Module 1 (UTS) PDF

Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.i...

Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 1 Module 1 : The Self from Various Perspective Rationale : The study of the self is something that puts challenge to the one who would want to do it. Popular cliché tells that one cannot give what one do not have. Indeed it is difficult to claim that you understand others when you do not value the experiences you are going through. This subject will hopefully lead you into understanding yourself. But for this subject to be fully functional or helpful to you, we will begin our journey into how the different perspective explain the very concept of the self. Module Outcome : At the end of the unit, you must have: 1. discussed the different representations and conceptualizations of the self from various disciplinal perspectives. 2. compared and contrasted how the self has been represented across different disciplines and perspectives. 3. examined the different influences, factors, and forces that shape the self. Lesson Title : PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Lesson Outcomes : At the end of the topic, you must have: 1. distinguished the concept of self based on philosophical and socio-anthropological perspective. 2. examined the influences and factors that shape the self based on these perspective. 3. described your own experience of the self using these perspectives. Let us Take a Look at This… The Blind Men and the Elephant is a famous Indian fable that tells the story of six blind persons that come across different parts of an elephant in their life journeys. In turn, each blind man creates his own version of reality from that limited experience and perspective.  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 2 Blind Men and the Elephant – A Poem by John Godfrey Saxe Here is John Godfrey Saxe’s (1816-1887) version of Blind Men and the Elephant: It was six men of Indostan, The Fourth reached out an eager hand, To learning much inclined, And felt about the knee: Who went to see the Elephant "What most this wondrous beast is like (Though all of them were blind), Is mighty plain," -quoth he,- That each by observation "'Tis clear enough the Elephant Might satisfy his mind. Is very like a tree!" The First approach'd the Elephant, The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, And happening to fall Said- "E'en the blindest man Against his broad and sturdy side, Can tell what this resembles most; At once began to bawl: Deny the fact who can, "God bless me! but the Elephant This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a wall!" Is very like a fan!" The Second, feeling of the tusk, The Sixth no sooner had begun Cried, -"Ho! what have we here About the beast to grope, So very round and smooth and sharp? Then, seizing on the swinging tail To me 'tis mighty clear, That fell within his scope, This wonder of an Elephant "I see," -quoth he,- "the Elephant Is very like a spear!" Is very like a rope!" The Third approach'd the animal, And so these men of Indostan And happening to take Disputed loud and long, The squirming trunk within his hands, Each in his own opinion Thus boldly up and spake: Exceeding stiff and strong, "I see," -quoth he- "the Elephant Though each was partly in the right, Is very like a snake!" And all were in the wrong! What is the message of the story? Indeed, we tend to see same thing differently. Beauty depends on the eye of the beholder as they say. How we view our self may be different from how others view us. Some say that you are what you think you are; in fact, it is common to hear that you are what you eat. But which one are you? During lockdown, we see different ways people respond to the same situation. How did you respond to it? With positive thoughts? Or otherwise? Let’s Get on According to Socrates, “an unexamined life is not worth living.” Often, issues and concerns are the results of not knowing and understanding the self. According to Erik Erikson, a known author of the stages of psychosocial development, by the time an individual reach early adulthood, that person should be able to already achieved sense of identity. However, not all is able to achieve this task, maybe because not all is able to fully understand the dynamics of the “self”.  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 3 Self is often associated with identity, personality. The concept is so compounded that its nature and development is explained differently by different people and different perspective. Among the early perspective are those introduced by philosophers. It seems though that the belief on the nature of the self differs when viewed from the west and that of the east. Sociology however, looks into self as a result of one’s interaction with others and anthropology emphasizes the importance of culture. “Who are you then?”. Do you view your self as different and distant to others? or you believe you are what you are because of your interaction with others? Do you see yourself as a product of your culture or do you stand out separately from it? PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE Philosophy is defined as the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge and conduct (www.dictionary.com). Its history is replete with men and women who inquired into the fundamental nature of the self (Alata, et.al., 2018). But since there are so many of them, we will only discuss few who really made an impact in understanding the nature of the self. First would be from the western thoughts. This philosophy is self-oriented, values freedom and choice and wants to free itself from the bondage of society. From this point of view we will look into the philosophy of Socrates, Rene Descartes and Sigmund Freud. Socrates: “Know thyself” is what Socrates popular with. He believed that if the person knows who he or she is, all issues and concerns shall be vanished and everything will be clearer. When this happens, the person can act according to his/her own definition of the self. Self-knowledge to him means knowing one’s degree of understanding about the world and knowing one’s capabilities and potentials. It is only through self-knowledge that one’s self emerges. Therefore, self is achieved and not just discovered, something to work on and not a product of a mere realization (Corpuz, et.al., 2019) According to Socrates, possession of knowledge is virtue and ignorance is vice. To him, person’s acceptance of ignorance is the springboard for knowledge acquisition and so one must recognize first that he or she is ignorant for him or her to acquire knowledge (Corpuz, et.al., 2019). Rene Descartes: A French philosopher who believed that self is “a thinking thing or a substance whose whole essence or nature is merely thinking.” “I think, therefore I am.” The self to him is nothing else but a mind-body dichotomy. Thought always precedes action (body). It has always been in that sequence. Everything starts with the thought. Humans think first about doing something, then do it. It is the thought that sets direction to human actions but humans are always free to choose (Corpuz, et.al., 2019). So, if you think you can do it, then you will do it. If you want to pass this subject, then believe first that you will. Because when you believe, you will do everything and even find ways to pass this subject. So, start believing you can now ☺.  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 4 Aristotle: According to Aristotle, the self is composed of the body and soul, mind and matter, sense and intellect, and passion and reason. Of the four he identified, he acknowledged reason to be the supreme in human person and should govern all of life’s activities. To him, you will tend to live a chaotic life if your senses (which is the lower nature of human person) prevailed. But, with reason (that is, mind over body) you will achieve a happy life. However, he did not neglected the development of your physical, economic, and social powers. To him, happiness comes from the harmonious development of the whole self. Perfection and happiness to him comes from wisdom and virtue. With wisdom as the source of true knowledge, and virtue which is doing what is best for you that which will lead you to the attainment of your own perfection and happiness. Living a life in moderation is doing things in consonant with reason. That is, avoiding extremes and avoiding too much and too little. The next philosophical perspective shall be from the east. The Eastern thought is others- oriented. It values relationships and social obligation and looks into the welfare of society. Here, the self identifies with the group. Confucianism: A way of life propagated by Confucius. It regarded an individual as a member of a larger whole, not as a separate being. The ethical teachings of Confucius are based on the human relationship (ruler & ruled, parents & child, among siblings and among friends). The individual has to perform its indicated roles so harmony is achieved. According to Confucianism, your identity is defined by your membership to a group which is called the “relational self”. Another concept is the “subdued self” which means that you respond to that relationship not for your own needs and aspiration but of social requirement and obligations (Corpuz, et.al., 2019). Confucian thought also insisted that human beings are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor. For example, you are your parents child, this is your relational self. As a child you are expected to follow the standard rules set by the society, that is to follow and respect your parents, this is your subdued self. On the other hand, your parents will take on their duty by embracing difficulties to provide you with your needs, this is their subdued self as well since this idea is a social requirement. Taoism/Daoism: Lao-Tzu (also known as Laozi or Lao-Tze) was a Chinese philosopher credited with founding the philosophical system of Taoism. According to this philosophy there are no “bad people” only people who behave badly. One can be a “good person” and can live in harmony with the earth and with others if one is given approprate education and guidance towards understanding on how the universe work. Taoism emphasizes being flexible and submitting self to whatever life will bring to live life in best possible way. Hence, if the person is able to adjust to changes, that person will be happy, otherwise if that person resists to changes in life, that person becomes unhappy. One's ultimate goal is to live at peace with the way of the Tao and recognize that everything that happens in life should be accepted as part of the eternal force which binds and moves through all things (Mark, 2016).  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 5 This “New Normal” puts us all in awe. We are shocked with the many changes that happen brought about by the pandemic like instead of a face-to-face education, you are given a module where you must study lessons on your own. This may be alright to some, but for some this may be a difficult way of learning. We heard many people experience mental health issues and succumb themselves to depression and suicide. According to Taoism, the way to achieve peace and move on with life is to accept and adjust to these changes and embrace this “new normal.” Buddhism: Founded in the late 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama (the "Buddha"). The Buddha teaching includes four noble truths: life is suffering (dukkha), that suffering is caused by cravings and attachments, but these suffering has an end, and the path to end this is the eightfold path of right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. In Buddhism, compassion and wisdom go together. When we practice meditation regularly, we get more space in our mind, and distance from difficult thoughts and feelings. This then makes us see that everybody has the same problems as we have, thus we become more compassionate and will try to do something to help them. When we act with compassion, we focus more on others than ourselves and by this we get better feedback from the world. If these happen, disturbing emotions like anger, pride, attachment, and jealousy loosen its grip. Where there is space that we don’t instantly fill with our own concerns anymore, wisdom has a chance to appear spontaneously. In the first month of the pandemic, we feel apprehensive of the situation. Some of you perhaps suffer because lockdown limits you to do the usual thing you do like going to the mall and enjoying life with your friends. This may be a difficult thing but according to Buddhism, the suffering that you are going through now has an end. How? …. Follow the suggested eightfold path. With right mindfulness and concentration, you will realize that you are not the only one experiencing this. In the process you will slowly loosen the grip of fear and perhaps anger, and you start to be more understanding of others and see that this happens for a reason. Table below shows the basic differences between the Eastern and Western Philosophical Perspective. EASTERN PHILOSOPHY WESTERN PHILOSOPHY Everyone is interconnected Dualities = one is different from the others. Collectivistic Culture“WE” Individualistic Culture“I” True “ME” is in relation to everything True “Self” is the center as it is around or part of the bigger scheme already given and part of the divine Looks at the welfare of the groups and values cooperation May loose associations or even loyalty to the group – competition is Emphasis on hierarchy as culture the name of the game keeps harmony and order Values equality, given fair chance Talks in general manner and would rather keep a low profile (promoting Talks more about self and personal self is boastful) attributions, achievements  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 6 SOCIO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Sociology is the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships specifically: the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings. Anthropology, on the other hand is the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture (https://www.merriam-webster.com/). As perspective, it looks self because of both social life and culture. George Mead’s Social Self: Sociologist George Herbert Mead pointed self as something that is social, not biological. It is not inborn but something that is developed through social interaction. The self according to him develops as we grow and ages. It is constructed as we directly engage in the world through interaction and through reflections on those interactions. He posited the idea that there are three stages of development. 1. Imitation or Preparatory Stage = here, the child imitates behavior of the parents or significant others. As the child imitates the action, he comes to the next stage; 2. Play Stage = this involves the child playing the role of others. (ex. Acting like teacher or soldier) 3. Game Stage = it is a stage where the child comes to see himself or herself from the perspective of other people. As a child, you come to see your mother fixing home, doing household chores and you start imitating what your mother is doing (preparatory stage). As you play, you come to take the role of your mother like fixing your toys or sweeping the floor (play stage), until this becomes the usual thing to do for you, for this other people (generalized others) regarded you as industrious and a good daughter or son (game stage), hence, this becomes you now. Charles Horton Cooley’s Looking Glass Self: “I am not what I think I am, I am not what you think I am; I am what I think you think I am.” This is the point of the theory of Cooley. In the Looking Glass Self theory, your self is developed as a resut of your perception of other people’s opinions of you. For example, if your teacher acknowledges your writing skills, then you come to believe that you are good at it and may boost your confidence on this area. According to Cooley, the self is basically a personal identity that is socially developed in three steps: 1. You imagine how you appear to the other person. 2. You imagine the judgment of the other person, and finally; 3. You develop your self based on the judgement of others. You are excited to wear your new dress. You choose it from among the many in the mall. As you come across your new classmate, you try to imagine how you appear to her, then you noticed she smiled at you, you thought she likes you in that new dress you are wearing and so thought you are stunning and pretty and you certainly have “taste” in terms of choosing your OOTD. ☺  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 7 Henri Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory: Social Identity theory is defined as the person’s sense of who he or she according to membership to a certain group. Group membership, accordingly, is an important source of pride and self-esteem. It gives a sense of social identity – a sense of belongingness to the social world (Corpuz, et.al., 2019). With this, there is a tendency for us to categorize people as our “in- group” or “out-group”. Sociologist William Sumner (1840–1910) developed the concepts of in-group and out- group. An in-group is the group that an individual feels she belongs to, and she believes it to be an integral part of who she is. An out-group, conversely, is a group someone doesn’t belong to; often we may feel disdain or competition in relationship to an out-group. Sports teams, unions, and sororities are examples of in-groups and out-groups; people may belong to, or be an outsider to, any of these. (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/) Earlier, we described anthropology as a study of human beings. It looks both on the human variation and the people’s way of life or culture. According to this premise, what you are now or how you view your self is influenced by these variations and way of life. Filipino values family so much so that whatever decision we have, including perhaps your choice of course is in a way influenced by your family. There had been several students in the past who would tell me that they took education because most member of the family is into this career. They may even tell me that it is not their choice of course but because they wanted to please their family, they agreed to pursue this course. Do you tend to start a task with enthusiasm and excitement only to stop doing it in the middle because you do not find it interesting anymore?... it is Ningas Cogon, and Filipino is known to take on this trait too. When you have visitor at home, do you find yourself offering your best like plates, utensils, pillow, bed sheet and let them sleep in bed while you in floor? That is Hospitality! That is too much of a Filipino. According to the Socio-anthropological perspective, we describe our self by the consequence of our interaction and relationship to others. Our culture as well has a huge impact on how we view our self and that of others as well. Our family, friends, significant and generalized others, all has been influential in understanding who we are and what we will be in the future. In Summary: Stret and Burke (2003) saw Sociological Perspective Of The Self: ✓ There is a reciprocal relationship between the self and society. ✓ The self emerges in and is reflective of society. ✓ The basis for understanding social structures arises from the actions of individuals. ✓ The social construction of selfhood is about the meanings and understandings associated with the public self. ✓ There is a broad contextualization of the self.  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] 8 References: Alata, Eden Joy P., et.al. (2018). Understanding the Self. (1st ed.). Manila, Phil.: Rex Book Store Corpuz, R.M., Estoque, R.S. and Tabotabo, C.V. (2019). Understanding the Self. QC: C&E Publishing, Inc. Ames, Roger T. Confucius: Chinese Philosopher. Retrieved August 10, 2020. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Confucius) Mark, Emily (2016). Taoism: Definition. Retrieved August 10, 2020. (https://www.ancient.eu/Taoism/) Buddhism Religion: Basic Beliefs and Practices. Retrieved August 10, 2020. (https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/religion/eastern/buddhism/buddhism/basic-beliefs-and- practices) What is Buddhism? Retrieved August 10, 2020. (https://www.diamondway-buddhism.org/buddhism/) Blind Men and the Elephant. Retrieved August 2, 2020. (https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/blind-men-and-the- elephant.htm) www.dictionary.com †AMDG/mmj