THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

SOCRATES • Doubts the existence of his own

• Socrates was concerned with the physical body.
problem of the self. • Hyperbolical doubt
• Dualistic – every man is composed
of body and soul. JOHN LOCKE
• “an unexamined life is not worth • Our identity is not locked in the
living.” mind, soul or body only.
• “one thing only I know, and that is • He included the concept of person’s
that I know nothing.” memory.
SOCRATES • Identity is explained in terms of
• There is a soul before the body, psychological connection between life
existing in the realm of ideas. stages.
• Once the soul comes into the • Tabula rasa
material world, he forgot everything.
• This knowledge is brought out by DAVID HUME
Socratic approach. • “All knowledge is derived from
human senses”
PLATO • Influenced by empiricism
• Founded the Academy; considered • Bundle Theory – collection of
as prototype of today’s universities impressions
• Dichotomy between ideal (World of • Impressions – vivid; products of
Forms) and material world. direct experience.
• Three components of the soul: • Ideas – copies of impressions;
rational soul, spirited soul, appetitive imagination
soul.
SIGMUND FREUD
ST. AUGUSTINE • “The ego is not master in its own
• Man is of a bifurcated nature. house.”
• Two aspects: (1) Imperfect (earthly), • Man is governed by 2 drives: Eros
and (2) capable of reaching and Thanatos
immortality. • Three provinces of the mind: id, ego,
• Goal of the person: To attain superego.
communion with the divine FREUD’S VIEW OF THE HUMAN
• The world of materials is not our MIND: THE MENTAL ICEBERG
home final home temporary one.
• The real world is the one where God GILBERT RYLE
is. • Denies the existence of internal,
non-physical self.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS • The self is NOT an entity one can
Man is composed of matter and form. locate. It is a name we use to refer to
Matter (hyle) – common stuff that all behavior.
makes up everything.
Form (morpe) – essence of the living. MERLEAU – PONTY
• Denies the dualistic ideas.
RENE DESCARTES • The mind and the body cannot be
• “I think, Therefore I Am.” separated.
• Father of Modern Philosophy
SOCIOLOGICAL SELF 3. Who are you as a person in the
community?
“Not only the self is entwined in
society; it owes society its Self - product of among society
existence in the most literal - We consider not only how it affect
sense.” us but how the person affects the
- Theodor Adorno society
- the development of a person is
important based on our norms,
The self will not survive without
beliefs, values
society
-understanding group of people and
how do these groups understand the Sociology posits that socially
people as well formed norms, beliefs, and values
-tho it doesn’t happen all the time like come to exist within the person,
the absence of someone’s parent all of thus, developing the person
us belong to the society that we identity.
belong -we are influence by the
society, belong to the culture we are Some Filipino Values according
exposed to Sikolohiyang Pilipino
-we anchored our definition of
ourselves from the outside
-we define ourselves by looking
 Hiya
outside, by considering outside’s Hiya - can be negative and
concern positive depend on the situation

 Utang na Loob
KAPWA: Utang ng loob - should not be a
The core value of the Filipino debt of gratitude
according to Filipino psychology  Pakikiramdam
Pakikiramdam - allowing
Kapwa - shared identity; there are ourselves to behave in a
levels of kapwa; the more you manner which help us to
anchored yourself from other people volunteer to their actions;
the more you relate yourself to them awareness to body language
-not related because we don’t know  Pakikisama
them Pakikisama - maintaining good
relationships with others
Two Types of Kapwa:  Kagandahang-loob
Ibang-tao at Hindi Ibang-tao Kagandahang-loob - doing good

The self as a product of Modern  Kapwa o Pakikipagkapwa

Society among other Kapwa o pakikipagkapwa -
constructions regardless we are close or not,
I’m going to offer a help, treat
◦Sociologists are concerned
someone I know or value
about the following questions:
1. How does the society influence
you? Key Characteristics of
2. How do you affect the society? modernity
 A social group is either organic
 Modernization has significantly or rational.
changed society, and this
influences how the individual  Organic – naturally
develops his or her self-identity. occurring and highly
influenced by one’s family;
- Our society modernize and this gives feeling of rootedness;
influences how we develop our implies less freedom and
self-identity depending on our greater conformity.
gender - our definition also
 Rational – made up of
involves which also affect
different people coming from
ourselves
- We cannot call ourselves a different places; formed as a
group if you’re alone -crowd matter of shared self-
differs from a group interest.

• Industrialism – extensive use of Mead and the Social Self

material power and machinery
• Capitalism – competitive product ◦ We learn a lot by watching
markets and labor power other people. Can you also
• Institutions of surveillance – “watch” yourself?
massive increase in power and
reach by institutions ◦ Looking Glass Self
• Dynamism – having vigorous ◦ The self is a product of
activity and progress internalizing the views of other
people.
Social Groups and Social ◦ “How my mom and dad, sisters
Network and brothers see me?”
◦ “How my boyfriend/girlfriend,
 Social group – friends, and other people sees
characterized by having two me?”
or more people interacting
with one another, sharing Developing the Self
similar characteristics, and
whose members identify Three stages of Self-development
themselves as part of the according to Mead:
group. 1. Language – allows us to express
- Group - related with one
ourselves and to comprehend what
another (each need to interact);
other’s express.
groups of people Social,
2. Play – role-playing and
 Social network – ties that
assuming the role of others.
connect you to the social
3. Game – taking into account the
group.
- Network - connection with the societal rules.
members; friendship, blood-
relationship Two Sides of the Self
Mead sees the person as an active
process, not just a reflection of the
Social Groups and Social society.
Network “I” : How the person sees himself
“Me”: How 2. Adaptation – how a child’s
learning process meets the
PSYCHOLOGICAL SELF situational demands.
Goals of Psychological 3. Stages of Cognitive Dev’t –
Perspective reflects the increasing
sophistication of the child thought
Describe – what am I doing?
processes.
Explain – why am I doing this?
Predict – what am I going to do?
Assimilation
Modify – how can I change my
• The application of previous
behavior?
concepts to new concepts.
Psychological “Self” is
Accommodation
concerned with ...
• When existing ideas are
 How individuals develop and
challenged.
mature at different life
stages.
 Concepts such as
consciousness, memory, and
reasoning.
 How the individual and his
environment shape his
personality.
 How we think, behave and
feel in certain situations.
 Mental health and mental
illnesses.
Object Permanence – the ability
 Character strengths, coping,
to realize that objects still exist
happiness and well-being.
when they are not being sensed.
Theory of Cognitive Animistic Thinking – believing
Development that inanimate objects are alive.
Deals with the nature of knowledge Egocentrism – not being capable
itself and how humans come to of seeing things from another
acquire it. person’s perspective.
Jean Piaget observed how Conservation – recognition that
children processed and made when some properties (such as
sense of the world around them shape) of an object change, other
and eventually developed a four- properties (such as volume) remain
stage model of how the mind constant.
processes the information
encountered. Harter’s Self-Development
Concept
Three basic components of
1. Early Childhood – the child
Piaget’s
describes himself in terms of
theory:
concrete, observable
1. Schema – the building blocks of
characteristics, material
knowledge; mental organizations
possessions,
that individuals use to understand
behavior and preferences.
their environments.
2. Middle to later childhood – the tendency or one’s capability to
self is reach his or her highest potential.
described with the use of trait like
 Ideal Self – who or what you
constructs (e.g. shy, behaved,
want to be.
kind, smart).
 Real Self – who you actually
3. Adolescence – emergence of a
are.
more
 Congruence – the alignment
abstract self-definitions such as
of the real self and the ideal
inner thoughts, emotions, attitues
self.
and
 Incongruence – happens
motives.
when there is inconsistency
between the real self and the
4. Emerging adults -
ideal self.
characterized by having a vision of
a “possible self” Gordon Allport and Personality
Traits
William James and the Me-self and  Functional Autonomy –
I-self human motives are
Two sides of the self: functionally independent
 Me-self from the original motive
 I-self responsible for the behavior.
I-self is subjective self that is  Traits – are enduring
aware of its own actions. characteristics that manifest
 A sense of being the agent or itself almost all of the time.
initiator of behavior.
 A sense of being unique.
 A sense of continuity. Eric Berne’s Ago States
 A sense of awareness  Parent ego state – the voice
Me-self is the self that is an of authority.
object or the self you can
describe.  Adult ego state – the rational
Three Dimensions: system.
1. Material – physical appearance
2. Social – social skills  Child ego state – can be
3. Spiritual – personality, spontaneous but can also be
character, defining values. impulsive.
Winnicott’s True vs. False Self
Carl Rogers and Humanistic TRUE SELF:
Psychology • Emerges if the mother is
Humanism emphasized the active responsive to the needs of the
role child.
of the individual in shaping their • Creative, spontaneous and real.
internal and their external worlds. FALSE SELF:
Rogers believed that the person • A product of early experiences; a
is an active being who lives in defensive organization formed
the present. because of inadequate parenting.
Rogers coined the term actualizing • The self that is obedient to
parent’s wishes and demands.
• The healthy false self is still
connected to the true self.
• The unhealthy false self makes
one continually adjust his behavior
to fit in.