The self is

separate, self-contained,
independent, consistent, unitary,
and private
Stevens, 1996
 "The struggle for one’s individuality is only
possible in modern society where religio-
theological traditions are gradually replaced by
rational and scientific calculations; and the
intimate personal affiliations are replaced by
exceedingly impersonal associations brought
about by urbanized way of life."

CLIFFORD GEERTZ
Modernization or the destruction of the traditional
way of life "delocalized" the self
• The new found freedom threatens the
very authenticity of the self
• Alienation
• Objectification of the body
• Dehumanization of the self
Modernization or the destruction of the
traditional way of life "delocalized" the
self
The stability of one's self-identity is
no longer anchored on pre-given
tradition-bound definition of the self.
IT IS NOW FREELY CHOSEN.
Necessary fictions are beliefs that cannot be
proven to be true and sometimes can be
proven false, but are, nonetheless,
necessary to sustain life.

FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE
The self nothing but a metaphor, a
representation of something abstract; symbolic.

Self has continuity even if it is only in memory.

FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE
 Self as NECESSARY FICTION
‘Self’ is a hierarchy of drives, a complex of
urges in conflict. So each of us is many
people.
The ‘self’ is a set of moving parts, with the movement
being informed by one’s need at any given time.

FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE
Post-Modern View of the Self
Self is a narrative, a text written and rewritten

"Every little piece of information that you post on

the internet - the messages you write, the
website you visit, the files you download, the
e-mail addresses you contact, the books, tapes,
CDs, and airplane tickets you order on the
Internet, and the credit card numbers you give -
all become the raw data from which someone out
there can piece together an identity, a virtual
version of who you are."

NICOLA GREEN
Global migration produces multicultural identities
Post-modern selves are “pluralized” selves
Post-Modern View of the Self
"If the modern problem of identity
was how to construct an identity
and keep it solid and stable, the
"postmodern problem of identity' is
primarily how to avoid fixation and
keep the options open. In the case
of identity… the catchword of
modernity was creation; the
catchword of postmodernity is
recycling."

zygmunt bauman
 "The unity of the self is
not something that is pre-
given to individuals. It is
something that they must
accomplish through
conscious effort."

FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE
Individuals must fashion, care for,
and cultivate their selves, in order to
transform them into a beautiful work
of art (Nietzche)

“Solidarity is not
discovered by reflection
but created.”
Self-creation is formed within "imagined
communities"

Selves, as bodies moving in space, obtain their nature from

cultural traditions, embodied in various social institutions.
These are preserved in collective narrative, which becomes the
reservoir for the project of self creation.

The most important reservoir for self-identity is

national identity.
Racial and ethnic identities are considered
unalterable circumstances

Self-creation is necessarily grounded on collective

solidarities

People should learn to reconcile themselves

to such unalterable circumstances
The self emerges form social interaction
As we develop this ability, at first we can take only the roles
of significant others, individuals who significantly
influence our lives, such as parents or siblings.
As our self gradually develops, we internalize the
expectations of more and more people. Our ability to
take the role of others eventually extends to being able
to take the role of “the group as a whole.”

GENERALIZED OTHERS
refers to our perception of how
people in general think of us.
The “I” is the self as subject, the active,
spontaneous, creative part of the self.

In contrast, the “me” is the self as

object. It is made up of attitudes we
internalize from our interactions with
others.
Existence of he community comes before
individual consciousness.

First one must participate in different social

positions within the society and only
subsequently can one use that experiences to
take the perspective of others and become self-
conscious.
IMITATION (PREPARATORY)
Under the age of 3, we can only mimic others. We do not yet
have a sense of self separate from others, and we can only
imitate people’s gestures and words.

PLAY
During the second stage, from the ages of about 3 to 6, we
pretend to take the roles of specific people.

TEAM GAMES
This third stage, organized play, or team games, begins roughly
when we enter school. The significance for the self is that to
play these games, we must be able to take multiple roles.
 The image of ourselves is largely a
reflection of how people react to us
1. We imagine how we appear to those around us.
2. We interpret others’ reactions.
3. We develop a self-concept.

NOTE:
• Development of the self does not depend on accurate
evaluations.
• Although the self-concept begins in childhood, its
development is an ongoing, lifelong process.
When we are labelled and
other’s view and expectation
of us are affected by that
labelling.

SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a belief
that comes true because we are
acting as if it is already true.
 If we are repeatedly labelled
by others

We adopt what others’ labels explicitly into our self-

concept

Occurs when individuals turn prejudice directed

toward them by others onto themselves
We determine our own social and
personal worth based on how we
stack up against others we
perceive as somehow faring
better or worse.

• Social comparison occurs when there

are no objective benchmarks on
which we can rely on.
• We use our social comparison to
determine our skills or abilities.