PDEV 1013 Understanding the Self - Module 1 PDF

** PDEV 1013 (Understanding the Self)** **The Greeks even had the Maxim, "Know thyself" and Prins (2014) mentions that:** **You could think of it (know thyself) in terms of limitations, of understanding your various strengths and weaknesses; what you are capable of and what you are not. You can lo...

** PDEV 1013 (Understanding the Self)** **The Greeks even had the Maxim, "Know thyself" and Prins (2014) mentions that:** **You could think of it (know thyself) in terms of limitations, of understanding your various strengths and weaknesses; what you are capable of and what you are not. You can look at it in terms of mortality, in knowing and accepting that as a human you are not immortal and will die. You may see it in terms of knowing your place, in your family, work, and social networks. You may interpret "know thyself" as Socrates did, as a process of questioning and testing one's most fundamental beliefs.** Now one of the ways for you to get to know more of yourself is to understand that you don't. it is important to have that humility to recognize your ignorance and acknowledge the things that you know and things that you don't know about yourself. You have to accept that it is not that easy to have that understanding of who you are. Sometimes you know, sometimes not, sometimes you know a lot, sometimes you know few. You're not as skillful as you think. You are flawed. Maybe you don't know yourself as well as you think. But it's hard to get low enough to understand how deeply it is the case that you are ignorant about who you are and ignorant about who you could be. And so, the discovery of that is some reward for the horror of determining who you actually are. What are my strongest desires? What is it that I've been wanting to do? What interests me? What am I lazy about? What am I and am I not willing to do? What do I think is good and bad? What do I congratulate myself for accomplishing and what do I really care about?  These are just some incredibly complicated questions and you may not know the answers to them yet or not even sure of the answers that you have. Basically, this is the start until eventually, you will come to know more of your potentials. You will discover a little bit more about your potentials as you discover who you are. It's actually something that strengthens you because the first thing that a realization like that can in fact produce is the ambition to incorporate the dangerousness into a higher-order personality and that can make you implacable. That can make you say no when you need to say no. That can make you someone who won't avoid necessary conflict. And so that's unbelievably useful. And so that is one of the potentials you might discover. Challenging yourself could also be one of the ways in which you could discover yourself. Take a bit of a look at yourself and think about what's not so good that you could improve that you should improve by your own standards and that you would improve. And set yourself a little goal.           Throughout this semester, I want you to watch what you say how you act and even how you look at yourself and you listen closely to those. You try to get to know more of yourself deeply and try to piece them all out together and arrive with a more accurate answer to the question, "Who am I?" as we go through the different topics on this module. **PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF**             Many philosophers grappled to understand the meaning of human life. They have attempted to answer the question "who am I?" and most of their views have influenced the way we look at our lives today. They have different notions of the self from the points of view of the various philosophers across time and place. Let's begin with Socrates. Now let us begin by tapping the inner philosopher in you. I want you to try to answer the following question about the SELF: +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |      1. What is your definition of self? | | | |      2. Are we souls, bodies, or fragments of someone else's | | imagination? | | | |      3. Are we just minds or a combination of mind and body | | | | 4\. Is there a life after death? | | | | 5.     5. Am I a man of freewill, or my existence is predetermined? | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ **"Know thyself"**             This is an **ancient greeting of the highly civilized Greeks**. It was believed that the temple gods greet the people with this salutation as they enter the holy sanctuary. To know thyself is first an imperative and then a requirement. It is **imperative** to know the limits of the self so that one knows what one is capable of doing and what one is not. The real meaning of knowing thyself is a **requirement** for [self-moderation, prudence, good judgment, and excellence of the soul]. (Ortiz de Landazuri,2014). **SOCRATES** "The ultimate wisdom comes from knowing oneself" The first philosopher that we are going to talk about in this module is Socrates. The other philosophers focused on answering questions about the universe, science, mathematics, and gravity. Socrates on the other hand was one of the first one who was concerned with the problem of the self. So, he asked questions about our existence and what does it mean when we say the word self.  He is the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning of the self and according to him, the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself. **How does Socrates view the self?** In Socrates\' idea, he believed in a [dualistic approach] to understanding the self. He believed that every human person is composed of two important aspects of his personhood: 1. 2. It is safe to assume that the *[SOUL for Socrates is the intellectual and moral personality of humans]*. The soul is the responsible agent in knowing and acting rightly or wrongly **Famous quotes of Socrates:** - Through this statement, Socrates believed that we should know how to question our existence or to reflect on it. We have to engage ourselves in talking about things that are beyond what we see. We should question ideas because, for him, a life must be examined. We should reflect on the meaning of life, even on the meaning of death. Just like a plant needs fertilizer, water and sunlight for it to grow healthier and more radiant. When you try to make sense of your existence or your experiences throughout life, that enriches your personhood thus make your life a life worth living. To be human means using our highly developed faculty of thought for if we don't think, then we are no different from animals who simply eat, sleep and procreate. So, in order for us to discover our true self, we have to turn inward in search of self-knowledge. **THE EXAMINED LIFE: 7 QUESTIONS**  But what does the statement "unexamined life is not worth living" mean for us today? In order to facilitate our reflection, I want you to read the following questions provided by Taibbi (2018) and reflect on your answers: **1. How is my life going?** **2. When I look over the past 6 months, year, what have I learned from my mistakes?** **3.  What is my one conflict?** **4. Does my life reflect my values?** **5. Do I have integrity?** **6.  Has my vision of the future changed?** **7. What do you need to change in the next 6 months, next year, to make your life better, be who you want to be, have the future you envision?** Observed that the only true wisdom that man possesses is knowing that he knows nothing. Only in recognizing your ignorance can a person truly know oneself. The individual person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself that can be achieved through incessant soul-searching or "Introspection", a method of carefully examining one's thoughts and emotions to gain self-knowledge.             The worst that can happen to anyone is to live but die inside wherein he distinguishes the "Examined life" as having the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong. Only those who have at least achieved self-moderation and distinguished what is good from bad are capable of condemning those who are pretentious to be knowing themselves when the fact is contrary.            **The famous Socratic dictum:** **"Knowing what is right is doing what is right"** Once the person knows her SELF, she may then learn how to take care of it. Finally, one's true self according to Socrates should not be identified with what one owns, with one's social status, reputation and even with one's body. For him, it is the state of the SOUL, that is, the person\'s inner being that determines the quality of one's life. So it is not the fame, money, elegant clothes, nice car or high-tech gadgets that makes life meaningful but it is the KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, and VIRTUE. The true self for Socrates is one that lived in accordance with these three. The true self is the virtuous self. **PLATO** **If we are ever to have pure knowledge of anything, we must get rid of the body and contemplate things by themselves with the soul by itself (Phaedo 66a)** This time, let's talk about the perspectives of Plato, a student of Socrates. He founded the Academy which is the prototype of today's universities. The universities nowadays are designed after the Academy founded by Plato.  He believed that human beings are composed of two things: 1. 2. **Plato stated that the Soul or the 'psyche' comprised of three elements:** **1. The appetitive soul** So basically, this involves our **pleasurable desires** such as those which provide us [physical pleasure and physiological comfort]. It is in charge of effortless craving required to stay alive like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sex that is only intended for married couples and must be controlled as well. **2. The spirited soul** This denotes the part within us that is agitated most of the time. It is **in charge of basic emotions such as love, anger, and empathy.** This means that it is a part of psyche or mind that is excited when given challenges, or fights back when agitated, or fights for justice when unjust practices are evident. In a way, for example, this is the hot-blooded part of the psyche. It is the area within us that enjoys triumph, honor, greatness, and affirmation. **3. The rational soul **also known as **"reason"** is **forged by reason and intellec**t, has to govern the affairs of the human person. It is the **conscious awareness that thinks, meditates, weighs choices, and assesses situations in our lives**. This side is rational and logical as it chooses only the best for us. Plato believed in the existence of the **Nous**- the conscious awareness of the self. It is the superpower that controls the affairs of the self. One has to develop the nous and fill it with the understanding of the limits of the self, and the correct ethical standards. He also emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be attained if the three parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another. He conceptualized **Psyche **as the core of the self that is composed of three elements mentioned above. To enrich these three ideas of Plato, we take as an example, your college life. You want to hang out with your friends, spend time on your computer games, eat your favorite food, and do thrilling activities that will excite the whole gang. These satisfy the appetitive element of the psyche. However, when professors throw challenging tasks and assignments that would require tremendous amount of time and effort, the spirited psyche kicks in to face the challenges head-on. All these are going on because the mind or the nous is orchestrating these pursuits according to the quality of the nous a person has. In other words, in order to have a good life, one has to develop the nous, and fill it with the understanding of the limits of the self, and the correct ethical standards. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **ST. AUGUSTINE** | | | | "**You have made us for yourself, o Lord, and our heart is restless | | until it finds rest in You."** | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+           Taking his cue from the two worlds of Plato, he now **differentiated what is the real world and the temporary world**. According to him, (AD 426) our world (world of materials) is not our final home but just a temporary home where we are just passing through. Our real world is found in the world where God is. So basically, the **perspective of Saint Augustine is greatly influenced by Plato**. The only thing that is different is that St. Augustine also thinks that this world is a material world and that there is another type of world where we would like to live in because that is the world where God is and that is the **ideal world** so we should strive to be reunited with God so that we could live in that world.   Only God is fully real-as the unchanging, permanent being and he sees God as the ultimate expression of LOVE. (City of God, Books XIXXII) He believed that the development of the self is achieved through self-presentation and self-realization. Following the ancient view of Plato and infusing it with the newfound doctrine of Christianity, Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated (split/branched) nature: 1. 2. The body is bound to die on earth and the soul is to anticipate living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with God. Human beings alone, without God, are bound to fail. Augustine argues that the soul must be a reality because of its capacity to reason (freewill). He believed that we are eternal and the body is not. The soul is immortal because God created them and intended them to be immortal. It bears the very image of God.   This only means that for him, man's end goal is happiness. Only in God can man attain true and eternal happiness, made possible in his contemplation of the truth and divine wisdom that refers to God himself. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **ST. THOMAS AQUINAS** | | | | "Experiencing that something exists doesn't tell us what it is." | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ A lot of philosophers believed that a man is composed of a body and a soul. According to St. Aquinas, our two parts are the matter and the form. So basically, that is his own version of the body and the soul. 1. 2.   It only means that the cells in man's body for example are more or less akin to the cells of any other living, organic being in the world. The body of the human may be similar to animals or objects, but what makes a human person a human person and not a dog, or tiger for example is his soul, his essence. For him, we don't encounter ourselves as isolated minds or selves, but always an agent interacting with our environment. Therefore, the soul is what animates the body, it is what makes us humans. ** ** +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **RENE DESCARTES** | | | | "Cogito, Ergo Sum"-I thing therefore I am | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ So we are moving to Descartes' perspective and he is very famous for his quote, "I think therefore I am." He deviated from theocentric philosophies before him. He is the father of Modern Philosophy, a rationalist (a person who bases her opinions and actions on reason and knowledge, not beliefs). In his famous treatise, The Meditations of First Philosophy, he claims that there is so much that we should doubt. His quest for self-discovery was by his methodic doubt. He claimed that we cannot really on our senses because our sense perceptions can often deceive us and so he started to doubt everything about our existence, our world. That is why he also endorsed the term **"HYPERBOLICAL DOUBT"**- a method of reasoning that stated that though he may doubt, he cannot doubt that he exists. Does this mean that there is no SELF? ** So how did Descartes prove our existence?** But then he realized, that the only thing that one cannot doubt is the existence of the self for even if one doubts oneself, that only proves that there is a doubting self, a thing that thinks and therefore, that cannot be doubted. "Cogito, ergo Sum" translated as, "I think therefore I am" or "I doubt therefore I exist."  The discovery of the cogito revolutionizes the way we view ourselves and the world around us. He said that **the mere fact that I can doubt is the evidence that I exist**. The Act of thinking about the self, of being conscious, is in itself proof that there is a self. Basically, he is one of the reasons why we question a lot of things about existence and he will tell you that your ability to question things is proof that you are existing. **Human rationality, therefore, is the primary condition in the existence of the self.** This includes the need for reason in order to evaluate our thoughts and actions. The self, then, is also a combination of two distinct entities: 1. 2. In Descartes\'s view, the body is nothing else but a machine that is attached to the mind; it is the mind that makes a man a man. **TRIVIA minute...** Rene Descartes was hired to tutor Queen Christina of Sweden but soon after, he died of pneumonia because his health couldn't take the 5 am start of lesson required by the queen. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **JOHN LOCKE** | | | |  "Tabula Rasa" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ John Locke introduced the concept of tabula rasa which is the belief that the mind is a \'blank slate\' at birth where everyday experiences contribute to the pile of knowledge that is put forth on that empty space and we are formed and develop from our own experiences with the environment.  Experience is an important requirement. Personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity. It means that it is not in the brain, but in the consciousness. Arguing against both the Augustinian view of man as originally sinful and the Cartesian position, which holds that man innately knows basic logical propositions, Locke posits an "empty" mind, a tabula rasa, which is shaped by experience, and sensations and reflections being the two sources of all our ideas. Self- is compared to an empty space where everyday experiences contribute to the pile of knowledge that is put forth on that empty space **TRIVIA minute\...** He is known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism" because of his contribution to the formation of human rights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Pop-up question \#2:** Do you agree with Locke? If such is the case, what will happen to your existence when we forget what we have been doing three days ago? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **DAVID HUME** | | | | "The ego is a fictional idea" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ David Hume continued in the empiricist tradition of John Locke, believing that the source of all genuine knowledge is our direct sense experience. In Locke's view, yourself is not tied to any particular body or substance, and it only exists in other times and places because of our memory of those experiences. Using the same empiricist principles as Locke, Hume ends up with an even more startling conclusion---if we carefully examine our sense experience through the process of introspection, we discover that **there is no self!** How is this possible? From Hume's perspective, this astonishing belief is the only possible conclusion consistent with an honest and objective examination of our experience.  According to Hume, if we carefully examine the contents of our experience, we find that there are only two distinct entities, "impressions" and "ideas": - "Bundles of temporary impressions" examples: name, height, affiliations, skills, achievements, and the like. (Temporary and non-persisting). He harshly claimed that there is no Self. He quoted: "Self is simply a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeeded each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement.\" - So, impressions are those things we perceive through our senses as we experience them. Like when I see the sky, and my sense of sight tells me I am looking at a blue sky. That is now my impression. On the other hand, ideas are those things that we create in our minds even though we are no longer experiencing them. For example, even when I'm already inside my room and can no longer see the sky, I can still think of the idea of the sky and might even combine that idea with another idea. If we examine these basic data of our experience, we see that they form a fleeting or changing stream of sensations in our mind and that nowhere among them is the sensation of a "constant and invariable" self that exists as a unified identity over the course of our lives. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Pop-up question \#3: **Do you agree with Hume that if we look at what is happening in our minds, we will not be able to find a permanent self? In light of Hume's answer, how shall we respond when somebody tells us, please don't change? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **IMMANUEL KANT** | | | | "It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge that begins with | | experience." | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Kant recognizes the veracity of Hume\'s account that everything starts with perception and sensation of impressions; however, he believes that the things that men perceive around them are not just randomly infused into the human person without an organizing principle that regulates the relationship of these impressions. For him, **there is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions** that men get from the external world (e.g., time and space are ideas that one cannot find in the world but are built in our minds). Kant calls this the apparatuses of the mind. Along with the apparatuses of the mind goes the \"self\". Without the self, one cannot organize the different impressions that one gets in relation to his own existence. Kant, therefore, suggests that it is an actively engaged intelligence in man that synthesizes all knowledge and experience. Thus, the self is not just what gives one his personality; in addition, it is also the seat of knowledge acquisition for all human persons. Our rationality makes sense of the perceptions we have in our experiences. He also believes that perception does not belong to the world, but to the self. It only means that our rationality unifies and makes sense of the perceptions we have in our experiences and make sensible ideas about ourselves and the world. For example, we have the capacity to solve the problem of the ability of our self to perceive the world. **The self is always transcendental.** It explains that being or the self is not in the body, it is outside the body and even outside the qualities of the body-meaning transcendent +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **SIGMUND FREUD** | | | | "Early childhood experiences that create high levels of anxiety are | | repressed into unconscious, where they may influence behavior, | | emotions, and attitudes for years." | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ The psyche is structured into three parts (i.e., tripartite), the id, ego, and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives (also known as three layers of the self). These are systems, not parts of the brain, or in any way physical. +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | ** ** | The id is the source of our | | | bodily **needs, wants, desires | | **ID** | and impulses.** He believed that | | | the id acts according to the | | **(Pleasure Principle)** | "pleasure principle" -- the | | | psychic force that motivates the | | ** ** | tendency to seek immediate | | | gratification of any impulse.  | | | | | | It remains infantile in its | | | function throughout a person's | | | life and does not change with | | | time or experience, as it is not | | | in touch with the external world. | | | | | | It is not affected by reality, | | | logic, or the everyday world, as | | | it operates within the | | | unconscious part of the mind. It | | | operates on the pleasure | | | principle which is the idea that | | | every wishful impulse should be | | | satisfied immediately, regardless | | | of the consequences. When the id | | | achieves its demands, we | | | experience pleasure when it is | | | denied we experience 'unpleasure' | | | or tension. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **EGO** | Freud called it the rational part | | | of our mind. He said that "the | | **(Reality Principle)** | ego represents what may be called | | | reason and common sense, in | | | contrast to the id, which | | | contains the passions." | | | | | | Like the id, the ego seeks | | | pleasure and avoids pain, but | | | unlike the id, the ego is | | | the **decision-making component | | | of personality**, it operates | | | according to the reality | | | principle, working out realistic | | | ways of satisfying the id's | | | demands. The ego considers social | | | realities and norms, etiquette, | | | and rules in deciding how to | | | behave. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **SUPEREGO** | It refers to the incorporation of | | | the values and morals of society | | **(Moral and Idealistic | which are learned from one\'s | | Principle)** | parents and others. Its function | | | is to control the id\'s impulses, | | | especially those which society | | | forbids, such as sex and | | | aggression | | | | | | It also has the function of | | | persuading the ego to turn to | | | moralistic goals rather than | | | simply realistic ones and to | | | strive for perfection. | | | | | | According to Freud, the superego | | | can be thought of as a type of | | | conscience that punishes | | | misbehavior with feelings of | | | guilt," working in contradiction | | | to the id. | | | | | | Freud believes that this part of | | | human beings is not inborn and | | | that human beings do not develop | | | the superego part of their mind | | | until the age of five. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ **TRIVIA minute...** It is claimed that one of the proofs for the unconscious is what we call 'slip of the tongue. This happens when instead of saying Shaun, we blurted out Paolo. This, means that subconsciously, we are thinking of Paolo.   +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **GILBERT RYLE** | | | | "The self is the way we behave" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+            For him, what truly matters is the behavior that a person manifests in his day-to-day life.  Mind is not separated from the body (contradict with Descartes' dualism).             The mind is not distinct from the body. The mind is not distinct from the body but rather refers to certain aspects of our bodies. Suppose that your parents went to your and ask you to tour them around. You show them the library, the rooms, the However, they look disappointed and so you ask them what is wrong. They answer that they ask you to tour them around the university, instead you show them the library, rooms, etc. They do not realize that the term university refers to the whole thing and not one specific building. This is how Descartes made the category a mistake. Like the university, the concept of mind expresses the entire system of thoughts, emotions, actions, and so on that make up the human self (Ryle, 1949). The mind is not like a specific, separate entity but is certainly a part of our body. The only way by which we can know how the mind is working is through the behavior of the person, hence we can only know a person through how a man behaves, their tendencies and reactions in certain circumstances.            This only means that all manifestation in physical activities or behavior for example is the dispositions of the self, the basis of the statement; "I act therefore I am" or **"You are what you do".** +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **PAUL AND PATRICIA CHURCHLAND** | | | | "Our behavior appears to have its basic cause in neural activity" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Paul and Patricia Churchland promoted the position called "eliminative materialism" which brings forth neuroscience into the fore of understanding the self. It simply means that Philosophy and Psychology have failed to provide a satisfactory position in understanding the self. They tossed aside the concept of dualism and the brain and adhered to materialism - the belief that nothing but matter exists, if it cannot be recognized by the senses, then it is akin to a fairytale in his identity theory, the minds are identical to a particular brain state our mind and individuality are based upon unique neurological assemblies of one type of brain function. According to Churchland, "Our behavior appears to have its basic cause in neural activity\...\" NEUROBIOLOGY- as the Churchland's wanted to predict, when people wanted to ask what is going on with themselves, they might as well go for an MRI scan or CT scan to understand the present condition of the brain and how it currently works. Let's take the idea that why should we believe in a mind when science is proving that mental health is connected to the physical brain? For example, depression is strongly linked to brain chemicals gone wrong. Yes, some people still say things like, \'She\'s lost her mind.\' However, neuroscience says, No, it\'s a physical problem and we aim to fix it. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **MERLEAU-PONTY** | | | | "The world and I are within one another" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Adding to this, Churchland challenges the concept of the mind by using the misfortune of traumatic brain injury. With this, for example, eliminative materialism asks \'if the mind is the seat of self, why does brain injury alter a person\'s personality?\' If the mind was a real separate entity, wouldn\'t it retain a person\'s sense of self despite damage to a physical organ? Since brain damage alters a person\'s personality, Churchland asserts that the concept of self originates in the physical brain, not an invented mind. A phenomenologist who asserts that the mind-body bifurcation is a futile endeavor and an invalid problem. Unlike Ryle who simply denies the \"self,\" he instead believed that the mind and body are intertwined that they cannot be separated from one another. For him, the living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one. He proposes treating perception as a causal process. It means that our perceptions are caused by the intricate experiences of the self, and processed intellectually while distinguishing truthful perceptions from illusory. Therefore, the self is taken as a phenomenon of the world. He also believes that perception does not belong to the world, but to the self. \*\*\* END of WEEK 2\*\*\* **"I may not be able to change the world I see around me, but I can change what I see within me"** **-Anonymous** **MODULE 2: SOCIOLOGICAL and ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF** **INTRODUCTION: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SELF** "**Man is by nature a social animal**; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. " ― Aristotle, Politics **We often hear the quotation: Man is a social animal, but what does it mean?** No human person can live alone. In order to survive, he must be able to satisfy certain natural basic needs. In order to effectively do this, he must enter into a relationship with his fellowmen in order to create mutual dependence. Mutual dependence is said to begin between an embryo and the mother and continues 'till his last breath -- from womb to tomb as they say. The need can be physical, socio-emotional, mental, or financial even, and many others. Let's take your dependence from your parents as an example. For now, you may be dependent in your parents in terms of food, shelter, finances or may be in terms of emotional support. It may not seem apparent, but your parents also gain something from you like when you are able to help in the household chores, a sense of purpose even! There is mutuality. - **What is sociology?** The American Sociological Association defines sociology as:...the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts From a sociological perspective, the self is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, others, and to social systems that shaped through interaction with other people (Crossman, 2018). When asked to introduce our selves, we would often say traits such being thrifty, altruistic, generous, fun to be with, competitive, quiet, shy, frank and so on. These traits, although unique for a particular individual and are psychological in a sense, can be understood in a sociological perspective. When someone says he is generous, he is actually describing himself in relation to other people. What he means to say is that he is liberal in giving what he has to other people. The same also applies when someone says he is quiet or shy, for one cannot say he has no basis for comparison. Thus, a person is said to be shy because, unlike other people, he may have the tendency to be hesitant in approaching or mingling with other people.    **The Self as Product of Modern Society** Because of modernization, there is said to be the "destruction of the traditional way of life" that has "delocalized" the self (Mannheim, 1950). The self has been "dislocated and deracinated" (David, 2004). This means to say that modernization has disrupted and disturbed the conventions on how people live or has isolated us from our native or customary culture. What seemed to be the usual way of doing things are now being consistently modified to adapt to the changing needs and possibilities that modernization has brought. People are now presented, not only with the traditional way of doing this within their culture, but also to the culture of others from societies. The stability of one\'s self-identity is no longer anchored on pre-given tradition-bound definition of the self - it is now freely chosen (David, 2004) *Let's take the traditional wardrobe as an example. We would think that traditional Filipinos would wear rather conservative but ornate and embroidered rich outfit but today, options are almost unlimited. We are influence, not only by the US, Spanish, and Japanese culture (as with colonial period) but also by the culture of Koreans, Thais, and Chinese among others. We see a rise of concept stores and online shops that offers numerous varieties of outfits. We are no longer duty-bound to wear conventional outfits even when we are invited to attend weddings or other celebrations!* However, more choices often do not equate to a better or a meaningful life. Sometimes it often results to decision paralysis and even decreased satisfaction (Schwartz, 2004). In this sense, the ability to choose who we want to be no longer liberates but debilitates. Simmel (1971) tells us that the struggle for one's individuality is only possible in modern society where religio-theological traditions are gradually replaced by rational and scientific calculations; and the intimate personal affiliations are replaced by exceedingly impersonal associations brought about by urbanized way of life.             *How many "friends" do you have? You would probably think of the number of friends you have accepted or invited on Facebook or the number of people you have in all the group chats you have in messenger... but how many friends do you really have? Modernization has allowed us to communicate with people in numerous ways. Then, you can only meet a friend in person or maybe through phone and you can only expect to be able to deepen your relationship by physically hanging out or by sending out a snail-mail. Today, connecting with some people you know is almost always possible at any time of the day and anywhere you are. Although this can be beneficial for many, we cannot discount the fact that this possibility has also changed how we value our relationships. We have formed more impersonal relationships than meaningful ones. Some have been pre-occupied in gaining more "followers" with hopes of improving their esteem -- a misconception on how we put worth or recognize the value of our selves. * **Something to think about:** How you think modernization changed the way courtship is being done? Do you think it has improved or worsened? - **The delocalized self poses the following problems:** 1. As we consistently create ourselves from the limitless possibilities and options, we ask ourselves the question: *Is this really me? Is this what I want?*  2. Purdue University (2002) explains that **3. Objectification of the body** In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person as an object or a thing (Arluke, 1988). As presented in the essay Life in the Medicalized Society: 4. **Dehumanization of the self** The birth of modern society allows infinite possibilities for self-cultivation but it also simultaneously suggests dehumanization of the self. In Herbert Kelman\'s work on dehumanization, humanness has two features:  - - **Solution:** For the individual to discover the "true" and "authentic" part of himself/herself to realize his/her potentials, there is a need to abolish repressive social constraints. What does being authentic mean then? Brené Brown in her book: The Gifts of Imperfection states that "Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we are supposed to be and embracing who we actually are." Choosing authenticity means: - - - The concept of social constraints enters when society sets its own standards on how you should look, behave and sometimes even feel. Being authentic means letting go of these standards to follow your passion regardless of who you disappoint and how you may be perceived by others. "When we are being authentic, we are being vulnerable; we are showing all parts of us, the good with the bad. When we do this, we allow for more intimate and honest relationships, and we allow for true acceptance and unconditional love.( The Center for Growth)" - **Self as Necessary Fiction** Some modern philosophers do not believe that the self is a solid or metaphysical entity having a continuous identity given that there is nothing in the self that persists or endures through time. For instance, it possible for individuals to remember something they have not experienced or the possibility the individuals have the tendency to acquire amnesia and experience psychological disorientation due to brain injury. Self for Nietzsche is the sum of individual's action, thoughts and feelings and is nothing more than a metaphor --a representation of something abstract. Nietzsche contends that all belief systems are 'necessary fictions.'  Necessary fictions are beliefs that cannot be proven to be true and sometimes can be proven false, but are, nonetheless, necessary to sustain life.  They are fictions because they cannot be proven. They are necessary because without them we would be rudderless in a world of chaos. Thus, they are convictions that satisfy the need for stability. Tenbusch (2015)  states that necessary fictions ***Did you know that the quote "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" is associated with Nietzsche?*** - **Post-Modern view of the Self** The self is a narrative, a text written and rewritten. The self is a story and therefore dynamic, bound to change every now and then. Self in post modernity is complicated by electronic mediated virtual interaction of cyber self in cyberspace. This means that our identity is now created not merely by our physical interaction with other people but is complicated our interactions in the digital world. Nicola Green states: This is called digital footprints. Your digital footprint is the "data that's created through your activities and communication online. This can include more passive activities, such as if a website collects your IP address, as well as more active digital activities, such as sharing images on social media" (Athanasiadis, 2018) The following are manifestations of the self in post modernity: 1. 2. 3. - **Rewriting the Self as an Artistic Creation** One thing is needful. \-- To \"give style\" to one's character\-- a great and rare art! It is practiced by those who survey all the strengths and weaknesses of their nature and then fit them into an artistic plan until every one of them appears as art and reason and even weaknesses delight the eye. Here a large mass of second nature has been added; there a piece of original nature has been removed \-- both times through long practice and daily work at it. Here the ugly that could not be removed is concealed; there it has been reinterpreted and made sublime... -Nietzsche, Gay Science Nietzsche contends that the unity of the self is not pre-given but accomplished through conscious effort. Individuals therefore must fashion, care for and cultivate themselves in order to transform self through beautiful work of art. Concealing the "ugly" does not refer to rewriting the narrative (as that would be impossible) but rather redescribing one's self by reinterpreting the past. For example, one might have experienced having a failing grade in his academic history. This event might be used by someone to describe himself as a student, probably thinking that he might not be able to do well in schooling particularly in a certain program to a point that he/she would label him/herself as inferior to his colleagues. But one might also get the idea that the failure was the event, a turning point that have led him to where is right now --say a wake-up call to pursue something that he is passionate about. Life is about creating ourself even if it means re-interpreting our experiences. As Nietzsche would put it: There are no facts, only interpretations. - **Self Creation and Collective Identity** The self is a \"body moving in space\" and time (Kempen, 1998). The self is unthinkable apart from its physical body. It is through the body that the self takes different spatial positions and expressions in social interaction. This implies that an individual\'s identity is largely associated with its position in space and its corresponding historical dimension. Simply put, the identity is influenced by the community from it belongs and its collective memory. Collective memory refers to the shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group\'s identity. (Roediger and Abel, 2015) What we mean to say here is that an essential aspect of self-creation is formed within "imagined communities". Imagined communities is a term coined by Benedict Anderson (1983)  Anderson famously defines the nation as imagined "because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow‐members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion" (p. 6). The nation is defined as a community because "regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship" (p. 7). "Therefore, the concept of imagined community assumes that nations, national identities, and nationalism are socially constructed; "imagined" in this context then does not mean false, but instead points to the socio‐cognitive element in the construction of the nation (Jones, 2007)" It is an idea that is being recognized by a group of people paving the way for its existence. - **How are Filipinos such as the OFWs and immigrants able to create Filipino communities even if they are from other countries? What makes them a community? What is the basis of membership? What does being a Filipino mean?** **MEAD\'S THEORY OF THEN SELF** **ARTICLE READING!** Victor of Aveyron: A feral child who supposedly lived in the French wilderness until he was 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jun 21, 2017 [[Domagoj  Valjak]](https://www.thevintagenews.com/author/domagoj-valjak/) "Feral child" is a term used to describe youngsters who grew up isolated from human communities and have never been accustomed to fundamental conventions such as language, education and rules for socially acceptable behavior. Throughout history, cases of feral children have been documented. In many such instances, the children were raised by wild animals, people believed. However, in recent times, the authenticity of many of these cases has been challenged. Stories of feral children appear in folklore and fiction. In 1894, Rudyard Kipling published a famous collection of stories named The Jungle Book. It follows the adventures of Mowgli, a feral child raised by wolves who learns the languages of various wild animals and establishes personal connections with them. By the end, Mowgli learns to abide by conventions and becomes a functioning member of civilized society. The Jungle Book popularized the motif of feral children in literature and pop culture, and Mowgli became a beloved children's character known for his compassion, kindness, and adaptiveness. In reality, "feral children" rarely integrated fully into society. The lack of proper care, emotional stimulation, and education hindered their social progress and delayed their mental development. Feral children often became the subjects of scientific studies and debates that stigmatized them and turned them into lab subjects, used to prove scientific theories. Such was the case of Victor of Aveyron, a French feral boy who lived in the woods of the Aveyron region in the late 1790s and was allegedly raised by wolves. Victor had reportedly been sighted by local villagers as early as 1794, and in 1797, he was caught by local hunters and brought to a town. A young widow cared for him there for several months, but he managed to escape and return to the woods. He voluntarily emerged from the woods in 1800. The boy was then around 12 years old and couldn't speak any language. The physicians who first examined him thought that he might have been deaf and mute. After he was examined at the National Institute of the Deaf in Paris, it was determined that he was completely healthy but had never come into contact with any language. He was comfortable being naked and had no problem with roaming around in cold weather, which led the researchers of the time to conclude that he was well accustomed to the harsh conditions of the wilderness. When Victor of Aveyron was found, the Enlightenment movement was in full swing; many prominent scientists of the time believed that the ability to learn and abide by conventions is the only feature which differentiates humans from animals. Several researchers, including a famous instructor of the deaf named Roch-Ambroise Cucurron Sicard, attempted to teach Victor French and the basics of communication to prove that the development of one's language and social abilities depends on one's surroundings. Although Victor showed some signs of progress, he was aggressive, hyperactive, and uninterested in learning. This eventually led researchers to the conclusion that he would never be able to adapt to any social convention, so they mostly gave up on his future. He was left to roam the corridors of the National Institute of the Deaf and become a kind of local attraction. Fortunately, he was adopted by a medical student named Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, who arranged for him to move into his own home. Itard was the one who gave him the name "Victor"; up to that point, he was known only as the "Wolf Child." Under Itard's close supervision, Victor managed to learn several phrases and accept some social conventions, but never became a fully functional member of society. Still, he received proper care and led a peaceful life until 1828, when he died of pneumonia at an estimated age of 40. Although Itard failed in his efforts to educate Victor, he is praised for founding an oral education program for the deaf and introducing new methods of pedagogy that include the use of behavior modification with severely impaired children Valjak, D (2017), Victor of Aveyron: A feral child who supposedly lived in the French wilderness until he was 1, The Vintage News, [[https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/06/21/victor-of-aveyron-a-feral-child-who-supposedly-lived-in-the-french-wilderness-until-he-was-12/]](https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/06/21/victor-of-aveyron-a-feral-child-who-supposedly-lived-in-the-french-wilderness-until-he-was-12/)  **END OF ARTICLE** - **MEAD'S THEORY OF THE SELF** According to Mead, the self emerges from social interaction. This lies contradictory to the argument of biological determinism "because it holds that the self is neither initially there at birth nor necessarily at the beginning of a social interaction, but is constructed, and re-constructed in the process of social experience and activity" (Villafuerte, etal 2018). This means to say, Mead contends that **the self is not inborn** and that the **self is developed as one ages** and accumulate more experiences. In the perspective of Mead, Victor had not developed normally according to his age. He had not developed his "self" because of his isolation from the world. It was also mentioned in the article because of Victor's isolation, there was already a lack of proper care, emotional stimulation, and education that hindered his social progress and delayed their mental development. **Three Stages of Development according to Mead** The self is learned during childhood which comes in three stages of development: imagetools1(10) As our self gradually develops, we internalize the expectations of more and more people. Our ability to take the role of others eventually extends to being able to take the role of **"the group as a whole." **Existence of the community, therefore, comes before individual consciousness. **Phases of Self according to Mead** For Mead, all human experience internal conversation. This conversation involves the I and me which he called the phases of self. The "me" refer the organized set of attitudes and expectation of others which one assumes. It represents learned behaviors, attitudes and expectations of others and society that arouse from the social interactions of the individual. It is the socialized aspect of the individual. Because of this, the "me" is said to be the mechanism by which community exercises control over the conduct of its individual members. The "I" is the response to the "me" or the person's individuality. It is the active, spontaneous, creative part of the self. It is the part of you that's acting being spontaneous and doing things on your own. Because of this the "I" is said to be the subject while the "me" is the object. Object Let's try to relate it to grammar. As a basic rule: The subject is the person or thing doing something. The object is having something done to it.(IELTS) In formulating sentences, we usually use the term "I" when we are the doer of the action and use "me" when we are the receiver. We say I like you, to mean that "I" is the doer of the action like. We do not say me likes you. We say "You like me", to mean that "me" is the receiver of the action like. In the context of Mead, the "me" is the object? Object of what? Receiver of what? The receiver of norms society, thus it is the me that adheres to the expectations of other people. Let's suppose that you would like to watch your favourite series in Netflix but you have other assessments due in the said week. The "me" is that aspect of you that would tell you to read your lesson and answer the learning tasks given by your teacher. These are the expectations of society from you given your role as a student. Your "I" is that aspect of you that will tell what you will do. Remember:  "The action of the \'I\' is revealed only in the action itself; specific prediction of the action of \'I\' is not possible. The individual is determined to respond but the specific character of the response is not fully determined. The individual\'s response are conditioned but not determined by the situation in which he acts.(SociologyGuide)" - **Cooley\'s Looking Glass Self** The concept of looking-glass self states that part of how we see ourselves comes from our perception of how others see us (Cooley, 1902). Charles Horton Cooley contends proposed that the self is developed as a result of perceptions of other people's opinion. "People are the way they are at least partly because of other people's reactions to them and to what they do. They are constantly picking up feedback and incorporating it into their sense of self (Corpuz, Estoque and Tabotabo (2019). For instance, if parents praise a child for being diligent in terms of doing his or her chores, then the child might think that he is responsible.  It generally involves three process:              This implies that our view of our selves comes from the contemplation of personal qualities and impressions of how others perceive us. This means that we are not what others think we are, it is what we **believe** others see us. **REMEMBER:** - - **LABELING BIAS** - **SOCIAL COMPARISON THEORY** We constantly evaluate ourselves, and others, in domains like attractiveness, intelligence, skills and success through social comparison. Social comparison theory is the idea that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others (Psychology Today) These comparisons can be with people who we know and interact with or even those whom we read about or watch on television or online. However, the most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those we see as similar to ourselves (Festinger, 1954.) "Later research has shown that people who regularly compare themselves to others may find motivation to improve, but may also experience feelings of deep dissatisfaction, guilt, or remorse, and engage in destructive behaviors like lying or disordered eating (PsychologyToday)" +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Here's an article from Psychology Today to help us better understand | | Social Comparison: | | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ------------------ | | | | - THE BENEFITS OF COMPARISON | | -------------------------- | | | | When individuals compare themselves to others as a way of measuring | | their personal development or to motivate themselves to improve and, | | in the process, develop a more positive self-image, comparisons can | | be beneficial. It takes discipline, however, to avoid the pitfalls of | | negative comparison. In large part, how we react to comparisons | | depends on who we compare ourselves to: When we just want to feel | | better about ourselves, we tend to engage in comparisons to people | | worse off than we are, although this can become an unhealthy habit. | | When we want to improve, though, we may compare ourselves to people | | roughly similar to us but higher achieving in one trait or another. | | | | **How can comparison help you?** | | | | Social comparison can be highly beneficial when people use social | | networks to push themselves. In a study, friendly competition was | | highly effective in pushing people to exercise more, as peers pushed | | each other to keep up and do more. In such a \"social ratchet | | effect,\" each person's activity generates more activity among | | others. Social networks in which people simply offered each other | | positive encouragement were far less helpful. | | | |   | | | | ### **Is it better to compare yourself to those doing better or worse | | than you are?** | | | | People generally engage in either upward or downward comparisons. In | | upward comparisons, we compare ourselves with those we believe are | | better than us in some way; in downward comparisons, we do the | | opposite. Research, unsurprisingly, finds that downward comparisons | | make us feel better about ourselves, but that there are dangers to | | each approach---insecurity and jealousy, or overconfidence and | | arrogance. | | | |   | | | | ### **Can envy ever be a positive emotion?** | | | | Envy is usually an unpleasant feeling that can lead to brooding, | | resentment, or even violence. Some psychologists, however, have | | suggested that people can experience "benign" envy, in which they use | | envious feelings as motivation to improve themselves. Benign envy | | could lead someone, for example, to try to emulate the best qualities | | of a person who has what they want. | | | |    | | | | - THE DANGERS OF COMPARISON | | ------------------------- | | | | Theodore Roosevelt called comparison "the thief of joy," and he may | | have been right. Social comparison can motivate people to improve, | | but it can also promote judgmental, biased, and overly competitive or | | superior attitudes. Most people have the social skills and impulse | | control to keep their standards for social comparison to themselves, | | and not to act on any envy or resentment spurred by | | comparison-making. But their true feelings may manifest in other | | ways. | | | | ** ** | | | | ### **Why can comparisons make people feel bad?** | | | | Comparisons are likelier to make us feel bad when we make the error | | of only comparing ourselves to paragons of certain traits. For | | example, many people believe they have a less active social life than | | others. But when making such comparisons, people tend to compare | | themselves only to the most social people they know. Understanding | | this bias can help us make more realistic and motivating comparisons. | | | | ### **Is social media harmful to self-esteem?** | | | | Constantly checking social-media feeds full of images from parties, | | concerts, or other aspirational events can diminish self-esteem and | | contribute to depression. But some studies have found that such risks | | primarily affect those high in the trait of neuroticism, and others | | suggest that social-media use can reinforce self-esteem; for example, | | when people review their own images of good times with friends. | | | |   | | | | ### **How can I stop comparing myself to others?** | | | | To be less vulnerable to painful comparisons, notice the people or | | events that prompt the behavior. Commit to being deeply grateful for | | what's good in your own life. And remember that the human propensity | | to want what others have is such a waste of time, unless what you see | | and "covet" in another is something of deep worth, such as | | their generosity or kindness.  | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+    **MODULE 2: SOCIOLOGICAL and ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF** **INTRODUCTION: ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SELF** - **What does it mean to be Filipino?** "In most dictionaries, the term "Filipino" is defines as belonging or relating to the Philippines, or to its people and culture. In the context of citizenship, "Filipino" simply means membership in a nation-state. In the constitution a citizen is someone who legally resides in a country. Anthropologically, however, it is different. To belong to a people is not necessarily implying a legal association to a country's cherished values. To belong and relate to a culture means to adopt, accept and treasure its entire way of life. Therefore, in order to be called Filipino, you have to belong to the Filipino people and adopt to their culture. In this perspective, the self must  be embedded in the culture". (Corpuz, Estoque & Tabotabo, 2019) - **What is anthropology?** It is a study of all aspects of human condition. This includes human history, the present human condition and even the future possibilities.  (Kottak, 2009) It explores the interconnectedness and interdependence of human cultural experiences in all places and age. (Havilland, et.al, 2014)   The key difference between the two social sciences is that sociology concentrates on society while anthropology focuses on culture. In the perspective of anthropology, the self is both a biological and a cultural entity. The traditional anthropological understanding of the self is that the self is an animal species which underwent the process of biological evolution and has shared characteristics with other living animals, the hominids, in particular. Since the self has better development in terms of the brain and adaptation in the environment for survival, the self develops a culture resulting in behavioural changes. It is said that the self is a living animal but superior to other animals in the following factors: - - - **What is culture?** 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 a society. The way you dress, the way and the food you prepare, the things your value, the language you speak, the way we celebrate Christmas, everything else around us and everything we do (and even avoid) is culture. **Material culture** refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture. These include homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, offices, factories and plants, tools, means of production, goods and products, stores, and so forth. **Non‐material culture** refers to the nonphysical ideas that people have about their culture, including beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language, organizations, and institutions. For instance, the non‐material cultural concept of religion consists of a set of ideas and beliefs about God, worship, morals, and ethics. These beliefs, then, determine how the culture responds to its religious topics, issues, and events. - - - - - - - - **What is identity?** Identity refers to "who a person is" or the qualities and traits an individual that make him or her different from others. We can distinguish a person according to their geographical context or based on where they come from. It can be a membership in a particular group or institution (such as being a Louisian). It can also refer to how one person sees and expresses himself Cultural identity refers to the identity or feeling of belongings to a certain cultural group. It is an individual's perception about himself or herself anchored on race, gender, nationality, religion, ethnicity and language that eventually influences his behavior. One may identify himself or herself as Filipino because he or she embodies Filipino cultural ways and traditions to which he or she has been exposed while growing up. While being a Filipino, one may also identify as a Catholic because it is his or her religious background. He or she may likewise identify himself or herself as Ybanag. The cultural categories that shape one's overall cultural identity prove that one's cultural identity is multidimensional. - **How do you identify yourself in terms of your own culture?** In Anthropology**, self-awareness is 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)**. Self-awareness allows us to distinguish ourselves from others. It has been observed that the child starts to conceptualize self-awareness at age two. However, studies also show that self-awareness is conceptualize much earlier by children sleeping with parent's and are exposed to 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 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. What the child observes from what the adults are doing or thinking will more likely be adapted and imitated by the child, however, he will later develop his own identity. The identity is further intensified by a practice common to all cultures -- the **naming ritual**. Naming individualizes a person. It gives a person his/her own unique traits, experience, personality and identity. The person's name is also a symbol of one's status in the c ommunity that can either give the person honor or stigma. This is fairly demonstrated among families of politicians and famous businessmen. It is important to remember however, that a person's name is at the same time **a project in progress** --an identity you wish to establish in the community. For example, you are now at the process of adding the titles like CPA, RN, Engr, Atty, Ar, LPT, RPsy, or Honorable and many others, who knows what the future holds? ***Do you know why you were given the name you currently have right now? If not, you can ask your parents about it! It might reveal some expectations they have for you as their child.*** - **MOI and PERSONNE** According to Mauss, every self has two faces: personne and moi. - - - **THE SELF AND THE BEHAVIORAL ENVIRONMENT** - - - - - - - - - ** 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 overshadows an inferior culture. For instance, some culture of the Tagalogs or even those coming from Urban Manila is largely influencing the culture of the Ybanags. You might notice that many children are no longer speaking their own dialect, or performing other religious and celebratory rituals commonly performed by the folks. In a larger scale, culture is also lost through violent, genocide, inability to respect traditions, religions, 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, which are part of the identity of the people are either prejudiced or lost forever.(Villafuerte, 2018) Another classic example is the Bikini Atoll. In the late 1940s the US government wanted the island for use as a nuclear test site and relocated the island's population. The government made the decision, the move was to a totally new environment, it occurred in a very short period of time, and the Bikinians had no choice in the immediate or subsequent attempts to ameliorate the ensuing problems. The result was a substantial loss of the original culture, serious demoralization among the people, and a great deal of stress with which individuals continue to cope with varying success. - **Do you think some forms of cultural degradation is seen nowadays?** **MODULE 3: EASTERN AND WESTERN THOUGHTS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF** **The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts** Different cultures and varying environment tend to create different perceptions of the "self" and one of the most common distinctions between cultures and people is the Eastern vs. Western dichotomy wherein Eastern represents Asia and Western represents Europe and Northern America. Besides a general observation of cultural/artistic/principal differences showing the distinction between western and eastern concepts of 'self', in this lesson, we will look at religious beliefs and political philosophies that greatly influenced the mindset of each nation or culture. Are we all different and independent, or are all people part of one whole? - **THE NATURE OF THE SELF**  Ashley has been watching the news and the way everyone is at each other\'s throats, and though it\'s painful and sad to watch, she also thinks it\'s inevitable. After all, people are all independent and very different from one another. Her friend Tan isn\'t so sure though. He believes that everyone is connected to each other and to the world. To Tan, we are all one, so no one should be fighting. Ashley and Tan are thinking about the nature of the self. When philosophers talk about the nature of the self, what they are really asking is: **- Are we separate from each other and from the universe?** In **Western philosophy**, people tend to think like Ashley people are separate and unique from each other. What one person does or experiences is completely independent of other people and the world at large. In the western understanding of the self there is a heavy emphasis on your recognition that you are a separate entity that even you belong to a certain group of people what is important for them is for you to realize that you have your own identity. That you have the capacity to make choices hence what is important is for you to become a unique person. However, in **Eastern philosophy**, the self is often treated as an illusion. That is, the idea that people are separate entities from each other and the world is not considered a reality in Eastern thought. There are many differences between individualistic and collective cultures. In general, individualistic cultures emphasize individual actions. In this culture, people are encouraged to prioritize their own needs and their independence over the group's needs. In collective cultures, people are encouraged to prioritize the needs and harmony of the group over their own success. These core differences in values impact the ways these cultures communicate, celebrate, and cultivate the economy.   - **WESTERN** The concept of the **psyche** is a western\' model of the soul. Western traditions are always preoccupied by the **duality of the body and soul.** Still, the western concept of the self is very much anchored on the individuality of the psyche. The individual self is always in a struggle to reconcile the connection between the ideal self or perfect soul and the limited self or sinful body. This dichotomy drives us in the understanding of the self as lifetime toil for **self-perfection**. What is important in this concept of the self is the development of the self from conception to death. This will normally be in order to correspond with some determined ideal, depending on the social and historical conditions under which a person lives. Once an individual has reached a sufficiently high level of consciousness and self-knowledge, he or she has the capacity both for self-analysis and observation, and for understanding the actions of others. Motivated by the wish for acceptance and authority in a peer group, an individual develops personal qualities by self-perfecting. In other words, from the moment of conception, the self is molded and prepared to live a good and happy life. When, on the contrary, the self did not have the opportunity to be raised, and to grow, and to die a good and happy life, the self becomes a waste as it did not live the ideals of the soul. The lone purpose of the self, therefore is: **To live according to the ideals of the soul.** The Greeks call this **aréte** -the ultimate goodness, perfection, excellence. All of life's directions, in as much as the western individualistic self is concerned, are geared towards self-perfection. - **EASTERN** Although the self in the eastern perspective also wants to attain perfection in meditation and enlightenment, there has never been an issue of dualism. Easterners do not have the notion of the separation of the body and soul. **It is always one self.** A. The atman may have different levels of consciousness but there is always one self. Even death is considered to be just another level of consciousness but the atman continues to exist because it is not dependent on the body. This in fact is also the concept of the non-self in Buddhism. In this concept the self is considered as nothing but an evolution and transformation of inner consciousness. B. Scholars read Confucius' philosophy in two ways. 1. 2. *Let us take as an example many family dynamics in which, when in dire poverty one or the other sibling will be asked to stop going to school so that the family will be able to send the rest of the children to school to continue with their education. Here, the self is willing to sacrifice and may forget to assert self-interest in order to pursue the resolve of the whole family. The same self-sacrifice may be manifested in groups, communities and nation*. +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Features of Individualism** | **Features of Collectivism** | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - - - - - - | - - - - - | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ Social construction is a shared assumption or perception of the people in society. The **western social construct of the self **can be characterized in three ways. 1. *The individualistic self is always conceived as the autonomous bounded entity. For one to be autonomous, one must be able to show independence.* 2. 3. *The self masters the causal relationships of things. Everything must be explained by logic and reason. Phenomenon outside the logical realm are simply discredited and rejected. This explains the western logical positivist movement. It contends that what is rational and reasonable are only those which can be logically viable. The successful self therefore, is grounded on one's investment on reason and logical thinking.*   It also necessarily follows that. when the self adapts the rational-logical conception of things, one must be scientific. The self marvels at the safety measures of scientific procedures. Scientific researches ascertain the cause and effect relationship of things and phenomena. Safety is derived from the mastery of the phenomena concerning the self. This brings about the ideals of **self-efficacy** in which everything can be explained by science, and everything can be provided for by science. The successful self embraces the scientific conception of things that affect one's growth, psycho-physical development, intellectual capacity, interaction with others and involvement in societal institutions and infrastructures. **Self-Efficacy** **is a person's belief in their ability to succeed in a particular situation. Psychologist Albert Bandura described these beliefs as determinants of how people think, behave, and feel.** Eastern social infrastructures are mostly seen as contrary to the western individualistic construct. The eastern social construct is primarily viewed as collectivistic and is always grounded on nature. There were many eastern traditions that flourished in the history of thought that were firmly based on how the self relates to others, to the Divine Being and to nature. **Confucius or Kung Fu Zi** ascertained the ancient Chinese civilization by establishing social order. The society will be led by wise leaders who guaranteed peace, prosperity and harmony. Here in the Confucian system we can immediately notice the primacy of the society over the individual person. In fact, Confucius believed that the threat to social order is only caused by the unchecked selfish desires of individuals. The self therefore in the Confucian system is: **A person within the society who exhibits refinement and compassion.** - Central in the educational formation of junzi are humanistic learning, refined personal manners and the capacity to govern the community wisely and with compassion. In principle, the new self of junzi the sage king brings to life the virtues of the ancestors to the new order of society. The self therefore is the transmitter of the ancient virtues to the new world. - To carry out the transmission, one must have the correct procedures and protocol, In Chinese philosophy, religious rituals are of great importance. The word li originally means sacrifice. Li is both the restraining and the refinement of the self. The virtuous self must be able to practice the correct customary procedures and protocols governing all of life. - The self must embody human-heartedness by prioritizing the self-interest of others. The sage king - jenzi - is characterized by his practice of ren in putting others first before the self. *Although Confucius was not given the opportunity to become the leader of China, his principles of jenzi, li and ren became influential all throughout China even unto many other modern civilizations of the world.* **To conclude, we commonly hear the dichotomy between the east and the west. The eastern traditions are known for their communal and spiritual constructs. On the other hand, the western traditions developed a construct of being individualistic, self-reliant, rational and scientific. In this chapter we were able to distinguish between the individualistic and collective self. We clarified the many western constructs of the self vis-a-vis the relational and spiritual construct of the east.** **PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF** We may only have one physical body but at times, it may feel like having several selves all at once. In our own little corner, this might not be bothersome. But, to be asked in public "Who are you?" could be stressful. This question seems to force us to come up with an interesting answer that we might begin to feel unsatisfied with right after saying it. If a picture, still and stagnant, paints a thousand words what more a moving living, complex, dynamic, breathing human being? We may be able to figure out who we are to a certain aspects but no answer might be enough to really articulate who we really are. Questioning who we are and engaging in self-reflection to figure out and understand why we behave in a certain way is normal and is actually beneficial in increasing self-awareness. Most of the time, we are too hard on ourselves because of the many expectations we have. We always want to be stable, in control and pleasing to others. As mentioned by Weiten (2014), "possible selves are developed from past experiences, current behavior and future expectations. Who we are, though not easily changed, might be likened to liquid, able to take many forms, depending on the factors and context affecting it. - **SELF/SELF-CONCEPT** According to Carl Rogers, the self or our self-concept "is an organized, consistent of perceptions of and beliefs about oneself". These perceptions and beliefs that comprise our self-concepts are called self-schemas. Self-schemas are formed by numerous factors that may be aware or unaware of, some of which are: (1) past experiences, (2) personality traits, (3) abilities, (4) physical features, (5) values, (6) goals, (7) social roles, (8) own observations and (9) feedback from others. -  **Real and Ideal Self-Concepts** - "Carl Rogers (1959) believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize - i.e., to fulfill one\'s potential and achieve the highest level of \'human-beingness\' we can.  Like a flower that will grow to its full potential if the conditions are right, but which is constrained by its environment, so people will flourish and reach their potential if their environment is good enough. (McLeod, 2014)" - - imagetools1(16) - **Who is your ideal and real self?** Our notion of both selves are results of our self-schemas. Our ideal self is essential in guiding and motivating us to behave in a way that would lead us to the best version of who we want to be -- a guide to the real self to continue improving. - **How aligned is you ideal self from your real self?**  When we feel good about ourselves, it is said that there is congruence or alignment or there is a small gap between our real and ideal self. This gives us confidence, satisfaction, and a sense of self-actualization or fulfilment leading to a high self-esteem. However, when we are disappointed or frustrated about ourselves, it is said that there is incongruence or misalignment or disparity or a huge gap between our real and ideal self. This results to us being distressed, anxious, leading to a low self-esteem or self-worth and be defensive in our actions. In cases where in the gap between the real and ideal self is immense, this may cause instability to one's psychological well-being. Summary: If the way that I am (real self) is aligned with the way that I want to be (ideal self), then I will feel a sense of mental well-being or peace of mind. If the way that I am is not aligned with hot I want to be, the incongruence, or lack of alignment, will result in mental distress or anxiety. **The greater the level of incongruence between the ideal self and the real self, the greater the resulting distress.** If the level of incongruence is too much to handle, causing a person's self-worth to be questionable, it is best to seek help through counselling or seeking advice from people who can help. Experiencing incongruence may happen from time to time, most especially in cases or contexts that are new or extreme. In circumstances like these, we need to reflect, evaluate our behaviour, and be reminded of our ideal self to put us back on track. We have to learn to separate behaviors from the totality of one's being. **We may have behaved badly but it does not mean that we are automatically a bad person.** Changing our way of thing may take a bit of getting used to since most of us may have been exposed to people who might be given us negative labels such as "bad, stupid, weak, fat, ugly etc." Negative labels could come from a single failure or blunder. Sadly, a single unintentional mistake is used to judge a person holistically. We might have been victim of this or we might also be guilty of doing this to other people. Whether we feel it or not, we have to understand and accept that we are very capable to help ourselves and attain the ideal self we intend to become. Ideal does not always have to mean perfect. Life may be imperfect but we can work with that and use it to our advantage. We need to decide and choose to stop comparing ourselves with other people especially to those we see on social media. **The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.\ \~Carl Rogers** - **A SIMILAR CONCEPT** - Because people feel inferior, they develop an** idealized self-image --** an imaginary picture of the self as the possessor of unlimited powers and superlative qualities. The **actual self **-- the person one is in everyday life -- is often despised because it fails to fulfil the requirement of the idealized image. Underlying both the idealized and actual self is the **real self,** which is revealed only as a person begins to shed the various techniques developed to deal with basic anxiety and to find ways of resolving conflicts. - **Multiple versus Unified Selves** - - - - **True versus False Selves** - - -   **False selves can lead towards narcissistic personality (Kohut, 1971)** **THE SCORPION AND THE OLD MAN** **by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown** There was this old man who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, but the scorpion stung him again. A man nearby told him to stop saving the scorpion that kept stinging him. But the man said: \"It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?\" **Lesson:** Don\'t give up loving. Don\'t give up your goodness. Even if people around you sting. - **Global versus Differentiated Needs** - - - -