UTS Chapter 1: The Definition and Nature of the Self PDF

**THE DEFINITION AND NATURE OF THE SELF** What is **SELF?** The self has many aspects. **These aspects make up the "self's" Integral parts, such as self-awareness, self-esteem, self-knowledge, and self-perception.** With these aspects, the person is able to alter, change, add, and/or modify himself...

**THE DEFINITION AND NATURE OF THE SELF** What is **SELF?** The self has many aspects. **These aspects make up the "self's" Integral parts, such as self-awareness, self-esteem, self-knowledge, and self-perception.** With these aspects, the person is able to alter, change, add, and/or modify himself or herself for the purpose of gaining social acceptance. The **SELF** refers to a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, Especially considered as the object of introspection (the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes) or reflexive action. -- Oxford Dictionary The **SELF** is the union of elements (such as body, emotions, thoughts, and sensations) that constitute the individuality or identity of a person; It refers to the entire person of an individual. Merriam-Webster Dictionary The **SELF** Is the distinct individuality or identity of a person. *"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." -- Norman Vincent Peale* *"If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself." -Norman Vincent Peale* There are varied terminologies that can be considered synonymous with the "self." It can be as diverse as **self-awareness, consciousness, Identity, self-esteem, self-concept, ego**, and the like. But all of those terms and concepts direct us towards our INNER BEING and our SOUL It takes much intelligence and awareness to determine that there is a being Inside of us who experiences every undertaking that we have. The "self" is thinking and a feeling being within "us" and within "ourselves." **The self generally is the distinct Identity which is a summation of the experiences of an individual. The self is related to the awareness and consciousness of a rational being.** Our journey towards our life goals is a quest to determine what makes us happy. Contented and fulfilled. Such requires a deep understanding of the "self" towards the achievement of self-determination. The essence of our humanity and the meaning of our existence demand an appreciation of who we are as a person, as a member of the community and as a member of a larger institution of people. The same matters as this temporal life is geared towards a certain meaning that all of us desire to understand in the process. **THE PROCESS OF DISCOVERING SELF** Often, we struggle in our lifetime to search for our "identity" and our "core being." The greatest challenge happens during the period of adolescence as we go through "surge of hormonal imbalance." **The search for our true identity** is a process learning, re-learning and unlearning the lessons that we acquire from the teachings of life. Discovering and re- discovering the self becomes a complex procedure that we need to undergo to finally find our genuine "self" and individuality. This life learning is a continuous flux, an unending adventure onto the realms of life complexities. Everything that we embrace in this learning experience is part of our meaningful evolution. **THE JOHARI WINDOW: GETTING TO KNOW THE SELF** The Johari Window model was developed in 1955 at the University of California Los Angeles by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham who are both American psychologists. This model allows participants to understand themselves well and their corresponding relationship with significant others through four quadrants determining traits to one's self and other's judgment. **DETERMINING THE FOUR QUADRANTS** **The Arena** These are the traits or descriptions that one sees in the self similar to that perceived by the significant others. Example of this is 'being outgoing and sociable. This is also known as "the public self" as it is evident to the self and to others. **Facade** These are traits that are known to the self but not to the significant others. An example includes 'being emotional and sensitive despite being a man.' This quadrant is also known to be the "hidden quadrant" as it covers those that we desire not to expose to others. **Blind Spot** This includes traits that the subject is unaware of but the significant others claim to be possessed by the subject. This quadrant covers those that others perceive to characterize the subject such as 'being down to earth and soft-spoken." **Unknown** This quadrant covers traits that both parties do not recognize and consider as comprising the subject's traits. This is a mystery that waits to unfold in the proper time. Such ideally means that there is still much that needs to be discovered in the Individual self as we through the process of discovering our unique identity. INTRODUCTION Philosophy has always sought to answer life's difficult questions and has relentlessly pursued answers to these no matter how seemingly futile the quest may be. This chapter will discuss selected philosopher's answer to the question "WHO AM I?" This question may be one of the most difficult to answer and has garnered attention right from the start of man's self-reflection. But no matter how difficult it is, we cannot just ignore the question and leave it unanswered. What we do and our reaction to the world has a lot to do with how we see ourselves. In an age where the pursuit of one's happiness and celebrating one's identity seem to be at the forefront, that question still has no easy answer. Just what exactly are we? What do we mean by the "SELF?" Are we souls, organic bodies or merely a figment of another's imagination? Are we just minds or a combination of body and mind? Will I survive bodily death because I am more than a body or when my body is dead, that's really the end? Or maybe, I am actually a robot, controlled by some entity? The philosophical quest is aimed at unraveling who a man is and his nature by looking, not just on the everyday goals of man, but to determine what ultimately is man, his goals and his essence. **THE SELF ACCORDING TO ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS** 1. **SOCRATES** \+ He believed that the self exists in two parts: **BODY and SOUL**. One part is the physical, tangible and mortal aspect of us that can be constantly changing. The second part is the soul, which he believed to be Immortal. Socrates believed that when we are alive, our body and soul are attached, therefore making both parts of our "SELF" present in the **physical realm**. When we die however, our body stays in the physical realm while our soul travels to the **Ideal realm**, thus making our soul immortal The true self is not to be identified with what we own, with our social status, with our reputation, or even with our body. Instead, **Socrates maintained that OUR TRUE SELF IS OUR SOUL.** **"Ignorance is the beginning of wisdom" and for his advice, "Know thyself."** It is accepting our ignorance that prods us to know ourselves, our power and limitations. To know ourselves means to acquire true knowledge of ourselves, which is practical knowledge. It is knowledge gained merely for the sake of knowledge but knowledge used to improve ourselves by capitalizing our powers to fight our limitations. Knowing ourselves does not only mean that we come to know that we are men/women. **It is knowing what kind of men/women we are.** **The unexamined life (self) is not worth living."** Self-knowledge or the examination of one's self, as well as the question about how one ought to live one's life, are very Important concerns because only by knowing yourself you can hope to improve yourself. He believed that you as a person should consciously contemplate, turn your gaze in ward, and analyze the true nature and values that are guiding your life. 2. **PLATO** **"The self is an immortal soul in a mortal perishable body."** **The three parts of soul according to Plato:** 1. **Appetitive (sensual)** ✔️ The element that enjoys sensual experiences, such as food, drink and others 2. **Rational (reasoning)** ✔The element that forbids the person to enjoy the sensual experiences; the part that loves truth, hence, should rule over the other parts of the soul through the use of reason 3. **Spirited (feeling)** ✔The element that is Inclined toward reason but understands the demands of passion; the part that loves honor and victory. **"The self/soul/mind according to him is the aspect of the human beings by which the FORMS (Ideas) are known. For Plato, the Forms are in the mind/self/soul that they are already Installed or naturally Implanted."** **"The soul is the giver of life to the body, the permanent, changeless and divine element as opposed to the changing, transitory and perishable body.** "This makes the self "a soul using the body." The body is just a shell of the soul.\" **Our life is a continuous ascent towards the world of ideas."** Our life's journey is a continuous striving to free our soul from its imprisonment in the body. 4. **ARISTOTLE** \+ The self is composed of the following: 1. BODY and SOUL 2. MIND and MATTER 3. SENSE and INTELLECT 4. PASSION and REASON **"REASON is SUPREME in a human person and so should govern all of life's activities.** When the senses, the lower nature of a human person, dominate a person's life, he/she tends to live a chaotic life. When the reason rules over the senses, mind over matter, the human person tends to live a happy life. **"Human happiness comes from the harmonious development of the whole self."** "Perfection and happiness come from wisdom and virtue." Wisdom is true knowledge and virtue is doing what is best for you that which leads you to the attainment of your own perfection and happiness. **+ The Theory of the GOLDEN MEAN:** The Golden Mean means moderation; avoid the extremes; avoid too much or too little. **Living a life of moderation is doing things in consonance with reason.**