Understanding The Self PDF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN THE SELF AND THE FIELD OF ANTHROPOLOGY At the end of this learning module, the student is expected to: a) define anthropology b) explain culture and the mechanism of enculturation c) synthesize anthropol...

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN THE SELF AND THE FIELD OF ANTHROPOLOGY At the end of this learning module, the student is expected to: a) define anthropology b) explain culture and the mechanism of enculturation c) synthesize anthropological perspective on self-awareness and self-reflexive conduct d) show appreciation of one’s cultural identity through practice of one’s cultural values. Introduction Distance please! A group of brilliant Filipinos went to the United States as exchange students. They were hosted by a prestigious public university in Illinois. During the orientation, the students were introduced to a huge buffet canteen of the university, and they were supposed to have lunch in that canteen for the duration of their stay in the US. After their first session in the morning, over excited to take their first American meal in the buffet canteen at the adjacent building, the exchange students rushed to the Hall, almost running, and went straight to the food line while clutching on one another and everyone else in the line. Perhaps irritated by the clinging Asians too close to him, one American gentleman turned his back and said firmly to the Filipino students: “Distance please!” In an instant, the Filipino exchange scholars realized that they were in a totally different environment. The normally accepted practices they have in the Philippines may not be necessarily acceptable in other cultures. In this example, too much closeness and almost always clinging to one another as friends are traditionally expected among Asian cultures. However, in the Western practice where individuality is highly emphasized, psychological distance will have to be respected. This section deals with the Anthropological perspective of understanding the self. Anthropology is generally defined as the study of humankind in all times and places. There are many branches of anthropology: this includes archeology, primatology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology and many other applied anthropology. This section, however, will only deal with the modern trends in anthropology especially in understanding humankind in relation to their culture. Let us begin our study with the recognition of our own unique practices.  UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN Discussion 1. Anthropology Anthropology is a study of all aspects of human condition. This includes human history, the present human condition, and even the future possibilities. It also examines the biology, interactions in society, language, and especially culture (Kottak, 2009). Anthropology explores the interconnectedness and interdependence of human cultural experiences in all places and ages. This kind of broad and holistic perspective of anthropological inquiry equips the anthropologist the ascendancy in explaining human nature (Havilland, et al., 2014). How does anthropology explain human nature? What is the anthropological concept of the self? The self is both a biological and cultural entity. The traditional anthropological understanding of the self is that the self is an animal specie which underwent the process of biological evolution and has shared characteristics with other living animals, the hominids, in particular. The self is believed to have evolved from apes some 33 million years ago and in the evolutionary process the self traced his origin from hominid species ‘homo sapiens’. Since the self has better development in terms of brain with billion neurons, and adaptation to the environment for survival, the self develops a culture resulting in behavioral changes. The self is a living animal but superior to other animals due to certain factors, namely: a.) physical aspects (self as the only animal with a larger brain capacity making him a rational animal; the only animal can stand straight allowing him to have better mobility in doing things, etc.; b.) social aspects (self uses language and symbol in dynamic, complicated and yet systematic manner allowing him to communicate, and preserve history, knowledge, culture, etc.; can cooperate with others in a systemic manner in larger cooperation; and invents new things for survival). Now let us examine the two very important concepts in anthropology before we discuss further about the self, the contemporary self. These concepts are culture and enculturation. Culture is traditionally defined as system of human behavior and thought. This covers all customs, traditions, and capabilities of humans as they function in society. In other words, cultures are those complex structures of knowledge, beliefs, arts, religion, morals, law, language, traditional practices and all other aspects needed by humans to function in society. Culture is symbolic. When our ancestors learned to use tools and symbols to originate meaning of significant events in life an in society, those tools and symbols become an integral part of the culture. The burial sites, ancestral  UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN homes, landmarks of significant and historical events, the rituals, customary actions and even some natural phenomena are all part of one’s culture. In the words of Geertz, C. (1973), culture is “a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about their attitudes toward life”. The “embodiment in symbols” of cultural elements describes both an attitude of our body to incorporate techniques and social devices, and a creative vocation to invent and incorporate new and different expressive operative ways. (Thomas Csordas, 1999) Culture therefore, learned and is very much integrated in one’s customs and beliefs. It is engrained in the patterns and systems of one’s life. Hence, if culture considers all aspects and elements of the self, people must be on guard that culture can be adaptive or maladaptive. On the other hand, communities shall continue to assess whether the practices, rituals and customary actions are still relevant and still beneficial to the development of the community. Adaptive culture shall continue to manifest the key central values that the individual and the community want to demonstrate. On the other hand, communities may also try to get rid of the cultural practices that will only extinguish the identity and good will of the community. In order to do this, we have to understand the concept of enculturation. Broadly defined, enculturation is the transmission of culture from one generation to the next. Unlike biological hereditary transmission, cultural transmission is done through observation, use of language, adaptation to environment, rituals, and formal and informal education. Every member of the community will then distinguish themselves from other communities because of the differences in the way people do things in their lives. 2. The Self and Person in Contemporary Anthropology The anthropological self takes a holistic dimension of the individual person. It considers both the biological and environmental aspects of the person. The genetic component plays a significant role in the cultural development of an individual. Anthropologists even suggest that the genes of the person living in a particular community are already a necessary component for the enculturation of the person. In the same way, environmental exposure is also a vital component in the creation of the cultural self. Some anthropologists claim that environmental exposure starts soon after birth. However, contemporary anthropologists suggest that the environmental exposure starts during conception. The child inside the mother's womb already hears the language, tastes the food and feels the mother's emotions. These experiences then are solidified as soon as the child is born.  UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN The growing years of the child is very crucial in anthropological perspective. This is the time when the child develops the psychological construct of dependency or independency. In many western cultures where independence is the cultural emphasis, the child is usually provided with a room and is trained to be independent by giving less physical contact from parents or carers. On the contrary, in most part of Asia and Africa, children are reared in close contact with parents, especially the mother, thus developing the sense of dependence on significant others and the immediate community (like the family). These rearing practices are the key to the development of the neuromotor functions of the child and this nueromotor circuitry is fundamental in the formation of self-awareness. 2.1 Self-awareness Anthropology defines self-awareness as "that which permits one to assume responsibility for one's own conduct, to learn how to react to others, and to assume a variety of roles" (Haviland, 2003). It has been observed that a child starts to conceptualize self-awareness at age two. However, studies also show that self-awareness is conceptualized much earlier by children sleeping with parents and are exposed to a variety of stimuli like touch and the like. Stimulation is maximized when the child is in close contact with the mother or carer and all the other members of the family. This develops the neural circuitry or hard wiring of the brain faster than with the children with less stimulation. This is particularly advantageous for us Filipinos because most of the time our cultural practice is to sleep with our parents until at least school age. Following the faster process of enculturation and self-awareness is the importance of attachment of positive values to one's self. The child must be able to get the culturally correct values necessary for adult life. Parents, immediate family and the community play a vital role in the development of the child's values. What the child observes from what the adults are doing or thinking will more likely be adapted and imitated by the child. However, in the continued process of self-awareness, the child will eventually develop his or her own identity. This identity is further intensified by a practice common to all cultures -- the naming ritual. Naming individualizes a person. It gives a person his own unique traits, experiences, personality, identity and status. The latter, however, gives the person's name its place as a member of the group. The person's name is also a symbol of one's status in the community. It either gives you honor or stigma. The person's name is at the same time a project in progress. The self that bears the name continues to stablish an identity of the name in the community.  UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN 2.2 Self and Behavioral Environment In order to strengthen the identity of the self, one must be able to grasp the different behavioral orientations. These are concepts that will help situate the self in different behavioral conditions. The four environmental orientations are: object orientation, spatial orientation, temporal orientation and normative orientation. Object orientation positions the self in relation to the surrounding objects. The self should be able to act responsively to the cultural objects around. Take for example the T'boli, an indigenous group from South Cotabato. They learn to respect the trees, the lakes, the falls and the animals of the forest. They believe in the spirit of the forest hence they consider the woods as a holy ground where no leaf shall be turned as one walks through. Spatial orientation provides the self with personal space in relation to other people or things. In our earlier example, the individualistic society where independence is of utmost importance, personal space is also emphasized. Whereas in the communal society where interdependence is strongly developed, personal space is more likely lessened. It is however important to note that the self must be able to keep personal space. It would be a deviant behavior to any community when a person intrudes the personal space of the other. Temporal orientation endows the self with the sense of time. Time is truly relevant to cultural communities. In Filipino philosophy, time is seen as spherical (unlike the western concept of time as linear), where life-events are repeated but may not be necessarily the same. Routinary activities are not considered a repetition of previous activity because these activities will be done at the "feel of time". This is particularly true in the rural communities where only the self or very few people are involved. In urban communities where time is of the essence, and where the western linear concept of time is practiced, the self must be able to adjust to this temporal orientation. The last example is better explained in normative orientation. Normative orientation provides the self with the grasp of accepted norms in the community. Being on time is a generally accepted norm in communal activities. In communities where punctuality is considered a value, being on time is already a charitable gesture. Likewise, normative orientation is at the same time providing the self an idea of behaviors which are not acceptable in the community. The self at a very early age must have known that killing, stealing, hurting others and the like are behaviors that should be avoided.  UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN 3. The Self Embedded in Culture When the self is able to distinguish what is acceptable behavior and what is not, it only follows that the self is already able to recognize the differences of one's self and the other. This ability to manage the differences between selves is what makes the self embedded in culture. Psychological anthropologists recognize the thin line that distinguishes the cultural self and the "actual self”. The latter includes all the feelings, thoughts, experiences, biological and psychological constitutions, language and memory. However, the actual self is also being shaped by all these same elements and more. Therefore what remains in this distinction is the solid identity of the self in relation to everything else. The claim of the self as embedded in culture can only be embraced when the self recognizes its relation to everything else. The complexity of cultural identities of peoples, things, and events shall be recognized and respected by the self. The individual self must remain reflexive of the similarities and unique differences of everything around it. This shows that the self should not maintain the individualistic, independent and autonomous entity but that the self should be able to maintain his solid culturally reflexive identity in relation to everything and everyone else. Anthropology recognizes the movement of this understanding towards plurality and multiplicity of thoughts, beliefs, convictions, and practices. Hence, this is exactly the contribution of anthropology to the postmodern era. There is now the breakdown of grand narratives that subdue the small voices in the peripheries. In other words, the anthropological movements at this time are already geared toward recognizing the power of culture in influencing little gaps and interstices, meaning intervening spaces between people. It is only when the self recognizes the power of culture constituted by every system that we can have an effective shaping of social reality. This can be illustrated by few examples. One perhaps is the attitude of some indigenous peoples (IP), especially the IP students enrolled in big universities where they do not want to be recognized as IP or they do not want to be identified as IP. This may only mean that these students are not proud of their cultural identity. Eventually, this may lead to cultural degradation. Cultural degradation or more horribly cultural genocide means the loss of a particular culture due to assimilation or loss of interest. Assimilation happens when a dominant culture, the Ilocano culture for example, is overshadowing the inferior culture, meaning the culture possessed by lesser population living within the Ilocano communities: the inferior culture will eventually lose its identity. As a result, we will not be surprised when children do not know anymore how to speak their own indigenous dialect, or perform the rituals that were used to be performed by the elders, or play traditional instruments that were played by the  UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GEC1 PROF. EDUARDO L. DOYAOEN indigenous musicians, or to cook the indigenous delicacies prepared by traditional chefs to mention a few. In a larger scale, culture is also lost through continued violence, genocide, inability to respect traditions, beliefs, and the cultural community's sense of pride, which are largely the result of globalization. For many decades, the Moros of Mindanao, for example, are continuously striving for the recognition of their cultural identity and self-realization. However, history tells us that both the Moros and the dominant culture living in Mindanao are constantly victimized by the unending violence perpetrated by various groups. In the end, many of the cultural landmarks, meaning the identity of the people, are either prejudiced or lost forever. A very obvious example of cultural degradation is that brought about by excessive exposure to media in various forms. Television for instance influences language, traditions, beliefs, knowledge and even personalities. In judging beauty for example, media proposes the following criteria: face must be beautiful and unpimpled hair must be black and silky. skin color must be fair and flawless. body must be slim and toned, etc. "Culture is also not a force or causal agent in the world, but a context in which people live out their lives." (Clifford Geertz,1973) In conclusion, Anthropology liberates the self from the fallacies of dominant ideas. In this most liberating science, the self is no longer seen as an entity with innate ideas, ready to face the world, and as if programmed to respond to the demands of time. Likewise, the self is not seen as a "blank slate" ready to encode all the details of everyday experiences, so that it becomes limited only to what is written on that slate. In anthropology, the self is recognized as (1) biologically attuned to respond to his environment, (2) variably self-aware of the mechanisms of the elements of culture working within the self, and (3) self- reflexive of the uniqueness and differences of all other selves and everything else around. Source/Reference: Villafuerte, Salvacion L. et.al. Understanding The Self. Quezon City: NIEME Publishing House Co. Ltd., 2018.