REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

College of Social Sciences and Development
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Understanding the Self

Lesson 1: Philosophical perspectives

Philosophy- Study of acquiring knowledge through rational thinking and inquiries that
involves answering questions regarding the nature and existence of man and the
world we live in.

 Socrates
-Greek Philosopher
-First (1st) philosopher who engaged in a systematic questioning about the self. For
Socrates, it is ridiculous to investigate unimportant things when he has not known
himself yet.

 Plato
-Student of Socrates
-Knowing thyself
-Father of Academy

 Souls is Divided in 3 different parts:

1. Rational(Future)
-drive of our lives
-the concious mind
-critical thinking and planning
-controlling the outcome of action
-empathy
2. Spirited
-courageous part of a person
-competitiveness
-emotional intelligence
3. Appetitive
-self desire and satisfaction

 St. Augustine
-Saint and philosopher of the church
-He believed that everything is better if we are devoted to God.
-He emphasize that we may not be able to agree for everything but we have the ability
to emphatize based on our own perception.

 Rene Descartes
-Father of Modern Philosophy
-Believes in modern dualism(foundation of existence: mental and physical)
-Propopent of methodical doubt
-Cogito ergo sum(I think therefore I am)

 John Locke
-English Philosopher and Father of Classical Loberation
-Philosopher of enlightenment
-Tabula Rasa(Blank State)
-Experience and perception establish personality
 David Hume
-Scottish Philosopher
-Empiricism, skepticism and naturalism
-No permanent self as it can be improved or replaced.

 Impression
-basic sensation of our experience, the elemental data of our mind
 Ideas
-copies of impression

 Immanuel Kant
-German philosopher
-Work on empiricism and rationalism
-Consciousness synthesize experiences, impressions and perceptions to build who
we are.
 Transcendental apperception
-essence of consciousness that provides basis for understanding and notions of
oneself

 Sigmund Freud
-Austrian psychologist and physician
-Father of psychoanalysis

 3 Aspects of Personality
1. Id
-the child aspct of a person
-self desir and satisfaction
2. Super Ego
-conscience of one personality
-do what morally right or wrong(based on moral principle)
3. Ego
-mediator between Id and Super ego
-do what is good or right
-limiting self desire

 Level of Consciousness
1. Conscious
-minority of memories are restored and easy to access(short term memory)
2. Pre-consciousness
-need a trigger to acess the memories
3. Unconscious
-deeply stored memories that is difficult to access(mostly childhood memories)
-need trained professional or speacial technique for the memories to resurface.

 Gilbert Ryle
-Behavioristic approach to self
-Self is the behavior presented by the person
-Ghost(mind) in the machine(body)
-Our MIND controls our BODY.

 Patricia Churchland
-Canadian Philosopher
-The brain as the self
-Focused on the philosophy of eleminative materialism
 Maurice Jean Jacques/Merlau-Ponty
-French Philosopher
-Works on exitensialism and phenomenology
-Phenomeonolgy of perception(Unity of the function of mind and the body)
-Body and mind are not seperate entities

 Thomas Aquinas
-most eminent 13th century scholar and stalwart of the medieval philosophy.

 Man is composed of two parts:

1. Matter, or hyle in Greek, refers to the “common stuff that makes up everything in
the universe.”
2. Form, or morphe in Greek refers to the “essence of a substance or thing.”

QUALITIES OF A CRITICAL THINKER:

 Knowledgable
 Open-Minded
 Mentally active
 Curoous
 Independent thinking
 Insightful
 Skillful discussants

Lesson 2:Sociological Perspectives

Sociology is one of the disciplines in the social sciences which aims to

discover the ways by which the social surrounding/environment
influences people's thoughts, feelings and behavior.

-the main focus of understanfing human societies is the need to know

and be aware of social processes.

 George Herbert Mead

-born February 1863 in Massachusetts, USA and died of heart failure in 1931
-In 1887, he enrolled at Harvard University where his main interests were philosophy
and psychology.
-the self cannot be separated from the society

 STAGES OF SELF
1. The Preparatory Stage
-a self did not exist at birth. Instead, the self develops over time.
-children imitates the behaviors of those around them(imitation) and be familiar
with symbols.
-symbols are the bases of communication(verbal or non-verbal).
2. The Play Stage
-understanding other perspectives by means of communication.
-process of mentally assuming the perspective of another person(Role-taking)
3. The Game Stage
-child is about eight or nine years of age.
-childrean awareness of this position in relationship.

 Mead’s Theory of Self

 The self is not present at birth but begins as a central character in a child's world.
 The “I” and “Me”
1. I-self
When the person initiates or performs a social action, the self functions as a
subject. This subjective element of the self is the I.
2. Me-Self
When the person takes the role of the other, the self functions as an object. The
objective element of the self is the Me.

 Charles Horton Cooley

 American sociologist ang he earned his doctorate at the University of Michigan
 sociopsychological approach

 Human Nature and the Social Order (1902)

-Looking-glass self or the self that is a product of social interaction.

 Three(3) phases in knowing self through interactions

1. People imagine how they present themselves to others.
2. People imagine how others evaluate them.
3. People develop some sort of feeling about themselves as a result of those
impressions.

 Erving Goffman
 a Canadian-American sociologist known for his role in the development of
Modern American Sociology.
 73rd president of the American Sociological Association
 Known for the study of symbolic interaction in society.
-a systematic application of symbolic interaction to everyday life.

Lesson 3: Anthropology

Anthropology is an extensive, holistic study of human being.

SUBFIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY
 Archaeology
– studies material remains in order to describe and explain human behavior.
 Biological Anthropology
- Focuses on humans as biological organisms, and one of its many interests
is human evolution.
-These discoveries made people realize the most important aspect of human
nature – SURVIVAL.
Similar – our goal to survive and continue living
Difference – ways to survive
 Linguistics Anthropology
- Perhaps the most distinctive feature of humanity is the ability to
speak.(Language)
 Cultural Anthropology
-a study how people who share a common cultural system organize and
shape the physical and social world around them.

THE SELF FROM ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

 French Anthropologist Marcel Mauss

 Two Faces of Self:

1. Moi refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body, and his basic identity, his
biological givenness. Moi is a person’s basic identity.
2. Personne, on the other hand, is composed of the social concepts of what it means
to be who he is.

Ecological Theory
 Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory - development reflects the influence of
several environmental systems.

 Bioecological Systems Theory

1. Microsystem- it refers to the institutions and social groups that the individual has
direct contact and interactions such as family, peers or religious institutions.
2. Mesosystem-it refers to the interconnections among aspects of the microsystems
affecting the individual such as PTA associations.
3. Exosystem- it refers to the social setting that an individual has no direct interaction
with but nevertheless affects his or her development.
4. Macrosystem- encompasses the larger cultural context in which the individual
resides in.
5. Chronosystem- it focuses on patterns of environmental events.(Chronological)

What is Culture?
 Edward Tylor (1871)
-culture is the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, law, art , moral,
custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

 Clifford Gleetz
-a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which
men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes
towards life.

Theory of Cultural Determinism

-THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL or RIGHT WAY OF BEING HUMAN; the right way is
always based on ONE’S CULTURE.

 Implications of Cultural Determinism

 Positive
there is no limit placed on the human ability to be or to do whatever they set
their minds and hearts into
 Negative
May mean that people have no control over what they learn (they blindly
accept the learning their cultures expose them to).

 Ways which culture may manifest itself in people:

1. Symbols-words, gestures, pictures or objects that have a recognized/accepted
meaning in a particular culture.
2. Heroes – are persons from the past or present who have characteristics that are
important in a culture.(can be Fiction or Real)
3. Rituals– are activities (may be religious or social) participated in by a group of
people for the fulfilment of desired objectives.
4. Values – are considered to be the core of every culture. It involves human
tendencies and preferences towards good or bad, right or wrong.

Socio-Cultural View of Knowing Oneself

 Karen Horney
-early childhood experiences, to be largely responsible for the formation of one’s
personality.
 three interaction styles that individuals use to cope.
1. Moving towards people-very dependent on others(compliance)
2. Moving against people – emphasizes hostility and aggression.
3. Moving away from people- highlights isolation.

 Two(2) views of the Self

1. The real self – is a person’s actual and current being, the mix of a person’s
strategies, strivings, strengths, and weaknesses.
2. The ideal self – is an imagined fantasy that promises a sense of positive identity,
thus it is called the “impossible self” .

Lesson 4: Psychology

Psychology is concerned with scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

-It is derived from two Greek words, psyche meaning soul/mind; and logos meaning
study”.

“SELF” is the “sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals (Jhangiani
and Tarry 2014).”

 William James
-one of the earliest psychologist to study the self and conceptualized the self as
having two aspects – the “I” and the “me”

I - is the thinking, acting, feeling self.

 self in action
-Self in process, in the moment
- The impulsive, spontaneous, and indeterminate part of the self
- Non-reflective
-Part of the self that produces individuality the “me”

Me - is the physical characteristics as well psychological capabilities that makes who

you are.
 the self as an object in the world)
- The structured and determinate part of the self
- A product of interaction and conscious reflection
- We know the “I” only through the “me”

 Carl Roger
-the creator of person-centered counseling and one of the founders of humanistic
therapy.
-Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR)
It refers to accepting and supporting another exactly as they are, without
evaluating or judging them.

SELF-SCHEMA
– our organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are. It may also
include our interests, work, course, age, name, and physical characteristics. As you
grow and adapt to the changes around you, self-schema also changes.

Identity- concept of an individual about himself and often referred to as “self-identity”

“Self-identity” - is the belief of what the individuals thinks and feels about him. And can
also be influenced by how others perceive an individual

Self-Concept
-It is how someone thinks about or perceives themselves. “the individual’s belief about
himself or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is."

Roles are also part of his identity.(e.g. birth order in the family, nature of work,
occupation or title, academic and social standing).

Experiences of the Self

 The self-concept includes two different experiences of the self:
1. The existential self
- The concept that you are unique/different from others (Persian poet RUMI
pondered, “Who am I in the midst of all this thought traffic?”), Subjective (I)
2. The Categorical self
- concept (and the concept of others) tends to focus on his or her own visible
characteristic. Objective (ME).

 Self-Concept/Self-Schema Composed of 3 Things:

1. Self-Image (Real Self) – who you are at the moment
2. Ideal Self – who you like to be
3. Ought Self ( Self-Esteem/Self-worth) – who you think you should be.

Self-development is a continuous process throughout the lifespan; one’s sense of

self may change, at least somewhat, throughout one’s life.

Self-representation has important implications for socio-emotional functioning

throughout the lifespan.

Self-actualization refers to the need for personal growth and development

throughout one's life. Also, It is the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
which was developed by psychologist Abraham Maslow.

Social Comparison Theory

-learning about outselves by comparing to other people.

 Types of social comparison:

1. Downward Social Comparison
- is the more common type of social comparison were we create postive self concept
by comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us.
2. Upward Social Comparison
- comparing ourselves with those who are better off than us.

Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory

-we can feel threatened when someone out-performs us, especially when that person
is close to us.

 Possible reactions:
1. We distance ourselves from that person or redefine our relationship with them.
2. Reconsider the importance of the aspect or skill in which you were outperformed.
3. Strengthen or resolve to improve that certain aspect of ourselves.
 CARVER AND SCHEIER (1981)
 2 types of self that we can be aware of:
1. Private
– your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings
2. Public
– public image commonly geared toward having a good presentation of yourself
to others.

Self-consciousness is when self – awareness can be too much that we are

concerned about being observed and criticized by others.

• Looking outside – e.g. seeing other people who are better and dreaming to become
the same.

• Looking inside – reflecting on what the heart desires.

 Sigmund Freud
- Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis
-Psychoanalysis is a method through which an analyst unpacks unconscious conflicts
based on the free associations, dreams and fantasies of the patient

-Freud’s view of human nature is that human beings are biological organisms
motivated by the satisfaction of bodily needs and with motivating forces that drive
behavior. His theory suggests that personality (mind) is composed of the id, the ego,
and the superego.

Multiple Selves Theory

- suggests that there exists in the individual different aspects of the self.
- these parts of the self may manifest themselves when the situations call for it.

Unified being is essentially connected to consciousness, awareness and agency.

True self
- the self is seen as creative, spontaneously experiencing each day of their lives,
appreciating being alive, real, integrated and connected to the whole of existence.

False self
- may be manifested as a form of defense.
- It lacks spontaneity, is dead and empty.
- it is the mask that hides the true person for fear of the pain of rejection and failure.
- usually surface when the person is forced to comply with existing social norms and
standards.
- at times, it enable the person to form superficial but productive social relationships.