Question

13. What does it mean to say the self is social? What theoretical perspective does this statement represent?

Answer 1

The self has meaning only within the socialcontext, and it is not wrong to say that the socialsituation defines our self-concept and our self-esteem. We rely on others to provide a “socialreality”—to help us determine what to think, feel, and do .

On the broadest level, self-concept is the overall idea we have about who we are and includes cognitive and affective judgments about ourselves.
Self-concept is multi-dimensional, incorporating our views of ourselves in terms of several different aspects (e.g., social, religious, spiritual, physical, emotional).
It is learned, not inherent.
It is influenced by biological and environmental factors, but social interaction plays a big role as well.
Self-concept develops through childhood and early adulthood when it is more easily changed or updated.
It can be changed in later years, but it is more of an uphill battle since people have established ideas about who they are.

Symbolic interactionism is a theory that uses everyday interactions of individuals to explain society as a whole. Symbolic interactionism examines stratification from a micro-level perspective. This analysis strives to explain how people’s social standing affects their everyday interactions.
In most communities, people interact primarily with others who share the same social standing. It is precisely because of social stratification that people tend to live, work, and associate with others like themselves, people who share their same income level, educational background, or racial background, and even tastes in food, music, and clothing. The built-in system of social stratification groups people together. This is one of the reasons why it was rare for a royal prince like England’s Prince William to marry a commoner.
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