Understanding Self

The Self from various Perspective

Perspective –Philosophical ideas
Philosophy
Fundamental question: How do you answer, who am I?
Ancient Philosophy (1000 BC- 500AD)

Pre-Socratic The Ancient Post-

(The Miliesians Triumvirate Aristotelians

Pre-Socratics (The Milesians)

• Explain everything through rational thinking
• Cosmo-centric – There is a fundamental principle/ thing that underlies everything
else, including the human self.
• Material monism – comprised/ originated in a single substance.
➢ Element within us (Water, Air, Fire, and Earth)
➢ Arche- originating material
Thales- Water as the arche of the human person, because water is everything.
Anaximander - The self is apeiron (boundless)
Democritus – everything is made up of atom
Heraclitus – Fire as the arche of the human person, since it is always changing and
unpredictable.
Anaxagoras - Nous: Mind or intellect, everything has its own mind that controls it.
Pythagoras – Numbers: everything is calculated by numbers
Fundamental question: In what ways do I get to know myself?
The Ancient Triumvirate
Before them are:
• Explained different phenomena using the behaviours of Gods and Goddesses.
• Gods and Goddesses rules over life too much, however they are not good/ moral
themselves.
Socrates
“Know thy self”
• Do not look at the Gods and Goddesses, as they are not morally good themselves.
• Man must live according to our nature, and we must look at ourselves.
“Unexamined life is not worth living”
• Fundamental Question: To find what?
➢ Knowledge = within man, inherited, did not come from outside.
➢ Wisdom = learning to reflect and recollect
• Invitation to introspection: Theory of reminiscence
• Fundamental Question: By what means?
➢ Socratic method: Dialogue between soul and itself.
➢ “Ask questions and evaluate”
Our Soul (Self)
• Unified, indissoluble, immortal entity that remains the same over time
• Likeness of the Divine (god, note of the difference with God)
• Reason = Soul’s tool to achieve wisdom and perfection
➢ Only you can hurt/ enriched your soul.
Two Aspects of Reality
Dualistic Reality- body and soul
• Physical world – changeable, Transient and imperfect
➢ The world of senses/ matter
• Spiritual world – unchanging, Eternal and perfect
➢ The world of ideas and form
“Happiness wasn’t found to be found in the transitory distraction of the material world”
• We can only realize our human potential when we nurture our soul.
• By doing what’s right and wrong (it is not enough to “just” know the difference between
the two. It negates the thought and needs action to be done)
Plato
• Immortalized Socrates words
➢ Academy- first university to discussed their own ideas
➢ Agora- public discussion of ideas
• We have a Prime mover
➢ Someone who’s perfect
➢ Source of creation
➢ Divine mind = moves the heavens
• Civic Religion popularity decreased
• Platonic Religion – One god, popularity increased
➢ Heaven- an ideal city that awaits us
 • Athenians started to mirrored the ideas
Three Part Soul (Psyche)
• Reason- critical thinking
• Physical Appetite – Biological needs (Inborn)
• Spirit and Passion – Basic emotions (Learned)
• These three are in a dynamic relationship:
➢ Agreement and Conflict – Responsibility of the Reason to restore harmony
among the three.
➢ Harmony – justice in the individual, social, and political levels.

Reason

3 Part
Soul
Spirit
Physical
and
Appetite
Passion

Aristotle
• The mind is the Self
➢ Tabula Rasa – Blank State
• Self is composed of matter and form
➢ Matter – a continuous process of developing and becoming (sensing)
➢ Process of Completion- knowledge is acquired through process of senses through
experiences
• Self comes from a first cause (Divine being)
➢ Source of all changes, though unchangeable itself.
• Goal of the self – Happiness through moderation or balance of things
➢ We still need material things to be happy
Post- Aristotelians
• Maintains dualism between body and soul
• More ethical in ideas
➢ Ethics – knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is
right to do.
➢ Ethics – Standard
➢ Morality – what is culture/ society
✓ Base on difference
➢ Moral Norms= Attainment of Happiness
STOICISM
• Apathy or indifference to pleasure
➢ Don’t Care, Rules are Rules (Black and white thinking)
HEDONISM
• Eat, drink and be happy for tomorrow you will die
EPICUREANISM
• Moderate Pleasure

Fundamental Question: Is the Self related to a Supreme Being/ God? Who am I in relation to
Supreme Being?
Medieval Philosophy (500 A.D. – 1350 A.D.)
Theo-Centric
• Influenced from ancient thought
• Human self-endure through time
• More imposing than informing
• There was an aim to merge Philosophy and religion
St. Augustine
• Integrates platonic ideas with the tenets of Christianity
• Christian Philosophy of a Transcendent God
• “The Self strives to achieve union with God through Faith and Reason”
St. Thomas Aquinas
• Self-knowledge is dependent from the Experience of the world
• We discover ourselves
➢ Not as Isolated minds
➢ As agents interacting with our environment
“Labels we give ourselves are taken from the things we encounter in our environment”
“The things that we love tell us what we are”
Fundamental Question: Does this mean that we get to know everything by simply experiencing
it?
• Vicarious Learning- learning through observation
➢ Experiencing that something exists doesn’t tell us what it is
• Knowing and Learning is a long process of understanding, same with the mind and
self- with experience and reason
Modern Philosophy
• Genuine Knowledge= Based on independent Rational Inquiry and real world experiment
(not handed down by authority)
Anthropocentric
• Reject (Medieval thinkers) excessive reliance on Authority
• Period of Radical, social and intellectual developments.
Rene Descartes
• A rationalist, Mathematician, philosopher, Scientist
• “Cogito Ergo Sum” – I think Therefore I Am
• Human identity= Self awareness
• The self is a thinking thing which can exist independently of the body
• Dualism
➢ Thinking (Spiritual Self) – Governed by laws of reason and God’s will
➢ Physical Body –Governed by the laws of nature
➢ Pineal Gland- connects Thinking self and Physical Body
John Locke
• An empiricist, Physician and Philosopher
• Knowledge originates in our direct sense experience
• Reason plays a subsequent role in figuring out the significance of our sense experience
and in reaching intelligent conclusions.
• The self is not necessarily embedded in a single substance or soul, but it exists in time
and space
• Every aspect of the body is integrated with personal identity. As the body changes, the
physical self also changes.
• Self endures because of memory.
• Conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are keys to understanding
self

David Hume
• An empiricist, Skeptic and Nihilist
• There is NO self
➢ Empiricism
✓ Impressions- basic sensations of experiences
✓ Ideas- copies of our impressions
✓ Impressions form a fleeting stream of sensations
✓ No constant and invariable self that exists as a unified identity over the
course of life.
• Self is a BUNDLE OF DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS, which succeed each other in
inconceivable rapidity, and are in perpetual flux and movement
Immanuel Kant
• Philosopher
• Rejected Hume’s idea by alluding to the primary experience of the world that is not a
disconnected stream of sensations
• A Priori concept: fundamental organizing rules built into the mind, which categorize,
organize and synthesize sense data into the familiar fabric of our lives, bounded by the
space and time.
➢ They are innate
➢ Unity of consciousness that makes the world intelligible
• We construct the Self- actively organizes the sensations and thoughts into a picture that
make sense.
• The self is AN OBJECT located in the consciousness, rather it is A SUBJECT, that
makes a unified and intelligible experiences possible
• The self exists independently of and transcends experiences
• The self is a transcendental unifying principle of consciousness
Sigmund Freud
• Father of Psychoanalysis
• The self is multi-layered
➢ Conscious
➢ Preconscious
➢ Unconscious
Gilbert Ryle
• Physicalist
• Behaviorism
➢ No more dichotomy by denying the inner selves, immortal souls, states of
consciousness, or unconscious entities
• The self is a pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition for person to behave in a
certain way in certain circumstances.
Paul Chruchland
• Physicalist
• Eliminative Materialism
➢ grounded in neuroscience
➢ The self is the brain
Contemporary Philosophy (Late 19th century)
• Political revolution
• Industrial revolution
• Scientific advancement and growth of materialism
• Theory of Evolution
• More humanist as a response to the alienation of Human person
Edmund Husserl
• Father of Phenomenology
• We experience self as a unity in mental and physical are seamlessly woven together
Maurice Merleau- Ponty
• French Philosopher
• “lived body”
➢ An entity that can never be objectified or known in a completely, objective sort of way,
as opposed to the “body as object” of the dualists.
➢ “There is no duality of substance, but a dialectic of living being in its biological milieu.”

Sociology
The self in Sociological perspective
• Deals more with society
➢ E.g Class, race, gender. Ethnicity, family, education and religion
• Classical perspective
➢ The self is relatively stable
➢ Set with perceptions of mind in relation to ourselves, to others and to the social
system
• Self is socially constructed; it is shaped through its interaction with other people.
• The individual
➢ Not as a passive participant
➢ Has a powerful influence over interactions and its consequences
The Looking Glass self
• Charles Horton Cooley
• How we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but rather from how we
believed other see us.
• A person’s self grows out of its social interaction with others
Anthropology
• Focuses on culture, behavior and biology
• The effects of changing time on these.
• The Self embedded in culture
➢ Significance of the self is greatly underestimated in anthropology
✓ Identity (shared with others) vs. SELF
✓ Collectivistic VS. Individualistic
Psychology
• What is Psychology?
➢ Psyche = mind/ soul
➢ Logos = science or study
➢ Mind= behavior
• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior
Start of Self
The Self based on the Psychoanalytic Approach
• Freud’s Provinces of the mind
• Mother gives birth = start of the development of the self of a newly born baby
• Unconscious Forces
➢ Libido- the energy of the sexual drive as a component of the life instinct
 ➢ Sex is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors
Id
• “das Es” = The IT
• Completely unconscious
• No contact with reality
• Pleasure principle
• Primary Process- sensation/ instinctual motivations
• Development starting from birth
Characteristics of Id
• Illogical, amoral, instinctual, unchangeable, can entertain, incompatible, ideas
simultaneously
SuperEgo
• “das Uber-ich” = The above I
• Preconscious to unconscious
• No contact with outside world
• Moralistic and idealistic Principles
• Development: beginning 5 y.o or 6.yo
➢ Learning what should and should not do
Characteristics of SuperEgo
• 2 subsystems:
➢ Conscience- Punishments (Should not do), produces guilt
➢ Ego-Ideal- rewards (Should do), produces inferiority feelings
Ego
• “das Ich” = the I
• Conscious, pre conscious, unconscious
• In contact with reality
• Reality Principle
• Secondary process

The id represents the basic need of ma, if it is not satisfied it could result to stress and
tension. However, if satisfied it could give you comfort and Joy.

•Freud stated that the driving forces behind actions are anxiety and instincts
•Freud Dynamics:
➢ Instinct “trieb” – drive or stimulus within, impulse which is internal
➢ Characterized by:
✓ Impetus: amount of force
✓ Source: region of the body in state of tension
✓ Aim: seek pleasure by removing or reducing tension
✓ Object
Functionalism – William James
• Theory about the nature of mental states
• Mental states- identified by what they do rather than what they are made of
• James’ Pragmatism = the value of an idea is dependent upon its usefulness in the
practical world rather than its absolute truth
 • Focused on the operation of conscious activities
➢ Ex. Learning and thinking
• Study of Man’s adjustment to his environment
➢ Materials
➢ Capacities
➢ Skills
The self as cognitive construction
• Self-Concept – Mental representation
➢ what we look like
➢ How we feel in different types of situation
➢ How we behave towards others
➢ What do we do at work
➢ What are the roles we have in the family or society
• Imaginary audience- the feeling that other people are watching and evaluating you, and
that you are special and unique
• “I and the Me” Self
➢ Symbolic interactionism
✓ The “me” is a socialized aspect of the person
✓ “I” as the active aspect of the person
Real and Ideal self
• A person’s ideal self may not be consistently what happens in life and experiences of the
person.
• Carl Rogers= to achieve self-actualization, one must be in state of congruence
• Festinger, 1954- Self defined bu the social comparison
➢ Upward comparison- person compares himself with someone better than him
➢ Downward comparison- person compares himself with someone worse than him
• A highly motivated person tends to engage in upward comparison, and usually assume
that he is as better or equal to the “best person”
• Someone unmotivated tends to engage in downward comparison to comfort himself
• Two kinds of Downward comparison
➢ Passive downward- when a person takes into consideration to the previous
condition in making a comparison.
✓ For example, a low performing student comparing himself with a worse
off student.
➢ Active downward- when a person compares himself with others by demeaning or
causing harm to them. By causing harm to them, the person generates a situation
in which the target becomes worse than him.
Self-evaluation & Self-enhancement
• Motivation plays an integral role in this model and is manifested by self-evaluation and
self-enhancement.
• Self-evaluation occurs when someone looks for positive traits in himself based on the
person s/he is comparing himself with.
 • Self enhancement occurs when the person questions which aspect of himself need to be
improved to reach the level of goodness of the person She is comparing himself with.
• Self- Esteem- person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value. It is often viewed as
a personality trait, which means it tends to be stable and enduring
• Reference Group- a group to which an individual or another group is being compared to.
Any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own
behavior.
The creation of Identities
• One’s identity must balance the need to be similar to one’s reference group with the need
to be a unique individual
➢ Children become aware of the need for a group identity and are often afraid or
acting differently.
➢ Teens often seem torn between the need to assert their own individual identity and
the need to conform to their reference group
➢ New identities are forged in relation to work, parenthood, economic status and
ageing

The self in Western and Eastern Thought

Individualism
• A human being has an individualistic nature and is an independent part of the univ
erse and the society.

Characteristics/Beliefs of Individualistic Culture

➢ Individual rights take center stage
➢ Independence is highly valued
➢ Being dependent upon others is often considered shameful or embarrassing
➢ People tend to be self‐reliant
➢ The rights of individuals tend to take a higher precedence
➢ People often place a greater emphasis on standing out and being unique

Collectivism
• A human being is an integral part of the universe and the society.
• People are fundamentally connected.
• Duty towards all others is a very important matter

Characteristics/Beliefs of Individualistic Culture

➢ Social rules focus on promoting selflessness and putting the community need
s ahead of individual needs
➢ Working as a group and supporting others is essential
➢ People are encouraged to do what's best for society
➢ Families and communities have a central role
Some qualities imparted to the Western subjective self
• Analytic and deductive
• Monotheistic
• Individualistic
• Materialistic and realistic

Asian Schools of thought

➢ Buddhism
➢ Hinduism
➢ Taoism
➢ Confucianism

Buddhism
• Discovered why life is filled with suffering and how humanity can escape from this
unhappy existence.
• Experience in transformations of consciousness and stages of meditation
• Denies the self: no self no individual
➢ No self
• Is the nature of an intuitive and subjective perception toward oneself
beyond he ordinary range of human experience that is full of anxieties
and defensiveness.
• Everything is impermanent in the continuous becoming of lived experience
o Implies emphasis on compassion for others and conduct ourselves with
restraint out of a sense of responsibility.

Hinduism
• Believe that an individual’s action (karma)- the
bad or good actions that the individual
performed in a previous life determines his or
her caste
Taoism
• Relativity of opposites (i.e. yin and yang)
• Self does not exist without the existence of the other
• The self as a separate identity is supported by the equal and
opposite sensation of otherness

Confucianism
• The self in Confucianism is the starting point of a constructive process

The Analects of Confucius:

“First, there is the mere love of morality: that alone, without culture, degenerates into
fatuity. Secondly, there is the mere love of knowledge: that alone without culture, tends to
dilettantism. Thirdly, there is the mere love of honesty, that alone without culture, produces
heartlessness, Fourthly, there is the mere love of uprightness: that alone without culture, produces
recklessness, Sixthly, there is the mere love of strength of character, that alone without culture,
produces eccentricity.”

• It is only through the continuous opening up of the self to others that the self can
maintain its wholesome personal identity
• A person who is not responsive to others is self‐centered.
• Confucian self is relational and interdependent
• Belief that certain sets of human relationships are basis for moral community
Selfhood is endowed by heaven