UNDERSTANDING THE SELF Week 1: Philosophical Perspective of the Self 1st SEMESTER A.Y. 2023-2024 LECTURER: Ms. Moira Definition of Philosophy ➢ It is derived from the Greek words: Philos – Love Sophos – Wisdom ➢ Meaning: “Love for Wisdom” ➢ It is the study of acquiring knowledge through rational thinking and inquiries that involves answering questions regarding the nature and existence of man and the world we live in. The Self in the Philosophical Perspective ➢ It is imperative to look into the various explanations from different philosophers about their notion of what the “self” is, its nature, and how it is formed to have a better picture of how people develop their behaviors, attitudes, and personalities. ➢ This is to be able to identify and understand who we are and how we came to be. Philosophers (Ancient to Contemporary Times) Socrates ➢ Considered the first martyr of education, knowledge, and philosophy. ➢ His philosophy underlies the importance of “knowing oneself.” ➢ Men’s goal in life: obtain happiness, and such a goal motivates us to act toward or avoid things that could’ve negative repercussions in our lives. ➢ He believed that the answer to our pursuit of knowing ourselves lies in our own abilities and wisdom. ➢ The only way for us to understand ourselves is through internal questioning or introspection. ➢ Socratic Method or Socratic Conversation: questioning to probe the underlying beliefs of a person. It’s an exercise that brings both interlocutors closer to the truth. Plato - One of the most renowned thinkers of his time. - The Father of the Academy – a place where learning and sharing of knowledge happens. - He was a student of Socrates. - He generally followed his teacher and the idea of knowing thyself although from his works. - He also believed in the division of a person’s body and soul. Appetitive Soul - Driven by desire and need to satisfy oneself. - Satisfaction involves physical needs, pleasure, and desires. Spirited Soul - Attributed to the courageous part of a person. - One who wants to do something or to right the wrongs that they observe. Rational Soul - The driver of our lives. - The part that thinks and plans for the future, is “the conscious mind.” St. Augustine - A Saint and a Philosopher of the church. - His work’s focal point is on how God and his teachings affect various aspects of life. - His idea of a man and how to understand who we are as a person is related to our understanding of who we are and how we question ourselves. - He believes that our notion of ourselves and our idea of existence comes from a higher form of sense in which bodily senses may not perceive or understand. Rene Descartes - A French Philosopher; the Father of Modern Philosophy. - His belief in modern dualism or the existence of body and mind and its implication on one’s existence. - Methodical Doubt, is a continuous process of questioning what we perceive and accepting the fact that doubting and asking questions are a part of one’s existence. - A person is comprised of mind and body. - “Cogito Ergo Sum” = “I think, therefore I am” John Locke - Locke is an English Philosopher and Physician - The Father of Classical Liberalism. - His work on the self is represented by the concept “Tabula Rasa”, Blank Slate. - He stated that a person is born knowing nothing and that they are susceptible to stimulation and accumulation of learning from the experiences, failures, references, and observations of the person. David Hume - The Scottish Philosopher. - He focused his work in the fields of Empiricism, Skepticism, and Naturalism. - To him, there’s no permanent “self.” - That impressions of things are based on our experiences. - From such impressions, we can create our ideas and knowledge that since our impressions and ideas change, they may improve/totally replace. Gilbert Ryle - He has a behavioristic approach to self. - His notion of dualism is that the behavior that we show, emotions, and actions are the reflection of our mind and as such the manifestation of who we are. - He doesn’t believe that the mind and body are two separate entities. - “Ghost in the machine” view – the man is a complex machine with different functioning parts, and the intelligence, and other characteristics; the behavior of man is represented by the ghost in the said machine. Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty - A French philosopher; known for his works on existentialism and phenomenology. - His idea of the self: regarded that the body and mind are not separate entities, but rather those two components are one and the same. - The idea of gestalt ideation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in which pushed his idea on the unity of the function of the mind and body, Phenomenology of Perception. The Body - Both receives the experiences as well as integrates such experiences into different perception. The Perceived World - The accumulation of the perception as integrated by the experiences of the body. The People and the World - Enable one to not only be able to integrate the other objects in the world but also to be able to experience the cultural aspect and relate to others. Sigmund Freud - An Austrian Psychologist and Physician. - He is the Father of Psychoanalysis. - Known for this work in human nature and the unconscious. - He believed that man has different constructs of personality that interact with each other and along with his concept of the different levels of consciousness. - Aspects of Personality. Id - Center of primitive and animalistic impulses. - Its attention is on the satisfaction of one’s needs. - Pleasure principle. - “I WANT.” Superego - The conscience of one’s personality; right or wrong. - Has the inclination to uphold justice and do what is morally right and socially acceptable. - Moral principle. - “I WILL.” Ego - Operates between the boundaries of reality. - The mediator of the Id and Superego. - Reality principle. - “I SHOULD.” Levels of Consciousness by Freud Conscious - These are the things we are aware of. - The minority of our memories are being stored and are easier to be accessed. Pre-Conscious - These are the things we could pay conscious attention to if we so desired. - Memories stored in this area can still be accessed but with little difficulty. Unconscious - Consists of those things that are outside of conscious awareness including many memories and thoughts of which we are not aware. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF Week 2: Socio and Anthro Perspective of the Self 1st SEMESTER A.Y. 2023-2024 LECTURER: Ms. Moira Sociology ➢ Study of human society, its development, structure, function, and social interaction. The Self in the Sociological Perspective ➢ The self, in contemporary literature, is commonly defined by the following characteristics: “separate, self-contained, independent, consistent, unitary, and private.” ➢ Social constructivists argue that the self has to be seen as something that is in constant struggle with external reality and is flexible in its dealings with society. ➢ The self is always in participation with social life and its identity is subjected to influences here and there. George Herbert Mead ➢ American Sociologist ➢ Father of American pragmatism ➢ Rejected the idea of biological determination of the self. ➢ There are 2 components of the self: “I” and “Me. I is the reaction of the individual to the attitude of others, as well as the manifestation of the individuality of the person. While Me are the characteristics, behavior, and actions done by a person that follows the “generalized others.” Mead’s 3 Roleplaying Stages of Self Development The Preparatory Stage (Birth – 2 years old) ➢ Infant imitates the actions and behaviors of the people that the infant interacts with. ➢ The child is only mimicking what they observe from their environment. Transcribed by: Amerhasan Bucay The Play Stage (2 – 6 years old) ➢ Children begin to interact with others with certain rules to apply. ➢ The rules oftentimes don’t adhere to any standards; rules are set by the children themselves. The Game Stage (6 – 9 years old) ➢ Final stage ➢ Ability of the children to recognize the rules of the game. ➢ Able to identify their own roles and the roles of the others that are playing with them. Anthropology - Studies the human species and its immediate ancestors and the systematic exploration of human biology and cultural diversity. The Self in Anthropological Perspective - Culture influences the development of the self through enculturation. - It guides the way we think, feel, and act. - Through this process, we learn to develop unique characteristics as an individual. Subdisciplines of Anthropology Cultural Anthropology ➢ Study of human society and culture. ➢ Describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural similarities and differences. Archeological Anthropology ➢ Reconstructs, describes, and interprets human behavior and cultural patterns through material remains. Biological or Physical Anthropology ➢ Focuses on human evolution. ➢ Revealed by the fossil, human growth and development, human biological plasticity, and biology. Linguistic Anthropology ➢ Studies language in its social and cultural context across space and over time. Cultural Anthropology Subdivision Ethnography - Requires fieldwork to collect data. - Often descriptive and specific to a group. Ethnology - Uses data collected by a series of researchers. - Synthetic and comparative. The Self Embedded in the Culture ➢ Culture refers to customary behavior and beliefs that are passed on through enculturation (Kottak, 2008). ➢ Enculturation is the social process by which culture is learned and transmitted. ➢ Culture is a social process that is learned and passed from one generation to the next. ➢ Geertz (1973) described culture as “a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life.” Culture is shared, symbolic, natural, learned, integrated, and encompassing. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF Week 3: Psychological Perspective of the Self 1st SEMESTER A.Y. 2023-2024 LECTURER: Ms. Moira Transcribed by: Amerhasan Bucay 3 Subcategories of the “Me-Self” Psychology ➢ It is derived from the Greek words: Psyche – mind; soul Logos – to study ➢ Scientific study of the mind and behavior. ➢ One of the broadest science fields that studies understanding a person. ➢ Provides ways of helping people understand themselves. Psychologists are actively involved in studying and understanding mental processes, brain functions, and behavior. Self ➢ A reference by an individual to the same individual person. ➢ You have a self, and another person will have their own idea of themselves. ➢ It exists separately from the opinion of others. William James ➢ American psychologist and philosopher. ➢ Considered the Father of American Psychology. ➢ Conceptualized the self as having two distinct aspects. “I-Self” ➢ What people see or perceive themselves doing in the physical world – active voice. ➢ Subjective self ➢ The “self-knower” “Me–Self” - Refers to individuals’ reflections about themselves – more internal. - Objective self - The “self as known” Material Self - Comprised of the tangible objects or possessions that we collect for ourselves Social Self - Comprised of the way we interact and portray ourselves in different situations, groups, Spiritual Self - The most intimate. Rogers’ Conceptualization of the Self Carl Rogers - American psychologist; known for being one of the founders of humanistic psychology (believes in change and potential) - Proponent of the person-centered approach to psychotherapy. The Perceived Self - How you see yourself (and how others see you). The Real Self - Your self-concept (how you really are). The Ideal Self - The self you want to be. Psychological distress occurs when these three don’t agree with one another. Concept of Unified Self Sigmund Freud - Austrian neurologist - Father of Psychanalysis - Closely worked in psychiatry, studying the unconscious mind. - Perceived a person to be a unified being. Psychosocial Development Erik Erikson - He was an artist and traveler. - One of the students of Freud. - German-American psychologist who proposed that people go through specific stages of psychosocial development that shape their identity through these stages. Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Infancy (0-1 year) - Trust vs. mistrust - Feeding = Hope Early Childhood (1-3 years) - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt - Toilet training = Will Preschool (3-6 years) - Initiative vs. Guilt - Exploration = Purpose School Age (7-11 years) - Industry vs. Inferiority - School = Competence Adolescence (12-18 years) - Identity vs. confusion - Social Relationships = Fidelity Early Adulthood (19-29 years) - Intimacy vs. isolation - Relationships = Love Middle Age (30-64 years) - Generativity vs. stagnation - Work and Parenthood = Care Old age (65 onwards) - Integrity vs. despair - Reflection of Life = Wisdom The False Self vs. The True Self True Self ➢ Rooted from early infancy and is called the simple being. ➢ The sense of self is based on spontaneous authentic experience and feeling of being alive, having a “real self”. ➢ For example, as a baby, we react based on our sense of reality. The baby reacted spontaneously based on our instinctual sense. Fake Self ➢ It is our defense facade. Overlaying or contradicting the original sense of self. ➢ The problem would be we might build a false set of relationships by concealing a barren emptiness behind an independent-seeming façade. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF Week 4: Self in Western and Eastern Thought 1st SEMESTER A.Y. 2023-2024 LECTURER: Ms. Moira West & East West ➢ Europe and North America ➢ Lots of formalized knowledge is based here. ➢ Very individualistic focus, “self-centered” ➢ “Egotistic” culture ➢ Focuses on the acquisition of material things ➢ Values independence and success ➢ Egalitarian in nature–all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. East (Asia) ➢ Japan, China, India, Subcontinent, Middle East ➢ Focus on the presence and feelings of others ➢ Collectivistic in nature ➢ Values minimalism (less is more) ➢ Values harmony and longevity ➢ Hierarchical in nature–the importance of honorifics. ➢ Subscribe to the idea of reincarnation Australia Eastern. is culturally Western but globally Western Thought of Self ➢ The self is a social construction symbolically created between and among social beings. ➢ The self is a phenomenological object that can be studied and is multidimensional. ➢ The self takes form in communication with others. Transcribed by: Amerhasan Bucay ➢ The self is relational: aware of the social presence of and dependent on all other selves. ➢ The self is obedient and follows social requirements, rather than one’s own desires. Taoism ➢ The perfect man has no self. ➢ Prioritizes oneness and selflessness in order to live in harmony with society, nature, and the universe. Buddhism ➢ Having the belief that we are part of the same, ever-changing universe, and one must break the attachments of the self to the world in order to attain the state of nirvana. Hinduism ➢ The essence of life is suffering, which is caused by having an irrational view of the self. ➢ We acquire freedom by giving up our transient ideas of self to become one with others and the universe. The Concept of Kapwa ➢ A uniquely Filipino way of perceiving the self. ➢ Recognizing that one has a “shared identity.” ➢ One core concept of Sikolohiyang Pilipino. Modes of Social Interaction: ➢ Ibang-tao: “outsider” ➢ Hindi ibang-tao: “one of us” Comparison of Western and Eastern Thought Western vs. Eastern Eastern Thought of Self Confucianism ➢ Individualistic ➢ Focuses on the ➢ Collectivistic ➢ Considers other self ➢ Talks about personal attributes ➢ Values competition people as part of the self ➢ Talks about social roles ➢ Values cooperation Comparison of Western and Eastern Thought Individualism ➢ People are autonomous and independent from their in-groups ➢ Prioritize personal groups of their in-groups ➢ Behave on their basis of attitudes rather than norms vs. Collectivism ➢ Interdependent within their in-groups ➢ Give priority to the goals of their in-groups ➢ In-groups primarily shape their behavior ➢ Behave in a communal way ➢ Concerned in maintaining a relationship with others
