PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF Our preoccupation with bodily needs such as food, drink,

pleasure, sex, material possessions and wealth will keep us from

Greek words “philo” (love) and “sophia” (knowledge/wisdom). attaining wisdom
Love for knowledge/wisdom  The goal of life is to be happy. Only by being virtuous can
 Finding answers to serious questions about ourselves and we achieve happiness.
our world:  The virtuous man is a happy man. VIRTUE alone is the one
- what is morally right or wrong? and only supreme good that will secure happiness.
- does God exist?
Virtue is defined as moral excellence, and characteristics such as
- who am I?
courageous, prudent, patient, just (having a sense of justice).
 Finding answers to questions that will bring us closer to
the truth-
“Good actions give strength to ourselves and
inspire good actions in others”
 Answers  Best known for his Theory of Forms that
 Skills: asserted the physical world is not really the
o Critical thinking skills “real world” because the ultimate reality
o Argument skills exists beyond it.
o Communication
 The “soul” is indeed the most divine aspect of the human being.
o Reasoning
 His concept of the divine is not spiritual, but rather intellectual
o Analysis
o Problem Solving and many more
• Appetitive (sensual)- the one that enjoys sensual experiences
o Justify your opinions
such as satisfying the body’s need for food, drink, and pleasure.
o Spot a bad argument
• Rational (reasoning)- reason and intellect; the part that loves
o Explain to people why they are wrong and you are
truth; it forbids the person to enjoy sensual experiences
right, and have the heart to accept when we are
• Spirited (feeling)- inclined towards reason but understand the
wrong
demands of passion; emotion and passion; basic emotions such as
o Teaches us how to think
love, anger, empathy and aggressiveness
The three parts of the soul are in a dynamic and harmonious
PHILOSOPHERS
relationship. However, sometimes they are in conflict. And when this
happens, our Rational soul will sort things out and restore the harmony
Socrates
among the souls. Therefore, genuine happiness can only be achieved if
Plato
people consistently make sure that their Rational soul is in control of their
St. Augustine
appetitive and spirited souls.
“An unexamined life is not worth living”
“All knowledge leads to God”
 The soul is immortal
 Integrated the ideas of Plato and Christianity
 Socratic Method – an idea was
tested by asking a series of  The soul is united with the body so that
questions to determine underlying man may be entire and complete
beliefs and the extent of  Believed that we are created in the
knowledge to guide the person image and likeness of God
toward better understanding  Since we are created in the image and
 Virtue is necessary to attain likeness of God, we are geared towards
happiness good, higher, divine and heavenly matters.
 Only by knowing yourself can you hope to improve your  If we want to know more about ourselves, we should
life know God.
 Your real self is not in your body  Our physical bodies could only sense the material temporal
 Your inner being (soul/self) determines the quality of your objects; God would only be clear or obvious to our mind
life
if we tune into our immaterial self/soul.
 If we are only concerned of the physical world, we are not
• the visible (body) - changing, and is imperfect
different from animals.
• the invisible (mind)- constant and perfect
  If we ignore to use our minds (or the incorrect use of our  Punishing someone for behaviors he/she has no memory
minds), we would lose our possibility to reach real and of doing so is equivalent to punishing him/her for actions
lasting happiness. that was never performed
RATIONALISM VS. EMPERIALISM
“All knowledge is derived from human
- the theory that asserts REASON rather than experience senses”
is the foundation of all knowledge.  Bundle theory- the “self” or person is
a bundle or a collection of different
- the theory that asserts experience (sensory perceptions that are moving in a very
experience) rather than reason is the source of all fast and successive manner.
knowledge.  He did not believe in the existence of
“self”
“I think, therefore I am”  Perceptions are only active for as long as you are
“Cogito ergo sum” conscious. Therefore, if your perceptions is “removed” for
 We are a thinking entity any time (e.g. sleeping) and you can no longer sense
 Methodological skepticism yourself, then you stop existing
(hyperbolical/metaphysical doubt)  Self is a lightbulb that can be switched on or off.
o Being skeptical about the
truth of one’s beliefs in order “Reason is the final authority of morality. Morality is achieved only
to determine which beliefs when there is absence of war because of the result of
could be ascertained as true enlightenment”
 Only one thing we could be sure of in this world, and that  Kant’s view of the “self” is
is everything could be doubted. transcendental, which means the self
 By doubting our existence, then indeed we exist is related to a spiritual or nonphysical
’ realm.
• Constant; it is not prone to change; it is not affected by  The self is not in the body and it does
time not have the qualities of the body
• The immaterial soul remains the same throughout time  It is “knowledge” that bridges the self
• The immaterial soul is the source of our identity and the material things together
• The self/soul (immaterial substance) is bound to the
body and together they form a union, but the soul is still • Inner self (rational reasoning and psychological state)-
distinct from the body. This thinking entity can exist moods, feelings, sensations, pleasure and pain
without the body. • Outer self (body and physical mind)- includes your
senses and the physical world. The outer self, gathers
“Human mind at birth is a tabula rasa, information from the external world through the senses
which means that knowledge is derived which the inner self interprets
from experiences”
 “Self” includes our memories “Wish fulfillment is the road to the
 The self consists of memories; unconscious”
the person existing now is the  His work on psychoanalysis
same person yesterday because explained that psyche is the totality
he/she remembers the thoughts, of the human mind, both conscious
experiences or actions of the earlier self and unconscious.
 Since the person is the same “self” in the passing of time,
he/she can be held accountable for past behaviors
 A person could only be held accountable for behaviors • Conscious- deals with awareness of present
he/she can remember perceptions, feelings, thoughts, memories and fantasies
at any particular moment
 • Pre-conscious/subconscious- “ The physical brain and not the imaginary mind fives us our
data/memories that can readily be brought to sense of self”
consciousness  Nothing but matter exists
• Unconscious- data/memories that is stored but  If something can be heard,
is not readily available to our consciousness touched or tasted, then it
exists
• Id – operates on the pleasure principle. Every wishful  He views the “self/soul” as
impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of non-existent because it
the consequences. cannot be experienced by
• Ego – it operates according to the reality principle. It our senses
works out realistic ways to satisfy the id’s demands. The  The physical brain gives us sense of self
ego considers social realities, norms, etiquette, and rules  “self” is a product of electrochemical signal produced by
• Superego – it incorporates the values and morals the brain
of society. The superego’s function is to control the id’s
impulses. It persuades the ego to choose moralistic goals “Physical body lis an important part of the self”
and to strive for PERFECTION rather than simply  “We are our bodies”
realistic ones.  Our bodies is a primary site of knowing the world
 “self” is an embodied subjectivity
 The body is part of the mind, and the mind is part of
the body
o conscience – If the ego gives in to the id’s  It is through the lived experiences, and interact with the
demands, the superego may make the person feel world
bad through guilt THE SELF FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIOLOGICAL
o ideal self – it is an imaginary picture of how
you ought to be. It represents career aspirations; - Suggest that the socially-created norms, beliefs,
how to treat other people, and how to behave as practices and values come to exist within the person to
a member of society the point that it becomes natural and normal, thus
developing a person’s self-identity (Elwell, 2003)
“I act, therefore I Am” THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF MODERN SOCIETY
 The relation between mind and Modernization has significantly changed society, and this
body are not isolated processes had affected how an individual builds and develops his/her self-
 He rejected the notion that mental identity. Modernization also improved people’s living conditions.
states are separable from physical However, stability has also decreased as traditions and traditional
states support systems (like the family) have decreased in importance.
In modern societies, individualism is dominant, and developing
 Our sensations, thoughts, and
one’s self-identity is central (Giddens, 1991).
feelings do not belong to a mental
world separate from the physical
world INDUSTRIALISM
 He argued that there is no hidden entity or ghost called - The social relations implied in the extensive use of
“soul” inside a machine called the ‘body” material power and machinery in all processes of
 The concept of the distinct “self” is not real. We get our production
sense of self from our behaviors and actions CAPITALISM
 If you think of yourself as a kind person, that’s because - A production system involving both competitive product
of your acts of kindness. markets and the commodification of labor power
 Your actions define your “self” INSTITUTIONS OF SURVEILLANCE
 I act, therefore I am. - The massive increase of power and reach by
institutions, especially in government
DYNAMIISM
 - The most evident characteristic of society; having -
We assume the role of others. Role-playing enables us
vigorous activity and progress; a society full of to internalize other people’s perspectives. Thus, we
possibilities develop an understanding of how other people feel
about themselves
Games
- described as having two or more people interacting - Not only do we internalize other people’s perspectives,
with one another, sharing similar characteristics. but we are also able to take into account the societal
- Example: family, barkada & classmates rules and follow it. The self is developed by
ORGANIC GROUP understanding the rule and one must abide by it in order
- naturally occurring and is highly influenced by your to win the game, or be successful.
family
- you join these groups because your family is also a ’ “” “ ”
part of it in the first place (organic motivation) (mead and james)
- the positive effect of organic groups is rootedness; I
the foundation of this group runs deep thus giving - Represents our drives and impulses
the person a sense of belongingness - It expresses our individualism and creativity
- the downside however is that organic groups imply - The unsocialized and spontaneous
less freedom: you are expected to act and behave ME
according to their standards - Learned behaviors, attitudes, and society’s expectations
RATIONAL GROUP comprise the “me”
- occur in modern societies - It makes sure that rules are not broken
- made up of different people coming from different - The conscious and the careful
places URIE BRONFENBRENNER’S ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY
- rational groups are formed as a matter of shared A person's development was affected by everything in their
self-interests and people join these groups out of surrounding environment.
their own free will (rational motivation) ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY
- rational groups imply greater freedom • Development is the result of the relationships between
- members don’t feel a meaningful connection with people and their environments
the others o Cannot evaluate a child’s development only in the
immediate environment
- refers to the ties or connections that link you to your o Must also examine the interactions among the
social group larger environments that a child develops in
- The connection you have with your family is your blood • Properties of the five layers of relationships
relation; the connection you have with your “barkada” is o Each layer of the environment is complex
your friendship; the connection you have with your o Each layer has an effect on a child’s development
classmates is the common interest to learn. o Conflict within any layer ripples throughout other
layers
THE THEORY OF THE SOCIAL SELF • As a child develops, interaction within environments
becomes more complex
- The self is a product of social interactions and o Complexity is the result of the maturation of a
internalizing other people’s views along with one’s child’s physical and cognitive structures
personal view about oneself. • Five propositions that describe how home and school
- The self is not present at birth, rather it develops over relationships work together for positive development
time through social experiences and activities. o Child must have an ongoing, long-term mutual
interaction with an adult characterized by
Language unconditional love and support
- gives us the capacity to express ourselves and o The child-adult relationship provides the pattern of
comprehend what the other people are conveying interpersonal relationships with all of the child’s other
Play relationships. The confidence from this relationship
 allows a child to explore and grow from other • Most of the child’s behavior is learned in the microsystem.
activities. • The microsystem consists of bi-directional influences
o Interactions with other adults enables the child to o Parents actively shape the development of the child
develop a more positive relationship in the o Children actively shape their environment
primary child-adult relationship. ▪ More nurturing and more supportive
o The primary child-adult relationship improves with interactions and relationships will
repeated two-way interchanges and mutual understandably foster the children’s
compromise. improved development.
o Relationships between child and adults require the
society to support the importance of these roles.
▪ Public policies must provide time and - Interconnections between the microsystems
resources for child-adult relationships to - Examples
be nurtured. o Interactions between the family and teachers
• Instability and unpredictability in modern family life is the o Relationship between the child’s peers and the
most destructive force in child’s development family
o Because of demands within the workplace, children
do not have constant mutual interactions with - Institutions of society that indirectly affect a child’s
important adults that are necessary for Development
development - Examples
o If relationships in the microsystem break down, the o Parent’s workplace
child will not have tools to explore other parts of o Funding for education
the environment
o Children without a strong primary relationship will - Impacts a child’s development by influencing structures
find affirmation in inappropriate places, particularly in in the microsystem
the adolescence years : Cultural context
o Provides the values, beliefs, customs, and laws of the
’ culture in which a child grows up
▪ Microsystem: Relationships with direct contact to ▪ Influences how parents, teachers, and others
the child raise a child
▪ Mesosystem: Connection between relationships of ▪ May be conscious or unconscious
child’s microsystem o Influences the societal values, legislation, and financial
▪ Exosystem: Structures in which the child does not resources provided by a society to help families function
have direct contact o Influences the interactions of all other layers
▪ Macrosystem: Cultural context
▪ Chronosystem: Changes over time - the role of time; environmental events and transitions
that occur throughout a child's life,
o Family structure
o Address
•
o Parents employment status
o Societal changes (sociohistorical events)
o Relationships: Family, school, religious institution,
THE SELF IN MODERN ANTHROPOLOGY & IN CULTURE
neighbors
o Family: Most influential and durable influence on child - is the study of people’s past and present. It is concerned
o Environment: Geographic, Material structures with understanding how humans evolved and how they
o Child’s body differ from one another.
➢ General health - focuses on understanding the human condition in its
➢ Brain functioning – physiological and cultural aspect.
psychological
➢ Emotions
➢ Cognitive System
 - The beliefs, customs, practices, art, ways of life, and skills and values.
behavior of a particular nation or group of people that 2. Collectivist culture
is passed down from generation to generation o Common in East Asian countries. They value the
connections between the individuals and other
CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY people.

- described the as encompassing the “physical - Developmental Psychologist

organism, possessing psychological functioning and - believed that culture can influence how you view
social attributes”. relationships, personality traits, achievement, and
o This definition portrays the Self as implicitly and expressing emotions.
explicitly existing in the mind comprised of THE SELF IN DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
psychological, biological and cultural processes.
- “SELF” is illusory. People construct a series of self- - is the scientific study of how people behave, think, and
representations that are based on selected cultural feel.
concepts of person and selected ‘chains’ of personal - It includes topics such as how the brain works, how your
memory. memory is organized, how people interact in groups,
- *self-presentation is the mental entities that are and how children learn about the world. In fact,
supposed to shape the self. everything that concerns the human being is a concern
- People from all cultures have been observed to be able of psychology.
to rapidly display different self-representations, - will scrutinize all of these processes so that human
depending on the context of the situation, and the beings will understand how it is to be “YOU”.
person is unaware of these shifts, but he/she will still THE SELF AS A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTION
experience wholeness. - ALL the mental processes such as thinking,
- We have different versions of ourselves that we reasoning, or remembering
present depending on the situation.
Self-theorists argue that it is natural for humans to form
theories about themselves, both as a single entity and as a group,
- conceptualized the implicit and explicit aspects of the to make meaning of one’s existence and experience.
self.
EXPLICIT ’
- the aspect of yourself that you are consciously aware
of • Cognitive development is a progressive reorganization
IMPLICIT of mental processes resulting from biological maturation
- the aspect that is not immediately available to the and environmental experience.
consciousness. • Children construct an understanding of the world
- “The self is not static; it is added to and subtracted from around them.
by genetic maturation, learning, forgetting, stress, • Cognitive development is at the center of the human
ageing, and disease”. organism.
- The self is framed, maintained, and affected biologically,
mentally, and socially.  SCHEMAS/SCHEMES – the building blocks of
THE SELF EMBEDDED IN CULTURE knowledge; mental organizations that individuals use to
The Self is culturally shaped and infinitely variable. The understand their environments
principles of how the mind works cannot be conceived of as  ADAPTATION – involves the child’s learning
universal, but that it is as varied as the culture and traditions that
processes to meet situational demands
people practice all over the world.
 STAGES OF DEV’T – the increasing sophistication
of the child’s thought process.
1. Individualistic culture
o Seen mostly in western countries. They represent - Uses both to adjust to his or her environment in an
the self as separate, distinct, with emphasis on increasingly complex manner
internal attributes and traits,
  Assimilation – application of previous concepts thoughts, & feelings
to new concepts
 Accommodation – encountering new • Material- physical appearance, clothing, family, and
information or when existing ideas are challenged home
▪ Correcting the information you learned • Social- social skills and significant interpersonal
relationships
• SENSORIMOTOR ( 0 – 2 ) • Spiritual- personality, character, defining values
o The child learns by doing: looking, touching, ’
sucking. The child also has a primitive ➢ Humans have an innate drive toward self-actualization
understanding of cause-and-effect relationships. and this drives us to reach our full potential.
Object permanence appears around 9 months. ➢ A person is an active, creative, experiencing being who
• PREOPERATIONAL ( 2 – 7 ) lives in the present and who thinks, feels and responds
o The child uses language and symbols, including to his/her environment.
letters and numbers. Egocentrism is evident. ➢ All behavior is motivated by self-actualizing and these
• CONCRETE OPERATIONS ( 7 – 11 ) tendencies drive us to reach our full potential.
o The child demonstrates conservation, ➢ As a result of this constant interaction with the
reversibility, serial ordering and a mature environment and others, we form a structure of the
understanding of cause-effect relationship. self (or self-concept)- an organized fluid, conceptual
• FORMAL OPERATIONS ( 12+ ) pattern of concepts and values related to the self.
o The individual demonstrates abstract thinking ➢ If we hold positive self-concept, we tend to feel good
’ about ourselves and see the world as safe and positive
place. If we have a negative self-concept, we may feel
• EARLY CHILDHOOD- the child describes the “self”
unhappy with ourselves.
in terms of concrete, observable characteristics, such as
physical attributes, material possessions, behaviors, and
preference IDEAL SELF – the person that you would like
• MIDDLE TO LATER CHILDHOOD – the self is to be; “my best me”
described in terms of trait-like constructs that would REAL SELF – the person you actually are
require the type of hierarchical organizational skills ➢ Rogers emphasized the need to achieve consistency
characteristic of logical though development between the ideal self and the real self.
• ADOLESCENCE – the self is now described more ➢ When real self and ideal self are very similar, we
abstractly, such as inner thoughts, emotions, attitudes experience congruence. High congruence leads to a
greater sense of self-worth and a healthy productive life.
and motives.
➢ When real self is not consistent with ideal self, we
• EMERGING ADULTS- the “age of possibilities”
experience incongruence . Incongruence leads to our
o Early emerging adulthood (17-22) – grand
inability to react successfully and satisfactorily to the
dreams
demands of ones’ environment
o Beyond emerging adulthood (28-33) – dreams
with reality in mind
William James said “Properly speaking, a man has many
social selves as there are individuals who recognize him and carry
➢ The father of “American Psychology”.
an image of him in their head”
“ ”
The I-Self is the pure ego. It is the subjective Roy Baumeister said “but the concept of the self loses
self, and the self that is aware of its own actions. its meaning if a person has multiple selves. Unity is one of the
defining features of selfhood”
• A sense of being the agent of behavior
• A sense of being unique ’
• A sense of continuity Every person possesses “traits”. A “trait” is your essential
• A sense of awareness about being aware characteristic that never, ever changes and sticks with you all
The Me-Self is the self that you can describe, such as your your life. It also shapes who you are (how you think, feel, or
physical characteristics, personalities, social role, or relationships behave).
 ’

Every person has three ego states in our personality

and we communicate with people in any of these ego states:
• Parent- the voice of authority
• Adult- the rational person
• Child
o Natural child – sensitive and vulnerable
o Little professor - wants to try everything
o Adaptive child – reacts to the world
’
The human self has three related, but separable
domains.
 Experiential self - the theater of consciousness;
the first to experience its beingness
 Private self-conscious – the narrator or
interpreter. The self that narrates the unfolding of
events and tries to make sense of the experience
 Public self/persona – the image that you
show to the public. This is the self that interacts with
others and will influence how others see you.
’
➢ Imagine that people are like onions. The center of the
onion needs to be protected by layers, and at the
center lies our true self. These layers are our false self.
➢ The “self” is simply “the person who is me”. He said that
the healthy core of a healthy person’s self is hidden from
the outside world, uninfluenced by external harsh
realities. The false self is put up to defend the core from
these realities and prevent it from any changes.
The FALSE SELF is a mask or persona that seeks to anticipate
people’s demands and comply with them as a way of protecting
the true self from the world that is unsafe.
:
HEALTHY
- When a person has false self but can still function both
as an individual and in the society
- makes sure that it is still connected with the true self.
UNHEALTHY
- An individual who may seem happy and comfortable in
his or her environment but actually feels forced to fit in
and constantly needs to adjust his/her behavior.
The TRUE SELF is part of the infant that feels creative,
spontaneous and real. This experience of aliveness is what allows
people to be genuinely close to others and to be creative. based
on “spontaneous authentic experience”; it is an awareness that
bodily functions are working, such as heart pumping, as well as
simply breathing.