University of Santo Tomas - The Self From Various Perspectives Handout PDF

Prayer Lord, may I think what you want me to think. May I desire what you want me to desire. May I speak as you want me to speak. May I work as you want me to work.  THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES PHILOSOPHY SOCIOLOGY P...

Prayer Lord, may I think what you want me to think. May I desire what you want me to desire. May I speak as you want me to speak. May I work as you want me to work.  THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES PHILOSOPHY SOCIOLOGY PSYCHOLOGY ANTHROPOLOGY ORIENTAL/ EASTERN THOUGHT Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  PHILOSOPHY The self in a philosophical paradigm Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Ancient Philosophy 1000 BC to 500 AD The Ancient Triumvirate Asks: The nature of the self and the source of self-knowledge Socrates Plato Aristotle “Know thy self” 3-Part Soul/Self (Psyche in Greek Self is composed of matter and “An unexamined life is not worth word) = Reason, Physical form living.” Appetite & Spirit/Passion The mind (self) is a tabula rasa (a blank tablet). Dualistic Reality: Body and Soul The Process of Completion is “Our soul strives for wisdom and through experiences perfection” Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  The Post-Aristotelians Stoicism Hedonism Epicureanism Apathy or indifference to pleasure “Eat, drink, and be happy. For Moderate pleasure Embracing Adversity tomorrow, you will die.” Being content with the simple It’s a philosophy designed to make They believe that pleasure is the things in life ensures that you us more resilient, happier, more only good in life, and pain is the will never be disappointed. virtuous and more wise–and as a only evil, and our life's goal should result, better people, better be to maximize pleasure and parents and better professionals. minimize pain. Asks: The self’s path to genuine happiness Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Is the self related to a supreme being/god? Who am I in relation to a supreme being/god? Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Medieval Philosophy 500 AD to 1350 AD Theo-centric ▪ From the scientific investigation on nature and search for happiness to the question of life and salvation in another realm, in a better world (i.e., the afterlife) ▪ There was an aim to merge philosophy and religion (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Medieval Philosophy 500 AD to 1350 AD St. Augustine ▪ Integrates Platonic ideas with the tenets of Christianity ▪ The self strives to achieve union with God through faith and reason St. Thomas Aquinas Self-knowledge is dependent on our experience of the world around us (objects in our environment) The labels we attribute to ourselves are taken from the things we encounter in our environment “The things that we love tell us what we are” Asks: The self in relation to faith, reason, and experiences Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  If St. Thomas tells us that our knowledge is based on our encounter of things, Does this mean that we get to know everything simply by experiencing it? Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  St. Thomas Aquinas ▪ Experiencing that something exists doesn’t tell us what it is ▪ Knowing and learning about a thing requires a long process of understanding; same with the mind and the self – with experience and reason Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  How can I be sure that the self exists? What are the proofs that the self exists? Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Modern Philosophy 14th Century to the early 20th Century Anthropocentric ▪ Thinkers began to reject the scholastics’ (medieval thinkers) excessive reliance on authority ▪ Period of radical, social, political and intellectual developments Asks: The self based on independent rational inquiry and real world experimentation Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Modern Philosophy 14th Century to the early 20th Century Rene Descartes The self is a thinking thing, distinct David Hume Gilbert Ryle from the body There is no “self,” only a bundle The self is the way people behave of constantly changing perceptions passing through the theater of our minds John Locke Immanuel Kant Paul & Patricia Churchland Personal identity is made possible by The self is a unifying subject, an The self is the brain and mental self-consciousness organizing consciousness that states will be superseded by brain makes intelligible experience states possible Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Contemporary Philosophy Late 19th Century Embodied Subjectivity: both Husserl and Merleau-Ponty agree that our living body is a natural synthesis of mind and biology. Phenomenological approach: describe the phenomena of the lived Edmund Husserl experience (reducing biases) by We experience our self as a unity in which the mental and describing what your immediate physical are seamlessly woven responses are— physically, together emotionally, cognitively. Maurice Merleau-Ponty The self is embodied subjectivity Asks: The interaction of the nature AND nurture of the self Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  The self in a philosophical paradigm The nature of the self and the source of self-knowledge The self’s path to genuine happiness The self in relation to faith, reason, and experiences The self based on independent rational inquiry and real world experimentation PHILOSOPHY The interaction of the nature and nurture of the self Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  PSYCHOLOGY The self based on psychoanalytic approach and cognitive construction Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  THE SELF BASED ON PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Sigmund Freud Father of Psychoanalysis ▪ The self is multi-tiered/multi-layered: Conscious – refers to those thoughts and feelings that we are aware of Preconscious – experiences that are unconscious but could become conscious with little effort Unconscious – contains all drives, urges or instincts that are beyond our awareness but motivate our feelings, thoughts and behavior Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Structure of the Self (Sigmund Freud) ID EGO SUPEREGO Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  ID (Biological Self) Pleasure Principle ▪ Natural part of the self ▪ Animalistic nature of man ▪ Pleasure seeking part of the personality ▪ Determined by the genetic code ▪ Providing the raw materials ▪ Setting the boundary conditions for development Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  The id represents the basic need of man. If it is not satisfied, it could result to stress and tension. If satisfied, it could give you comfort and joy. If the id is properly If the id is angered or provoked, controlled, it could bring or it could destroy not only himself warmth and comfort but also his surrounding Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  SUPEREGO (Social Self) Idealistic Principle The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  EGO (Psychological Self) Reality Principle ▪ The only region of the mind that is in contact with reality; it operates to fulfill the reality principle ▪ The ego constantly tries to reconcile the irrational wants of the id and the superego with the realistic demands of the world Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  ▪ When the scale is out of balance, it is the responsibility of the EGO to mediate the conflict between the ID and SUPEREGO ▪ Weak ego will lead to ANXIETY ▪ To protect the ego from anxiety, we use DEFENSE MECHANISMS Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Ego Defense Mechanisms Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  THE SELF AS A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTION Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Imaginary Audience ▪ Adolescents are thought to believe that others are always watching and evaluating them, and that they are special and unique Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Self-Concept ▪ Mental representation ▪ What we look like ▪ How we feel in different types of situation ▪ How we behave towards others ▪ What do we do at work ▪ What are the roles we have in the family or society ▪ The self-concept is a knowledge representation that contains knowledge about us, including our beliefs about our personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles, as well as the knowledge that we exist as individuals (Harter, 1999). Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Self-Esteem ▪ Used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value ▪ In other words, it refers to how much you appreciate and like yourself ▪ Self-esteem is often seen as a personality trait, which means that it tends to be stable and enduring Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Real and Ideal Self (Carl Rogers) ▪ A person's ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in life and experiences of the person ▪ Hence, a difference may exist between a person's ideal self and actual experience ▪ Carl Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Self as defined by Social Comparison (Leon Festinger) TEMPORAL COMPARISON SOCIAL COMPARISON ▪ Considering your present ▪ Evaluating yourself in condition in relation to comparison to others – how you were in the past using others as a basis for evaluating your attributes Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  How does the social comparison process work? ▪ Depending on the level of someone’s motivation, he/she may have the tendency to compare himself/herself with others either in an UPWARD or DOWNWARD kind of comparison Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Two Modes of Social Comparison 1. Upward social comparison ▪ When we compare ourselves with those who we believe are better than us ▪ Often focus on the desire to improve our current level of ability ▪ A highly motivated person tends to engage in upward comparisons, and usually assume himself/herself as better or equal to the “best person” ▪ Studies have shown that if given a chance, people choose to make upward comparisons instead of downward ones 2. Downward social comparison ▪ When we compare ourselves to others who are worse off than ourselves ▪ Often centered on making ourselves feel better about our abilities ▪ A person who is unhappy or is unmotivated usually engages in this to feel better about himself/herself Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Two Modes of Downward Social Comparison 1. Passive downward comparison ▪ Happens when a person takes into consideration the previous condition in making comparison ▪ Example: A low performing student comparing himself/herself with a worse off student 2. Active downward comparison ▪ Happens when a person compares himself/herself with others by demeaning or causing harm to them ▪ By derogating the target or causing harm to him/her, this person generates a situation in which the target is worse off than him/her, therefore giving him/her the chance to make a downward comparison Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives Is social comparison good or bad? ▪ social comparison is inevitable during the adolescence stage ▪ because of the many changes in development during this stage, adolescents increasingly turn to their peers who share their experiences and consequently shed light on their own experiences as well ▪ for example, social comparison provides the opportunity to compare and evaluate one’s abilities, opinions, social status, and physical changes (as well as changes in other developmental domains) Is social comparison good or bad? ▪ social comparison becomes unhealthy when one consistently use it to validate the self and it may drain a person of any sense of self and leaves one unsure of who he or she is and what he or she really wants ▪ using excessive social comparison may also give a person a nagging feeling of not being good enough and will fuel envy, guilt, blame-game, or lying ▪ use social comparison wisely – when you learn that your peers are for example on this level at a certain development, look into yourself in a more patient and understanding way because you have a different context from theirs and generally, we all have different pacing in development that is attributed to our individual differences.  The Creation of Identities One’s identity must balance the need to be similar to one’s reference group with the need to be a unique individual Children become aware of the need for a group identity and are often afraid of acting differently Teens often seem torn between the need to assert their own individual identity and the need to conform to their reference group New identities are forged in relation to work, parenthood, economic status, and ageing Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Self-Evaluation and Self-Enhancement Motivation plays a role in this model and is manifested by self-evaluation and self-enhancement 1. Self-evaluation occurs when someone looks for positive traits in himself/herself based on the best person he/she compares himself/herself with 2. Self-enhancement, on the other hand, occurs when the person questions which aspects of himself/herself need to be improved to reach the level of goodness of the person he/she is comparing himself/herself with Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  SOCIOLOGY The self as a product of modern society among other constructions Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  The Self in the Sociological Perspective Classical sociological perspective: the self is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, others, and to social systems Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Johari Window (Joseph Luft & Harrington Ingham) Known to the self Not known to the self Technique used to Known to enhance the individual's others Open/Arena Blindspot perception on self and others. Not known Hidden/Facade Unknown to others Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  The Looking Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley) ▪ A person’s self grows out of a person´s social interactions with others ▪ The view of ourselves comes from the contemplation of personal qualities and impressions of how others perceive us Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  The Looking Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley) ▪ Actually, how we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but rather from how we believe others see us HOW MY HOW MY HOW MY EX- PARENTS GIRLFRIEND GIRLFRIEND SEE ME SEES ME SEES ME Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Symbolic Interactionism (George Herbert Mead) Symbolic Interactionism - the self is created and developed through human interaction “I and the Me” Self: Two aspects of self awareness ▪ The “I” is the active aspect of the person ▪ The “me” is the socialized aspect of the person Sociologist George Herbert Mead argued that self-identity is formed from two parts: the I and the me. Social expectations—the generalized other—inform the development of the me part. Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  ANTHROPOLOGY The self and person in contemporary anthropology and the self being embedded in culture Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Western Self vs. non-western Self Wolter (2013) Western Self Non-western/Eastern self ▪ autonomous and egocentric ▪ identity shared with others and derived from a culture instead of a “self” Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Individualism-Collectivism Model Markus & Kitayama (1991) Individualism Collectivism ▪ A human being has an individualistic ▪ A human being is an integral part of nature and is an independent part the universe and the society of the universe and the society ▪ People are fundamentally connected ▪ Duty towards all others is a very important matter Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Individualism Collectivism Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  THE SELF IN ORIENTAL/EASTERN THOUGHT The self as embedded in relationships and through spiritual development in Confucian thought Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  Asian Schools of Thought Buddhism Hinduism Taoism Confucianism (Siddhartha Gautama) (Fusion of various Indian (Lao-Tzu) (Confucius) cultures and traditions) The self is the source of all Self does not exist Filial piety is a foundational Hindus believe that sufferings. It is our quest to without the existence concept in the thought of an individual’s forget about the self, forget of the other. Confucius. It teaches how action (karma) – the the cravings of the self, break Self as a separate one should properly act bad or good actions the attachments you have with identity is supported according to their that the individual the world, and to renounce the by the equal and relationship with other performed in a self in order to attain the state opposite sensation of people; focused on having previous life of Nirvana. otherness. a harmonious social life. determines his or her caste. Understanding the Self UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives Prayer Lord, may I think what you want me to think. May I desire what you want me to desire. May I speak as you want me to speak. May I work as you want me to work.