Understanding The Self PDF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF  Target Outcomes  At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:  explain the reason why it is important to understand the self;  discuss the different concepts and standpoints of the self-based from the various disciplinal perspectives;...

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF  Target Outcomes  At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:  explain the reason why it is important to understand the self;  discuss the different concepts and standpoints of the self-based from the various disciplinal perspectives;  assess the different aspects that shape the self;  share how the self can relate to different philosophical views; and  demonstrate critical and reflective thought on the development of the self.  COURSE DESCRIPTION Self-awareness Self-understanding Self - improvement  Unit- 1 The Self from Various Perspective I. Philosophical II. Self Sociological & Anthro. III. Psychological  The Self  It refers to the person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others.  It is the sum total of all that man call his, which includes his body, family, reputation, clothes, house etc. According to Corpuz et al. (2019), SELF is commonly defined by the following characteristics:  SEPARATE - self is unique or distinct from others  SELF CONTAINED and INDEPENDENT - independent and contained with its own thoughts, characteristics and volition.  CONSISTENT - has a personality that is enduring and persistent which allow it to be examined, described and measured. It also means that self traits, characteristics, tendencies, and potentialities are more or less the same. According to Corpuz et al. (2019), SELF is commonly defined by the following characteristics:  UNITARY- self is the center of all experiences and thoughts where all processes, emotions, and thoughts converge or in command.  PRIVATE - each person sorts out information, feelings and emotions within the self that is not accessible to others. Agree/ Disagree We are what we are right now because we want to be like this. Agree/ Disagree We can be whatever or whoever we want to be. Agree/ Disagree Our parents (or family members) can only influence us while we are in childhood years. Agree/ Disagree Our tendencies are completely tolerable. Agree/ Disagree There are still many things that we haven’t discovered about ourselves. Factors that contribute to one’s being….  1. Nature (Heredity)  2. Nurture (Environment)  3. Biological Factors  4. Personal choice I. Philosophical Perspective of the Self  Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.  Derived from two Greek words:  Philos- love  Sophos-wisdom  Philosopher’s answer to the question “Who Am I?” SOCRATES VIEW OF THE SELF  Man is essentially a soul.  This soul has knowledge.  “Know thyself”  “An unexamined life is not worth living”. SOCRATES VIEW OF THE SELF  Human beings are composed of two things:  1. Soul- true self/ permanent self/ unchanging.  2. Body- changing self PLATO’S VIEW OF THE SELF  Plato is Socrates’ student who supported his teacher’s idea.  He added that there are three components of the soul. The rational soul, spirited and appetitive soul.  a. The rational soul is the combination of reason and intellect that governs the affairs of the human person.  b. The spirited part is in charge of emotions.  c. The appetitive soul is in charge of one’s desire. PLATO’S VIEW OF THE SELF  Plato stressed that “justice in the human person can only be attained if the three (3) parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another”. AUGUSTINE’S VIEW OF THE SELF  Man is created in the image of God.  Has an immortal soul whose main pursuit is to have an everlasting life with God.  Happiness can only be achieved in God alone.  Eternal Law – law of conscience. THOMAS AQUINAS VIEW OF THE SELF Adapted some ideas from Aristotle, Aquinas said that indeed man is composed of two parts: matter and form. Matter refers to the “common stuff that makes up everything in the universe”. Form refers to the “essence of substance or thing”. He believed that what makes us human is our soul, our essence ARISTOLE’S VIEW OF THE SELF  There is no knowledge without sensory experiences. RENE DESCARTES VIEW OF THE SELF  Father of Modern Philosophy.  Mind and body are separate and distinct but they are conjoined.  I think, therefore; I am (Cogito ergo sum)  DAVID HUME’S VIEW OF THE SELF  The self keeps on changing.  There is no permanent/ unchanging self.  IMMANUEL KANT’S VIEW  Man is a free agent, capable of making a decision for himself.  As a free agent, man is gifted with reason and free will.  IMMANUEL KANT’S VIEW  Kant thinks 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.  There is necessarily a mind that organizes the impression that men get from the external world.  IMMANUEL KANT’S VIEW He suggests that the self is an actively engaged intelligence in man that synthesizes all knowledge and experience. The self is not just what gives one his personality. It is also the seat of knowledge acquisition for human persons. GILBERT RYLE’S VIEW OF THE SELF  The mind is not distinct from the body.  The only way by which we can know how the mind is working is through the behavior of the person. GILBERT RYLE’S VIEW OF THE SELF  His theory is called logical behaviorism or analytical behaviorism- a theory of mind which states that mental concepts can be understood through observable events MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY’S VIEW  He rejected the mind and body dichotomy.  The self is a product of our conscious experience. MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY’S VIEW  A phenomenologist asserts that the mind- body bifurcation is a futile endeavor and an invalid problem.  He believed in “I am my body”.  He says that the mind and body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated from one another. MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY’S VIEW  He believed that the living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one.  He believed that the body has its intelligence and it perceived it based on its senses.  We know not through our intellect but our experience JOHN LOCKE’S VIEW OF THE SELF  Infant’s mind at birth is TABULA RASA- blank sheet/ blank slate. PAUL CHURCHLAND’S VIEW  How we feel, how act, and how we think are deeply affected by the brain. PAUL CHURCHLAND’S VIEW For them, self is nothing else but the brain, or simply the self is contained entirely within the physical brain. PAUL CHURCHLAND’S VIEW For them, self is nothing else but the brain, or simply the self is contained entirely within the physical brain. SIGMUND FREUD’S VIEW  Tripartite divisions of the mind:  Id- pleasure  Ego- mediator  Superego- morality Ego ideal Conscience Philosopher Perspective Socrates Man is essentially a soul. “Know thyself” Plato Soul (Permanent) and Body (Changing Self) Aristotle There is no knowledge without sensory experiences Augustine Man is created in the image of God Descartes Dichotomy of mind and body. “I think, therefore I am” Locke Infant’s mind at birth is Tabula Rasa Hume The self keeps on changing Kant Man is a free agent Freud Role of the unconscious and childhood experiences Ryle The mind is not distinct from the body Churchland Feelings, actions, and thoughts are affected by the brain Ponty Self is a product of one’s conscious experience.