The Self From Various Perspectives PDF

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES  Socrates affirms, and also claimed by Plato in his dialogues, that “the unexamined life is not wort...

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES  Socrates affirms, and also claimed by Plato in his dialogues, that “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Thus, one can gain a better LESSON 1: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES perspective and understanding of herself/himself ON THE SELF through constant examination and self- realization. What Philosophy says about the Self ?  Socrates thought that this is the worst that can  SELF – it is defined to as ―a unified being, happen to anyone. To live but die inside. essentially connected to consciousness, (Alata, et.al, 2018) awareness, and agency (or, at least, with the  Every man is composed of body and soul. faculty of rational choice). DUALISTIC. This means all individuals have an  SELF – refers to the conditions of identity that imperfect, impermanent aspect which is the make the individual distinct from all others. body.  Soul : perfect and permanent The SELF is always unique and has its own  Further, He believes MAN/SELF is soul. identity and One cannot be another person.  His entire teachings to his students centered on his conviction that we are SOULS; meaning, that IDENTITY – ―BEING‖ anything that exists. man is not the body but the psyche. PERSON – human or individual; personality of a  He also believe that the beauty and goodness of human being. the soul should determined by usefulness and function rather than appearance. PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF  For appearance of the body is less important than how it functions. Because true beauty is inner beauty which is the character and spirit. PLATO  A student of Socrates, also studied and explained thoroughly what is the true essence of self, which is then founded by his mentor.  Plato suggested that the ―self is fundamentally an intellectual entity whose nature exists independent from physical world.‖  Plato believed that the best way to live and attain happiness and social stability SOCRATES is to use one’s sense of reason systematically and to understand the  Greek philosophy was started by Socrates, with nature of humans. his aphorism/principle of ―know thyself,‖ which  According to him, knowledge of the self is also inscribed in the temple of Apollo at and its nature means knowing one’s Delphi. mental state  Socrates believed that the real self is not the physical body, but rather the psyche, or the soul. PLATO’S VIEW OF DUALISM KNOW YOURSELF  Dualism as it was introduced by Plato is a theory that there are two kinds of  Unlike the Pre-Socratics, Socrates was more substances: physical substance and concerned with the problem of the self. mental substance.  The very first philosopher who question about  Physical substance means something the self. that is material which represent our  According to him ―most men were really not fully body. aware of who they were and the virtues that they  The mental or immaterial substance, in were supposed to attain in order to preserve human being, is called self or soul their souls for the afterlife.” (Crivellato & Ribatti, 2007 ).  Socrates believes that to understand the SELF is to “know thyself”, which he aimed to achieve DUALIST PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN by examining himself. Plato’s dualist perspective of humans  His method involved having conversations with a maintains the co-existence of the immaterial partner, a practice which he highly valued and mind and the material mind body. believed to be the greatest good of life.  He stressed the importance of becoming a He believed that the soul precedes birth and better person, which is accomplished by being succeeds death. Thus, it is the soul or mind persistent and giving attention to human lives. that attains knowledge, not the senses.  He further emphasized the social aspect of CHARIOT ANALOGY human nature.  Plato believed that genuine happiness can only Humans are not self-sufficient; they need be achieved by people who consistently make other people and benefit from social interactions. sure that their Reason is in control of their Spirits and Appetites. SOCRATES AND PLATO - THE SOUL IS IMMORTAL  This harmonious integration under the control of Reason is the essence of Plato’s concept of - Socrates believed that the soul is in fact justice, both at the individual level and at the immortal and if one wants to become free of social and political level as well. pain their way to do is so to exempt themselves from the physical pleasures of the world.  The chariot analogy. Plato says, “We will liken - Socrates thought of the body and soul, in saying the soul to the composite nature of a pair of that when the body dies and decomposes our winged horses and a charioteer.” soul will continue to exist in another world.  One horse represents Passion, the other - Plato believes that the soul is immortal it was Appetite, and the charioteer who tries to control in existence before the body and it continues to them is Reason. exist when the body dies.  Plato believed that the human person’s soul - Plato was a dualist and so believes that when become just and virtuous when the spirited and the material body dies the soul lives on. appetitive part are kept at bay. - Plato believed that we are dual creatures, the TWO LENS OF PHILOSOPHY OF SELF IN GREEK soul is distinct from the body and vice versa. TIMES: THE TRIPARTITE SOUL Rationalism – explains self from the standpoint of what is ideal and true, and what not is rooted with senses. According to Plato’s theory, your soul consists of three parts: the logical, the spirited, and  The primary and most superior of knowledge the appetitive. about reality is reason. The logical part, which includes reason, should  Sense experience is an unreliable and ideally govern the soul with wisdom, striving for inadequate route to knowledge. truth and the good in life.  The fundamental truths about the world can be The spirited part involves your emotions and known a priori: either innate or self-evident to desires, which must align with reason to ensure our minds. a virtuous character. Empiricism – according to it, there is no such thing Lastly, the appetitive aspect drives the basic as innate knowledge; all knowledge are derived needs and desires, and it needs to be regulated from experience – through five senses or what is by reason to support a balanced life. perceived by our brain. PLATO - The Ideal Self, the Perfect Self. The only source of genuine knowledge about the world is sense experience.  According to him, man was omniscient or all knowing before he came to be born. Reason is unreliable and inadequate route to  He supported Socrates’ idea of dualism knowledge unless it is grounded in the solid (body and soul). bedrock of sense experience. He espoused that soul is composed of three There is no such thing as innate knowledge components: because knowledge is derived from experience. The mind before experience is a tabula rasa, a  The Rational Soul- forged by reason and blank slate. intellect that govern the affairs of human person. (situated in the head) SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO  The Spirited Soul- in charge of our Man is rational substance constituted of soul & emotions (found in the heart) body.  The Appetitive Soul- Is our desires (eating, drinking, sleeping, sex) (located in ST. AUGUSTINE the abdomen)  Plato emphasizes that justice in the human ▪ Sometimes called “Father of Roman person can be attained if the three Catholicism” components work harmoniously with one ▪ Considered patron saints of theologians and another. those with “sore eyes”  ▪ Saint Augustine’s belief of the immortality of the You doubt the accuracy of ideas presented to soul is based on Christian teachings. you. ▪ He follows the idea that God encompasses us You affirm the truth of a statement made about all, that everything will be better if we are with you. God. You deny an accusation that someone has What is the "self" according to Augustine? made.  Augustine's sense of self is his relation to You will yourself to complete a task you have God, both in his recognition of God's love begun. and his response to it—achieved through self-presentation, then self-realization.  But in addition to engaging in all of these mental  Augustine believed one could not achieve operations—and many other besides your self- inner peace without finding God's love. identity is dependent on the fact that you are capable of being aware you are engaging in St. Thomas Aquinas these mental operations while you are engaged in them. Aquinas begins his theory of self-knowledge  If you were consistently not conscious of your from the claim that all our self-knowledge is mental operations, consistently unaware of your dependent on our experience of the world thinking, reasoning, and perceiving processes, around us. then it would not be possible for you to have a self-identity, a unique essence, a you. Aquinas argues, our awareness of ourselves is  Descartes believes that your physical body is triggered and shaped by our experiences of secondary to your personal identity. One reason objects in our environment. for this is that he believes you can conceive of STS. AUGUSTINE AND THOMAS AQUINAS yourself existing independently of your body.  LOVE AND JUSTICE AS THE FOUNDATION You refuse to follow a command that you OF THE INDIVIDUAL SELF consider to be unethical. St. Augustine strongly believe that a virtuous life is dynamism of life. You imagine a fulfilling career for yourself. Loving God means loving one’s You feel passionate emotions toward another fellowmen; doing no harm to another. person. Golden principle of justice: Doing unto others as you would have them unto JOHN LOCKE you.  The Self Is Consciousness RENE DESCARTES  John Locke believed that personal identity is founded on consciousness and not on the Modern Perspective on the Self substance of either the soul or the body.  The self is a thinking thing distinct from the John Locke: The Self is Consciousness body.  “I THINK , THEREFORE I AM” The self exist because of memory. Personal  Father of modern philosophy Identity is made possible by self-consciousness  Descartes states that the self is a thinking of a person, not their body or soul. being, his famous principle “Cogito, ergo sum” A person is a thinking intelligent being that has meaning ―I think, therefore I am”. reason & reflection & consider itself as itself, the  He believed that self is distinct entity from the same thing thinking in different times & places. body.  That the mind and body are independent from PERSONAL IDENTITY each other, they have their functions and man must use his own mind and thinking abilities to  He refer PI (the self), and can be found on the investigate, analyze, experiment and develop consciousness (memory), wherein memory is himself. (Brawner and Arcega, 2018) necessary condition for personal identity.  He emphasized from his writings the importance For Descartes, then, this is the essence of your self— and consequences of one’s impressions during you are a ―thinking thing,‖ a dynamic identity that their childhood. engages in all of those mental operations we associate  He believed that the ideas formed during one’s with being a human self. For example: youth are more important than those formed in later years because they form the person’s You understand situations in which you find foundation of self. yourself. DAVID HUME concepts completely (such as free will, rational agency, God, good and bad, etc).  There Is No Self  It is founded on his view of rationality as  It is an illusion created by our unfounded trust in the ultimate good, and his belief that all people cause and effect. are fundamentally rational beings.  Our consciousness is constantly changing.  Emphasized the theory on “Categorical  There is no self which remains the same. Imperative” which states that one should act only in such a way that you would want your THE SELF IS THE BUNDLE THEORY OF MIND actions to become a universal law, applicable to everyone in a similar situation.  To Hume, man has no clear and intelligible idea  He asserted that each person is his own moral of the self. agent, and we should only be responsible for our  the self is just the thing to which all perceptions own actions, not those of others. of the man is ascribed. Man’s perception varies.  Hume asserts that what we call the “self” is GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976) really just a bundle or collection of different perceptions.  The Self Is How You Behave (“I act therefore I am”)  Ryle was one of the most prominent philosopher during the 20th century.  He believed that human sense of self comes from human behaviors, and not from the mind which does not exist.  People behave and act differently, giving them their specific sense of self. The body, chemicals, and electric impulses are the causes of one’s actions and behavior.  For example, if a person thinks they are smart, it is beacuse they act smartly.  He characterized the mind as a set of capacities and abilities belonging to the body, thus, the workings of the mind are not distinct from the actions of the body, but are one and the same. IMMANUEL KANT  He claimed that mental vocabulary is merely a different way of describing action, and that a  We Construct the Self person's motives are defined by that  It’s our self that makes experiencing an person's dispositions to act in certain intelligible world possible because it’s the self situations. that is responsible for synthesizing the discreet  He concluded that adequate descriptions data of sense experience into a meaningful of human behaviour need never refer to whole. anything but the operations of human bodies.  Metaphorically, our self is the weaver who, using the loom of the mind, weaves together the fabric PAUL CHURCHLAND (1942 - PRESENT) AND of experience into a unified whole so that it PATRICIA CHURCHLAND becomes my experience, my world, my universe.  ―The Brain is the SELF‖  Without our self to perform this synthesizing  Everyday mental concepts such as beliefs, function, our experience would be unknowable, feelings, and desires, which are viewed as a chaotic collection of sensations without theoretical constructs without coherent definition coherence or significance. is destined to be obviated/prevented by a scientific understanding of human nature. RESPECT FOR SELF  Holds that ―beliefs‖ are not ontologically real; that is, he maintains that a future, fully  Man is the only creature who governs and matured neuroscience is likely to have no need directs himself and his actions, who sets his for "beliefs―. purpose and attains his goals. Man should not  Hypothesizes that consciousness might be be treated merely as means. explained in terms of a recurrent neural  A person should not be treated as tool, network with its hub in the intralaminar instrument. That persons are gift with the basic nucleus of the thalamus, and feedback rights and should be treated as equals. connections to all parts of the cortex.  Believed that, intellectually, humans are incapable of knowing ultimate reality. there was still room in his system for other MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY (1908 –1961) Develop his own concept of radical reflection, the attempt to return to, and reflect on, prereflective consciousness. Self is explained by “Ecophenomenology ‖ OR the pursuit of the relationalities of worldly engagement, both human and those of other creatures. This engagement is situated in a kind of middle ground of relationality, a space that is neither purely objective, because it is reciprocally  Aristotle was an empiricist, deriving views of the constituted by a diversity of lived experiences self from physical and scientific underpinnings. motivating the movements of countless organisms, nor purely subjective, because it is Three Great “Golden Age” Greek Philosophers nonetheless a field of material relationships 1. Plato between bodies. 2. Socrates It is governed exclusively neither by causality, 3. Aristotle nor by intentionality. In this space of in- betweenness phenomenology can overcome its inaugural opposition to naturalism. St. Augustine incorporated the views of Plato to his religious philosophy. St. Augustine incorporated the views of Plato to his religious philosophy. Socrates and Plato have explained the self from a theoretical and logical orientation.  LESSON 2: THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE SELF What is Sociology?  Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior  In the realm of sociology, the self interacts with the social world. Initially, the self is self- absorbed and is just concerned with its own. George Mead's Social Self  Sociologist George Herbert Mead argued that the self is not biological but social. Self is something that is developed through social interaction. The self is developed as one grows and ages.  He illustrated the development of self in the case of Genie, a girl who was confined in a room until she reached the age of 13. She was found when she was already 13 years old; she did not know how to walk and speak.  According to Mead, she had no development of the self. Even though her body developed normally according to her age, she had not developed her "self" because of her isolation from the world. Mead explained that self has two parts:(1) self- awareness and (2) self-image.  He proposed the idea that the self develops through social interaction; that social interaction involves the exchange of symbols and that understanding of symbols involves being able to take the role of another.  It can only succeed by the existence of common symbols, but actually accomplished through the process of role playing.  The idea of self can only be developed if the individual can get outside in such a way that he or she can become an object to oneself.  Therefore, the development of the concept of "self" lies in the ability "to wear other people's shoes." For Mead, self is not inborn. Babies cannot interpret Remember that the mentioned Philosophers the meaning of other people's behavior. It is usually view the self from different standpoints. It must learned during childhood which comes in three be noted that in studying the theories about self, stages of development. one should take into account the philosophers’ orientation and historical background. 1. imitation or the preparatory stage Many other scholars study and explain the self 2. play stage through their ideas. 3. game stage  the child must be aware of his or her relationship to other people and place himself or herself in their roles in order to appreciate his or her particular role in the game. "I" and "Me" Self - The concept of looking-glass self provides an idea on how the self develops in relation to the perception of  For Mead, all humans experience internal others. conversation. This conversation involves the I and me, which he called Phases of self. - It should serve only as a guide for reflection and should not be taken to end up living in accordance with other  For him, self is essentially a social process people's expectations. going on between the I and me. Private Self, Public Self, and Collective Self  The “I” is the phase of the self that is unsocialized and spontaneous.  Private self, or individual self, is the cognition that involves traits, states, and behaviors. It is an  It is the subjective part of the self. assessment of the self by the self.  Public self is the cognition concerning the  The “Me”, on the contrary, is the self that results generalized other's view of the self. It from the progressive stages of role playing or corresponds to an assessment of the self by the role-taking and the perspective one assumes to generalized other. view and analyze one's own behaviors.  Collective self is the cognition concerning a Generalized Others view of the self that is found in memberships in social groups (e.g., family, co- workers, tribe,  One of Mead's best known concepts is the professional organizations). generalized other. SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY  He described it as an organized community or  Social Identity Theory, developed by Henri social group which gives to the individual his or Tajfel, explains how group membership her unity of self. influences self-esteem and identity. It divides the Charles Horton Cooley's looking g-glass self social world into "us" (the in-group) and "them" (the out-group).  The looking-glass self is a social psychological  In-groups are those to which individuals belong concept introduced by Charles Horton Cooley. and feel loyalty, while out-groups are those  In this view, the self is developed as a result of they do not belong to and often view with one's perceptions of other people's opinions. hostility. To boost their self-image, people may  It is a social construction as well as a personal discriminate against out-groups. reality for it shows how others influence the image people have of themselves. Tajfel and Turner (1986) identified three key  The self, which is essentially an individual's processes in this dynamic: awareness of one's social or personal identity is,  Social Categorization: Classifying people for Cooley, a social development (Leano & into categories to understand the social Corpuz, 2012). environment, such as by religion or The self is built through social interaction which economic status. involves three steps:  Social Identification: Adopting the identity and behaviors associated with the  people imagine how they must appear to others categorized group.  they imagine the judgment on that appearance  Social Comparison: Comparing one's in-  they develop themselves through the judgment group with out-groups, which can lead to of others. discrimination and prejudice against those not in the in-group. - People imagine not only how others see them and their actions but also how others judge what they see, Postmodern View of the Self whether with approval, doubt, or hostility.  Postmodernism is not a philosophy but more - In conclusion, the looking-glass self is made up of of a report on the mindset of westem culture in feelings about other people's judgments of one's the latter half of the 20th century. behavior.  In the postmodern world, you just do not get to be a single and consistent somebody. - The self consists of a composite of the person's more  The self is socially constructed and defined by or less accurate assessments of other people's the norms, values, languages, arts, and culture judgment. of society.  Michael Foucault (French Philosopher)- the - For Cooley, this social self is the central element of self is also seen as a product of modern society. He wrote, "the imaginations which people discourse that is socially and historically have of one another are the solid facts of society.“ conditioned.  Wade, 1999- In traditional society, a person's status is determined by his or her role; in  modern society, by his or her achievement; and interaction, lack of attention to power dynamics, in postmodern society, by fashion or style. As and oversimplification of social life. style and fashion change, a person adapts to these changes or is left with Identity in question.  Despite these criticisms, "The Presentation of All that matter is now. Self in Everyday Life" remains a crucial text for understanding the complexities of social  The postmodem social condition is interaction and how individuals navigate the dominated by two realities: social world. 1. the rise of new media technologies KENNETH GERGEN 2. the dominance of consumerism.  a prominent social psychologist, introduced the 4 basic postmodernist ideas about the self, which concept of the saturated self in his book The address the issues of change and multiple identities Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in (Anderson, 1997): Contemporary Life (1991). 1. Multiphrenia refers to the many different voices  This idea revolves around the impact of modern speaking about "who we are and what we are. An technology and communication on our sense of Individual plays so many roles. self and identity. 2. Protean refers to a self-capable of changing THE SATURATED SELF: constantly to fit the present conditions. This is a self manifestation that people do not have a true stable self.  The "saturated self" refers to the phenomenon 3. De-centered refers to the belief that there is no self at where an individual’s identity becomes all. The self is constantly being redefined or constantly fragmented and multifaceted due to the undergoing change. We are what we are described to overwhelming number of social roles, be. relationships, and influences they encounter, especially in a modern, interconnected society. 4. Self-in-relation means that humans do not live their lives in isolation but in relation to people and to certain  With the advent of technology, social media, and cultural contexts. The person has no center, it is being global communication, people are constantly defined externally by his or her various relations with exposed to diverse perspectives, expectations, other people. and cultures. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life  This results in a sense of being "saturated" with multiple identities, as the individual is  published in 1959, is a seminal work in sociology continuously shaped by various and often by Erving Goffman. conflicting social forces.  It explores how individuals present themselves to others in social interactions, emphasizing the THE MULTIPLICITOUS SELF: performative nature of social life.  Closely related to the idea of the saturated  Goffman's dramaturgical perspective views self is the concept of the "multiplicitous self." social life as a stage where individuals constantly engage in impression management,  This notion suggests that individuals no longer carefully crafting their public persona. have a single, unified identity, but rather  This involves manipulating appearance, manner, possess multiple selves that are activated in and setting to control how others perceive them. different contexts.  Goffman's concept of "face-work" emphasizes  For example, a person may have one identity in the actions we take to maintain our desired their professional life, another in their personal image and avoid embarrassment. life, and yet another in their online presence. These selves may not always align, leading to  This includes "saving face" by protecting our internal conflicts or a sense of disorientation. reputation and "giving face" by showing respect to others.  He also explores the concept of stigma, where individuals with undesirable characteristics face social exclusion and discrimination.  Goffman's work has had a profound impact on fields like sociology, communication studies, marketing, and psychology.  However, it has also faced criticism for its overemphasis on the performative nature of