Understanding Self, Identity & Personality PDF

WHAT IS SELF? refers to the unique essence of an individual Components: Self-concept: How we perceive and evaluate ourselves (e.g., "I am kind," "I am capable"). Self-awareness: The recognition of one's own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Self-esteem: The overall sense of self-worth or value....

WHAT IS SELF? refers to the unique essence of an individual Components: Self-concept: How we perceive and evaluate ourselves (e.g., "I am kind," "I am capable"). Self-awareness: The recognition of one's own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Self-esteem: The overall sense of self-worth or value. WHAT IS IDENTITY? set of characteristics, beliefs, and roles that define an individual It includes: Personal Identity: Traits and attributes unique to an individual (e.g., personality, SELF, IDENTITY, AND abilities). PERSONALITY IN ACTION Social Identity: How we define ourselves in Scenario: Mila preparing for an academic relation to groups (e.g., nationality, religion, competition. gender). ​ Self: Mila reflects, “I believe in my ability Cultural Identity: The influence of cultural to excel in this competition because I norms, traditions, and values on our sense of have worked hard and gained the self. necessary skills.” ​ Identity: Mila identifies herself as a WHAT IS PERSONALITY? competitive scholar, saying, “I am a refers to the consistent patterns of thoughts, dedicated student and a proud feelings, and behaviors that make an representative of my school.” individual unique. ​ Personality: Mila’s conscientiousness shines through in her meticulous It is shaped by: preparation, while her openness helps her Traits: Stable characteristics (e.g., to creatively solve problems during the extroversion, openness). competition. Temperament: Innate predispositions evident from birth. FACTORS THAT SHAPE THE SELF Behavior: Actions and reactions influenced by AND PERSONALITY experiences and environment. BIOLOGICAL Genetics: Traits inherited from parents, influencing temperament, intelligence and predispositions. Brain and Nervous System: WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? Neurotransmitters and brain structures Love of wisdom affect emotions and behaviors. Philo + Sophos Physical Characteristics: Body Never-ending search for truth image can impact self-esteem and Identity. SOCRATES 470-399 B.C. PSYCHOLOGICAL -​ Father of Western philosophy Cognition: Thoughts and -​ Socratic method – aims to make people perceptions influence self-concept think, seek, and ask again and again. and decision-making. What is important is that for them to Emotions: Feelings impact self-awareness realize that there are things that they are and interpersonal relationships. ignorant of, to accept this, and to continue Motivation: Drives and needs (e.g., learning and searching for answers. Maslow’s hierarchy) shape Key Idea: "Know thyself." behavior. -​ Socrates believed the self is the soul, which is the essence of a person. He emphasized SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL self-examination and the pursuit of truth and Family: Early attachments, parenting styles, virtue as a way to understand the self. The and family dynamics play a critical role. self is immortal and exists beyond the Culture: Norms, traditions, and societal physical body. expectations influence values and identify. -​ The self is immortal and exists beyond the Peer Groups: Social interactions during physical body. development shape self-esteem and personality. PLATO Education and Media: Exposure to ideas 428-347 B.C. and role models shapes worldview and -​ Real name is Aristocles self-concept. -​ Established “The Academy” after he returned to Athens EXPERIENCES AND LIFE EVENTS -​ Wrote more than 20 Dialogues with Significant Events: Socrates Milestones, traumas, and achievements Key Idea: The self is composed of three parts. contribute to self- concept. Social Roles: Adopting roles (e.g., student, Identified the self as consisting of: parent) shapes identity and self-perception. 1. Reason (logical thinking), 2. Spirit (emotions and willpower), FREE WILL AND PERSONAL AGENCY 3. Appetite (desires and basic instincts). Individual choices, aspirations, and efforts to grow personally impact the -​ The rational part should govern the other development of the self and personality. parts for a balanced and virtuous life. -​ The true self is the soul, which strives to align with the eternal and unchanging Forms PLATO’S VIEW OF RENE DESCARTES HUMAN NATURE 1596-1650 People are intrinsically good -​ Father of Modern Philosophy Equates ignorance with evil -​ Rationalist philosopher (truth is a Humans have immortal, rational soul universal concept) even if the human body and physical world are -​ Cartesian doubt – systematic process of imperfect being skeptical about (or doubting) the Everything in the universe can be truth of one's beliefs found in people -​ Doubt everything that can be doubted. Knowledge lies within the person’s Don’t accept anything as known unless it soul can be established with absolute certainty Key Idea: "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, LOVE therefore I am"). Love is the way by which a person can move -​ Descartes argued that the self is a from a state of imperfect knowledge and thinking substance distinct from the body. ignorance to a state of perfection and true The mind (or soul) is immaterial and the knowledge; it is the way of knowing and source of identity. realizing the truth. It is a process of seeking -​ He introduced dualism, the separation of higher stages of being. Love begins with a mind and body. feeling or experience that there is something lacking which drives the person to seek for MIND-BODY PROBLEM that which is lacking. -​ Descartes believe that mind and body are not one and the same ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO -​ Soul/mind (also the self) is separate from 354-430 CE the body -​ Theologian -​ A priori knowledge – innate truth, -​ Man is a sinner independent of experience Key Idea: The self is spiritual and oriented toward God. JOHN LOCKE -​ Augustine believed the self is composed 1632-1704 of the body and the soul, with the soul -​ Greatest opposer of Cartesian philosophy being the higher, immortal aspect. -​ Father of liberalism -​ The true self seeks union with God Key Idea: The self is tied to memory. through faith, introspection, and divine -​ Locke defined the self as a continuity of grace. consciousness over time. Personal identity depends on memories of experiences. -​ The self is not the substance (body or soul) but rather the experiences that can be remembered and reflected upon. -​ Posteriori knowledge – knowledge depends on empirical evidence or experience -​ Tabula rasa 3. Superego (moral conscience). -​ The self is shaped by unconscious DAVID HUME conflicts and childhood experiences. 1711-1776 -​ Most coherent preacher of empiricism GILBERT RYLE (knowledge is impossible without 1900-1976 experience) Key Idea: The self is not a separate entity but -​ Mind has limitations a pattern of behaviors. Key Idea: The self is a bundle of -​ Ryle criticized Descartes’ dualism, calling perceptions. it the "ghost in the machine." -​ Hume rejected the notion of a permanent -​ He argued that the self is a collection of self, arguing that there is no evidence of a dispositions and actions, not an unified, unchanging self. immaterial soul or mind. -​ Instead, the self is a collection of ever-changing perceptions, experiences, Types of knowledge: and emotions. knowing that—knowing facts/information knowing how—using facts in the IMMANUEL KANT performance of some skill or technical abilities 1724-1804 -​ Founder, German idealism MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY Key Idea: The self is the center of perception 1908-1961 and experience. -​ Phenomenological philosopher (phenomenology – study Kant distinguished between: of structures of experience and 1. Empirical Self: The self we experience consciousness) through senses and introspection. Key Idea: The self is embodied. 2. Transcendental Self: The rational, unifying -​ Merleau-Ponty emphasized the consciousness that organizes experiences. importance of the body in shaping the self -​ The self is the condition for the possibility and experience. of knowledge. -​ The self is not separate from the physical -​ Knowledge is a result of human world; instead, it is embedded in the body understanding applied to sense and interacts with the world through experience perception and action. SIGMUND FREUD PATRICIA AND PAUL CHURCHLAND 1856-1939 Founder, Neurophilosophy (study of the -​ Father of psychoanalysis philosophy of the mind, the philosophy of Key Idea: The self is divided into three parts. science, neuroscience and psychology) Key Idea: The self is rooted in the brain and Freud saw the self as a dynamic system its functions. consisting of: -​ Churchland, a contemporary philosopher 1. Id (instinctual desires), and neuroscientist, argues that the self is 2. Ego (rational, conscious self), a construct of neural processes. -​ She rejects dualism, emphasizing that the about themselves as a result of these mind and self emerge from the brain's impressions physical activity. 2. Role-Taking and the Generalized Other WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? (George Herbert Mead, 1863-1931) study of the role of society in shaping -​ Self as a social product: The self emerges behavior (how different aspects of society through participation in society. contribute to an individual’s relationship with his/her world). Two key components of the self: Looking into social institutions, cultural 1. The "I" – The spontaneous, active, and norms, and interactions with others in order to creative part of the self. understand human behavior 2. The "Me" – The socialized self that reflects Focusing on societal issues and patterns societal expectations. SOCIALIZATION -​ The self cannot be separated from the -​ process whereby an individual learns to society adjust to a group (or society) and behave in a manner approved by the group (or STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT society). ​ Preparatory Stage: Infants imitate others -​ “ It takes a village to raise a without understanding. child.”-Hillary Rodham Clinton ​ Play Stage: Children take on specific roles (e.g., pretending to be a doctor or parent). KEY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES ABOUT ​ Game Stage: Children understand SELF complex roles and the "generalized other," 1. The Looking-Glass Self or the collective norms of society. (Charles Horton Cooley, 1864-1929) The self develops through social interactions THEORY OF SELF and the perceptions of others. Self is not present at birth but begins as a central character in child’s world. Children Key processes: see themselves as the center of their 1. Imagination of how we appear to others universe’ and is difficulty understanding (e.g., “What do they think of me?”). others around them. As children grow and 2. Interpretation of others’ judgments (e.g., mature, there is a change in the self. “Do they see me as intelligent, kind, etc.?”). They begin to see other people and is now 3. Development of self-feelings (e.g., pride or concerned about people’s reactions. shame based on perceived judgments) Family plays a major role in the formation of the self (significant others). 3 PHASES OF DEVELOPING SELF People imagine how they present 3. Dramaturgical Perspective themselves to others (Erving Goffman, 1922-1982) People imagine how others evaluate -​ Social life is like a theater where them individuals perform roles depending on People develop some sort of feeling the audience. -​ Impression Management: People beings are similar, but the manner they consciously or unconsciously shape how chose to survive differs) they are perceived by others. -​ Examples: declare wars, conquer lands, annihilate races, offer services, Key concepts: knowledge, and resources Front Stage: Public self presented in social interactions. 2. BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Back Stage: Private self, where individuals -​ focuses primarily on how the human body can be themselves without performing. adapts to the different earth environments (probable causes of disease, physical Facework—usually observed in situations mutation, death). where face-saving measures are resorted to the maintenance of a proper image of 3. LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY the self in frustrating or embarrassing -​ focuses on using language as a means to situations discover a group’s manner of social interaction and his/her worldview; how KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF language is used to create and share SOCIOLOGICAL SELF meanings, to form ideas and concepts ​ Socially Constructed: The self develops and to promote social change through social interaction and is shaped by societal norms and values. 4. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY ​ Dynamic and Evolving: The self -​ knowing what makes one group’s manner changes over time based on experiences, of living particular to that group and forms interactions, and social roles. an essential part of the members’ ​ Context-Dependent: Individuals present personal and social identity. different aspects of the self depending on the social setting and audience. Culture—a group of people’s way of life; includes behaviors, values, beliefs, and WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY? symbols that they accept (usually -​ study of the totality of man unconsciously) that are socially transmitted (physical/biological characteristics, social through communication and imitation from relationships, and the influences of culture generation to generation. from the dawn of civilization to the present) Theory of Cultural Determinism--Human nature is determined by the ideas, meanings, FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY beliefs, and values learned as members of a 1. ARCHEOLOGY society -​ scientist who studies artifacts in order to discover how these people lived their IMPLICATIONS OF STUDYING CULTURE lives. -​ Human beings can be shaped/formed to -​ School of Functionalism—all around the have the kind of life they prefer. world, people have struggled to survive up to the present (in this aspect, human  -​ There is no limit placed on the human 3. Dynamic and Fluid: Anthropologists ability to be or to do whatever they set recognize that the self evolve over time as their minds and hearts into. cultural practices and societal structures -​ People have no control over what they change. learn -​ People blindly accept the learning their WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? cultures expose them to -​ field of social sciences that deals with the -​ Human beings are seen as helpless and description, explanation, prediction, and do only what their culture instructs them to control of behavior. do -​ It believes that that world of material -​ Human nature under the mercy of his/her things including people exists culture independently of the perceiving human HOW CULTURE MANIFESTS IN PEOPLE mind. ​ Symbols—words, gestures, pictures or objects that have a recognized/accepted meaning in a particular culture. Symbols can be shared or copied by other cultures who find them also fitting for their own culture ​ Heroes—persons from the past or present who have characteristics that are important in a culture; may be real or fictitious and serve as models for behavior ​ Rituals—activities (religious or social) ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY participated by a group ofpeople for the ​ Mind-Body Problem- Is the mind part of fulfillment of desired objectives and are the body, or the body part of the mind? If considered to be socially essential they are distinct, then how do they ​ Values—considered core of every culture; interact? And which of the two is in unconscious and can neither be charge? discussed or directly observed but can ​ Nature-Nurture Controversy - which only be inferred from the way people act particular aspects of behavior are a and react to circumstances and situations; product of either inherited (i.e. genetic) or involve human tendencies/preferences acquired (i.e. learned) characteristics. towards good or bad, right or wrong Nature is that which is inherited / genetic. Nurture which refers to all environmental KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF influences after conception, i.e. ANTHROPOLOGICAL SELF experience. 1. Cultural Diversity: The self is understood differently across cultures, reflecting varying beliefs and practices. 2. Interconnectedness: The self is often WILLIAM JAMES seen as deeply embedded in relationships, (1842-1910) community, and environment. -​ Father of American Psychology  ​ Dualism: Often influenced by thinkers like View of Self: Descartes, who viewed the mind and 1. The "I" (Subjective Self) body as separate. -​ Refers to the self as the knower, the ​ Personal Achievement: The self is active, conscious agent who experiences defined by accomplishments, personal and perceives. growth, and self-expression. -​ Represents the pure ego or the inner ​ Fixed Identity: The self is relatively stable self-awareness that enables personal over time, shaped by internal thoughts continuity over time. and external influences. 2. The "Me" (Objective Self) -​ Refers to the self as the known, the object EASTERN THOUGHT ON THE SELF that can be observed and analyzed; ​ Interconnectedness: The self is not empirical self independent but deeply connected to family, community, and nature. The "Me" consists of three components: ​ Spiritual and Holistic: Emphasizes Material Self: Physical body, possessions, harmony, balance, and enlightenment and tangible things that one identifies with. (e.g., Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism). Social Self: How one is perceived by others ​ No-Self (Anatta): In Buddhism, the self is and the roles one plays in relationships. impermanent and constantly changing, Spiritual Self: Inner thoughts, beliefs, with no fixed essence. values, and experiences of consciousness. ​ Duty and Relationships: In Confucianism, the self is shaped by social KEY FEATURES roles and moral obligations. ​ Self as Multifaceted: The self is not a ​ Fluid Identity: The self is adaptable and single entity but comprises multiple defined by one's relationship with others dimensions (material, social, spiritual). and the universe. ​ Self and Identity: Identity evolves through experiences and interactions with the environment. ​ Stream of Consciousness: The self exists as a continuous flow of thoughts and experiences. ​ Self-Esteem: James linked self-esteem to the ratio of actual achievements to aspirations, emphasizing the importance of aligning goals with abilities. WESTERN THOUGHT ON THE SELF ​ Individualism: The self is seen as independent, unique, and autonomous. ​ Rationality: Emphasizes reason, logic, and personal responsibility in shaping one's identity