The Self in Various Perspectives PDF

Philosophical Perspective Self refers to a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others. This "being" perennially molds and develops through time and through experiences. Philosophical Self covers the inquiry into the fundamental nature of the self which has preoccupied the earlies...

Philosophical Perspective Self refers to a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others. This "being" perennially molds and develops through time and through experiences. Philosophical Self covers the inquiry into the fundamental nature of the self which has preoccupied the earliest thinkers in the history of philosophy: Greeks. It generally believes that views on the self can be best understood by revisiting its prime movers and identify the most important conjectures made by philosophers. To have a glimpse on how they philosophize, watch Amy Adkin's video entitled Who am I? A philosophical Inquiry. As we dive into the journey of answering the question "Who am I?" let us be reminded that it is an individual process that is unique to each one of you. So be patient and kind to yourself and brace yourself for endless questions throughout the course. Below are some of the well-known philosophers who greatly contributed to how we view ourselves now. 1 | SOCRATES "Know Thyself!" | “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates was one of the Greek philosophers responsible for the emergence of Western philosophy. He utilized the Socratic method to stimulate critical thinking and draw out ideas from his students. Socrates was well known for his belief that the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing, which means that you can only gain wisdom by acknowledging that you are an empty cup that needs to be filled. Aside from humility (acceptance that you know nothing) and thirst for knowledge and understanding (you need to learn more), the key to opening the gates leading to endless opportunities for growth is by knowing oneself. 2 | PLATO “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” Plato was another ancient Greek philosopher and was a student of Socrates. He is one of the world's best-known and most studied philosophers because of the great contributions he had to the expansion of human knowledge and understanding. One of his many contributions is the concept of dualism, which believes that one's physical body and soul are separate entities and that one lives on even after death. Furthermore, he explained that the soul can be divided into three parts and that these makeup who we are and are responsible for our behavior. His theory attempts to explain why we do what we do and aims to open our awareness of the self to improve our behavior and make better life decisions. The three parts are briefly described in the text and table below: ( a ) Rational / Logical (Ruling Class) seeks truth and is swayed by facts and arguments ( b ) Spirited / Emotional (Military Class) expresses how our feelings fuel our action ( c ) Appetitive / Physical Desires (Commoner) drive you to eat, be sexually aroused, and protect yourself 3 | ARISTOTLE “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Aristotle was a student of Plato and known for his exploration of knowledge through "natural philosophy", which is now known as Science. Like the previous philosophers, he argued that growth starts from within. According to him, all human actions are driven by one or more of these seven causes: ▪ CHANCE refers to all the moments whose cause cannot be determined. (E.g. Carroll Bryant once said, "No matter how many plans you make or how much in control you are, life is always winging it.") ▪ NATURE refers to our natural tendencies as human beings. (E.g. Whenever Maria is hungry she gets really irritable and short-tempered.) ▪ COMPULSIONS refers to one's irresistible urge to do something, especially against one's own conscious will. (E.g. Eve has the tendency to repeatedly check doors, locks, appliances, and other stuff at home, or else she won't be able to sleep.) ▪ HABIT refers to the things we repeatedly do for a long period of time. (E.g. Antonio loves to go to lomian every Sunday because he grew up eating lomi after attending the Sunday mass.) ▪ REASONING refers to actions or responses that are based on logical reasoning. (E.g. I don't eat junk food because I know that it is not good for my body.)  ▪ PASSION refers to the responses that aim to satisfy one's feelings. (E.g. Whenever I am sad or stressed out, I stay inside my room and express myself through painting portraits.) ▪ DESIRE refers to one's inclination to pleasant things. (E.g. I want to have a haircut just because I want to.) 4 | ST. AUGUSTINE “Do unto others, what you want others to do unto you.” St. Augustine's philosophy brings together the wisdom of Greek philosophy and the Divine Truths contained in the Scripture. He acknowledges that we were created by an absolute and immutable Living God, who is also the creator of the universe. He created a new concept of the identity of the self which for him can be achieved through a twofold process: ( a ) Self-Presentation: refers to expressing oneself and behaving in ways that create the desired impression. We usually start to shape ourselves based on how we want to be perceived by others but later on, we realize that it is just a portion of who we are and decide to move to the next stage which is self-realization. ( b ) Self-Realization: occurs when we discover who we truly are and realize that we are more than our physical form. (E.g. Clara is a famous influencer who began as a content creator of clothes and make-up. Before, she consumed most of her time creating the "perfect self-image" (SELF-REPRESENTATION). But when she got in touch with her fans, she realized that they follow her not just because of how she looked and dresses up, but because of the empowerment she gives them as an expressive, independent woman. Now, she refined herself as well as her vision by refocusing on building a community of women that empower each other (SELF-REALIZATION). 5 | RENÉ DESCARTES “Dubito ergo cogito, cogito ergo sum" -- I doubt therefore I think, I think, therefore I am. Just like Plato, Descartes supported his idea of dualism. He also emphasized that the self is the subject that thinks. The self that has full competence in the powers of human reason. By distancing it from all sources of truth from authority or tradition, the self can only find its truth and authenticity within its own capacity to think. 6 | JOHN LOCKE “Our concept of personal identity must derive from inner experience.” Locke is another western philosopher who was known for popularizing the term "tabula rasa" which is translated as empty slate. This explains that every one of us was born with a mind like a blank slate which shall be filled with experiences, sensations and reflections throughout one's life. He believed that personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity and is founded in consciousness (awareness). 7 | DAVID HUME “The self is a bundle of impressions.” Hume argues that the concept of self is just a basket of perceptions collected from the outside world. To find our true self is almost impossible because the self changes through time, shaped by the situation we are in and the people we are with. Who you are today, is different from who you were and who you will be. 8 | IMMANUEL KANT “To be is to do.” | "Consciousness is the central feature of the self." According to Kant, we all have an inner self and outer self which together form our consciousness. Consciousness or awareness of oneself, can only be achieved if we are in touch with both. ( a ) inner self: refers to one's psychological states and rational intellect ( b ) outer self: refers to our senses and the physical world Psychological Perspective Psychology is universally defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. In this field of study, the notion of the self refers to a person's experience as a single, autonomous being that is separate from others, experienced with continuity through time and place. The experience of the self includes the consciousness of one's physicality as well as one's inner character and emotional life. Nature of the Psychological Self The self has many facets that help make up integral parts of it, such as self-awareness, self- esteem, self-knowledge, and self-perception. All parts of the self enable people to alter, change, add, and modify aspects of themselves in order to gain social acceptance in society which we will know more about in the next module. For now, let us meet some of the well-known psychologists who explored unraveling the self. 1 | WILLIAM JAMES: Me vs. I The earliest formulation of the self in modern psychology derived from the distinction between the self as I, the subjective knower, and the self as Me, the object that is known. William James defined this basic duality of self: ▪ ME: refers to our knowledge of who we are (self-concept). It is a separate individual a person refers to when talking about their personal experiences. ▪ I: refers to the act of thinking about ourselves (self-awareness). It is the part of the self that knows who they are and what they have accomplished in life. For example, in the statement "I know it was me who ate the cookie,” the "Me" is the empirical self, the one who does the acting, whereas the "I" is the self that is capable of thinking and reflecting (Cooper, 1992). 2 | DONALD WINNICOTT: True Self vs. False Self Winnicott wrote a paper about the Theory of True Self and False Self in which he explained the idea that people may develop a False Self to protect their inner, more vulnerable True Self—and that they might even do it at a very young age, without even knowing it. Furthermore, he expounded the false self to be classified into: HEALTHY FALSE SELF UNHEALTHY FALSE SELF The healthy false self is described as one which The unhealthy false self is the one that fits into allows someone to be functional in society through forced compliance rather than society. It enables a person to be a desire to adapt. It is the one behind polite and courteous even when we may feel not many dysfunctional behaviors (i.e. narcissism like it. and addiction). Real-life examples of the false self are based on certain beliefs that we take on to fit into our worlds better. ▪ If I am pretty, I will be more likable. ▪ If I have a lot of money, I am successful. ▪ If I work hard/achieve more, I will have more value. ▪ One more glass of wine, and I’ll start feeling better. 3 | ERIC BERNE: Transactional Analysis Theory In the Transactional Analysis Theory Berne, he believed that our childhood experiences, particularly how we are parented, influence the developmental formation of our three ego states: the parent ego, adult ego, and child ego. Berne considered that the feeling of "Self" is a mobile one. It can reside in any of the three ego states at any given moment and can move from one to another. The following are the general descriptions of how we behave when operating under each state: ▪ PARENT: you may be nurturing, caring, controlling, or critical ▪ ADULT: you will be logical, assertive, and concerned with facts and data (objective) ▪ CHILD: you may be playful, spontaneous, fearful, or overly compliant 4 | CARL ROGERS: Self-Concept Self-concept is Humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers believed that self-concept has three components: When a person’s self-image and ideal self are consistent or very similar, a state of CONGRUENCE exists. However, when the difference between the real self and the ideal self is very high, we call it INCONGRUENCE. "There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true self." WILLIAM JAMES