slide presentation in Understanding the Self

1. Self:
The Self as
Embedded in Culture

3. Introduction:
 Upon completion of the lesson, you must have
 1. recognized what the field of anthropology can contribute to the
understanding of the self;
 2. understood how culture and self are complementary concepts;
 3. discussed the cultural construction of the self and social identity;
 4. explained the concept of identity struggles; and
 5. developed insights on how to achieve a sense of self, situated in
multicultural and dynamic situations.

4.  Anthropology is concerned with how cultural and
biological processes interact to shape human
experience. Contemporary anthropologists believe
that culture and self are complementary concepts
that are to be understood in relation to one another.
Compared with other disciplines, anthropology
possesses a holistic and integrated approach in
examining human nature.

5.  According to a distinguished anthropology professor, James L.
Peacock (1986, p.10), “anthropology encroaches on the
territory of the sciences as well as the humanities, and
transcends the conventional boundaries of both while
addressing questions from the distant past and the pressing
present—perhaps with implications for the future.” This
definition of anthropology emphasizes that it is an academic
field for understanding the interconnection and
interdependence of biological and cultural aspects of the
human experience at all times and in all places.

6.  Anthropology considers human experience as an interplay of “nature,”
referring to genetic inheritance which sets the individuals potentials, and
“nurture,” referring to the sociocultural environment (Haviland, Prins,
Walrath, & McBride, 2013). Therefore, it could be understood that both
biological and cultural factors have significant influence on the
development of self-awareness among individuals within society. In
addition, the field of anthropology has contributed indirectly to the
understanding of the nature of self through ethnographic investigations
(e.g., sampling method, sentence completion, interviews) which discuss
that cultural variations may affect one’s mental state, language, and
behavior (Triandis, 1989). Perhaps, the most important contribution of
anthropology is providing insights into the nature of self based on
continuous understanding of the basic elements of culture (Peacock, 1986).