Understanding The Self PDF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF CHAPTER ONE | LESSON ONE JOSE MARI B. TAÑOLA, M.A. [email protected]  Philosophical Perspectives on the Self At the end of the lesson, you should be able to: 1. state the importance of understanding one’s self; 2. explain the various no...

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF CHAPTER ONE | LESSON ONE JOSE MARI B. TAÑOLA, M.A. [email protected]  Philosophical Perspectives on the Self At the end of the lesson, you should be able to: 1. state the importance of understanding one’s self; 2. explain the various notions of the self from different philosophical perspectives; and 3. examine one’s self in relation to the philosophical perspectives of the self.  SELF SOCRATES PLATO “The unexamined life is According to him, “soul” is the most divine aspect of human not worth living." being. However, his concept of He saw a person as the divine is not a spiritual dualistic; every person is being but rather one that has composed of body and an intellectual connotation. soul. Self Self Body Soul Body Soul Appetitive Rational Spirited  SELF AUGUSTINE THOMAS AQUINAS He believes that THE defines the SELF AS THE INTEGRAL SELF IS RATIONAL AND SPIRITUAL ORDAINED TOWARDS SOUL, WHICH IS CREATED BY GOD and the human person GOD AND IS IMMORTAL. THE must live a good life in order to SELF IS ONE BODY AND SOUL. attain such end. Imperfections THE GOAL OF THE SELF AND incapacitate/disable us to have a ITS EXISTENCE AS A HUMAN IS communion with God – and so UNION AND ETERNAL the body must die of itself for FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. the soul in order to achieve a divine life (dying to oneself).  SELF Rene Descartes John Locke The mind makes a Tabula rasa person. Self is found in the “I think therefore I consciousness which is am.” filled by experience.  SELF David Hume Immanuel Kant Knowledge comes from the Reason, not mere experience, is senses; thus, there is no self the foundation of knowledge. beyond what we can The “self” organizes our experience. Self is a experience into something combination of experiences. meaningful.  Maurice Jean Merleau-Ponty Mind and Gilbert Ryle body should Paul Churchland not be separated, and that the We should Focus on focus on observable body is our connection neuroscien behavior on ce and the inferring to the world. activities of about the the brain to self of a learn about person. the self. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE SELF W h a t m a k e s y o u w h o y o u a r e ?  The Self, Society and Culture At the end of the lesson, you should be able to: 1. Explain the relationship of the self, society, and culture; 2. Compare and contrast how social institutions and culture affected the formation of the self; and 3. examine one’s ‘self’ against the different perspectives in this lesson and various experiences.  Mind-body Institutionalization of perspective social sciences SELF in itself. SELF as part of social process  the social sciences particularly sociology and anthropology, now considers the social dimension and orientation of the self  by essence/nature, the self becomes a social being Being-with Knowing the self requires also understanding society and its culture. THE SELF IS A SOCIAL BEING INFLUENCED BY CULTURE  SOCIETY people sharing the same culture typically interact in a definite territory Composed of people  CULTURE the people’s way of life the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group Composed of ideas, behavior and material possessions.  N O R M S rules on what to do or what not to do in a situation  VALUES ideal behaviors that set the standard of what is acceptable and admirable from a person who is part of society SOCIETY CULTURE SELF NORMS VALUES  S O C I A L I Z AT I O N a lifelong process of: LEARNING, TEACHING, INTERNALIZING, and LIVING THE CULTURE OF A SOCIETY  S TAT U S position in a society or a specific group ASCRIBED inherited to given at birth ACHIEVED personally acquired for achieving something  ROLE includes expected behaviors, norms, values, and attitudes T h e o re t i c a l A p p ro a c h e s v i s - à - v i s t h e S e l f  S y m b o l i c I n t e ra c t i o n i s m T h e o r y (SELF AND IDENTITY ARE SOCIAL PRODUCTS) The self did not just come out in thin air - SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT. The self needs the AFFIRMATION AND REINFORCE it to what sh/e thinks sh/e is. The self’s notion of what is PERSONALLY IMPORTANT is also influenced by CURRENT TRENDS IN SOCIETY. GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863-1931)  C u l t u re a n d Pe rs o n a l i t y RUTH BENEDICT (1887-1948) the personality or the self is dependent on the cultural practices and socialization process of a certain group The person reveals his/her culture. MARGARET MEAD (1901-1978)  SYMBOLIC AND INTERPRETIVE ANTHROPOLOGY culture as a collection of symbols with meanings made, communicated, and negotiated by each person to make sense of their lives and interactions CLIFFORD JAMES GEERTZ (1926-2006)  S o c i a l I n s t i t u t i o n s  Organized to address the needs of a society and they, too, have a profound effect on the concept of the self...the most basic social institution of a society... -blood-relations -marriage -social KINSHIP/FAMILY...aims to regulate the flow of resources and services......ensuring a just proportion of goods... ECONOMICS/MARKET  ensure peace and order by legitimizing the use of power of certain people or groups POLITICS/GOVERNMENT...ensuring that knowledge of the past and culture of the society is imparted to from one generation to the next... EDUCATION/SCHOOL  as a set of practices, beliefs, and symbols, points the self towards the supreme being – God. a teacher that reinforcers her system of faith grounded on values, Tradition, norms, and moral life – all rooted in the Divine. RELIGION/CHURCH  Norms Culture Values Society Status Family The Self Roles School Politics Economy Religion These social institutions all point to the self. The self is indeed influenced by an amalgam of factors such as interaction and discourse between the person and society UNDERSTANDING THE SELF