Understanding the Self (GEC 001) PDF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF (GEC 001) PROF. HARLYN CALAHATIAN, CHRA WHO ARE YOU? The main term of reference for establishing one’s own identity is through differentiating yourself from others. However, we also tend to converge with others who closely resemble us. WHAT MAKES YOU...

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF (GEC 001) PROF. HARLYN CALAHATIAN, CHRA WHO ARE YOU? The main term of reference for establishing one’s own identity is through differentiating yourself from others. However, we also tend to converge with others who closely resemble us. WHAT MAKES YOU WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE SIMILAR WITH OTHERS UNDERSTANDING THE SELF deals with the nature of identity factors & forces that affect the development and maintenance of personal identity  ADOLESCENCE PERIOD EARLY ADOLESCENCE - 10 TO 13 YRS OLD MIDDLE ADOLESCENCE - 14 TO 17 YRS OLD LATE ADOLESCENCE (YOUNG ADULTHOOD) - 18 TO 21 YRS OLD  ADOLESCENCE PERIOD This period is also crucial as it is the stage of the developmental transition to adulthood. being curious and knowing their roots construction of the self understanding the physical features sexual preference  ADOLESCENCE PERIOD This period is also crucial as it is the stage of the developmental transition to adulthood. material wants and/or needs spiritual beliefs political stands who are you in digital world THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF Understanding of the various philosophical perspectives based on the lenses of different philosophers The explanations of what the self is and how we understand our subjctive selves The philosophers’ ideas and views about what our human nature is  PHILOSPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF PHILOSOPHY derived from the Latin words “philia” “sophia” love widom the study of the basic ideas about knowledge, truth, right and wrong, religion, and the nature and meaning of life. THE PHILOSOPHERS’ LENSES ON HOW THEY DEFINE “SELF”  SOCRATES: Focusing on Spiritual and Personal He famously said, “Know thyself,” emphasizing the importance of introspection and understanding one's own beliefs, values, and limitations. “The true understanding comes from within the person.”  SOCRATES: Focusing on Spiritual and Personal “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates, belived that his purpose in life was to pursue the best knowledge.  SOCRATIC METHOD Engage the person in a dialogue and exploration by asking questions Ask the other person to explain their points and overcome any contradictions in logic GOAL: Other intention is to move the person one step closer to the truth Aims to have individuals utilize their characterisctics, trait, native feature, essential qualities PLATO: “The Broad” | ARISTOCLES was known as "The Broad" - width of his shoulders - the size of his forehead born in Athens to an aristocratic family in GREECE PLATO composed more than 20 dialogues & majority of which is SOCRATES as protagonist. Plato's most famous and widely read dialogue is entitled "The Republic" PLATO: Plato’s Theory of Form Plato's philisophical study focuses on the causes and nature of things and it is believed as plato's metaphysics. Plato's notion of forms refers to what is real are not sensed objects objects that can be apprehended mentaly PLATO: Plato’s Metaphysics Plato's form has the following characteristics: Unchangeable; Eternal; Intelligent, but invisible Divine; Incorporeal; and The reasons for being  THE VIEWS OF PLATO ON HUMAN NATURE He asserted that a person's inner existence or soul is compose of three separate elements: the appetites, the spirited or hot-blooded part, and the reason or thinking. THE APPETITES THE SPIRITED THE REASON  THE APPETITES The APPETITES comprise all of our diverse cravings for pleasures, comforts, physical satisfactions, and physiological ease.  THE SPIRITED The SPIRITED, sometimes known as the hot- blooded, is non-rational and represents the desire of urge to act.  THE REASON The REASON, or thinking, is a rational and serves as the driving force behind virtue and truth. The component that thinks, analyzes, plans ahead, considers possibilities sensibly, and seeks to determine what is best and true. Note: 9 more Philosophers to be continued next meeting THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF  SOCIOLOGY “socious” “logos” companion or society to study Sociology is descrdibed as the scientific study of human connections and major interactions among men in a certain environment or region.  CHARLES HORTON COOLEY (1864 - 1929) According to Cooley, people learn about themselves through their social interactions with others. Cooley referred to this as the LOOKING-GLASS SELF, or the self-formed by social contact. Three stages: 1st stage, we imagine how we appear to others. 2nd stage, we imagine how others will see or evaluate us. And as a result of such impressions, we develop some sort of feeling about ourselves or a self concept. GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863 - 1931) George Mead's method to describing the influence of the environment in determining human behavior is known as social behaviorism. Mead believes that the person cannot be divorced from society.  GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863 - 1931) Three Stages of the Child 1. The Preparatory Stage - Children's conduct at this period is mostly dependent on imitation. 2. The Play Stage - Children are now starting to "role play" and pretend to be other individuals. 3. The Game Stage - around eight or nine years old. At this final stage of self-development, the child may respond to multiple people of his social surroundings rather than simple one.  GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863 - 1931) The "I"and "ME" When a person starts of executes a social activity, the I self acts as a subject. The I is the subjective aspective of the self. The Me self: When a person assumes the role of another, the Me self serves as an objective. The objective aspect of the self is the Me Self.  ERVING GOFFMAN (1922 - 1982) Impression management is the term he used to descrub this process of changing how a person represents themselves to others. Dramaturgical approach is a view of social interaction in which people are seen as theatrical performers. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF How our social interactions with others shape who we are as people According to Mead, defined the self as a separate identity that distinguishes oneself from others Other generalized factors that a child considers in his/her actions include societal attitudes, opinions and expectations  THE SELF BASED ON THE PERSPECTIVES OF ANTHROPOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE SELF  THE SELF AND PERSON IN THE CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY Latin word “Anthropologia” which means “the study of humanity” In Greek, anthrōpos which means “human being” and logos/logia which means study/to study It answers the questions of when, how and why man existed in the world. CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY study of how a man keeps pace with the changes of the modern world WHAT IS CULTURE HOW DOES IT SHAPE US?  THE SELF EMBEDDED IN CULTURE A culture is basically a personality of a group of people living together A society has its own distinct ways of living, including their SET OF BELIEFS MORAL EXPECTATIONS & COMPASS LANGUANGE & CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS EXPRESSIONS The presence of culture is what sets us apart from other social organisms. CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE  CULTURE IS LEARNED Beliefs, values, and ideologies may be passed on from their parents to their offspring through repeated exposure and practice. Culture is learned, not hereditary.  CULTURE IS SHARED Culture exists in a group of people. It reflects common way of doing things, beliefs, and ideologies. An individual acquires culture as it is transmitted while interacting in a society.  CULTURE IS SYMBOLIC Culture reflects how and what a particular group defines ideas. These are represented and communicated through symbols, in any social context. Cultural symbols may be characterized by colors, shapes, gestures, words, and other forms of communication. CULTURE AND HUMAN NATURE Culture stems from our human nature, but we refine it to enable us to express our instincts and urges in acceptable and sophisticated ways. Culture teaches us how and when to act accordingly while gratifying these urges.  CULTURE IS INTEGRATED Cultures are unified patterns that although may change and evolve, it will still undergo a process of gradual transformation of absorption and accommodation through the course of time. Its key elements are closely interwoven that a change in one thing, causes changes in the entire system. CULTURE CAN BE INSTRUMENTAL, ADAPTIVE OF MALADAPTIVE Culture is a powerful forces that influences our social behavior as we live. Cultures are better described as toolkits rather than habits, used as compass in making decisions for the future. We apply culture to practical situations as we deem fit. However, not everyone may be able to successfully cope up with the new advancements and changes in our culture, resulting in maladjustments. KEY COMPONENTS OF CULTURE  CULTURAL NORMS Norms are standards of behavior that are expected to be followed by members of a certain society. Norms may vary according to how strictly they should be followed, due to how important they are to a society, and its corresponding consequences.  CULTURAL NORMS Norms may be in a form of Folkways, Mores, and Laws. Folkways are formed and showed through routine practice that may draw a line between what is rude and right. Folkways hold lesser importance and therefore have no severe sanctions from the society for its violations.  CULTURAL NORMS Norms may be in a form of Folkways, Mores, and Laws. Mores, are norms which hold moral significance. The consequences of not abiding are more informal but may lead to being viewed as outcasts. Laws require compliance or else face formal sanctions mainly by judgements of courts and other authorities.  CULTURAL BELIEFS Help us to construct social realities and therefore shape our perspective in life. Helps us preserve and develop our society, as it evolves through time.  CULTURAL VALUES Is when something is considered highly important and this is shared by the members of a community The traits, aspirations, and actions a society considers desirable are given more weight and worth.  CULTURAL LANGUANGE Our social instincts to communication with others made us develop certain symbols with shared meanings. It can be sets of symbols with standard meanings agreed upon by a particular group.  CULTURAL DIVERSITY Cultural universals -- acknowledging that there are common sets of acceptable and non- acceptable behaviors that cut across different societies. And while there are common and general cultures shared by a larger population, there also exists subcultures. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SELF THE SELF AS A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTION Construction of the Self depends on what information we learn about who we are and how we adjust and reconstruct our "self" depending on what hats we wear in interacting with others.  William James | Me-Self and I-Self According to William James, the Self is the sum of all he can call his. The self is dual in nature composed of: the Me-Self and I-self and that together make a unified self. Me component, being the object I component, being the subject of investigation. This makes conducting the investigation. This Me-Self as the empirical self. makes the I-Self as the pure self. THREE ASPECTS OF THE SELF  THREE ASPECTS OF THE SELF THE MATERIAL SELF THE SOCIAL SELF THE SPIRITUAL SELF  THE MATERIAL SELF Things, people, and experiences which evoke emotional feelings to the individual make up the material self. The physical attributes of the individual and how he values and provides meaning to his body contributes to the understanding of the material self. Examples are prized possession, significant other, and/or most cherished moments  THE SOCIAL SELF We create a semblance of ourselves through the social groups we closely interact with. The social self is influenced by how we viewed and accepted by the social group we belong.  THE SPIRITUAL SELF Refers to the Spirituality labels that the human is longing for a sense of meaning through morally responsible relationships between diverse individuals, families, communities, cultures, and religion.  GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED MODEL GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED MODEL The global models provide an over-all view of the Self, wherein it could be best understood when looking at the bigger picture. The global models include the Gestalt, Phenomenological/ Humanistic views, and Psychoanalysis. The differentiated models include the Personality traits and dimensions. GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED MODEL GESTALT PERSPECTIVE Gestaltists believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In this view, the Self is not defined by simply adding the total number of acts of kindness, then derive a conclusion based on the sum. Similarly, the physical Self is not the same by just collecting a pair of hands, a pair of legs, torso, and head. GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED MODEL PHENOMENOLOGICAL/HUMANISTIC VIEW Explains how we look at ourselves is basic for understanding our behavior. What we do, even to what extent we learn, is determined by our concepts of ourselves. Human beings can make significant individual choices within the restrictions imposed by heredity, personal history, and environment. GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED MODEL The differentiated models look at the self as composed of and can be divided into different traits or dimensions. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a popular psychological assessment tool that categorizes the individual based on dominant traits. The Self is labelled with nominal descriptions of who he is such as being introvert or extrovert. GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED MODEL The differentiated models look at the self as composed of and can be divided into different traits or dimensions. The NEO PI-R is a widely used personality tests anchored on trait theories that describes the Self along each trait/dimension. Big Five Personality Traits. The Self is commonly presented with the acronym OCEAN that represents the traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. OCEAN - The Big Five Personality Traits Openness refers to how open or closed the self is to experiences, revealing the level of interest and curiosity to beliefs, behaviors, and ways of doing things that are different from his. Conscientiousness refers to how spontaneous or conscientious an individual is, reflecting a trait based on discipline and orderliness. Extraversion refers to how reserved or sociable an individual is Agreeableness reveal either a suspecting or trusting personality, based on how expressive and how well he gets along with others. Neuroticism reveals how calm or disturbed an individual is as emotional consequences of his experience, as part of normal behavior.  Various Life Dimentions The Self may also be subdivided and may therefore be examined and understood along his various life dimensions of Physical, Emotional, Behavioral, Social, Moral and Spiritual. 1. Physical - such as hygiene, skin color, physiological traits, and others. 2. Emotional - how man expresses and the intensity of his feelings to certain situations 3. Behavioral - consistent actions as manifestations of learning from experience 4. Social and Moral - how man interacts with others and regulates his behavior when with others and even when no one is observing. 5. Spiritual - a man’s spiritual life based on universal and specific religious standards. REAL and IDEAL SELF-CONCEPTS  The REAL and IDEAL SELF-CONCEPTS Based on Carl Roger's Personality theory, self-actualization depends on the unity between the Real Self and the Ideal Self as part of who we are. The REAL SELF pertains to our self-image-- who we are and who others see at present. And the IDEAL SELF is the image of who we want to be. When our Ideal Self is too different from our Real Self, it creates an incongruence, and therefore self-actualization will be challenging. MULTIPLE vs. UNIFIED SELVES  MULTIPLE VS. UNIFIED SELVES MULTIPLE SELVES We create different versions of ourselves when we change depending on how we interact with others. UNIFIED SELVES Unified self argues that even though we may have different aspects of ourselves, these still form part of a unified self if we are aware of and can find connections between these unique parts and versions of ourselves. Unified self still directs, regulates, and governs the overall identity. TRUE vs. FALSE SELVES  TRUE VS. FALSE SELVES Donald Winnicott - theories of the true self and the false self. The true self is distinguished from the false self, based on dependence on others and the longing to be accepted by them. We do not yet subject ourselves to social pressures. When we begin to act and live under the standards set by society, we create our false selves and the main consideration of our choices and actions are now tied to social approval. Our actions and decisions therefore, are mainly directed at satisfying the demands of others more than our own.  The Self is PROACTIVE and AGENTIC  PROACTIVE and AGENTIC Albert Bandura perceives the Self as capable of self-regulation and learning through others. The Self is guided by the cognitive awareness of the consequences of his future behavior through the experiences of others. The self is agentic in so far as he consciously charts his course, commits, and makes decisions based on given situations and circumstances. The self is proactive in a sense that he brings himself to a situation or position where he may best realize his goals.