Understanding the Self

• Understanding the self involves insight into behaviors, attitudes, strengths, weaknesses, and emotions.
• It is shaped by personal experiences, social interactions, cultural influences, and self-reflection.

Key Aspects of Understanding the Self:

• Self-concept is the overall perception of who we are, developed through interactions and social comparison.
• Self-knowledge: Who am I?
• Self-expectation: Who or what do I want to be?
• Social self: How do others perceive me?
• Self-evaluation: How well do I like myself?
• Self-esteem is the evaluation of one's self-concept.
• Self-efficacy refers to belief in one's abilities.
• Self-discrepancy theory involves comparing the actual self with the ideal self.
• Maslow's esteem needs include self-esteem (strength, achievement, competence) and respect from others.
• Self-awareness involves being conscious of one's personality, emotions, and behaviors.
• It helps in goal-setting, personal growth, and decision-making.
• Techniques to develop self-awareness include meditation, journaling, reframing thoughts, and positive thinking.
• Components of self-concept include identity, body image, self-esteem, role performance, and self-ideal.
• Identity is name, gender, ethnicity, family role, and occupation.
• Body image involves attitudes about physical appearance and performance.
• Self-esteem is a personal evaluation compared to self-ideal.
• Role performance means fulfilling expected behaviors based on cultural/social norms.
• Self-ideal is internal standards and expectations that regulate self-respect.
• All self-concept components interact dynamically shaping self-image, influencing self-esteem, and affecting self-worth.
• Self-concept development begins in childhood and evolves through life stages.
• Formation of self-concept includes recognizing oneself as distinct, positive self-feelings when basic needs are met, internalizing others' attitudes, and adopting societal standards.
• Factors affecting self-concept: health status, life experiences, culture, developmental stage, history of success/failure, and internal/external resources.
• "Who am I?" is a philosophical inquiry into one's identity, purpose, and place in the world.
• It covers interiority (thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires) and social roles (relationships and social functions).
• Elements contributing to identity: personality traits, abilities, likes/dislikes, belief system, and motivations.
• Tips to explore "Who Am I?": Reflect on core values, identify passions, recognize skills, visualize ideal self, summarize with a personal statement, and engage in self-exploration.

The Self: Philosophical Perspectives

• Philosophy is the study of the nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, and theories on how to live or deal with situations.
• Ancient Greek philosophers questioned myths to understand reality and the self.
• Pre-Socratics (Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles) focused on: the world’s composition, its nature, and the cause of changes.
• Key concepts: Arché is the origin/source, primal matter, or "soul."
• Socrates was concerned with the problem of the self.
• Socrates stated, "The true task of the philosopher is to know oneself" and "The unexamined life is not worth living."
• Socrates believed every person is dualistic: Body (imperfect, impermanent) and Soul (perfect, permanent).
• "The worst thing that can happen to anyone is to live but die inside."
• Plato: the soul has three components: rational (reason & intellect), spirited (emotions), and appetitive (base desires).
• A just and virtuous soul results when these components are balanced.
• St. Augustine followed Plato, adding Christian thought, believes man has a bifurcated nature: one part dwells in the world and one yearns for the Divine.
• According to St. Augustine, the soul is capable of immortality, the body dies, and the soul lives eternally with God.
• St. Thomas Aquinas: Man = Matter (hyle) + Form (morphe), and that the soul is what makes humans distinct from animals/objects.
• The Bible says soul (nephesh) refers to a whole, conscious person with desires and emotions.
• In the Bible, appetite (soul) drives labor.
• The Bible says not to fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, fear Him who can destroy both.
• Soul (life force) vs. Spirit (transcends bodily limitations, opening the soul to divine grace).
• Biblical view: the soul is a combination of the body and God's life-giving spirit.
• First-century Jewish belief: no immortal soul separate from the body, both cease at death.
• Rene Descartes (Father of Modern Philosophy) introduced Mind-body dualism: Human = Mind (thinking thing) + Body (machine).
• Descartes' famous quote: "I think, therefore I am."
• The mind contains consciousness, feelings, and understanding and is the origin of the self.
• John Locke argued that humans are born with a blank slate and knowledge is gained through experience.
• David Hume rejects the idea of a permanent self, believing self is only a bundle of impressions and ideas.
• Immanuel Kant introduced a Mind (apparatus) that organizes impressions.
• Self synthesizes experiences and is the seat of knowledge and personality.
• Gilbert Ryle denies a non-physical self: Self = Behavior manifested in daily life, it’s not a separate entity but the sum of behaviors.
• Maurice Merleau-Ponty denies mind-body separation: Mind and body are inseparable.
• "One's body is his opening toward existence in the world."
• Experiences, thoughts, emotions, and body are one and the same.

Self Perspective

• Self and culture are interconnected, culture shapes self and the self contributes to cultural development.
• Anthropology is the inclusive study of human race, culture, society, and physical development
• Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior, groups, and societies.
• Norms dictate social behavior
• Material culture consists of tangible objects, conversely non-material culture consists of intangible beliefs, norms, values.
• George Herbert Mead developed the concept of social self: self emerges from social interactions, not present at birth.
• Mead's self components: "Me" (socialized aspect shaped by societal expectations) and "I" (active, spontaneous aspect of self).
• "Me" → Freud's Superego (censor) and "I" → Freud's Ego (decision-maker).
• Freud states the Id is the primitive, unconscious, instinctual part while the Ego acts as the conscious mediator between the id and superego.
• Superego is the moral compass, and societal rules.
• Freud emphasized the ego expresses id's impulses acceptably and mental health requires confronting repressed emotions.
• Introduced by Donald Winnicott, the True Self is authentic, spontaneous, and integrated.
• Introduced by Donald Winnicott, the False Self is a defensive facade that represses true feelings to meet external expectations.
• Characteristics of True Self: Body acceptance, self-appreciation, avoid comparison, kind self-talk, emotional awareness, optimistic, welcomes praise, confident, seeks growth, and lives in the present.
• False Self displays repressed feelings, people-pleasing tendencies, and is critical, pessimistic, imitative, and narcissistic.
• A healthy False Self allows polite behavior without compromising integrity and acts as protection, maintains boundaries.

How to Love & Develop Your True Self:

• Know God's Love, accept yourself, forgive yourself, nurture yourself, set boundaries, and affirm yourself.

Material / Economic Self

• Behaviorism only focuses on observable behaviors.
• It argues that environmental stimuli shape behavior.
• John B. Watson emphasized that behavior can be predicted and controlled by manipulating external factors.

Behaviorism:

• Behavior is learned responses to stimuli.
• Self is the sum of conditioned behaviors.
• Shaping the self uses techniques like positive reinforcement, behavior contracts, and immediate feedback
• Behaviorism ignores internal motivations, emotions, and cognitive processes.
• Material self refers to the part of self-identity tied to physical possessions.
• We emotionally invest in these possessions, and they shape how we see ourselves.
• “Mine” concept: Anything a person considers theirs contributes to their material self.
• Impact on self-esteem: Success/failure of possessions affects feelings.
• Materialism can be dangerous: Over-prioritizing material possessions can harm relationships and personal growth.
• Economic self-sufficiency is the ability to meet basic needs without financial aid.
• Economic identity is how one views themselves as an economic actor (worker, consumer, investor).
• Components of the self include material, social, and spiritual.
• It improves decision-making, communication, empathy, and personal growth.
• Influenced by social & cultural contexts: Public, Self-Concept, Actual/Behavioral, Ideal.

Week 5: Behaviorism

• Focuses on observable behavior
• Only behaviors that can be seen and measured matter.
• Behavior is learned through association and consequences.
• Environment shapes behavior through external stimuli and surroundings.
• Classical conditioning explains learning through association, for example, Pavlov's dog salivating at the sound of a bell.
• Operant Conditioning is learning through rewards and punishments such as a child getting praised for doing homework.
• The "self" is not inherent; it is shaped by learned behaviors and identity is formed through responses to environmental stimuli.
• Personality traits are built through repeated conditioning over time.
• Behavior Modification utilizes positive reinforcement to change undesirable behaviors.
• Environmental Control influences behavior by changing the environment.
• Behaviorism does not fully explain complex cognitive processes, emotions, or motivations.
• Components of Self-Understanding include Self-Concept, Self-Image, Self-Knowledge, Ideal Self, and Self-Worth.

Self-Understanding

• Self-Concept: How a person perceives themselves.
• Self-Image: How one sees themselves physically and mentally.
• Self-Knowledge: Understanding one's behavior, personality, and relationships.
• Ideal Self: Who a person wants to be.
• Self-Worth: The value a person places on themselves.

Benefits of Self-Understanding

• Better decision-making, increased confidence, improved communication, greater empathy, and breaking assumptions and biases

• John B. Watson founder of Behaviorism believed psychology should only focus on observable behavior, not thoughts or feelings and that behavior can be predicted and controlled by manipulating environmental stimuli.

• Actions that can be taken include:

  • Positive Reinforcement (rewards)
  • Clear Expectations & Feedback
  • Behavior Contracts
  • Shaping Techniques (gradually teaching desired behavior)
  • Consistent Consequences

• Example of Classical Conditioning in Shaping the Self: Unconditioned Stimulus (food) with Neutral Stimulus (bell) creates Unconditioned Response (salivation), eventually leading to a Conditioned Stimulus (bell) creating the Conditioned Response (salivation).

• Positive reinforcement in early life conditions a child to feel confident and valued, while negative experiences can condition low self-worth or anxiety responses.

Connection to Broader Psychology:

• William James described the I-Self and Me-Self
• Carl Rogers distinguished Real Self versus Ideal Self.
• Albert Bandura's theory states people shape their behavior actively through social learning.
• Behaviorism offers valuable insight into how the self can be shaped by the environment and learned behavior patterns, however, it may not fully capture the internal complexities like emotions, thoughts, and motivations which other psychological theories address.

Week 6: The Glass Self

• Self refers to perception of one's own identity, encompassing thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, experiences, and behaviors representing how a person sees themselves.

Key Components of the Self

• Self-Concept: Core idea of who you are.
• Includes personal characteristics, abilities, and social roles.
• Forms the foundation of your identity.
• Self-Awareness: Being conscious of your own thoughts, emotions, and motivations and understanding how these influence your actions and decisions.
• Multifaceted Nature:*
• The self is not static, it can change depending on social situations and environments. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Understanding the self also ties to basic human needs:

Types of Needs

• Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization

Real Self vs. Ideal Self:

• Real Self: Who you truly are, including authentic traits, feelings, and behaviors, and reflects your real abilities, successes, failures, and relationships.
• Ideal Self: The person you aspire to be.

Congruence:

• When the real self and ideal self closely align, you experience harmony.
• A large gap can lead to anxiety, distress, or low self-esteem.

Self-Discrepancy Theory:

• Discrepancy between real and ideal self can cause body image issues, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.
• Components of Self-Concept: Self-Image, Self-Esteem, and Ideal Self.
• Self-Knowledge is understanding your own feelings, motivations, attributes, and abilities.
• The knowledge is dynamic and ever-changing based on experiences -Includes personal traits, emotional state, needs and goals, etc.
• Improved self-awareness, better decision-making, stronger relationships, and enhanced well-being
• Self-Esteem is how much a person values themselves.
• High self-esteem leads to confidence, positive self-image, and resilience
• Low Self-Esteem: Self-doubt, Insecurity
• Difficulty achieving goals, personal experiences (successes, failures), social comparisons and feedback from others
• Social Self: The self in relation to others (gender, age, nationality, roles, how you present yourself) results in confidence mental well being.
• Our self-image develops based on how we think others perceive us.
• Social Media & The Cyber Self positive effects are creativity, confidence, professional growth while the negative effects are over-reliance on digital validation.
• Understanding yourself and achieving congruence and self-awareness leads to better mental health, stronger relationships, and overall well-being.