C
SUSIE HOPE R. TOMOL
PREMEL JEAN B. FARILLON
JEREMY C. LAMOSTE
MURIEL M. JOVER
ANALIE S. CORDERO
Photo Courtesy: Google Images (https://www.amazon.in/understanding-Self-Seema-Sharma/dp)
Module Outcomes
At the end of the unit, the learners must have:
1. determined the different representations and
conceptualizations of the self from various
disciplinal perspectives;
2. compared and contrast how the self has been
represented across different disciplines and
perspectives; and
3. examined the different influences, factors and
forces that shapes the self
Rationale
The perdurable question, "Who am I?" points to a
deeply rooted need within the human species to
understand the basis for the experience of unitary
consciousness known as the Self. Today, the word
"Self" has come to refer to a host of intersecting ideas,
questions, concerns, and problems that are central to
the human condition and predicament. At the same
time, our fundamental experience of selfhood has
inevitably led to the pursuit of the related but equally
enigmatic question of "What is the Self?" Historically,
concepts and theories of what constitutes the Self
abound and at times have been so disparate that the
term has assumed radically different meanings across
disciplines.
Lesson 1
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the learners must have:
1. compared the role of philosophy in understanding the
self;
2. distinguished the different concepts of the self from the
philosophical perspective; and
3. created your own philosophy of the self.
Introduction
Before we even had to be in any formal institution of learning, among the
many things that we were first taught as kids is to articulate and write our names.
Growing up, we were told to refer back to this name when talking about
ourselves. Our parents painstakingly thought about our names. Should we be
named after a famous celebrity, a respected politician or historical personality, or
even a saint? Were you named after one? Our names represent who we were. It
has not been a custom to just randomly pick a combination of letters and number
(or even punctuation marks) like zhjk756!! To denote our being. Human beings
attach names that are meaningful to birthed progenies because names are
supposed to designate us in the world. Thus, some people get baptized with
names such as precious,” “beauty,” or “lonely.” Likewise, when our parents call
our names, we were taught to respond to them because our names on our
papers, projects, or any output for that matter. Our names signify us. Death
cannot even stop this bond between the person and her name. Names are
inscribed even into one’s gravestone.
A name is not the person itself no matter how intimately bond it is with the
bearer. It is only a signifier. A person who was named after a saint most probably
will not become an actual saint. He may not even turn out to be saintly! The self
is thought to be something else than the name. The self is something that a
person perennially molds, shapes, and develops. The self is not a static thing that
one is simply born with like a mole on one’s face or is just assigned by one’s
parents just like a name. Everyone is talked to discover one’s self. Have you truly
discovered yours?
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Acquire
PHILOSOPHY is called the mother of all disciplines because all fields of
study began as philosophical discourses. Ancient philosophers attempted to
explain natural and social phenomena, coming up to their own definitions of how
the world works and what factors contribute to such phenomena. It was also
inevitable to come up with various conceptions of what it means to be human,
and the different definitions of the self.
SELF is the condition of identity that makes one subject of experience
distinct from all others. It is sometimes understood as the unified being
essentially connected to consciousness, awareness and agency (rational
choice).
Empiricism vs. Rationalism
Empiricists’ believes that there is no thing such as innate knowledge;
instead knowledge is derived from EXPERIENCE- either perceived by the five
senses or processed with the brain while the Rationalist movement believe that
innate knowledge exist and it has different sources. It explains self from
standpoint of what is “ideal” and “true” not felt by the senses or body.
Conclusions are derived through logic and reasoning
Who are you?
To answer this question let us try to examine the following philosophers and
their theories about the self or their basic tenets.
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CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
1. SOCRATES is known for the phrase “Know thy Self”.
He uses the “Socratic Method” (the dialogue between the
soul and it self) to know more about self. He also believes
that Knowledge is inherent to man.
https://freedomandcitizenship.
columbia.edu/socrates
Introspection is examining or observation of one’s own
mental and emotional processes.
2. PLATO believed that PLATO believed that the self is
the soul and that man is a soul who uses a body.
 “TWO WORLD THEORY
Ideal World (Intelligible world)-the true world
of reality.
Sensible World (World of Matter) - a world
of becoming; it is a world of constant
change.
 The nature of man lies in the dichotomy of
body and soul.
 BODY is MATERIAL.
 The SOUL, on the other hand, can EXIST
APART FROM THE BODY.
 It is immutable and indestructible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Plato
3 Parts of the Soul:
 APPETITIVE PART – part of the soul that drives man to experience
thirst, hunger, and other physical wants.
 SPIRITUAL PART – part of the soul that makes man assert
abomination and anger. It is the seat of EMOTIONS (i.e. anger,
fear, hatred, jealousy).
 RATIONAL PART – it is the seat of REASONING.
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3. ARISTOTLE stated that Man is a RATIONAL
ANIMAL.
 Body and soul are in a STATE OF UNITY.
 Phenomena is matter and ideals are
essence
 The BODY is MATTER to the soul and the
SOUL is the FORM to the body.
 RATIONAL SOUL exists only in man.
https://www.communicationth
eory.org/aristotle
MEDIEVAL AGES
4. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO argued that man is
a creation of God.
 Man is responsible for the existence of evil,
not God, for God cannot will it because He is
Absolute Goodness, says Augustine.
 It is therefore man’s nature, his freewill that
makes man imperfect.
 Man is capable of reaching PERFECTION
only if man keeps himself GOOD.
https://www.britannica.com/bi
ography/Saint-Augustine
RENAISSANCE
5. RENE DESCARTES coined the phrase “Cogito
ergo sum”- I think therefore I am
 SELF is a THINKING THING.
 Credited with being the “Father of Modern
Philosophy.”
 The essential self—the self as thinking
entity—is radically different than the self as
physical body.
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Desc
6. JOHN LOCKE believed in “Tabula rasa”- man is
born with a blank slate. Proponent of The Memory
Theory of the Self.
 CONSCIOUSNESS is what defines one’s
SELF
 Self is unified by consciousness
 Consciousness is unified by connections
between mental states
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/John_Locke
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7. DAVID HUME contended that the self is a bundle of
perception.
 Hume argues that our concept of the self is a
result of our natural habit of attributing unified
existence to any collection of associated parts.
 SELF- is simply combination of all experiences
with a particular person
 Believes that man can only know what comes
from the senses and experiences.
8. IMMANUEL KANT stated that humans have inner and
outer self
 METAPHYSICAL SELF explores the nature of
being existence with no basis in reality.
 The INNER SELF includes rational reasoning
and psychological state.
 The OUTER SELF includes the body and
physical mind where representation occurs.
SELF- seat of knowledge acquisitions for all
human persons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
/David_Hume
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I
mmanuel_Kant
MODERN TIMES
9. GILBERT RYLE believed that the mind and the body
are ordinarily harnessed together, but after the death
of the body the mind may continue to exist and
function.
 Ghost in the machine- in contrast of
“Cartesian dualism.”
 Self is known through the actions revealed by
MODES OF BEHAVIOR
 “I act therefore I am”
10. PATRICIA and PAUL CHURCHLAND said that the
self is the BRAIN
 Neurophilosophy-Concerned with association of
the brain and the mind.
 In order to understand the workings of the
human mind, people must first understand
the brain, its functions and wave activity.
 the physical brain and not imaginary brain
that controls self
https://www.philosophybasics
.com/philosophers_ryle.html
https://www.newyorker.com/
magazine/2007/02/12/twoheads
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11. MERLEAU-PONTY posited that the self is EMBODIED
SUBJECTIVITY and is based on experience
 PHYSICAL BODY is important in subjective
being
 “SELF”- is a product of both idealist and realist
standpoints.
 Mind and Body are so intertwined that they
cannot be separated from one another. One’s
body is his opening toward his existence to the
world.
 The living body, his thoughts emotions and
experiences are all ONE.
https://psychology.wikia.org/w
iki/Maurice_Merleau-Ponty
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Activity I
DO YOU TRULY KNOW YOURSELF?
Answer the following questions about yourself as fully and precisely as you can.
1. How would you characterize yourself?
2. What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes yourself special?
3. How has yourself transformed itself?
4. What will happen to yourself after you die?
5. What is your own philosophy of self?
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Lesson 2
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Module 1: Lesson 2
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the learners must have:
1. examined yourself against the different sociological views
about self;
2. distinguished how the sociological perspective on the self
are applied; and
3. demonstrated critical and reflective thinking in showing
different aspects of the self.
Introduction
In this section, you will learn about how sociologists use paradigms to
understand the social world. A paradigm is a broad viewpoint, perspective, or
lens that permit social scientists to have a wide range of tools to describe society,
and then to build hypotheses and theories. You can also consider paradigms to
be guiding principles or belief systems. In the text, you’ll sometimes see the word
paradigm used interchangeably with perspective, theory, or approach.
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Acquire
SELF is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to
ourselves, others, and social systems. It is socially constructed in the sense that
it is shaped through interaction with other people.
SOCIALIZATION is a means by which human infants begin to acquire the
skills necessary to perform as a functioning member of their society and is the
most influential in learning process one can experience.
LOOKING GLASS SELF by CHARLES COOLEY
“I am not what I think I am and I am not what you
think I am; I am what I think that you think I am.”
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/433
893745320806162/
The LOOKING-GLASS SELF is a social concept
stating that a person’s self grows out of society’s
INTERPERSONAL INTERACTIONS and the
PERCEPTIONS OF OTHERS. The view of ourselves
comes from the contemplation of personal qualities
and impressions of how others perceive us.
The term refers to people shaping their identity based on the perception of
others, which leads the people to reinforce other people’s perspectives on
themselves. People shape themselves based on what other people perceive and
confirm other people’s opinion of themselves.
Cooley adheres to the INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE OF
SOCIOLOGY which aims to understand the meanings attached to the certain
situations and the behavior attach to it. He observed his own children to study
human nature.
3 Processes involved in developing the Self-concept or self-image
according to Cooley:
 We imagine what judgments people make of us based on our
appearance.
 We imagine how the person feels about us, based on the judgments
made of us. The result could lead us to change our behavior based on
how we feel people perceive us.
 THE PRIMARY GROUP is the source of human nature and is
characterized by close, intimate, face-to-face interaction whose
primary function is socialization
 THE SECONDARY GROUP refers to the larger and more disparate
‘nucleated group whose members were rarely if ever all in direct
contact.
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THEORY OF SOCIAL SELF BY GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
Mead's theory of the social self is based on the perspective that the self
emerges from SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, such as observing and interacting with
others, responding to others' opinions about oneself, and internalizing external
opinions and internal feelings about oneself. According to Mead, the self is not
there from birth, but it is developed over time from social experiences and
activities.
DEVELOPMENT OF SELF
 Preparatory Stage (imitation Stage) LANGUAGE develops
self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through
symbols, gestures, words, and sounds.
 PLAY develops self by allowing individuals to take on different
roles, pretend, and express expectation of others.
 GAMES develop self by allowing individuals to understand and
PARTS OF THE SELF
 “ME” part of the self is Objective element and active part of self. It is
our Social Self and it is the organized set of attitudes of others which
individuals assumes
 “I “part of the self is the part of you that’s existing out in the world,
acting, being spontaneous, etc. It is the subject of action. It’s what
you would commonly think of as yourself. It is in response to the
ME self
 Social acts, through transactions between persons who are
mutually oriented toward each other.
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Activity 2
My Self through the Years
Paste a picture of you when you were in elementary, in high school, and
now that you are in college. Below the picture, list down your salient
characteristics that you remember.
My Elementary Self
My Elementary Self
My Elementary Self
After having examined your “self” in its different stages, answer the
following:
1. Similarities in all stages of my “self”
2. Differences in my “self” across the three stages of my life
3. Possible reasons for the differences in me.
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Lesson 3
ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the learners must have:
1. increased awareness of the various dimensions of
anthropology and its influence on self-concept;
2. appreciated how each culture develops a unique cultural
lens; and
3. reflected on your own identity how culture influences our
beliefs and behavior.
Introduction
Anthropology is the study of human differences, cultural and biological, in
the context of human nature. Anthropologists identify and compare behaviour of
a particular group against the full range of human behaviour. Such comparison
should uncover principles that apply to all human communities. Third World
Focus was the distinguishing characteristics of this discipline. Until after the
Second World-War, anthropology focused almost exclusively on non-western or
'tribal people'. For a long time, anthropologists assumed that non-European
cultures were different enough to justify a different social science discipline to
study them. This assumption seems less persuasive today.
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Acquire
Study of Humanity and How I feel About Life
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/416152668/Anthropology-as-a-Perspective-in-Understanding-the-self
 The study of human societies and cultures and their development
 Culture is the set of unwritten norms of conduct that guide the behavior
of a group
 Culture is the acquired pair of glasses through which we see life
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/416152668/Anthropology-as-a-Perspective-in-Understanding-the-self
Archaeology
 Examines the remains of ancient and historical human populations to
promote an understanding of how humans adapted to their
environment and developed.
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Linguistic Anthropology
 Examines the language of a group of people and its relation to their
culture.
Cultural Anthropology
 Promote to study of a society’s culture through their belief systems,
practices, and possessions.
Physical Anthropology
 Looks into the Biological Development of Humans and their
contemporary variation.
Culture Filters “On Automatic”
 We see and interpret behavior through our own cultural filter (cultural
programming)
 Parents, friends, and relatives were simply passing on the message
 Forming stereotypes about people who were different from us
(politician, Igorot, homeless)
Dilemmas of a Society





Hierarchy vs. Equality
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Performance vs. Caring
Uncertainty vs. Let it be
Flexibility vs. Discipline
Three Ways we can Relate to Culture
 CONFRONT -you believe that your behaviors are the right behavior
 CONFORM- when you adapt your way to behave, when you conform
to the whole society
 COMPLAIN- what happens is that you will isolate yourself into social
bubbles of foreigners living in segregation with the society
The challenge of becoming culturally competent







Diversity is an inside job.
Diversity goes beyond race and gender
No one is the target of blame for current to past inequities.
Human beings are ethnocentric
The human species resists changes, continuing to seek homeostasis.
Human beings find comfort and trust in likeness
It is difficult for people to share power
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Activity III
Name:
Date:
Program, Year and Section:
Score:
Direction: Write an essay about what it means to be Filipino.
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References
Csordas T. (1999) Self and Person. In bode (ed). Psychological
Anthropology. Praeger. 331- 350
David, Randolph.2002. Nation, Self, and citizenship: An Invitation to
Philippine Sociology. Department of Sociology, College of Social
Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines
Geertz, C. (1973). The Impact of the Concept of Culture and the Concept
of Man. 33-54 and Person, Time and Conduct in Bali.360-441. In
The Interpretation of the Culture. Basic Books
Hume, David, and Eric Steinberg. 1992. An Enquiry Concerning Human
Understanding; [with] A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in
Edinburgh; [and] An Abstract of a Treatise of Human Nature.
Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing
Ingram, P.D. (2001). An Overview of Diversity Awareness. Penn State
College of Agricultural Services, Pennsylvania
Plato. 2017. The Republic. Germany: BookRix
Zagorca, G. (2010). An Anthropological Conceptualization of Identity.
Synthesis Philosophical 25-43
Internet Sources
Whittaker, G. (2016). What is Social Psychology? Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99ZWnQ-o4U
What is Anthropology?
http://www.americananthro.org/AdvanceYourCareer/Content.aspx?I
temNumber=2150
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopenintrotosociology/chapter/sociological-perspectives/
lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/theories-of-self-development/
https://www.slideshare.net/NaraMier/module-3-anthropology-and-thestudy-of-culture
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