Lesson 1: The Philosophical View of the Self What is 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 - SOUL · Dialectic Method/Socratic Method - (intellectual midwifery trying to painfully coax knowledge of a man) · There is a soul first before man’s body · Man came from realm of ideas, then he became ignorant when he came in the material world · Ignorance causes problem to man Plato - BODY AND SOUL · Soul is the true self, body is a mere replica · Dichotomy of Ideal World · Ideal world – world of ideas · Material world – the world where we live right now · Contemplation– union of the mind with universal and eternal ideas St. Augustine - SOUL · Permanent world is where God is · Man is created out of God’s love and His image · Moral law (man’s rationality helps him distinguish between right and wrong) · Eternal law – eternal reason Socrates, Plato, St. Augustine – The self is an immortal soul that exists over time Rene Descartes - MIND · Self is mind more than the body > body is structured but the mind can’t be boxed · Mind and body are separate but at the same time conjoined together to causally act upon each other John Locke - MEMORY · Self is memory · Memory theory – we are the same person in the past for as long as we remember something in that past David Hume - IMPRESSIONS AND IDEAS · Impressions – things we experienced through senses · Ideas – things we create in mind and have not experienced (imagination) · Complex ideas – when we combine simple ideas by arranging and rearranging them Immanuel Kant - REASON AND FREEWILL · Reason – discover truth using reason · Freewill · Free agent means capable of making decision of himself · Each individual is capable of thinking hence, we must give them respect Sigmund Freud - ID, EGO, SUPEREGO · ID – biological (prolly wrongdoings) · EGO – self · SUPEREGO – ethical concern (right, conscience) · Man is a combination of his biological structure and the influence of socio cultural environment · His works center on the mind and its development Gilbert Ryle - BEHAVIOR AND LANGUAGE · Talk of the mind is only a talk of behavior · Criticized Descartes for making a category mistake Paul Churchland - BRAIN · The self is the brain · Eliminative Materialism – mind is unreal, brain is real · Mind, moods, emotions, actions, and consciousness are deeply affected by the state of the brain · A new conceptual framework should be based on neuroscience Maurice Merleau-Ponty - PERCEPTION · One’s perception of one’s experience and the interpretation · A person is defined by virtue of movement and expression Lesson 2: Self as a Social Construct Culture is our identity It is impossible to know the self without comprehending the culture. Edward B. Tylor – founder of cultural anthropology Non-material – intangible (practices, beliefs) Material – tangible (consists of human technology) Example of both non-material and material is conservatism in the Philippines Sociology and Anthropology Anthropology – is the inclusive study of the human race, its culture and society and its physical development (more on past) 1. Archaeology Anthropology – study of human past by using material remains (artifacts, fossils) 2. Biological Anthropology – study of the past and present evolution of the human species and is concerned with understanding the causes of human diversity 3. Cultural Anthropology – study of human societies and cultures and their development 4. Linguistic Anthropology – is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to the study of language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice Anthropology is the window to the unknown Part of who we are right now came from our past Sociology – scientific study of human life, human world whose subject matter is our own behavior as social beings in relationship with many other people (more on present time) > The self is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, others, and to social systems. Self is socially constructed. 1. Behavior 2. Society George Herbert Mead’s Theory · Viewing self as the focus of everything · The more we are expressing ourselves outside, the more na nagbabago yung focus natin, nawawala sa sarili natin, hanggang sa hindi natin napapansin na naiinfluence-han na tayo ng ibang tao (for our self-development) · Values dictates our behavior Clifford Geertz · Laws · Social norms · Man as an unfinished animal, always dependent on structures to control his behavior · Because we tend to follow, follow (such as trends etc.) Western and Oriental thought – Diversity 1. Western – individualism a. Autonomous, achieving personal goals over group goals 2. Eastern – inclusive and collectivists a. Sees himself as an integral part of the communal group The self as a product of modern world – the more we accept technological advancement, the more na macocontrol tayo nito SUMMARY - the self is embedded in the culture which he himself created, and is able to generate, alter, and restore for his own purpose. The social behavior of the self is, at least from the anthropological and sociological disciplines, greatly influenced by the person’s cultural background, whether the individual is coming from an individualistic or collectivist society. · Everyone is a product of society · Social behavior (Anthropological, Sociological) Lesson 3: The Psychological Self Self-Concept – organized, consistent set of perceptions of and beliefs about oneself. Self-Schemas · these perceptions and beliefs that comprise our self-concept · formed by numerous factors that we may be aware or unaware of (past experiences, personality traits, abilities, physical features, values, goals, social roles, own observations, feedback from others) Carl Rogers asserted that we have two selves: 1. Real Self – who we actually are 2. Ideal Self – person we want to be The more our real self is aligned with our ideal self, the more we become successful. 3. Possible Self – develop from past experiences (kapag nagfail yung process mo papunta sa ideal self mo at naiba yon, that’s called possible self.) The congruence or incongruence between the ideal and real self has effects on our self-esteem. Self-esteem refers to one’s overall assessment of one’s worth as a person, one’s self worth. It is divided into four self-images: Social self-image Emotional self-image Academic self-image Physical self-image Self-efficacy is how one performs. Self-worth – what we think about ourselves Self-image – it affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves in the world Ideal Self – this is the person who we would like to be 1. Childhood Experience 2. Evaluation of other people Unconditional positive regard – accepts and loves the person for what he or she is Conditional positive regard – worth and love are only given under certain conditions 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.” Characteristics: · Open to Experience · Existential Living (existence) · Trust Feeling (instinct) · Creativity · Fulfilled Life (satisfaction, happiness) The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change. Our psychological self is an aspect of ourselves that has an immense impact on our entire being, on our present, our future, our relationships, and the society we are a member of.
