Conflict To Clarity: A Study Of The Evolving Self In Nadine Gordimer’s Burger’s Daughter

Abstract

Socialization is a dynamic process that helps people develop the ability to think and to grow in ways that are distinctly human. An essential part of the process of becoming a human being lies in the development of a consciousness of self. It provides the base for thought and decisive action. The very conduct of individuals is regulated in terms of the expectations and attitudes of others (Haralambos and Heald 545-46).

Social life is part of every individual and every interaction. An individual cannot mature if he is bred in isolation. Only by observing, learning and assimilating what is in the outside world does one’s personality get shaped. This affirms the intrinsic need and value of social interaction. To social psychologists like George Herbert Mead the ‘self’ is embedded in the social experience and the social processes. The ‘self’ is not inborn. It is learned during childhood and evolves through the growing years. A child’s observation of the world around gives it a consciousness of its ‘self.’ What it beholds, it reflects in the ‘play-stage’, to use Mead’s terminology. When it comprehends the attitudes of others and responds after assimilating their attitudes its ‘self’ evolves in full.