Understanding The Self PDF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF NAMES  represent who we are.  not the person itself no matter how intimately bound it is with the bearer  only the signifier The self is thought to be something else than the name The self is continually molded,shaped, and developed Everyone is tasked to...

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF NAMES  represent who we are.  not the person itself no matter how intimately bound it is with the bearer  only the signifier The self is thought to be something else than the name The self is continually molded,shaped, and developed Everyone is tasked to discover one’s self Greek word: “philo” - love of “sophia” - knowledge/wisdom andthe search for truth “loving knowledge” or “loving wisdom” “the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake”  a set of ideals, standards or beliefs used to describe behavior and thought  investigates the legitimacy of concepts by rational argument concerning heir implications, relationships as well as reality, knowledge,moral judgement and others 1. SOCRATES  considered to be the greatest teacher inAthens  focused his life-long mission on his concern about the problem of the self  the true task of a philosopher is to know oneself  “The unexamined life is not worth living”  “I am the wisest man alive,for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing” Two fundamental questions:  “To find what?” Your rue self  “By what means?” Introspection Awareness Interaction 2. PLATO  student of Socrates  according to him, “soul” is the most divine aspect of human being  his concept of the divine is not as piritual being but rather one that has an intellectual connotation 3 Components of the Soul  Appetitive (Sensual) element that enjoys sensual experiences, such as food, drink and sex  Rational (Reasoning) conscious awareness the part of us that thinks and analyzes  Spirited (Feeling) one with lots of energy, power, emotions 3. ST. AUGUSTINE  Eudaimonic Character happiness is the end all and be all  A virtuous life is the dynamism of the will, which is the dynamism of love wherein, if one loves God, one loves others; and if one loves others, one loves himself and will not do any harm to others  Has same principle with Plato regarding body and soul, but focuses more on Christianity 4. Thomas Aquinas Man = matter + form Matter - common stuff that makes up everything in the universe Form – essence of a substance or a thing (what makes it what it is)  The body of human is similar to animals/objects, but what makes a human is his essence.  The soul is what makes us humans. 5. DESCARTES  Father of Modern Philosophy  There is so much that we should doubt (question/ask);  if something has become clear and lucid, only then can we believe  Cogito Ergo Sum  He added that there was only one thing we could be sure of in this world, and that was everything could be doubted. The only thing one can't doubt is existence of the self 6. IMMANUEL KANT INNER SELF  idea of representation  use of physical senses to gain experiences in the physical world OUTER SELF  apperception, or the rational mind  allows us to recognize and reflect upon our mental state 7. DAVID HUME  Disagrees with all the other aforementioned philosophers  All knowledge is derived from human senses  You know that other people are humans not because you have seen their soul, but because you see them, hear them, feel them 8. JOHN LOCKE  TABULA RASA  External objects imprint in everyone’s senses and conveyed in the mind  Perception of those objects and their different qualities are furnished in the mind with all the contents and nothing exists in the mind that was perceived by the senses  9. GILBERT RYLE  denies the internal, non-physical self  “what truly matters is the behavior that a person manifests in his day  to-day life. ”  the self is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient name that we use to refer to the behaviors that we make 10. MAURICE PONTY  mind and body are inseparable  “one’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world”  the living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one  THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE Across time and history, the self has been debated, discussed, and fruitfully conceptualized by different thinkers in Philosophy. Eventually, with the advent of the social sciences, it became possible for new ways and paradigms to reexamine the true nature of the self. People got tired of the idea by ancient philosophers of the body and soul which was later renamed to body and mind.The focus shifted to the relationship of the self and the external world. THE SELF, in contemporary literature and even common sense, is commonly defined by the following characteristics: “separate, self-contained, independent, consistent, unitary, and private” THE SELF IS: 1. SEPARATE  Self is distinct from other selves. 2. SELF CONTAINED  Its distinctness allows it to be self contained with its own thoughts, characteristics, and volition. It does not require any other self for it to exist. 3. INDEPENDENT  In itself it can exist. 4. CONSISTENT  It has a personality that is enduring and therefore can be expected to persist for quite some time. 5. UNITARY  It is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run through a certain person. 6. PRIVATE  Each person sorts out information, feelings, emotions, and thought processes within the self. The whole process is never accessible to anyone but the self. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISTS PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF  Social constructivists argue that the self should not be seen as a static entity that stays constant through and through. Rather, the self has to be seen as something in a constant struggle with external reality and is malleable in its dealings with society.  The self is always in participation with social life and its identity subjected to influence here and there.  “the person” and their “social context”  The self is capable of morphing and fitting itself into any circumstances it finds itself in. THE SELF AND CULTURE “Remaining the same person and turning chameleon by adapting to one’s context.” Accoring to French anthropologist Marcel Mauss, every self has two two faces: personne and moi. 2 FACES OF THE SELF Moi - refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body, and his basic identity, his biological givenness. Moi is a person’s basic identity. Personne - composed of the social concepts of what it means to be who he is. This has much to do with what it means to live in a particular institution, a particular family, a particular religion, a particular nationality, and how to behave given expectations and influences from others. One may change personne from time to time. OTHER EXAMPLES OF SHIFTING PERSONNE  Adjusting culture in other countries  Man courting a woman (tone and mood)  When in church  The use of language  OFW adjusting life in another country THE SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL WORLD More than his givenness (personality, tendencies etc.), one is believed to be in active participation in the shaping of the self. Recent studies indicate that men and women in their growth and development engage actively in the shaping of the self. MEAD AND VYGOTSKY  For Mead and Vygotsky, the way that human persons develop is with the use of language acquisition and interaction with others.  The way that we process information is normally a form of an internal dialogue in our head. Those who deliberate about moral dilemmas undergo this internal dialog. “Should I do this or that?”  Both of these psychologists treat human mind as something that is made, constituted through language experienced in the external world.  A child internalizes values, norms, practices, and social beliefs and more through dialogs. For Mead, this takes place as a child assumes the “other” through language and role-play.  For Mead, this role-play by children is a way that they delineate the “I” from the rest. As for Vygotsky, a child internalizes real-life dialogs that he has done with others, with his family, caregiver, or playmates. THE SELF IN FAMILIES  While every child is born with certain givenness, family is still deemed as a given in understanding the self.  The kind of family we are born in, the resources available to us, and the kind of development that we will have will certainly affects us as we go through life.  Human beings are born helpless and the dependency period of a human baby to its parents for nurturing is relatively longer than most other animals.  Learning therefore is critical in our capacity to actualize our potential of becoming humans.  In trying to achieve the goal of becoming a fully realized human, a child enters a system of relationships, most important of which is the family. GENDER AND THE SELF  Gender is subject to alteration, change, and development.  From the point of view of social sciences and the self, it is important to give one the leeway to find, express, and live his identity.  One maneuvers into the society and identifies himself as who he is by also taking note of gender identities.  As part of the culture, there are roles which are expected from a particular person based on his sex or gender, however slight changes have been observed on the way due to feminisim, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) activism but for the most part patriarchy has remained to be at work.  THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT COGNITIVE  Involving conscious intellectual activity, such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering. Nagbibigay-malay WILLIAM JAMES  Earliest psychologists to study the self  Conceptualized the self as having two aspects – the “I” and the “me”.  “I” is thinking, acting and feeling self.  The “me” on the other hand, is physical characteristics as well psychological capabilities that makes who you are. CARL ROGERS  He also used the same terms; “I” and “Me”  “I” as the one who acts and decides.  “Me” is what you think or feel about yourself as an object.  Person-centered therapy, also referred to as Rogerian therapy, was pioneered by Carl Rogers in the early 1940s. This form of psychotherapy is grounded in the idea that people are inherently motivated toward achieving positive psychological functioning.  Captured this idea in his concept of self-schema or our organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are.  The schema may include you interest, work, course, age, name and physical characteristics, among others.  As you grow and adapt to the changes around you, they also change.  They actively shape and affect how you see, think and feel about things.  Self-schema are categories of knowledge that reflect how we expect ourselves to think, feel, and act in particular settings or situations. Each of these beliefs includes our overall perceptions of ourselves ("outgoing," "shy," "talkative"), as well as our knowledge of past experiences in similar situations. IDENTITY VS. SELF-CONCEPT IDENTITY - is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who one is Self, identity and self-concept are not fixed in one time frame. Example: (When asked about who you are) Possible Answer: “I was a varsity player when I was in grade five” (PAST) “I am a college student” (PRESENT) “I will be a future company owner” (FUTURE) SIGMUND FREUD  Father of Psychology  One of the most influential doctors of the 20th century  Sigmund Freud saw the self, its mental processes, and one’s behavior as the result ofthe interaction between the ID, the EGO and the Superego. SIGMUND FREUD’S ICEBERG THEORY Freud’s Iceberg Model of the Mind:  The conscious mind with the ego at its helm is the visible tip of the iceberg.  Beneath the surface, the larger unconscious realm houses the primal instincts of the id.  The moral compass of the superego, steering our actions and reactions in subtle and complex ways. ID-instincts  The primitive and instinctive component of personality.  The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche that responds directly and immediately to basic urges, needs, and desires.  The id operates on the pleasure principle. EGO-reality  The ego is the only part of the conscious personality.  The part of personality that is oriented toward acting responsibly and realistically.  In contrast to the id, the ego follows the reality principle as it operates in both the conscious and unconscious mind.  Working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. SUPEREGO-morality  The part of the personality which contains one’s ego-ideals and conscience.  The superego incorporates the values and morals of society, which are learned from one’s parents and others.  The superego operates on the morality principle and motivates us to behave in a socially responsible and acceptable manner.  The superego is seen as the purveyor of rewards (feelings of pride and satisfaction) and punishments(feelings of shame and guilt), depending on which part is activated. Theory of Symbolic Interactionism  Symbolic interactionism is a social theoretical framework associated with George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) and Max Weber (1864-1920).  It is a perspective that sees society as the product of shared symbols, such as language. The social world is, therefore, constructed by the meanings that individuals attach to events and social interactions, and these symbols are transmitted across the generations through language. G.H Mead argued that the self is created and developed through human interaction. Basically, there are 3 reasons why self and identity are social products: 1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing 2. We need others to affirm and reinforce who we think we are 3. What we think is important to us 1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing. -Society helped in creating the foundations of who we are and even if we make our choices, we will still operate in our social and historical context in one way or the other. 2. We need others to affirm and reinforce who we think we are  -Whether we like to admit it or not, we also need them as reference points about our identity. One interesting example is the social media interactions we have. In the case of Facebook, there are those who will consciously or unconsciously try to garner more “like” and/or positive “reactions” and that can and will reinforce their self-concept. 3. What we think is important to us -Examples: Education might be an important thing to yourself-concept because you grew up in a family that valued education. -Money might be important to some because they may have grown I a low-income family and realized how important money is in addressing certain needs like medical emergencies. -Being a nurse or a lawyer be priority in your self-schema because it is the in-demand course during your time. SELF-AWARENESS  also presents us with at least 3 other self-schema: Actual Self– It is the self that you actually see. I t is the self that has the characteristics that you were nurtured on or born to have. Ideal Self – who we want to be or the self that you aspire to be. The desired image of an individual. Ought – is who you think you should be  Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection. Carver and Scheier identified two types of self that we can be aware of: Private self - your internal standards and private thoughts and feeling Public self - your public image commonly geared toward having a good presentation of yourself to others.  Self Awareness may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances and our next course of action.  It can keep you from doing something dangerous or save you from it.  In other instance, self awareness can be too much that we are concerned about being observed and criticized by others, also known as SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. SOCIAL COMPARISON  Our group activity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self-esteem -It is defines as our own positive or negative perception or evaluation of ourselves.  One of the way in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is through social comparison. Social comparison theory, we learn by comparing aspects of ourselves with other people. Downward social comparison  is the more common type of comparing ourselves with others.  we create a positive self-concept by comparing ourselves with those who are worse of than us by having advantage, we can raise our self-esteem. Upward social comparison  is comparing ourselves with those who are better of that us.  While it can be a form of motivation for some, a lot of those who this actually felt lower self-esteem as they highlight more of their weakness or inequities.