LESSON 1

THE PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF THE SELF

Philosophy has always sought to answer life's difficult questions and has relentlessly pursued answers to
these no matter how seemingly futile the quest may be.

✓Just what exactly are we?

✓What do we even mean by the "SELF?"

✓Are we souls, organic bodies or merely a figment of another's imagination?

✓Are we just minds or a combination of body and mind?

✓Will I survive bodily death because I am more than a body or when my body is dead, that's really the
end?

✓Am I actually a robot, controlled by some entity?

What is the Self?

Composed of self perception as defined by their self concept, self knowledge, self esteem and social self.

Some great minds from our history to approach the question, Who am I?

• SOCRATES, PLATO, AUGUSTINE- the self is an Immortal soul that exists over time.

• DESCARTES- the self is a thinking thing distinct from the body.

• JOHN LOCKE- personal identity is made possible by self-consciousness.

• DAVID HUME- there is no "self" only a bundle of constantly changing perceptions passing through the
theater of our minds.

• MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY- the self is embodied subjectivity.

• PAUL CHURCHLAND- the self is the brain. Mental states will be suferseded by brain states.

• GILBERT RYLE- the self is the way people behave.

• SIGMUND FREUD- the self is multi-layered.

• IMMANUEL KANT- the self is a unifying subject, an organizing consciousness that makes intelligible
experience possible.

SOCRATES
✓There is soul first before man's body. Man first exists in the realm of ideas and exists as a soul or pure
mind.
✓ When man came to the material world, he forgot the ideas that he knew, hence he became ignorant.
Ignorance causes problem to man.

✓Solution: Dialectic method/Socratic method.

PLATO

"If we are ever to have pure knowledge of anything, we must get rid of the body and contemplate things
by themselves with the soul by itself."

-Plato

✓Human beings are composed of two things - body and soul.

✓Soul is the true self- the permanent unchanging self found in the world of Ideas.

✓Body is what we see in the material world- a mere replica of the true self (that is why it is changing).

✓Soul was already existing even before bodily death and thus, will survive even after the body dies.

✓Thus, the body becomes a prison of the soul. To free us, we have to contemplate.

✓Contemplation-union of the mind with universal and eternal ideas.

AUGUSTINE

"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast
ordained; What is a man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou hast visited him?"

-Psalm 8:3-4

✓Highly influenced by Plato- the permanent world is where God is and the material world is our world
now.

✓Man is created out of God's love and also created in His image. He also has an immortal soul whose goal
is to be with God eternally.

✓The pursuit of happiness can be achieved in God alone.

✓Moral law is also existing in man's mind. Man's rationality helps him distinguish between what is right
and wrong.

RENE DESCARTES

"I think, therefore, I am." (Cogito ergo sum)

✓The essence of man is in being a purely thinking being. Thus, I think, therefore; I am.
✓The mind and body are separate but at the same time conjoined with one another that they causally act
upon each other. (I cannot act without my body)

✓The self is Mind more than the Body.

✓Difference: Body is structured but the mind cannot be boxed- hence, the study of the self requires a
science of its own because mind pursues its own thoughts.

JOHN LOCKE

"What worries you, masters you."

-John Locke

✓The self is not locked in mind, body and soul only.

✓Memory is part of the definition of the self.

✓Memory theory- we are the same person as we were in the past for as long as we can remember
something from that past.

DAVID HUME
"Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than
to serve and obey them."

-David Hume

✓Born in Scotland, he was a lawyer but is known more for the history book that he wrote - History of
England.

✓Just like Locke, he is an empiricist and regarded the senses as our key source of knowledge. He (1738)
does believe in the existence of the mind and what's inside the mind is divided into two: impressions and
ideas,

IMMANUEL KANT

"All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason.
There is nothing higher than reason."

-Immanuel Kant

✓Considered as one of the giants in philosophy, ñ he was spurred into philosophical activism when he
encountered Hume's skepticism and took it upon himself to refute it.

✓He argued that it is possible to discover universal truth about the world using our reason. He also
argued that it is possible to find the essence of the Self.
SIGMUND FREUD

"The ego is not master in its own house."

-Sigmund Freud

✓Mas is a combination of his biological structure and the influence of his socio cultural environment.

✓He devised a tripartite division of man- id, ego, superego.

✓Id represents the biological structure, superego represents the socio-cultural environment.

✓The two are at battles against each other and whoever wins between them is manifested in the ego. The
ego being the Self.

GILBERT RYLE

"Minds are things, but different sorts of things from bodies."

-Gilbert Ryle

✓The debate on the definition of the self is only a problem of language.

✓For him, a talk of the mind is only a talk of behavior. The mind is not distinct from the body but is part
of a certain aspects of our bodies.

✓Criticized Descartes and said Descartes made a category mistake.

✓In a discourse, separation of mind, body and soul is possible but not in practice. Thus, we can see how
the mind is working through his behavior. The self can be known by the behavior.

PAUL CHURCHLAND

"We do have an organ for understanding and recognizing moral facts. It is called the brain.”

-Paul Churchland

✓Known for his Eliminative Materialism- the idea which states that the mind is unreal, and the brain is
real.

✓The self is the brain. The brain is the essence of the self.

✓The term mind, moods, emotions, actions, and consciousness are deeply affected by the state of the
brain.

✓A new conceptual framework should be based on neuroscience.

"We know not through our intellect but through our experience."

-Maurice Merleau-Ponty

✓An existentialist, he believes that a person is defined by virtue of movement and expression. A person is
the sum of all that he does with his body. Including his interpretation of his past and his decisions.

✓The definition of self is all about one's perception of one's experience and the interpretation of those
experiences.

✓The self is grounded on the experiences from the past, the possibilities for the future and the present
cognition.

LESSON 2

SELF AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

"Culture is not just an ornament of human existence but-the principal basis of its specificity-an essential
condition for it."

-C. Geertz

THE SOCIOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE SELF

INTRODUCTION

✓Knowing the self requires understanding our society and its culture, and how it provokes us to make
decisions which are culturally influenced and socially constructed. It is quite impossible to ultimately
know the self without comprehending the culture of our society.

✓As products of it, we mirror the values, traditions, and beliefs that our society holds dear. These
concepts are embedded in the culture of our people-the impact of which permeates in the very soul of the
social self.

THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs, and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society.

-Sir Edward B. Tylor

founder of cultural anthropology,

✓Attitudes

✓Beliefs

✓Language

✓Customs

✓Rituals

✓Behavior

✓Faith/Religion

✓Food

✓Art/Drama/Music

ANTHROPOLOGY- is the inclusive study of the human race, it's culture and society, and it's physical
development (Heacock, 2009).

SOCIOLOGY- is the scientific study of human life, social groups, whole societies and the human world
whose subject matter is our own behavior as social beings in relationship with many other people
(Giddens, A &, Suttoy, P.W., 2016)

COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

MATERIAL CULTURE: Consists of human technology- all the things that people make and use.

NON-MATERIAL CULTURE: Inclusive of the intangible human creations that include beliefs, values, norms
and symbols.

1) gestures

2) language

3) values

4) norms

5) sanctions

6) folkways

7) mores

NON-MATERIAL CULTURE

It is important to understand that non-material culture could also manifest in the material culture of
people. Conservatism, as a social value, can manifest in the kind of dress that people wear. On the other
hand, a very exclusive group would not want to accept any material object from their outside world.
On December 06, 2017, the Australian parliament finally passed the law legalizing same-sex marriage in
their country. The decision prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to explain the decision, proudly
saying that.... "This is Australia:fair, diverse, loving and filled with respect for everyone."

Although material culture changes overtime, non material culture may or may not change depending on
the influence of outside factors in the society, and the changes that societal values go through.

MEAD'S DEVELOPMENT STAGES OF THE SELF

Understanding George Herbert Mead's theory of the self:

✓An individual explains his actions through the lens of his society, since he belongs to a social structure,
a social order.

✓The individual sees himself as the focus of everything until such time that the self emerges because of
the influence of those who play a prominentrole in their self development.

✓At the very heart of social psychology is the efect that the social group has in the self's understanding of
his experiences and actions. The subjective action and experience of man then is explained from the
society's point of view, where the self becomes even more sensitive to the values adhered by his
communal group.

GEERTZ AND HIS CONCEPT OF THE SELF AS AN UNFINISHED ANIMAL

According to Clifford Geertz (1973):

✓Culture should not be seen as a complex behavioral pattern but as a set of control mechanisms-
engineered programs in directing human behavior:

✓Man as an unfinished animal, always dependent on structures to control his behavior.

✓It is necessary for man to look for, and be governed by rules to guide him in making sure that his actions
will make him a better member of the society.

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUALIST AND COLLECTIVIST SOCIETY

Individualist

✓Everyone grows up to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family only.

✓Children learn to think in terms of "I".

✓Individual ownership of resources.

✓Low-context communication prevails.

✓Media is the primary source of information.

✓Self-actualization by every individual is a ultimate goal.

✓Task prevails over relationship.

✓Individual interests prevail over collective.

✓Per capita GDP tends to be higher.

Collectivist

✓People are born into extended families or in othergroups that continue protecting them in exchange for
loyalty.

✓Children learn to think in terms of "we".

✓Resources should be shared with relatives.

✓High context communication prevails.

✓Social networks are the primary source of information.

✓Harmony and consensus in society are ultimate goal.

✓Occupation mobility is lower.

✓Relationship prevails over task.

✓Collective interest prevail over individual.

✓Per capital GDP tends to be lower.

In the individualistic view of the self, people are autonomous and are focused on achieving their personal
goals over the goals of their in-group.

On the opposite side is the interdepedent view of the self, also known as collectivism, which explains that
a person sees himself as an integral part of the Communal group, be it his nuclear family, his friends, or
even his co-workers.

LESSON 3

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE SELF

JOHARI WINDOW

OPEN SELF- information about you that both you and others know.

BLIND SELF- information about you that you don't know but others do know

HIDDEN SELF- Information about you that you know but others don't know.
"Sometimes, however, possible selves are negative and represent what you fear you might become" (Lee
& Oyserman, 2009 as cited in Weiten et al., 2014, p.116).UNKNOWN SELF- information about you that
neither you nor others know.

Questioning who we are or engaging in self-reflection to figure out and understand why we behave in a
certain way is normal (Weiten et al., 2014, p.115) and is actually beneficial in increasing self-awareness

SELF/SELF CONCEPT

• "organized, consistent set of perceptions of and beliefs about oneself' (Passer & Smith, 2007, p.451)

• these perceptions and beliefs that comprise our self-concept are called self-schemas

• formed by numerous factors that we may be aware or unaware of, some of which are

Real and ldeal Selves

• Our ideal self is essential in guiding and motivating us to behave in a way that would lead us to the best
version of who we want to be.

POSSIBLE SELVES

✓"Possible selves are developed from past experiences, current behavior, and future expectations"
(Weiten et al., 2014, p. 116).

✓"Possible selves are one's conceptions about the kind of persons one might become in the near future"
(Weiten et al., 2014, p. 116).

✓"Sometimes, however, possible selves are negative and represent what you fear you might become"
(Lee & Oyserman, 2009 as cited in Weiten et al., 2014, p.116).

• In achieving the ideal self or any goal, numerous studies emphasize the importance of visual imagining
exercises.

• How aligned are your ideal and real selves?

According to Rogers, the congruence or incongruence between the ideal and real self has effects on our
self-esteem.

• Experiencing incongruence may happen from time to time, most especially in cases or contexts that are
new and extreme.

• We need to reflect and look into our behaviors and be reminded of our ideal self,

Worth Knowing

"It has been documented that there is a relationship between low self-esteem and violence, school
dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement.." (Misetich & Delis-Abrams,
2003, para. 5).
SELF-ESTEEM

Self-esteem refers to one's overall assessment of one's worth as a person (Weiten et al., 2014, p. 118),
one's self- worth.

SOCIAL SELF-IMAGE - RELATIONSHIPS - PEERS significant others

EMOTIONAL SELF-IMAGE - EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION - ANGER HAPPINESS LOVE

ACADEMIC SELF-IMAGE - COURSE WORK - ENGLISH HISTORY PSYCHOLOGY

PHYSICAL SELF-IMAGE - PHYSICAL APPEARANCE - WEIGHT SMILE HAIRSTYLE

SELF-EFFICACY

Self-efficacy is how one performs (Coten, 2009).

- is directly correlated with self-esteem.

SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-EFFICACY

• For self-esteem and self-efficacy to increase, we have to learn to give unconditional positive regard to
each other.

• Rogers presented the idea of a fully functioning person:

- "this means that the person is in touch with the here and now, his or her subjective experiences and
feelings, continually growing and changing" (McLeod, 2014, para. 9).

• Some of the key characteristics of a fully-functioning person include:

1. "openness to experience,

2. a flexible self-concept,

3. unconditional (positive) regard for the self,

4. the ability to live in harmony with others"

(Cherry, 2017, para. 16).

• "If there's one "program" we could all start that would do wonders for our self-esteem, it's abolishing
needless self-criticism and punitive self-talk—and that program, is free!" (Winch, 2014, para. 13)

✓There is an increase in self esteem issues amongst boys, with up to half of male students thought to
have a low body image.

✓80% of females surveyed claimed their poor body image was linked to negative remarks made by
friends and family.

✓Up to 85% of the world's population is thought to be affected by low self-esteem.

✓75% of girls with low self-esteem esteem report engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying,
smoking or drinking.

Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy

We are fortunate enough to have some degree, a high one at that, to help ourselves and make ourselves
the ideal self we can to become.

CARL ROGERS

✓" The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, the I can change."

SELF-AWARENESS

• "When you invest your time in developing yourself personally and professionally, you are role-playing
as a catalyst for self-growth. There are myriad skill investment avenues.

• For instance – read the news and books, expose your brain to creative ideas, meet (good) people"
(Nathan, 2018, para. 5).

• We have the ability to improve ourselves. No matter what happened in the past, no matter what is
happening now, we can do something, no matter how litle, to contribute to the future we hope to have.

Psychological Self

Our psychological self is an aspect of ourselves that have immense impact on our entire being, on our
present, our future, our relationships, and the society we are a member of.

#Keywords

1. Congruence - alignment of ideal and real self

2. Ideal self - who we want to be

3. Incongruence - misalignment of ideal and real self

4. Real Self – who we really are

5. Self-concept - organized, consistent set of perceptions of and beliefs about oneself

6. Self-efficacy - how one performs

7. Self-esteem - to one's overall assessment of one's worth as a person

8. Self-schemas - perceptions and beliefs that comprise our self-concept