Understanding The Self PDF

Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF b. Spirited – gets angry when perceives...

Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF b. Spirited – gets angry when perceives injustice; A. Socrates - “the unexamined life is not adventurous (overcoming worth living “ great challenges) - Concerned with: the problem of the c. Mind – conscious awareness self (nous), thinks, analyses, - First to engage in the systematic rational, weighs what’s best questioning of the self and true - A philosopher’s task is to know 2. Diagnosis oneself a. Dominated by reason – - the worst that can happen to anyone philosophical/seeks is: to die w/out knowing who they knowledge are b. Dominated by - self has body spirit/will/emotion – victory (imperfect/impermanent) and soul loving/seeks reputation (perfect/permanent) c. Dominated by appetite – - Ultimate wisdom comes from profit loving/seeks material knowing oneself in other words:” gain KNOW THYSELF” d. Justice – three parts of the - Human choices are derived from soul are working their desire for happiness; the more harmoniously together they know about themselves, the C. St. Augustine – “(even) if I am mistaken, more they make choices that will I am” make them happy - From Hippo, North Africa (Algeria) - knowledge of thyself is the core and - 2 misfortunes: 1) death of father essence of all knowledge (Patrick), 2) impoverished education B. Plato - Submitted to vices and pleasures - A dualist – soul (immaterial however, he was not afraid to admit mind/knows the forms) and body and tell people about his sinfulness (material) - A sinner in “a purest sense” - Soul exists before and after death; - Man is bifurcated in nature (divided acquires knowledge opposed to into two) senses; must care about our soul 1. Body is imperfect, bound to die, rather than the body; driving force of and yearns to be with the divine the body; what gives us identity 2. Soul is capable of reaching - Body is the physical part that is immortality, lives eternally in concerned with the material world; communion with God in His wants to experience self- realm gratification; when it dies, it is truly - Man’s end goal is happiness dead. - Human beings alone, w/out God, are 1. 3 parts of the SOUL bound to fail a. Appetite – desires, pleasures, physical/bodily satisfactions BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self D. Rene Descartes – Cogito ergo sum “I G. Immanuel Kant think, therefore I am” / “I doubt, - Apparatuses of the mind – an therefore I exist” organized principle, a mind, that - Father of modern philosophy regulates the relationship of all - Self is a thinking being perceived impressions from the - Doubting means existing external world - Dualism where reality and existence - Kant’s View on Self are divided 1. Empirical Ego – how others - mind (separate from physical body) identify us, the self which makes and body (extension of mind) us individual, the body(physical) - self is the combination of: 2. Transcendental Ego – how we 1. cogito – thing that thinks identify ourself, the self that 2. extenza – extension of the mind makes us human. a. Transcendental Unity of E. John Locke Appreciation – an activity of - Personal identity is a matter of consciousness where our psychological continuity or the “the rationality unifies, where sameness of a rational being” perceptions we have in our - empty mind – tabula rasa, meaning experiences make sense and mind is shaped by experiences, and make sensible ideas about sensations and reflections which is ourselves and the world our sources of all our ideas H. Gilbert Ryle – “I act therefore I am” - brain/body may change while - Denied the concept of an internal, consciousness remains the same non-physical self - Therefore, personal identity is not - What truly matters is the behavior in the brain, but in consciousness that a person manifests in his day-to day life. F. David Hume – there is no self - Self – a convenient name to refer to - An empiricist who believes that one all the behaviors that people make can know only what comes from the - Mind is never separated from the senses and experiences. body - The self is not an entity over and - You are what you do beyond the physical body I. Paul Churchland – “the self is linked to - Self is nothing but a bundle of the brain, not the mind” impressions - Materialism – nothing but matter - Impressions – core of our thoughts; exists; if it cannot be recognized by sensations or experiences the sense, then it must be akin to a - Ideas – copies of impressions; not fairy tale. lively and vivid - Eliminative Materialism – - “When my perceptions are developing a new, neuroscience- removed for any time, as by sound based vocabulary that will enable us sleep, so long am I insensible to think and communicate clearly myself, and may truly be said not to about the mind, consciousness and exist.” human experience BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self J. Maurice Merleau-Ponty SELF (Stevens, 1996) - “Separate, self-contained, - a phenomenologist independent, consistent, unitary and private” - the mind-body bifurcation is a futile SELF (C. Sobritchea, 2017) - The way a person endeavor and an invalid problem sees himself/ herself in relation to those around - mind and body are intertwined, them, and what makes them unique, are all cannot be separated aspects of personal identity; formed during early - The living body, his thoughts, years and continues to develop as we grow to emotions and experiences are all build an evolving identity for ourselves one K. Sigmund Freud Types of Self - self is divided among conscious, subconscious, and unconscious 1. Private self – traits, states or behavior of - 2 levels of Human Functioning the person 1. Conscious – governed by reality 2. Public self – generalized other’s view of principle, organized experiences the self that are rational, practical, and 3. Collective self – view of the self that is appropriate to the social found in some collective environment Socialization – all social and cultural processes 2. Unconscious – governed by that enable individuals to develop/learn about pleasure principle, basic their identities w/in the context of norms, values, instinctual drives (sexuality, gender identities, and sexual relations aggressiveness and self- destruction, trauma, unfulfilled George Herbert Mead wishes, and childhood - Self is a social emergent fantasies), thoughts and feelings - Theory of self: ‘self’, ‘me’, and ‘I’ that would be considered as - Focuses on the way in which self is taboo, seeks immediate developed gratification SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF A. Social self – “self” is the product of social interactions; “self” is not found at birth Self and External Reality – social situations affect but arises in the process of social one’s view of the self. Growth and development experiences/activity and the mind arises of the self is the product of the interaction w’ from the social act of communication external reality Perception – identified through observations or B. Development of self interactions with other people 1. Language – response/responds to each other through gestures, symbols, words, SELF (Cooley, 1902) – all statements made by a and sounds (copying) person, overtly or covertly, that include the 2. Play – taking on different roles to express words “I”, “me”, & “myself” the expectations of significant others which helps to develop consciousness SELF – an active agent that promotes differential (role playing) sampling, processing, and evaluation of 3. Games – adhering/following of rules of information from the environment, and thus the activity leads to differences in social behaviour BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self C. “I” and “ME” Labelling Bias 1. ME - Occurs when we are labelled, and - Socialized aspect of an individual others’ views and expectations of us - Represents learned behaviors, are affected by that labelling (Fox attitudes, and expectations and Stinnett, 1996) - Past of the self - Self-Labelling happens when we - developed by social interactions adopt others’ labels explicitly into 2. I our self-concept and those who self- - Present and future phase of self labels may come to experience - Represents the individual’s identity INTERNALIZED PREJUDICE based on the response to the ‘me’ To predict more negative self- HOW MEAD MATTERS TODAY - What concept and poor psychological others think of us, the perspective of adjustment others we gain from being a part of the conversation of gestures, are absolutely Social Comparison Theory necessary for us to even have a sense of - Our sense of self is influenced by self. We think of ourselves as individuals, comparison w/ others but we are only able to do so by virtue of - Learning about our abilities/skills, being a part of a larger social community. validity of opinions, and social status CONCLUSION – self is the joining point by comparing our attitudes, beliefs, b/w the individual and the society and and behaviors with those of others communication is the link that allows the - The most meaningful comparisons intersection to occur we make tend to be with those we The Looking Glass Self see as similar to ourselves (Festinger, 1954) - our sense of self is influenced by Types of Social Comparison others’ view of us a. Downward SC – occurs when we - Part of how we see ourselves come create positive image of from our perception of how others ourselves through favorable see us (Cooley, 1902). comparisons with others who - The SELF grows from the are worse off than we are interactions with others and b. Upward SC – occurs when we impressions of how others perceive compare ourselves with others us who are better off than we are Steps how SELF is built through social interactions Self as a product of Modern Society 1. People imagine how they must - The self becomes “delocalized self” appear to others which is free to seek its own identity 2. They imagine the judgement on free from customary that appearance constraints/traditional way of life 3. Develop themselves through the judgement of others BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self Self as a Necessary Fiction Self-Creation and the Struggle for Cultural Recognition - Self is a representation of an individual’s action, thoughts, and - embracing the created self through feelings acceptance/recognition of the cultural struggles and challenges Post-Modern view of the self - a challenge of self-identity amidst - OUR BASIC POSTMODERNIST IDEAS recognition of racial and ethnic ABOUT THE SELF (Anderson, 1997) identities 1. Multiphrenia – different voices Beyond Self-Creation speaking “who we are and what we are” - The self constantly lives in this 2. Protean – capability to change paradox: to pursue self-creation constantly to fit present within pre-given, not willfully conditions chosen social circumstances 3. De-Centered – constant Anthropological Perspective of Self redefinition of the self 4. Self-in-Relation – living in Culture - refers to a system of customs, relation with other people and traditions, beliefs, religions, laws, morals, human to certain cultural contexts behavior and traditional practices that people need to function in society Social Construction of the self - Symbolic - Self is not discovered; it is made - Learned and integrated through the socialization process. - People’s way of life BUT individuals are not just hapless victims of socialization. Self and the Culture – we ourselves play different - Individual is an active, strategizing roles, act in different ways depending on our agent that negotiates for the circumstances; this is not only normal but also definition of himself. acceptable and accepted - The self is multifaceted Marcel Mauss (French anthropologist) – every Self as an Artistic Creation self has two faces - The self can be recreated to conceal 1. MOI – person’s sense of who he is, his the “ugly” and project what is body, and his basic identity/biological beautiful through conscious makeup effort/reinterpretation 2. PERSONNE – composed of the social concepts of what it means to be who he Self-Creation and Collective Identity is. - Formed w/in imagined communities The self is capable of morphing and - The recognition of cultural fitting itself into any circumstances it differences and individual finds itself in uniqueness Language - A method of human communication/ a system of communication used by a particular society, either spoken or written, consisting of BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self the use of words in a structured and - Has to be personally discovered (not conventional way dictated by culture and society) Language – salient part of culture and has The SELF and Social Behavior in Differing tremendous effect in our crafting of the self. It Cultural Context has no specification and gender-neutral - People sample these three kinds of Modernization - The transformation from a selves (private, public, collective) traditional- rural society to a secular, urban, and with different probabilities, in industrial society different cultures, and that has specific consequences for social Self and Family – deemed as a given in behavior understanding the self in any disposition in life. The kind of family that we are born in, the Cultural Orientation resources available to us, and the kind of A. Individualism development that we have will affect us on how - Supports diversity, self-expression, to develop our self and the rights of individuals Four Reasons why Family affects the - allows flexibility to people development of SELF - ex. N. Americans/Europeans (independent, self-reliant, assertive) 1. Human persons learn the ways of living B. Collectivism and therefore their selfhood by being in - Promotes conformity and a sense of a family obligation to the group 2. It is what a family initiates a person to - Puts strong demands on individuals become that serves as the basis for the to conform to the group’s values, person’s progress role definition, and norms 3. Without a family, biologically and - Ex. Asians/Africans/L. Americans sociologically, a person may not survive (interdependent, cooperative, social or become a human person harmony) 4. One is who he is because of his family for the most part Cultural Influences Socialization – the introduction of different A. Individualism society’s expectation to the self. Independent Self is unique Gender - refers to the socially constructed Describe oneself in personal trait terms characteristics of being a man or a woman, such Strive for personal achievement as norms, roles, and relationships of and B. Collectivism between groups of women and men. It varies from society to society and can be changed. inter-dependent self is similar to others Gender and the Self – one of the loci (core) of describe oneself in terms of role in group the self that is subject for alteration, change, and derive satisfaction from group success development. - shaped w/in a particular context of time and space. BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SELF Consciousness Concept of SELF William James’ “ME” - SELF is the sense of personal identity Self as known and of who we are as individuals Consists of: (Jhangiani and Tarry, 20140 1. Physical or mental self - IDENTITY is the composition of 2. Social self personal characteristics, social roles 3. Spiritual self and responsibilities, as well as - Components of “ME” Self (W. James) affiliations that define who one is a. Material Self – things that (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith, belongs to us or what we belong 2012) to - SELF-CONCEPT is what basically b. Social Self – who we are in a comes to your mind when you are given situation. People have asked about who you are many social selves in any social (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith, situation they participate 2012) c. Spiritual Self – who we are at our SELF, IDENTITY, & SELF-C0NCEPT are not core. More concrete or fixed in one time frame. This is not a permanent. Subjective and nature or nurture, but instead a NATURE- intimate. Includes personality, AND-NURTURE PERSPECTIVE core, values and conscience. - SCHEMA or our organized system or Three Reasons why SELF and IDENTITY are collection of knowledge about who SOCIAL PRODUCTS we are (C. Rogers) Family 1. Society helped in creating the Religion foundations of who we are and even our Nationality choices are influenced by our social and Hobbies historical contexts Interests 2. We need others to affirm and reinforce Physical Characteristics who we think we are. We need others as Course/Work reference points about our identity 3. What we think is important to us may “I” is the thinking and feeling self (William also have been influenced by what is James, 1980), also it is the one who acts and important in our social/historical context decides (Carl Rogers, 1950) SELF-AWARENESS is being aware of our self- “ME” is the physical characteristics as well as concepts psychological capabilities that makes who you are (William James, 1980), also it is what you - SELF-AWARENESS may be positive think or feel about yourself as an object (Carl or negative depending on the Rogers, 1950) circumstances and our next course of action William James’ “I” Self as a knower Pure ego BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self - Two types of self (Carver and Reconsidering the importance of Scheier, 1981) the aspect/skill in which we 1. Private Self: internal standards were outperformed and private thoughts and Strengthen the resolve to feelings improve that certain aspect/skill 2. Public Self: your public image ACHIEVING YOUR GOAL THROUGH commonly geared towards HARD WORK MAY INCREASE YOUR having a good presentation of SELF-ESTEEM yourself to others TRUE SELF VS. FALSE SELF - SELF-AWARENESS’ Self-Schema a. Actual – who you are at the TRUE SELF – having the sense of integrity and moment of connected wholeness b. Ideal – who you think you like to be - Tips to improve TRUE SELF: c. Ought – who you think you 1. Accept who you are should be 2. Forgive yourself 3. Nurture yourself SELF-ESTEEM is our subjective sense of overall 4. Set boundaries personal worth or value. It is our own positive or 5. Affirm yourself negative perception or evaluation of ourselves - Characteristics: Likes their bodies GLOBAL VS. DIFFERENTIATED SELF Appreciate their qualities a. Global self-esteem/Trait self-esteem Doesn’t compare themselves to - Representation of people’s general others feeling about themselves. Enduring Speaks to themselves kindly across time and space Proactive b. State self-esteem/Feelings of self-worth Accepts and expresses their - temporary feelings or momentary emotions emotional reactions to positive and Optimistic negative events where we feel good Accepts praises or bad about ourselves during these Confident situations or experiences Looks for challenge/adventure c. Domain specific self-esteem/Self- Lives the present moment evaluation FALSE SELF – compliance with external rules. - focused on how people evaluate Constantly seeks to anticipate demands of their various abilities and attributes others to maintain the existing relationship SELF-EVALUATION MAINTENANCE THEORY - Two types: - states that we can feel threatened a. Healthy false self – false self is when someone out-performs us, functional for both the person especially when that person is close and the society. Feels true to the to us “true self” - COMMON RESPONSES: b. Unhealthy false self – forced We distance ourselves/redefine compliance rather than loving our relationship with them BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self adaptation. Adapts to social - Have the power to influence their situation rather than assert itself actions to produce desired results - Characteristics: - Must have/allow proactive behavior Takes no risks (G. Allport) Focuses on faults B. Agent Self Imitates others - the executive function that allows Critical of themselves for actions Blaming - making choices and utilizing control Looks defeated and depressed in situations as an individual Represses their emotions - active response in decision Suspicious of praises making/taking in charge of Compare themselves with situations others C. Self-Efficacy Narcissistic - the measure of one’s ability to Thinks they are important complete goals (Albert Bandura’s because of their possessions Social Cognitive Theory) REAL SELF VS IDEAL SELF THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN REAL SELF/self-concept - aspects of one’s being PERSPECTIVE and one’s experiences that are perceived in awareness (though not always accurately) by the BACKGROUND person (Feist, Feist & Roberts, 2013) a. Philosophy started from the east. Almost IDEAL SELF – revolves around goals, ambitions in 2000 years before the first western text life. It is dynamic and the idealized image that we was introduced, the eastern civilizations have developed over time. It is what parents were already so advanced that it had taught us. accounts of: The virtuous philosophies of China MULTIPLE SELF VS UNIFIED SELF Famous civil codes like the Babylonian MULTIPLE SELVES – capacities we carry w/in us Code of Hammurabi from multiple relationships. Not “discovered” The earliest religious texts of India like but “created” the Rigveda. b. Western Thought UNIFIED SELVES – well-being comes when our Concept of Psyche is a western model personality dynamics are congruent, cohesive, of the self. and consistent.\. connected w/ selfhood and Western traditions are always identity. EGO remains at the helm of the mind preoccupied with the duality of the body SELF AS A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT and soul. Western concept of the self is very A. Social Cognitive Theory much anchored on the individuality of - Capacity to have control over their the psyche – that the individual self is own lives always in a struggle to reconcile the - Self-regulating, proactive, self- connection between the ideal self or reflective, and self-organizing perfect soul and the limited self or sinful body. BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self c. Eastern Thought SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SELF IN The self in the eastern perspective also WESTERN THOUGHT wants to attain perfection in meditation a. Characteristics of the Western Social and enlightenment but there has never Construct of the Self been an issue of dualism. 1. Individualistic Self – always Easterners do not have the notion of conceived as the autonomous the separation of the body and soul – it bounded entity is always one self. 2. Self-Sufficiency – the self is Buddhism: The concept of self is confident that it is able to considered as nothing but an evolution support itself w/out external and transformation of inner assistance using its own consciousness. resources Confucian Philosophy: Emphasized the 3. Self being Rational – everything relational self and the social must be explained by logic and understanding of the self. Middle reason. Self has no time to be Eastern Traditions: Very much associated weak and emotional with communal self. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SELF IN INDIVIDUALISM VS. COLLECTIVISM EASTERN CONSTRUCT a. Features of individualism a. Viewed as collectivistic and always - “I” identity grounded on nature - Promotes the individual goals, b. Eastern traditions that flourished in the initiatives, and achievement history of thought were firmly based on - Individual rights are most important how the self relates to others, to the - Rules attempt to ensure self- Divine Being, and to nature importance and individualism - Independence; less drive on helping EASTERN THOUGHT others - relying in others is seen as shameful A. CONFUCIANISM - do things on their own - Confucius (Kung Fu Zi) ascertained - people strive for individual success the ancient Chinese civilization by b. features of collectivism establishing social order - people are encouraged to play an - Confucian system puts primacy of active role in the society; to do what the society rather than the is best for the society rather than individual person themselves - SELF is a person in the society who - promotes right of families, shows refinement and compassion communities, and the collective - JUNZI is the humanistic learning, - rules promote unity, brotherhood, refined personal manners, and the and selflessness capacity to govern the community - everyone supports each other; wisely and w/ compassion cooperation is the norm - REN is the character of the self that - community, family or nation is more sincerely shows compassion to important others. Embodies human- BMBL2024 Reviewer BSSW 1-C Understanding The Self heartedness by prioritizing self- ideas; equality and complementarity interests of others among humans and other beings - JENZI is the practice of ren - Person is able to act spontaneously - Self-cultivation is the ultimate since he/she is not restricted by purpose in life however CHUN-TZU, some legalistic standards but lives in a man of virtue and noble character, harmony with everything is still embedded in his social C. BUDDHISM relations - Self is seen as an illusion, born out of - “SUBDUED SELF” is the cultivated ignorance, tries to hold and control self where personal needs are human-centered needs thus called repressed for the good of many the source of all sufferings - Confucianism is a CODE OF ETHICAL - Buddhism teaches us to forget about CONDUCT of how one should have a the self, the cravings, break free harmonious social life from the attachments to renounce - Identity and self-concept is the self and attain NIRVANA interwoven w/ the identity and D. IN CONCLUSION status of his/her community or - Self/individual is not the focus of the culture Asian/eastern philosophies or belief - Confucian society is seen as - Confucianism and Taoism promotes hierarchal for the purpose of a Self that is beneficial to itself as maintaining social order and balance well as to its community and live in B. TAOISM harmony w/ everything else - Living the way of TAO or the universe - Buddhism removes the self and however Taoism rejects having one selfish ideas out of the whole picture definition of the TAO entirely - Tao is not limited to one definition, WESTERN THOUGHT since it adopts a free-flowing, relative, unitary, as well as - Western culture is called paradoxical view of almost individualistic everything - Americans talks about their personal - Taoism rejects hierarchal and attributes while Asians talks about strictness and prefers a simple their social roles/situations that lifestyle and its teachings thus aims invoked certain traits that they deem to describe how to attain that life positive - Self is not only an extension of - Americans highlights their personal family/community but a part of the achievements while Asians keeps universe, forms and manifestations low profile as promoting the self can of tao be seen as boastfulness that disrupts - Promotes selflessness but not social relationships forgetting about the self; living a balanced life w/ society and nature; openness and acceptance of change; forgets prejudice and egocentric BMBL2024