The Self: UTS Notes PDF

UTS NOTES **THE SELF**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. The 'self' is thinking and a feeling within 'us,' and within 'ourselves.'...

UTS NOTES **THE SELF**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. The 'self' is thinking and a feeling within 'us,' and within 'ourselves.' **Self-awareness**- is your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. (Cherry,2024) **Types of self-awareness** -**Public awareness**- This type emerges when people are aware of how they appear to others. -adhere to social norms. **Private Self-Awareness**- This type happens when people become aware of some aspects of themselves, but only in a private way. **Importance of Self-awareness** -It allows you to self-reflect -It helps you to be aware how you interact with people around you. -It helps you understand your tendencies and abilities. -It helps you to manage your behavior and adapt to the situations. **Consciousness** is the individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. Essentially, your consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you. (Cherry,2023) **Function of Consciousness** process information, choose our actions, set priorities, learn and adapt to new information, make decisions **identity** - identity is a set of physical, mental, emotional, social, and interpersonal characteristics that are unique to you gives you your sense of self. It is a set of traits that distinguishes you from other people, because while you might have some things in common with others, no one else has the exact same combination of traits as you. **What Makes Up a Person\'s Identity?** -Physical appearance -Emotional traits -Education -Profession -Life experiences -Genetics -Peer group -Religion -Gender- is socially constructed and one\'s innermost concept of themselves as a man, woman, and/or nonbinary person -Sexuality- refers to a person that is attracted to. -Interests -Goals -Values -Beliefs **Self-esteem** is how a person thinks and feels about their own qualities and characteristics. A person who has positive thoughts about their qualities and characteristics has high self-esteem. On the other hand, a person with negative thoughts about their qualities and characteristics has low self-esteem. **Self-concept** is the image we have of ourselves. It is influenced by many forces, including our interaction with the important people in our lives. It is how we perceive our behaviors, abilities, and unique characteristics. For example, beliefs such as \"I am a good friend\" or \"I am a kind person\" are part of an overall self-concept. **What is self?** The totality of the individual, consisting of all characteristic attributes, conscious and unconscious, mental and physical. (APA,2023) **The Self; its Nature and significance** Self-awareness is the ability to understand our own feelings, emotions, thoughts, actions and recognize personal strengths and weaknesses. This helps us better understand why we feel or behave in a certain way as well as understand other people.**THE PROCESS OF DISCOVERING THE SELF** Often, we struggle in our lifetime to search for our 'identity' and our 'core being\'. The search for our true identity is a process of learning, re-learning and unlearning the lessons that we acquire from the teachings of life. **The Johari Window: Getting to Know "The Self"** The Johari Window model was developed by American Psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955 at the University of California Los Angeles. \"Johari\" is a combination of their first two names. This model is based on two ideas- trust may be gained by revealing information about you to others and learning things about you from their feedbacks. **1.Open Self (Arena)** Are information about the person attitudes, behavior, emotions, feelings, skills and views that is known self and known to others. Example: You and your friends know that you are an extrovert who loves to socialize with everyone in the school. **2**. **Blind Self (Blind Spot) This** includes traits or things that you are not aware of but other people can see or understand, and it becomes a barrier to self-awareness. Example: Whenever there is a class recitation, you keep on scratching your arms while speaking. You are not aware of it **3. Hidden Self (Façade)**\ Are traits that are known to the 'self' but not known to others.\ Example: Men are emotionally stable than women. But people do not know how sensitive a man is, only that they do not show their emotions unlike women who easily cries or reacts to circumstances.\ but your classmates told you that it has been your mannerism for a long time now. **4. Unknown Self (Unknown Area)** -The Open Area: ideal for personal development discussions -The Blind Spot: creates an opportunity to seek feedback -The Hidden Area: gives you the opportunity to share, thoughtfully -The Unknown: offers you the opportunity to unlock your potential with fresh challenges **The Self from Various Perspective** **Philosophy**Comes from two Greek words philos which means "love" and sophia which means "wisdom". Therefore, it is known as "philosophia" which means love of wisdom. **SOCRATES** (470-399 BC)- He was a classical Greek philosopher from Athens and is known as the \"Father of Western Philosophy He perceived person as dualistic- soul and body- Soul- that there is imperfect and impermanent aspect of every one of us which is **Physical body** and perfect and permanent which is the **Soul.** **Socrates** is not referring to a religious meaning of the soul but what he meant was the **thinking**. It also considers as the true self or inner being. **Socrates** introduces the Socratic problem also known **Socratic question-** The goal of which was to **"Know Thyself."** Accordingly, there should be a dialogue between the **self** and the **soul.** **One** should **accept** that he **knows nothing** and he knows and accept that he knows nothing as this leads to learning and discovering the truth. Socrates who was greatly known for his Socratic method stated that "An **unexamined life is not worth living."-** to live without knowing who you are and what virtues you can attain is the worst that can happen to a person. **Plato (424-347 BC)** Student of Socrates He is an influential figure in western philosophy and the founder of western spirituality. He **expounded** on the **idea** of the **soul** stating that it has **three** **parts** or **components**. The **appetitive** that involve our pleasurable desires, such as those that provide us with physical pleasure and physiological comfort. The **mind, or rational,** is the conscious awareness that thinks, mediates, weighs choices, and assesses situations in our lives. This side is rational and logical, as it chooses only the best for us. The **spirited**, which denotes the part within us that is agitated most of the time, is highly spirited and motivated to surpass and conquer life challenges. It is the area within us that enjoys triumph, honor, greatness, and affirmation.  In his work **The Republic,** Plato give importance that all three part of the soul must work harmoniously to attain justice and virtue in a person.The **rational soul** must be well- developed and in- charge.The **emotions from Spirited soul** are checked.The **desires of appetitive** must be controlled. **ARISTOTLE** For Aristotle, the body and soul are not two separate elements but are one thing. The soul is simple the form of the body and is not capable of existing without the body. The soul is that which makes a person a person. The soul is the essence of the self. Without the body the soul cannot exist. The soul dies along with the body. **THREE KINDS OF SOUL BY: ARISTOTLEVegetative**- The physical body; allows things to grow.**Sentient**- sensual desire, feelings, and emotions**Rational**- what makes us human; includes intellect that make man know and understand things. It also makes us a Rational animal.- Aristotle suggest that the rational nature of the self can lead to good, flourishing, and fulfilling life. **ST. AUGUSTINE (AD 354-430)**Christian theologian and philosopher Greatly contributed to the progress of Western Christianity through his writings specifically The City of God, on Christian Doctrine and Confessions.Sin as the source of human unhappiness as sin impairs human free will. He also believed in the duality of a person. **TWO PART OF US** **IMPERFECT-** It is connected with the world and yearns to be with divine.**The part of us that is not bound by this world and can therefore attain immortality.-**The imperfection of the body incapacitates it from thriving in the spiritual communion with God, thus it must die for the soul to reach the eternal realm. However, this communion of the soul with God can only be attained if the body lives in this world with virtue.**\ RENE DESCARTES (1596-1650)\ **French Mathematician, Scientist, and Philosopher.**Cogito or the mind**- what make a person a person**Extenza or the body**- extension or machine attached and controlled by mind. He argued that the person should only believe the things that can pass the test of doubt.In his discourse on the **method" and "meditation on First philisophy,"** He concluded that the only thing that a person cannot doubt is the existence of his or her "self". Because even doubt about self proves that there is thinking or doubting self**.** **Cogito ergo sum- I think therefore I am** **-we are a thinking thing that doubts, understand, affirms, denies, wills, refuses; that imagines and perceives.\ JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)** He is an English philosopher, physician, and political theorist. Father of Liberalism.develop the concept of "Tabula Rasa." He pointed onto the theory that at birth, the mind is a blank slate without innate ideas, and it is experience that provides us knowledge provided by sensory experiences and reflections. Thus, the personal identity or the "self" is formed. This "Self" cannot be found in the soul nor the body but in one's consciousness Note: However, that consciousness is not about the brain itself. It is something that goes beyond the brain and thus, Locke, the consciousness and the "self" comes with it can be transferred from one person or body to another. **David Hume** Scotish philosopher and Empericist All concept as well as knowledge come from the senses and experiences There is no self beyond what can be experienced Observable behavior- we do not know others because we have seen or touched their soul but because of what we observe. **Category of experiences** Hume suggest that we categorized these experiences into impressions and ideas 1. Impressions- are real and actual experiences or sensation. Example: feeling rough edge a stone or tasting sweet ice cream 2. Ideas- are copies of impressions or representation of the world and sensation. Example: like love, faith. **IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804)** He was born in Russia was a great contributor in modern western philosophy, metaphysics,ethics, and aesthetic. Rationalist We construct ourself- it is the self It is the self that is actively organizing and synthesizing all our thoughts and perception Internal world- thoughts, feeling External world- events, situation, happening our control -We synthesize both to create our self \- In other word we create our own reality **GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976)** He was a British philosopher who was born in Brighton, England. Ryle was a behaviorist who coined the phrases **"the ghost I the machine.' - "a ghost in the machine" refers to a conscious mind entering a physical entity.** Observable behavior- we should focus what is observable behavior in defining self. Ryle sees the self as an entirely of thoughts, emotion, and action of a person that relate to observable behavior. **PAUL MONTGOMERY CHURCHLAND (1942)**\ A modern-day philosopher from Vancouver, Canada whose studies greatly focuses on the workings of the brain. He argued that 'nothing but matter exists' which is also known as materialism. The self is the brain- it is the brain that give us the sense of self