Learning Unit 1: The Self From Various Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives PDF

1 Learning Unit 1: The Self from Various Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives Learning Outcomes: 1. Differentiate the different representations and conceptualizations of the self from various disciplinal perspectives. 2. Summarize the different influences, factors, and forc...

1 Learning Unit 1: The Self from Various Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives Learning Outcomes: 1. Differentiate the different representations and conceptualizations of the self from various disciplinal perspectives. 2. Summarize the different influences, factors, and forces that shape the self. 3. Compare how the self is represented in different philosophical and psychological schools. Time Frame: Week 1 (3 hours) Materials Needed: Short bond paper, ball pen/pencil and coloring materials Introduction What is the SELF? It is a person’s essential being that distinguishes apart from the other selves. In psychology, the notion of the self refers to a person’s experience as a single, unitary, autonomous being that is separate from others, experienced with continuity through time and place. The self is what an individual consistently molds, shapes, and develops. Philosophy It is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially in an academic discipline. - a particular theory that someone has about how to live or how to deal with a particular situation. Much of philosophy concerns with the fundamental nature of self. PHILOSOPHICAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL PRIME MOVERS SOCRATES These philosophers, namely (from - He is the father of western philosophy left to right) Thales, Heraclitus, - concerned with the problem of the self Pythagoras and many others were called Pre-Socratics. They focused He is famous with these quotes: their works on these questions: - “the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself” what is the world really made - “the unexamined life is not worth living” up of? Every man is composed of body and soul. why is the world the way it is? Thus, making a person dualistic. what explains the changes that happen around us? 1. Body – imperfect and impermanent 2. Soul – perfect and permanent Compiled by: Ma Kathleen Dureen M. Travero  2 PLATO - He is known as the famous student ST. AUGUSTINE of Socrates - He is one of the Latin Fathers of the Church and, in Roman Catholicism, Three components of the Soul: is formally recognized as a doctor of 1) Rational Soul - reason & intellect the church. to govern affairs “Man is bifurcated nature, an aspect of 2) Spirited soul – emotions should man dwells in the world and is imperfect be kept at bay and yearns to be with the Divine, and 3) Appetitive soul – base desires the other part is capable of reaching (food, drink, sleep, sexual needs, immortality.” – St. Augustine etc.) When these are attained, the human 1. Body – dies on earth person’s soul becomes just & virtuous. 2. Soul - lives eternally in spiritual bliss with “God” ST. THOMAS AQUINAS - The most famous thirteenth century RENE DESCARTES scholar and an Italian Dominican - He is the Father of Modern theologian. Philosophy Man is composed of two parts: Descartes claimed that there is so much 1. Matter – or hyle, the common in this world that we must doubt. stuff that makes up everything in Nonetheless, doubting the existence of the universe. Man’s body is part the self is not included. For if one of this matter. doubts oneself, that proves that there is 2. Form – or morphe, refers to the a doubting self, a thing that thinks and essence of a substance or thing. therefore, that cannot be doubted. It is what makes it what it is. What makes a human person a human Thus, his famous, cogito ergo sum, “I person is his soul. think therefore, I am” Two distinct entities: 1. Cogito – the thing that thinks, which is the mind 2. Extenza – extension of the mind, which is the body. Compiled by: Ma Kathleen Dureen M. Travero  3 DAVID HUME GILBERT RYLE - An empiricist who believes that - He denied the existence of the self. knowledge can only be attained if For him, what truly matters is the it is sensed and experienced. behavior that a person manifests in his day-to-day life. Two categories of experience: 1. Impressions – basic objects of our The self is not an entity one cannot experience or sensation, they locate and analyze but simply the form the core of our thoughts; convenient name that people use to product of our direct experience. refer to all the behaviors that people Example: When you touched an ice make. cube, the cold sensation you felt when you touched it is an impression. 2. Ideas – copies of impression Example: When you imagined the feeling of being in love for the first time, since you are thinking about it, that still is an idea. CARL ROGERS - He developed the client-centered therapy WILLIAM JAMES Self-concept: image of oneself - He is the Father of American Psychology Self-awareness: how much an adolescent is aware on his or her psychological make up Two categories of self: 1. I-self According to Rogers, the self is a flexible and - the self that knows who she is changing perception of personal identity. The - also known as the “Thinking Self” self develops from interactions with significant - it reflects the soul of the person or the people and awareness of one’s own mind (pure ego) characteristics and level of functioning. - Pure ego-pure principle of personal identity Two components of self-concept: 2. Me-self 1. Real Self – consists of all the ideas, - person’s personal experiences including the awareness of what one is - also known as the “Empirical Self” and what one can do - divided into subcategories 2. Ideal Self – what one should be or what a) Material Self – individual’s physical one aspires to be attributes b) Social Self – a person who is and how he or she acts in social situations c) Spiritual Self – most intimate part of the self Compiled by: Ma Kathleen Dureen M. Travero  4 SIGMUND FREUD - He is the founder of Psychoanalysis Structures of the mind: 1. ID – need to satisfy basic urges and desires (to eat, sleep, defecate); pleasure-seeking side, impulsive, child-like and demands instant gratification Example: Jack is walking down the street and he is very hungry. He only has an id so when he sees an apple pie cooling in a window, he takes it for himself. 2. SUPEREGO – conscience and moral judge of one’s conduct; strives for perfection than pleasure. It considers the social standards for social behavior and guides us on what is right and wrong. Example: Jack is walking down the street and he is very hungry. He only has a superego so when he sees an apple pie cooling in a window, he does nothing. His superego tells him that it is someone's pie and that it is not acceptable to trespass on someone’s property and take their pie. 3. EGO – refers to the “I’ and operates on the reality principle and controls the ID; can conform with existing societal consideration. It makes the decisions that dictate behavior. The ego also considers social realities, norms, etiquette, rules, and customs when it makes a decision on how to behave. Example: Using the examples from above, Jack's ego would tell him that he should not take the pie from the windowsill, but instead he can buy some pie right up the street at the local grocery store. Compiled by: Ma Kathleen Dureen M. Travero