Understanding the Self: Philosophical Perspectives

• The document provides an overview of understanding the self from various philosophical, sociological, anthropological, and psychological perspectives, and includes discussions on ethics, sexual development, and strategies for well-being.

The Self from Philosophical Perspective

Socrates

• Believed the self exists in two parts: physical (body) and soul.
• Physical body is tangible, mortal, and constantly changing.
• Soul is immortal and the true self.
• Emphasized self-questioning ("Know thyself").
• Stated "An unexamined life is not worth living".
• Distinguished two realms: the physical realm (changeable) and the ideal realm (unchanging, eternal).
• Upon death, the body remains in the physical realm, and the soul goes to the ideal realm.

Plato

• The self consists of an immortal soul within a mortal, perishable body.
• Soul is the giver of life, permanent, changeless, and divine.
• Body is changing, transitory and perishable (just a shell).
• Proposed a Tripartite Nature of the Soul
• The soul consists of an immortal rational part, a courageous/spirited part (mortal), and an appetitive part.
• He does not neglect the development of a human physical, economic or social powers
• Focused on freeing the soul from the body.
• Believed in life as a continuous ascent towards the world of ideas.

Aristotle

• The self has body and soul, also mind and matter, sense and furthermore intellect, passion, and reason.
• Advocated the Theory of Golden Mean (moderation).
• Happiness comes from harmonious self-development.
• Perfection and happiness arise from wisdom (true knowledge) and virtue.
• Living in moderation is doing things in consonance with reason.

St. Augustine

• The self comprises body and soul, constituting one man.
• Happiness is the ultimate goal, found only in God.
• Virtue defined as "the order of love".
• He taught against hedonism and supports Aristotle's Golden Mean
• Every human is created in God's image and made for God. Only recognition and response to God's love leads to inner peace.
• To love God also requires loving one's fellow man.

St. Thomas Aquinas

• Reason's supremacy is proclaimed in human persons.
• Emphasized God as TRUTH.
• He spoke of a higher form of human perfection beyond earthly life through the soul's immortality through God.
• Recognized truths knowable through reason and those perceived through divine revelation.

Rene Descartes

• Proposed dualism: self as an immaterial mind and material body.
• Advocated for innate ideas and experience.
• "I think, therefore, I am"
• Mind as the seat of consciousness.
• Reason and mental activity are central.
• The body is unreliable and cannot be trusted

John Locke

• Mind is a "tabula rasa" (blank slate) at birth.
• Emphasized the importance of early "associations of ideas".
• Stated "Every human person has the right to life, liberty, health, and property.”
• Individuals are free to define their character, with basic human identity. Author their own soul
• The chief end set by the creator is survival.

Immanuel Kant

• Addressed self as prone to corruption.
• Was Known for the Kantian Categorical Imperative, a supreme principle of morality.
• The enlightenment period, marked by secularism and weakened religion.
• Replaced religion with reason.
• Self is an inextricable union between mind and body.
• Harmony between the body and the world is our being-in-the-world.
• Distinguished inner self (psychological state, rational intellect) from outer self (senses, world).

Maurice Merleau Ponty

• Self is an inextricable union between mind and body
• Oneness & harmony between the body and the world are in our being existence in the world.
• The body is the seat of all experiences.
• The mind & the body are intertwined.
• The body is also intelligent.

Gilbert Ryle

• The mind is not distinct from the body's actions.
• Understanding self requires "knowing how," "knowing that," and "knowing what".
• Knowing certain facts (knowing that) is empty intellectualism without knowing how to use the facts; Possession of knowledge involves knowing how to use that knowledge when required.

Paul Churchland

• Adheres to materialism: only matter exists.
• The physical brain, not the mind, gives sense of self.
• Defends eliminative materialism: the mind can't be experienced and therefore doesn't exist.
• Advocates for Material explanation of Human behavior in terms of recurrent neural networks and neuro-conscience

The Self from a Sociological Perspective

• Socialization shapes a person's image by learning values, attitudes, and appropriate behaviors from their culture.
• Internalizing norms influences beliefs, actions, and behavior.

George Herbert Mead

• The self isn't present at birth; grows from social experiences and activities.
• Self-influence restricted to "significant others" then the "generalized other".
• Concept of self emerges from social interactions and opinions of others.
• "Significant others" play an important role such as parents, teachers, and friends.
• "generalized other” act based on personal and societal beliefs

Charles Cooley

• People develop self through "looking-glass self-theory".
• Three steps of the self's formation: imagining how we appear, how others judge that appearance, and developing feelings about those judgments.

The Self from an Anthropological Perspective

• Anthropology studies the self holistically.
• The self is the totality of what an organism is physically, biologically, psychologically, socially and culturally.
• Physical traits affect culture and vice versa.
• Anthropologists study people across the world at various stages, mindful of universals and variety.

Stratigraphic Approach and Reductionism

• Division of Self includes physical, biological, psychological, and social.
• Avoid reductionism meaning interpreting all observations by reducing the different self to a single level.
• Culture is the integrated system of learned behavior that influences a person’s physical being.

Two Contrasting Models of the Self

Egocentric

• Natural tendency to view everything within the world in relation to oneself.

Sociocentric

• Natural tendency to view everything within the world in relation to one's group.

Other key concepts

• Cultural relativism: understand beliefs based on their own culture.
• Ethnocentrism: belief that one's own culture is superior.
• Xenocentrism: belief that another culture is superior.

The Self from Psychological Perspective

• Self is how a person thinks about their traits, beliefs, and purpose.
• Undergoes constant change through life
• Multilevel system influenced by multifaceted factors (e.g., neural, psychological, and social).

Sigmund Freud

• Proposed the Id, Ego, and Superego.
• Id is unconscious.
• The Ego acts on the "reality principle".
• Superego acts on moralistic and idealistic principles.

William James

• The Self is the totality of all that a person can call his or hers.
• The "I" is the thinker.
• The "Me" is the self-as-object.

The Self in Western and Oriental Thought

• Oriental cultures see humans as integrated wholes, connected to society and the universe.
• Do not emphasize on the dichotomy of matter/ spirit and body/soul. Everything in the universe is interconnected
• Duty is important.
• Strong of the concept of collectivism
• Westerners have an individualistic nature (individualism)

Unpacking the Self: The Physical Self

• Refers to the body, undergoing changes during puberty and adolescence.
• Adolescents prefer talking to peers; children become mindful of their physical self.
• Positive self identity/ self-esteem is very key

Key Concepts

• Self-image: perception of abilities, appearance, personality.
• Self-concept: thoughts, feelings, beliefs about oneself.
• Self esteem: appreciation, value, and likeness of yourself.
• Heredity, intelligence, and environment affect self.

Sexual Self

• Comprises schemas to understand/express ourselves as sexual beings.
• Sex refers to biological characteristics.

Sexual Development

Prenatal

• Gonads develop in embryos 6 weeks after fertilization; SRY gene triggers testes development.
• Internal organs: presence of Wolffian (male) and Müllerian systems (female) until the third month.

Puberty

• Maturity of external genitalia and secondary sex characteristics.
• Hormonal changes: Increased hormone production, release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone that will stimulate two gonadotropic hormones.
• follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
• Higher levels of androgen leading to masculinization and likewise if the level of estrogen becoming feminization.

Abnormalities

• Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS), Adrenogenital Syndrome, 5-Alpha Reductase Deficiency.

Other Terms

Gender

• Attitudes associated with biological sex.

Gender Identity

• Internal awareness of belonging in feminine/masculine categories.

Transgender

• When your gender identity does not match with your biological sex

Sexual Orientation

• stable attraction pattern.

Terms Related to Sexual Behavior

• Asexual: the lack of sexual attraction.
• Heterosexual: attracted to the opposite sex
• Homosexual (gay/lesbian): attracted to the same sex
• Bisexual: attracted to both sexes
• Queer: describes the "self-concept of their sexual orientation identity."

Erogenous zones

• Areas of heightened sensitivity.

Sexual Response :

• Sexual desire is typically higher in men
• Biological response consisting of vasoconcentration and myotonia

Positive and Negative Traits

Positive

• Regards for other
• Family centeredness
• Hospitality

Negative

• Extreme Personalism
• Extreme family centeredness
• Mañana habit

Universal Values

• Happiness
• Peace
• Human respect

Material Self

• Refers to bodies, objects, places and things.

Spiritual Self

• Connected to the true YOU including Personality, Value, conscience

Political Self

• Helps us understand the society.

National Identity

• Boosts sense of duty, self-categorization, affect, and norms.

Filipino Values

• Kapwa value of Filipino traits.

Digital Self

• How we act and present ourselves online.

Self Presentation

• Act of creating an image

Learning

• To be a better learner and know how to store information.

Metacognition

• Thinking about thinking and reflect how we learn

Self Regulation

• A young child will adhere to authority until they mature.

Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy

• Mastery experience is the best and most effective way to develop self-efficacy, followed by social modeling and social persuasion with the last effective way being State.

Goal Setting

• Clarity
• Challenge
• Commitment
• Feedback
• Task Complexity

Mindset

• Fixed Mindset avoids challenges, the other, growth, embraces challenges.

Ethics

• The word ethics came from "ethos."
• It focuses on right/wrong and human behavior.

Moral Standards

• There are morals that depend on results and those that are non-consequential.

Freedom

• In order to have freedom one most make moral choices and be a human.

The Filipino Character

• Consists of 10 positive and universal values.

Thomas Aquinas

• Medieval philosopher that came up with 3 thomistic values.

Thomistic Values that include

• An agent that performs an action acts for the sake of the end purpose to be attained, must be good
• There must be an Object to the act
• 3 fold Inclination of the human person

Moral Development

• Focuses on the act of the human through reasoning.

Moral Decision

• Are based on feelings that decide the ethical subjectivism
• Make decisions based on those feelings that cause Ethical Subjectivism

Aristole Virtue Ethics

• An ethical person is a virtuous person with good character.