Anthropological Perspective of The Self PDF

Anthropological Perspective of the Self: Me and my Culture Anthropology  The scientific study of people in the past and in the present (not thepeople of the future because you can’t study people who are not yet present).  It focuse...

Anthropological Perspective of the Self: Me and my Culture Anthropology  The scientific study of people in the past and in the present (not thepeople of the future because you can’t study people who are not yet present).  It focuses on the understanding of the human condition on its cultural aspect.  It is also concerned with understanding how humans evolved and how they differ from one another 1. Joseph Ledoux, a neuroscientist, conceptualized the Implicit and Explicit aspects of the Self. Explicit is the aspect of the self that you are Implicit which is the aspect of the self that consciously aware of is not immediately available to the consciousness 2. Katherine Ewing, an associate professor of cultural anthropology and religion at Duke University, claimed that the Self is just an illusion rather, just a representation Construals. Construals is the interpretation of the meaning of something which is also culture- dependent TWO WAYS ON HOW THE SELF IS CONSTRUCTED Independent Construct Interdependent Construct,  The characterized by individualistic  It is typical of the collectivist culture in culture, such as North America and East Asia stressing the essential Europe. It represents the self as connection between the individual and separate, distinct and with emphasis on to other people. internal attributes, skills and values  You value the needs of your community  You develop yourself depending on how over your needs as an individual. you would like to shape it and you are able to prioritize yourself over the entire  You are expected to take into group consideration other people especially your family when deciding on who you Example: You are kicked out of the house and want or should be free to choose whatever you want by the time that you are already 18 years of age Example Here in the Philippines, family is extremely important. Some feels the obligation to continue their Parents’ responsibility to support their family’s economic needs which is uncharacteristic in the individualistic culture 3. Catherine Raeff, a developmental psychologist who believes that........  The culture can influence how you view relationships, personality traits and expressing emotions.  Culture influences how you enter and maintain.... Relationship: Cultural norms influence how Achievments: The culture influences how we court, build relationships, and maintain you define success and whether you value them. certain individual and group Example: Courting: Cultural shifts have The analogy in human behavior is that transformed courtship practices, from members of a group will attempt to “pull traditional serenades to modern digital down” any member who achieves success interactions. beyond others, out of envy, conspiracy or competitive feelings. Personality traits : How you perceive hardships or how you feel about relying on Example: Crab Mentality" in the Philippines: others This negative cultural trait reflects envy and resistance to others' success. Example: "Bayanihan" in the Philippines: A strong sense of community and helping Emotional Expression: Cultural others is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture. expectations often dictate how we express emotions, leading to variations in emotional displays across societies. Example: Generally, men are expected tobe tough and strong and that showing emotion is weakness and therefore, should be avoided.Expressing emotions are often attributed to women and that when men actually slip-up and beemotional they are regarded as being feminine which is wrong and should not be tolerated  Sociological perspective of the Self: Background Sociology  Sociology is the scientific study of society and behavior  Found by Auguste Comte in the 1800’s.  He wanted to have a systematic science for studying society.  A way to systematically solve its needs and problems.. Society is a group of people who share a Culture is in everything, from the biggest culture and aterritory. issues on politics to the simplest two- person interaction. 1. Anthony Giddens, a British sociologist, says that the key characteristics of modernity are Industrialism,Capitalism, Institution of Surveillance and Dynamism Industrialism – Use of material power and machinery in production. Capitalism – Production system involving both product market and labor power Institution of Surveillance – Massive extent of power by institutions Dynamism - The massive changes and progress.It presents a society full of responsibility. According to George Simmel, a society is comprised with different social groups  A social group is any group comprised of two or more individuals who are interacting with one another, sharing similar characteristics and identify themselves as part of the group.  Your race, your ethnicity, your class, and even you and your best friend forever could be considered as a social group. The ties that connect you and your social group is called Social Network TWO KINDS OF SOCIAL NETWORK Organic Group are traditional in nature and Rational Group are considered to be that you are naturally part of it modern. They are formed through shared self-interest, goals and free will  Siblings  A company.  Family  A political party.  Nationality  A sports team  Religion etc  A group of friends. 2. George Herbert Mead, a sociologist from the late 1800 and is well-known for his Theory of Social Self.  According to him a self is a product of social interactions and internalizing views along with one’s personal view about one’s Self. with that in mind, it means that the Self is not present at birth, rather, it develops over time through social experiences and activities.  He developed concept that proposed different Stages of Developing the Self. these stages are (1) Language, (2) Play and (3) Game. (LPG) Stages of Developing the Self  Language gives the individual the capacity to express himself/herself while at the same time comprehend what other people are conveying. Through shared understanding of symbols, gestures and sound.  Example: Imagine a baby learning to speak. They hear their parents say "milk" and associate it with the delicious drink they receive. This simple act of imitation is the foundation of language acquisition. The baby learns to connect sounds with actions and objects, gradually building a vocabulary and understanding of the world around them.  Play is the stage where the individual role play or assume the perspective of other which enables them to internalize some other people’s perspective.  Example: “bahay-bahayan”it’s a classic example where kids assume roles that they are familiar with. There would be a“nanay-nanayan”, a “tatay-tatayan” and “anak- anakan”. At this stage, they will only besimulating the Nanay or the Tatay that they know. For example, a Jeepney Driver’s son playing the Tatay might pretend that he is driving when he says that he will go to “work”   Game is the level where the individual not only internalizes the perspective of other people but also able to take into account social rules and adheres to it  Example: The child no longer playswith roles but begins to consider several tasks and relationships simultaneously. Team sports is a great example for this because not only do you need to know what you must do but also what the other players will do for both your team mates and opponents. “Me” is the product of what the person has “I” is the part of the self that is unsocialized learned while interacting with others and and spontaneous, a naturaly part of you. with the environment.  Nationality  Attitudes  Gender  Perosnality  Name  Behavior  Understanding the Self Essential Properties are the core elements needed for a thing to be the thing that it is. Accidental Properties are traits that could be taken away from an object without making it a different thing. Fungibility is the property of being interchangeable with other objects of the same kind Philosophical Perspective of the Self Philosophy  Also known as the love of wisdom  The Academic study of the fundamental nature ofknowledge, reality and existence. Ancient Philosophy Socrates: The Concept of Dualism / Body Theory According to Socrates, every man is dualistic. A person’s self is comprised of two Parts, BODY which is the physical material of our SOUL which is the immaterial part our self self and the which contains our personal identity Plato: The Rational Soul, Appetative Soul & Spirited Soul According to Plato, when the three components of the soul are balanced a human person’s soul becomes Just and Virtuous. RATIONAL SOUL SPIRITED SOUL APPETITIVE SOUL governs reason and manages the person’s which stores our intellect, emotions and the basedesires such as food, drinks, sleep, sex etc Augustine of Hippo: Body & Soul Follows the views of Plato but added Christianity to it. He said that part of man dwells in the world and yearns to be divine while the other part is capable of immortality BODY dies and stays on earth while the SOUL lives eternally in spiritual bliss with God.  Modern Philosophy 17th century Rene Descartes: Skepticism [ Self = Cotigo + Extenza ]I Think Therefore I am  A skeptic is someone who doesn't just take things at face value. They like to ask questions and look for evidence before believing something. They want to be sure about things, not just accept what others say. Example: Imagine you're told there's a monster under your bed. A skeptic would want to check under the bed themselves to see if there really is a monster. They wouldn't just believe it without looking!  According to Descartes a doubt is a thought and if there is a thought then there must be a thinker having those thoughts.Hence, he had a conclusion called “Cogito Ergo Sum” which means “I Think Therefore I am”. You can doubt everything else but you cannot doubt that you have a mind Cotigo the thing that thinks Extenza extention of mind  The body is just a machine attached to the mind and that it’s the mind that makes the man. He brushed away the existence of a soul but replaced it with mind. For Descartes, our identity is composed of our body and mind. David Hume: Empiricism [ Self = Impression × Ideas ] Empiricism promotes that one can only know what comes from the senses and experiences. According to Hume, the self is nothing but a bundle of Impression and ideas. Impression being the basic objects of our Ideas are copies of impression but not as experiences or sensations that forms the real as impression. core of our thoughts Example: when you see the bunny and Example: When you see a bunny you thought that it is so fluffy and soft even immediately know that what you see is a without being able to touch it but just by bunny and not a cat looking at it, that is what Hume called an Idea. John Locke: Memory theory [Self = Body + ( Mind × Memory)]  He believed that personal identity persists over time because you retain memories of yourself at different points.and each of those memories is connected to the one before it.  You are the person that you remember you were because you and that person are linked through memories  He still believers of the concept of Dualism wherein we as an organism are composed of two components but instead of soul, they replaced it and suggested that our personality lies in what we call our “Mind”. Body: Locke viewed the Mind: Locke believed the Memory: Locke body as a physical entity mind is a blank slate considered memory as a distinct from the mind. He ("tabula rasa") at birth, crucial aspect of the mind, emphasized the shaped by experiences. He allowing us to store and importance of the body's argued that knowledge recall past experiences. He role in providing sensory comes from sensory argued that memory is input to the mind perceptions and essential for learning and reflections on those understanding. perceptions.  Contemporary Philosophy Repoductive Physicalism Reductive Physicalism wherein everything about you and me can be explained in terms of our bodies, brains, hormones and neurotransmitters Paul Churchland a Neurophilosopher  The Self is the workings of the brain or what we could call as the physiological state of the mind  He believed that the brain affects the mental as well as the emotional states of the person and vice-versa Epiphenomenalism  Who believes that Physical States can give rise to Mental States but Mental States can’t affect Physical States Maurice Merleau-Ponty, a phenomenologist,  Who believes that the Self is defined through perception and generally through experiences  He said that the Body, the Self and Experiences are intertwined – “You first need tohave a physical body and brain before you can create an Essence (the element of being) that is you”.  He also believed that the self and reality (experienced through the body by perception) construct each other.  It just means that if all of your and others’ experiences contributes to the person that is you or what others might think that is you.  Psychological Perspective of the Self Key People Jean Piaget: Developmental psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development in children. William James: Considered the father of American psychology; developed the theory of self- consciousness. Carl Rogers: Humanistic psychologist who introduced concepts of the Ideal Self and Real Self, emphasizing self-actualization. Gordon Allport: Proposed Theory of Personality Trait. Traits are essential characteristics that shapes who you are in any given day. The traits are more closely tied to the Proprium (one’s self) than others. Greg Henrique proposed that the Self, despite being a unit, has three related but separable domains. Dr. Susan Harter propose Unity of Consciousness posits that we are conscious not only of single experience but of a great many experiences at the time Historical Context of Psychology The term 'Psychology' Over the decades, the Early psychological derives from Greek, with definition of psychology theories laid the 'Psyche' meaning soul and has evolved to include a groundwork for modern 'Logos' meaning study. broader understanding of developmental psychology, human behavior. focusing on how individuals grow and change. Developmental Psychology. The Study of our physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes throughout our whole lives prenatal to preteen to post-retirement Maturation. As we age, we tend to follow a sequence of change in our behavior and appearance Cognitive Development. How we learned to think, know, remember, and communicate Schemas. Mental frameworks helping interpret information and experiences Assimilation. Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas Accommodation. Adjusting or expanding schemas to incorporate new information Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development Egocentrism. Kids have a hard time imagining other people’s point of view Object constancy, the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen Sensorimotor 0-2 years: Development of object permanence; learning through senses and actions. Preoperational 2-7 years: Imagination and intuition are strong l, but often struggle with understanding the idea of constancy or conservation Concrete Operational 7-11 years: Logical thinking; understanding of others' perspectives; less egocentric. Formal Operational 11 years and above: Abstract thinking; ability to reason and plan for the future. Dr. Susan Harter propose Unity of Consciousness Early Childhood (ages 2-6 years old: the child describes the self in terms of concrete, observable characteristics such as attributes (I’m Pretty, Strong, Ugly, Flamboyant), Material Possession (I have lots of toys/ I have a gaming chair equipped with hydraulics and led rimmed wheels) and preferences (I like candies/ I don’t like spicy chicken wings) Middle to Later Childhood (ages 7 to 11 years old): the second stage, is described as the stage where the self is defined with trait-like constructs (smart, honest, friendly, shy, squeamish). Children begin to identify themselves as boys or girls and describe themselves based on physical attributes, possessions, and preferences. Adolescence (ages 12 to 18 years old): Adolescents define themselves in abstract qualities that emphasize their perceived emotions and psychological characteristics. Emerging Adults (ages 18 and above): Adults begin to envision their "possible self" and explore their place in the world.  Psychological Perspective of the Self: Self or Selves? By William James (1890) Ideal Self  The person one aspires to be, influenced by external perceptions and aspirations.  Represents aspirations and societal expectations, not necessarily aligned with reality. Real Self  The actual person one is, reflecting current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  Grounded in reality, may differ significantly from the Ideal Self, leading to potential conflict. Gordon Allport’s Theory of Personality Trait. Central Traits: Essential characteristics shaping personality Secondary traits; Traits like preferences and attitudes, not obvious or consistent Cardinal traits: Traits that define a person's life, like seeking fame or fortune Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis Model Transaction Stimulus: two people encounter each other, one of them will speak to the other. Transaction Response. The reaction from the other person 1. Parent – ingrained voice of authority, absorbed conditioning, learning and attitudes when we were young. (Taught) 2. Child – our internal reaction and feelings to external events. (Feel) 3. Adult – our ability to think and determine actions for ourselves (Thought) Greg Henrique proposed that the Self, despite being a unit, has three related but separable domains. 1. Experiential Self – Theatre of Consciousness, first to experience its beingness, closely tied to memory 2. Private Self – The narrator or interpreter, tries to make sense of the experience 3. Public Self/ Persona – The image you Project to the public. Interacts with the world and influences how others see you.