtually posting or responding to anything.
Even though not all online disinhibitions are • Do consider the reaction individuals are
bad, it is better and safer for us to create a expecting from toxic disinhibition.
digital footprint that is worth looking at. The
• Do search for yourself online.
following are some ways to manage our online
disinhibition.
Module 3. Introduction to Unit 2. The Socio-Digital Self
Understanding the Self This unit discusses the impact of
social media platforms and other
This module focuses on the social aspects of digital landscapes on self
self representation and development. As representation. Also, the unit
social beings, individuals tend to associate and tackles some of the issues on
relate oneself to others. Undeniably, social interpersonal relationships in
processes and systems are strong influencers virtual communities.
of one’s being; thus, several of our traits and
characteristics are founded on certain social
factors: the cultural, digital, and economic
aspects of one’s social life.
Unit 1. The Cultural Self Unit 3. The
This unit tackles how the socio-cultural aspects
Material/Economic Self
This unit tackles about how we
(from the microsystem to macro system) influence
maintain extensions of ourselves
our development as we age and grow.
through our material goods and
maintenance of lifestyles, within
the context of what society
values as needs and wants and
what do these material goods say
about ourselves and sense of self.
UNIT 3. The Material/Economic Self
This unit tackles about how we maintain
extensions of ourselves through our material
goods and maintenance of lifestyles, within the
context of what society values as needs and wants
and what do these material goods say about
ourselves and sense of self.

Intended learning outcomes

At the end of this Unit, students are expected to

demonstrate the following:

1. Determine the different factors that contribute to one’s material self.

2. Identify needs from wants and how these are related to one’s material self.
3. Discuss the importance of the material things that one possesses and how these things contribute to
the self.
Diagnostics
 Learning Checkpoint
Do you AGREE or DISAGREE?

 We can be defined based on our material possessions.

 You are what you purchase.

 Our possessions tell the people how rich or poor we are.

 We buy products based on its significance and not on its brand.

 Things that we have are all symbols of who we truly are.

The Material/Economic Self

While it is true that most of the material things that we

possess are not the things that we need, it is equally true
that what we have in our lives can tell other people who we
really are. Our possessions, gadgets, properties and
belongings tell a lot of ourselves. These things were chosen
by us because we see ourselves in these things. The
products that we purchase are the products in which we see
ourselves with. For instance, the perfume you buy and wear
is the perfume you think best suits you. By knowing who we
are, we also need to know what we want. But the dilemma
remains however, that our wants are not exactly what we
need. Before we proceed with the material aspect of
ourselves, we have to know first the difference between
wants and needs.
 Wants vs. Needs

Most of us confuses wants with needs. Some people think that they are just the same. However,
these two are different from each other. We have learned before that needs are the things that we
cannot live without. These include food, shelter, clothing, water, air, medical care and sex. On the
other hand, wants are things that we just like but not necessarily our needs. These include a new
cellphone, a new car, jewelries and the likes. Regardless whether the things that we have are needs
or wants, we should always remember that these things tell something about ourselves.
 The Meaning of Things (Mihaly Csiksentmihalyi)

Unknown to some, the things that we use, own, and surround ourselves with might accurately reflect our
personality. Needless to say, the clothes that we wear, the car that we drive and the furnishings of our home, are all
expressions of ourselves, even when they act as disguises rather than as reflections. It only means to say that the
things that surround us are inseparable from who we are. In other words, objects or things are intimately related to
the self.

It is also tantamount to say that whatever material things we are having in our lives are product of our choices. This
only means that the things and the product that we purchase tell a lot of stories about ourselves.

Accordingly, the material environment that surrounds us is rarely neutral. It can either make our lives very chaotic in
a sense that it is too random and disorganized, or it helps us to give purpose and direction to our lives. These only
prove that the material things that we have are connected to who we are now.
Utility and Significance in Everyday Objects (John Heskett)

Aside from the association of the self and the material things that we have, we should also know the function and
significance of the things that we have for ourselves. It is not enough that we know that we have a connection with
our material things. It is also important to know their uses. For Heskett, there are two important things that we need
to know with our material things. These are:

•Utility. This is concerned with how things work and serve a practical purpose. This is also concerned with efficiency
derived from technological and material factors. (e.g., kitchen knife- a primary utility used as a cutting tool).

•Significance. This is concerned with how forms assume meaning in the ways they are used, or the roles and meaning
assigned to them. It is also concerned with how objects become powerful symbols or icons of habit and ritual. As per
Haskett, this can be quite separate to their function. (e.g., necklace- its function is to beautify the neck, but is
significant to a person who holds a position in the society).

•Significance, in contrast to efficiency, has more to do with expression and meaning. However, meanings are often
culturally determined. For some, even the smallest utilitarian objects are capable of embodying values.
Semiotics: Objects as ‘signs’ (Roland Barthes)

In this analysis, it was obvious that the object (the car) and its ‘other’ meaning were unpacked. This analysis is simply
called semiotics. For Barthes, objects are not just things but are reflections of the wider lives of communities and
individuals.

All these suggests that objects act as a complex systems of signs which allow us to read meaning into people, places
and purposes.

According to Barthes, a sign has 2 elements:

•Signifier (its physical form - a diamond ring)
•Signified (the mental concept it refers to - engaged to be married)

Barthes claimed that all things, verbal or visual, could be viewed as a kind of speech or ‘language’. It is then
tantamount to say that objects can speak, and that even the most ordinary object might be eloquent.
For example, clothes may have a simple functional meaning such as to cover and protect the body. However, this is
also doubled up as signs. These jeans may construct a meaning and carry a message, which as a member of a
culture, we can understand.
 Module 3. Unfolding the Social Self
Unit 3. The Material/Economic Self

Module Assessment
Check your workbook:
• Exercise No. 1 .0 Wants and Needs, Utility and Significance,
Signifier and Signified (pg. 76)
• Exercise No. 2.0 The Ultimate Need (pg. 77)

Assignment No. 8
Metacognitive Reading Report (pg. 78)
Readings:
• Akerlof, G. & Kranto, R. (2000). Economics and identity, The Quarterly Journal of
Economics, Vol 135 (3) (the whole article pg. 1-39)
• Antonova, N. (2014). Economic Identity and Professional Self-Determination,
Athens Journal of Social Sciences. (the whole article pg. 1-12)