UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
WHO AM I?
it’s a question tat may be one of the most
difficult to answer.
SOCRATES (469-399 BC)
‘’Know Thyself’’
for him, there was soul first before man’s body.
PLATO (427-347 BCE)
‘’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’’
He believed that human beings are composed
of two things-body and soul. The soul is the
true self;
AUGUSTINE (354-430)
‘’But my sin was this, that I looked for pleasure,
beauty, and truth not in Him but in myself and
His other creatures, and the search led me
instead to pain, confusion, and error.’’
he took his cue from Plato. According to him,
our world is not our finals home but just a
temporary home.
RENE DESCARTES (1596-1650)
‘’I think, therefore; I am’’
The mind and the body are separate and very
distinct with one another but he also believes
that the mind is conjoined with the body.
JOHN LOCKE (1632-1702)
‘’What worries you, masters you’’
He thinks that our identity is not locked in the
mind or body only.
DAVID HUME (1711-1776)
‘’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’’
existence of the mind and what’s inside of it,
divided into two-impressions and ideas.
IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804)
‘’All our knowledge begins with the senses,
proceeds then to the understanding, and
ends with reason. There is nothing higher
than reason’’
-Kant believes that man is free agent, capable of
making a decision for himself.
SIGMUND FREUD (1856-1939)
‘’The ego is not master in its own house’’
defines man according to his biological structure
and the influences of his socio-cultural envi.
DIVISION OF MAN’S MIND:
Id- man’s biological nature, impulses and desires
Ego- manifestation of the winner
Superego- ethical component of the personality
and moral standards
GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976)
‘’Minds are things, but different sorts of things
from bodies’’
mind is part of the body and it’s practically
difficult to separate the mind/soul from the body.
PAUL CHURCHLAND (B. 1942)
‘’We do have an organ for understanding and
Recognizing moral facts. It is called the brains’’
known as eliminative materialism, he believes
that the self is the brain, emotions, actions,
And consciousness are deeply affected by
the state of our brain.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY (1908-1961)
‘’We know not through our intellect but
through our experience’’
self is to be more than one’s body.
THEOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS:
Spiritual Renewal
Forgiveness of sins
New Life
Eternal Life
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
1.Shahada
2.Salat
3.Zakat
4.Sawm
5. Hajj
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
STAGES OF SELF
1st Stage-(0 to 2 years old)
2nd Stage-(2 to 6)
3rd Stage-( 7 yrs up to present on onwards)
THE SELF IN THE WESTERN AND ORIENTAL THOUGT
Western
Oriental/Eastern
3 COMPONENTS OF COLLECTIVIST TEACING OF CONFUCIUS
Filial Piety
Ren
Li
PHYSICAL SELF EXAMPLE
Height
Weight
Size
Hair
Birthmarks
CULTURAL STANDARD OF BEAUTY EXAMPLE
Face Tattoos
Henna
Foot Binding
Lip Plates
Heart shape faces
TYPES OF BODY IMAGE
Positive Body Image
Negative Body Image
TYPES OF DIVERSITY OF BEAUTY
Race
Gender neutrality
Age
Careers
TYPES OF SELF-ESTEEM
Over Highly Self-Esteen
Low Self- Esteem