Philosophical Perspectives of the Self PDF

 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF  – No historical document if he really existed. – 469 - 399 B.C.E. – There were no known writings. – Plato highly regarded him. – He is credited for his many contributions to western philosophy. SOCRATES  Gnothi Seauton...

 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF  – No historical document if he really existed. – 469 - 399 B.C.E. – There were no known writings. – Plato highly regarded him. – He is credited for his many contributions to western philosophy. SOCRATES  Gnothi Seauton TRANSLATION: OKWN TSHEYLF KNOW THYSELF – Socrates pointed out that if an individual knows who he or she is, all the basic issues and difficulties in life will vanish and everything will be clearer. Techniques in Asking Questions – Who am I? – What is the purpose of my life? – What am I doing here?  Self-knowledge – knowing one’s degree of understanding about the world and knowing one’s capabilities and potentials. – Self is achieved and something to work on.  “Possession of knowledge is virtue and ignorance is depravity.” SOCRATES  "What is it that when in a body, makes it living?" DUALIST – Believed that man has SOUL. immortal, intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, and ever self-consistent and invariable. DUALIST – He argued that the RULER of the BODY is the SOUL. human, mortal, multiform, unintelligible, dissoluble and inconsistent DUALIST  – An ancient Greek Philosopher. – Student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. – 428 - 347 B.C.E. PLATO  EMPIRICAL REALITY - fundamentally unreal and is only a shadow or a mere appearance IDEALIST  ULTIMATE REALITY - real as it is eternal and constitutes abstract universal essences of things. IDEALIST  EXAMPLE ir p ty ica UNREAL Em eali lr  EXAMPLE ESSENCE – Academic and Non-academic purposes al – Work REAL ri c – Gaming m pi ty E eali r – Entertainment Ultimate reality  – Believed in an enduring self that is represented by the soul. – Soul is eternal and constitutes the enduring self, because, even after death, the soul continues to exist. CONCEPT OF SELF – He was canonized by popular acclaim, and later recognized as a Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII. ST. AUGUSTINE – Time and memory greatly influenced many fundamental doctrines of psychology. REFLECTIONS TIME – something that people measure within their own memory. – a property of the mind. REFLECTIONS the TIME PRESENT of things PAST is MEMORY the TIME PRESENT of things PRESENT is DIRECT EXPERIENCE the TIME PRESENT of things FUTURE is EXPECTATION REFLECTIONS  INTROSPECTION METHOD Awareness of one’s own mental processes. MEMORY entity through which one can think meaningfully about temporal continuity. REFLECTIONS  PAST and FUTURE Equivalent entities that exist TIME PAST are only real if they exist in the TIME mind or consciousness FUTURE REFLECTIONS  INTROSPECTION – inquiry of the soul then of the mind, consciousness and thought. – confirms the superiority of humans over other organisms since humans have self-consciousness. Determines the identity of the person. – A French philosopher and mathematician – 1596 - 1650 C.E. – Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am RENE DESCARTES  Cogito, Ergo Sum – The existence of anything that are sensible can be doubted. – One can always doubt about the certainty of things but the very fact that one doubts is something that cannot be doubted.  Cogito, Ergo Sum – Only humans have the Hubris (excessive pride) - of thinking such irreverent questions on existence and purpose of life. – Humans have satisfied themselves with their own answers to their own thinking. – Humans have the audacity and impertinence to try to figure out the meaning of life and are actually self-aware of their own existence  - Self - A thinking thing or a substance whose whole essence or nature is merely thinking.  - The Self - – real and not just an illusion. – different from the body. – a feature not of the body but of the mind and thus a mental substance rather than a physical substance.  Mind and Body – Self is nothing else but a mind-body dichotomy. – Thought (mind) always precedes action (body). – Humans are self-aware and they are the masters of their own universe.  Paul and Patricia Churchland – Canadian-American philosophers – focused on integrating the disciplines of philosophy of mind and neuroscience in a new approach that has been called Neurophilosophy.  Paul and Patricia Churchland SELF self is nothing else but the BRAIN, or simply, the self is contained entirely within the physical brain.  Paul and Patricia Churchland SELF To understand the self, one must study the brain, not just the mind.  Maurice Merleau-Ponty – He was a French Phenomenological Philosopher. – Main interest: The constitution of meaning in human experience.  Maurice Merleau-Ponty BODY – Subjective Body: as lived and experienced. – Objective Body: as observed and scientifically investigated.  Self as Embodied Subjectivity – Human beings are neither disembodied minds (existing without body) as complex machines. – We are living creature whose subjectivity (consciousness) is actualized in the forms of their physical involvement with the world. – The body is a general medium for having a world and we know it is not through our intellect but through our experiences.  – Rather than using ‘I THINK’, we use ‘I CAN’ which you can go somewhere else as a being possessing a body. – Mind and Body are essentially correlated. Consciousness is both perceiving and engaging. Subject (a self) Essentially Requires a Body  M. Ponty accepts the idea of mental states, but he also suggests that the use of the mind is inseparable from our bodily, situated, physical nature I AM MY BODY. Write anything that makes you feel joy/happy  THE SELF FROM THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE  Do you believe that, “ There are no two individuals are alike”? YES NO  Do you think that, “No man is an island”? YES NO  The human is a social animal tAra, BAgUio aS frIEndS????  Reasons equated with Relationships and their Scientific study are always correlated with SOCIOLOGY  SOCIOLOGY – Product of modern society versus other constructs and archetypes. – Social Norms – Social Values – Socials Factors  Social Self - Self is not biological but social. - Developed through social interaction. - Developed as one grows and ages. GEORGE MEAD  CASE OF GENIE a girl confined in a room for 13 years. No development of the ‘self.’ She didn’t know how to walk or speak.  Social Self - Self is constructed by directly engaging in the world through interaction and through reflections on those interactions. GEORGE MEAD Self-awarenes Self-image s Conscious knowledge The idea one has of of one’s own one’s abilities, character, feelings, appearance and motives and desires. personality. The ‘self’  Social interaction – Involves the exchange of symbols Language Understand s Express or We must correctly Communicate interpret the meanings of symbols Verbal or and intentions of Non-verbal others.  – one takes on the role of another by putting oneself in the position of the person with whom he or she interacts. – It causes us to act accordingly. – Once we can symbolically recognize objects, we can view the Role Taking self as an object. (i.e., Having a name)  Self is not inborn Babies cannot interpret the meaning of other people’s behavior.  Three Stages of Development Imitation Play Stage Game Stage a child imitates the child playing the child comes to the behavior of the roles of others. themselves from his or her the perspective of parents. other people.  PHASES OF SELF “I” and “Me” Self – results from the progressive stages of role-taking – unsocialized and spontaneous. – the perspective one assumes to view and analyze one's own – acting part of the self behaviors. – organization of the internalized – free and unique. attitude of others. – the subjective part of the – conventional and objective part of Me self. the self. I  Generalized Others – an organized community or social group which gives to the individual his or her unity of self. – The attitude of the generalized other is the attitude of the entire community. Looking - glass Self – a social psychological concept. – Self is developed as a result of one’s perceptions of other people’s opinions. – A social construction as well as a personal reality. Charles Horton Cooley THE SELF IS BUILT THROUGH SOCIAL INTERACTION WHICH INVOLVES THREE STEPS: 1. People imagine how they must appear to others. 2. They imagine the judgement on that appearance 3. They develop themselves through the judgement of others.  Postmodern View Of The Self Postmodernist view – The self is not the creator of meaning, nor the center or starting point of sociological inquiry. Four Basic Postmodernist Ideas about the Self (Anderson, 1997) Multiphrenia which refers to the many different voices speaking about “who we are and what we are.”  Vice President Nanay Public Servant Asawa Abogado Kapitbahay Boss Ninang Four Basic Postmodernist Ideas about the Self (Anderson, 1997) Protean a self capable of changing constantly to fit the present conditions. “Sabi mo, ayaw mo mag-teacher?” “Kala ko ba ayaw mo magpa-piercing?” “Bakit sabi mo boy/girl bestfriend lang tayo?” People do not have a true stable self. Four Basic Postmodernist Ideas about the Self (Anderson, 1997) De-centered a belief that there is no self at all since the self is constantly being redefined or constantly undergoing change. Four Basic Postmodernist Ideas about the Self (Anderson, 1997) Self-in-relation humans do not live their lives in isolation but in relation to people and to certain cultural contexts  Postmodernist view – There’s no “I” in self. – Self is shaped by outside forces; socially constructed. – People have no fixed identities which are separable from their surroundings, and which remain the same even though certain characteristics and conditions may change.  Person’s status – Traditional society: determined by his or her role – Modern society: by his or her achievement – Postmodern society: by fashion or style since it changes, and people adapts to these changes or is left with identity in question.  THE POSTMODERN SOCIAL CONDITION IS DOMINATED BY TWO REALITIES: 1. The rise of new media technologies 2. Dominance of Consumerism Lyon (1997) argued that the predicament of the self in postmodern societies is complicated by the advent of electronic-mediated virtual interactions of cyberselves and the spread of information technology. Green (1997) posited that the self is “digitalized” in cyberspace. “Every little piece of information that you post on the Internet - the message you write, the websites you visit, the files you download, the email address you contact, the book, tapes, CDs, and airplane tickets you order on the Internet and the credit card numbers you give - all these become raw data from which someone out there can piece together an identity, a virtual version of who you are.” Email and Memory The Self from the Anthropological Perspective  Culture Identity and National Identity – Culture is derived from the Latin word cultura or cultus meaning care or cultivation. – Throughout one’s life he or she functions according to the cultural context where he or she is situated.  Individuals learn that they have both personal identity and collective identity. Personal Identity Collective Identity the way they see the way they see themselves as an themselves as a individual. member of a certain group. Identity refers to “who the person is,” or the qualities and traits of an individual that make him or her different from others. Cultural Identity refers to the identity or feeling of belongingness to a certain culture group. Race Nationality Religion Gender Language Ethnicity It is an individual’s perception about himself or herself anchored on:  Cultural Identity Theory – It explains why a person acts and behaves the way he or she does. – A single person can possess multiple identities, simultaneously making him or her part of many cultural groups  Nation – a group of people built on the premise of shared customs, traditions, religion, language, art, history and more.  National Identity – refers to the identity or feeling of belongingness to one state or nation. – Rupert Emerson: National Identity is “A body of people who feel that they are a nation.” – National Identity is socially constructed. It is influenced and shaped by material and non-material cultures.  Material Culture Non-Material Culture – Embodies the shared National Flag understanding of a Emblem group of people which Seal includes: – These represents all the Norms people who are part of Beliefs a nation. Traditions NATIONAL IDENTITY REQUIRES THE PROCESS OF SELF-CATEGORIZATION: Self-categorization – one must identify himself or herself with an in-group and differentiate himself or herself from the out-groups.  Three Fundamental Selves – reflects the – reflects cognitions – reflects cognitions cognitions related that are related to that are related to to traits, states one’s one’s group. and behaviors relationships that are stored in memory. Individual Relational Collective Self Self Self  Identity Struggles – This term is introduced by Anthony Wallace and Raymond Fogelson. – It characterizes the discrepancy between the identity a person claims to possess, and the identity attributed to that person by others.  The Self from the Psychological Perspective  Self Theory ▪ an individual's perception of the self is divided into two categories - Me and I. ▪ a human being has the capacity to be a thinking subject and the WILLIAM object of his or her thinking at the same time. JAMES I ▪ The continuous stream of consciousness internal to an individual. ▪ responsible for the thinking and makes awareness and self-awareness possible. Me ▪ when he or she makes himself or herself the object of his or her own thinking. THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF SELF-FEELING SELF-SEEKING THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF refer to the further sub-categories of the self: ▪ the material self ▪ social self ▪ spiritual self ▪ pure ego. THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF SELF-FEELING SELF-SEEKING THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: SELF-FEELING The feelings and emotions aroused in the individual because of his or her knowledge and appraisal of his or her empirical existence in the world. THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF SELF-FEELING SELF-SEEKING THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: SELF-SEEKING refers to the actions the self prompts – the effort of every individual to preserve and improve oneself based on one’s self-knowledge and resulting self-feelings THE SELF CAN BE CONTEXTUALIZED IN 3 CATEGORIES: CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF SELF-FEELING SELF-SEEKING CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF REFER TO FURTHER SUB-CATEGORIES OF THE SELF: MATERIAL SELF consists of one’s body, clothes, family, home and other material possessions that he or she values and regards as his or her own. CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF REFER TO FURTHER SUB-CATEGORIES OF THE SELF: SPIRITUAL SELF includes one’s thoughts, beliefs and feelings CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF REFER TO FURTHER SUB-CATEGORIES OF THE SELF: SOCIAL SELF connotes the image of an individual in the eyes of the people around him or her which determines his or her reputation in society. CONSTITUENTS OF THE SELF REFER TO FURTHER SUB-CATEGORIES OF THE SELF: PURE EGO is the most puzzling aspect of the self.  Spiritual Self Social Self EMPIRICAL SELF Material Self  Self Theory ▪ The self does not exist at birth. ▪ It is developed gradually during childhood wherein one differentiates the self from non-self. ▪ He proposed that by means of free choice and action, one can shape CARL himself or herself based on what he ROGER or she wants to be.  REAL ▪ who an individual is, intrinsically. SELF ▪ the self that feels closest and to how one identifies with. IDEAL ▪ The real self is one’s self-image. SELF  REAL ▪ the perception of what a SELF person would like to be or thinks he or she would be. and ▪ the idealized image that has develop over time IDEAL based on the influence of the environment and the SELF people one interacts with. Marlo CONGRUENCXander u E ford arizala CONGRUENCE an agreement between the selves, which happens when the ideal self is closer to the real self.  SELF-CONCEPT ▪ defined as the totality of complex, organized and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence. ▪ a social product, developing out of interpersonal relationships and striving for consistency.  ASPECTS OF SELF-CONCEPT It starts after a child recognizes It begins when an individual his or her existence as a separate recognizes his or her entity and becomes aware that he existence as a separate or she is an object in the world. entity from others and realizes that he or she will An individual starts to categorize continue to exist over a himself or herself in terms of age, sex, height and weight. period of time and space. EXISTENSIAL SELF CATEGORICAL SELF  THREE COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT SELF-WORTH or SELF-ESTEEM ▪ What one thinks about oneself. ▪ Develops in early childhood stage resulting from the interaction of the child with his or her mother and father.  THREE COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT SELF-IMAGE ▪ How one sees himself or herself, which is important for good psychological health. ▪ Includes the influence of body image on inner personality.  THREE COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT IDEAL SELF ▪ the person that one wants to be. ▪ Consists of one’s dreams and goals in life, and it is continuously changing. Global versus Differentiated Models  Global Models Look into a human being in his or her totality, as an indivisible entity that cannot be broken down into parts.  Gestalt Psychology ▪ It is guided by the principle that: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” ▪ interested in looking at the entirety of the self - the mind, body, physical attributes, behaviors and more.  Humanistic Psychology ▪ It is guided by the principle that: “Human beings, as humans, supersede the sum of their parts.” ▪ It puts more emphasis on the influence of the environment on one’s experiences rather than internal thoughts and desires that define one’s personality  Differentiated Models Look into a human being through examining its parts for it is divisible or can be broken into components. Sigmund Freud the psyche is composed of three parts - the id, ego and superego.  ▪ exists since birth, pertaining to instinct. ▪ storeroom of wishes and obsessions related to sexual and aggressive desires. id ▪ pleasure principle - seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. ▪ driven by the so-called libido (sexual energy). ▪ If it is dominant, an egoistic, boorish, and barbaric brute emerges  ▪ morality principle. ▪ compliance with the norms, values and standards imposed by society. ▪ developed by means of socialization in various superego agents like home, school, church and others. ▪ two systems: the conscience and the ideal self. ▪ If superego is dominant, a law-abiding, morally upright, god-fearing and socially acceptable individual appears.  ▪ reality principle. ▪ maintain equilibrium between the demands of id and superego in accordance with what is best and practical. ego ▪ developed by the individual’s personal experiences and adheres to principles of reason and logic. ▪ If ego is successful, it turns out a brilliant, creative and emotionally balanced individual.  Carl Jung human psyche is divided into three parts - The ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The Ego ▪ the center of consciousness. ▪ the person’s sense of identity and existence ▪ organizes thoughts, feelings, senses, and intuition. The Personal Unconscious ▪ It refers to all information stored in a person’s mind that are readily accessible to consciously recall. The Collective Unconscious ▪ It refers to the unconscious mind shared by all human beings such as instincts and archetypes. Albert Bandura The social cognitive theory makes use of the AGENTIC THEORY OF THE SELF.  Agentic Theory of the Self ▪ AGENT: to be capable of intentionally influencing one’s own functionality and life circumstances. ▪ Rejects the notion that the selfhood is culturally influenced or controlled by urges, rather, it looks upon every human being as capable of thinking, deciding, foreseeing, and controlling his or her actions, free to decide for himself or herself. ▪ This capability is termed by Bandura as HUMAN AGENCY.  Four Core Properties of Human Agency ▪ Intentionality: is manifested in how an individual forms intentions with action plans and strategies to realize them. ▪ Forethought: refers to how an individual positions his or her plans in the future.  Four Core Properties of Human Agency ▪ Self-reactiveness: shows that agents are not only planners and fore-thinkers but also self-regulators. The goals that the person wants to reach should be clear and specific. ▪ Self-regulation: allows the person to set goals that are better and higher than the former, challenging his capabilities and making him a wiser and self-actualized individual.  Four Core Properties of Human Agency ▪ Self-reflection: signifies that people are capable of self-examining their own functioning.  The Self from Western and Eastern Thoughts Individualism vs Collectivism  Individualism vs Collectivism ▪ An orientation concerned ▪ An orientation with the independence characterized by and self-reliance of the belongingness to larger individual. groups or collectives.  Western Conception ▪ Individualistic ▪ Emphasis on freedom and choice ▪ Independent self ▪ Uniqueness of every individual ▪ Self-orientedness  Eastern Conception ▪ Collectivistic ▪ Emphasis on relationships, roles, duties, obligations, and the preservation of the culture and tradition. ▪ Needs and goals of the society > ▪ People are socially connected ▪ Belongingness to a larger group; Social obligations ▪ Others-oriented  Individualism vs Collectivism ▪ Human being ▪ Many ‘selves’ ▪ Self ▪ Self is part of a ‘We.’ ▪ Individual ▪ Person ▪ Individual goals ▪ Self-actualization ▪ Self-realization ▪ Free to express itself.  Individualistic culture vs Collectivistic culture ▪ Describe themselves in ▪ Describe themselves in terms of personality traits terms of social and characteristics. relationships.  There is no such thing as atman (self). Does not exist in any metaphysical, material, and spiritual level. Difficult to define Pure, unchanging, and uncontaminated  Everything is just an illusion, a flux of momentary, perceptions, thoughts. What is perceived by one’s sense becomes reality. Self is an imaginary concept. We have no real knowledge of a self or a clear proof of claiming that there is a self.  Refutes the idea of having an enduring self.  Human being is a product of five changing processes that experiences them all: Physical Body Feelings Perceptions Responses The Flow of Consciousness  The process of identification is subtle and usually hidden from awareness. The sense of self arises when one can identify with his/her body, feelings and thoughts , or with images, patterns, roles, and archetypes.  Annata (no-self) It is a conviction that no words can define the essence of this present moment of existence.  Entities should be seen more as a process Nothing is permanent and unchanging  An individual is a member of a larger group.  Five Cardinal Relationships or Five Bonds Ethical teachings of Confucius are based on human relationships.  Five Cardinal Relationships or Five Bonds These relationships exist between: The king and his subject; Father and son; Husband and wife; Brothers; Harmony Friends.  According to Confucius: Individual identity is defined by membership in the Relational Self reference group Same qualities Same characteristics Same goals Same pride Same success/failure  Subdued self It is conditioned to respond to perceptions, NOT of its own needs, and aspirations but of social requirements and obligations.  Subdued self to practice ren (human-heartedness).  REN Hallmark of Confucian Ethics Characterized by altruistic behavior Love, benevolence, charity Subdued self to practice ren (human-heartedness). Being a person for others. Hinduism  The Hinduist view about the self was written in the Upanishads, “Story of Creation,” which tells about the origin of the universe and of humans.  The Story of Creation In the beginning this was Self alone, in the shape of a person which was called Purusha. He looked around and saw nothing but his Self. He first said, “This is I; therefore, he became ‘I” by name. Therefore, even man is asked, he first says, ‘This is I’ and then pronounces the name which he may have” From this story of creation, the Self which is Purusha created a wife out of himself. The wife bore Man and then transformed herself into a cow, which prompted Purusha to transform into a bull. Then the wife transformed into a mare, while Purusha into a stallion.  all creation is made up of the same self creator is the same as the creation.  The atman, which is referred to as the self, spirit, or soul, is the same self described in the creation. The atman is one with the Brahman which means the absolute, transcendental power. By being identified with the Brahman, the atman indicates a true self which underlies one’s existence.