Ge 101 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER I – DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
PERSPECTIVES ON SELF AND IDENTITY

CHAPTER I
DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON
SELF AND IDENTITY
LESSON 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the self from various
disciplinal perspectives
 Explain why it is essential to understand the self
 Describe and discuss the different notions of the self from the points-of-view of the
various philosophers across time and place;
 Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across different disciplines and
perspective
INTRODUCTION
Our perspective of life is not really our perspective but it is society’s perspective. We do
many of the activities and things in our life as society has told us that we should do. When we
read books we actually try to think of ourselves as the characters we are reading.
The self is something that a person perennially molds, shapes, and develops. The self is
not a Knowing one’s capabilities, character, feelings or motivations leads to have a better
understanding of ourselves as a unique and separate individual.
Have you ever wondered why you are what you are today? Why you are different from
others? And the most basic one asks about oneself, why can’t I be the same with someone I
longed to be? The answer to these questions relates oneself to the environment where one lives
and his interaction with others. Such discussions are covered under understanding the self. This
chapter and the following two chapters will discuss some of the key concepts in this subject.
Knowing oneself is very important to become an effective member in a society, being successful
in life can be an indicator of who you are then and now.
CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 1

ACTIVITY
Answer the following questions about yourself as fully and precisely as you can. Please
write your answer on the attached answer sheet.
1. What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes yourself special?
2. How has your self transformed itself?
3. How is your self connected to your body?
4. How is your self related to other selves?
5. What will happen to yourself after you die?
ANALYSIS
 Which questions did you find easiest to answer? Which ones are difficult? Why?
 Can one truly know the self? Do you want to know about self?
DISCUSSION
 Socrates and Plato
 Socrates was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning
about the self; the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself
 For Socrates, every man is composed of body and soul; all individuals have an
imperfect, impermanent aspect to him, and the body, while maintaining that there is
also a soul that is perfect and permanent.

 Plato supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body and soul.
 Plato added that there are three components of the soul: the rational soul, the
spirited soul, and the appetitive soul.
 Augustine and Thomas Aquinas

 Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature; the body is bound to die on
earth and the soul is to anticipate living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in
communion with God.
 The body can only thrive in the imperfect, physical reality that is the world,
whereas the soul can also stay after death in an eternal realm with the all- transcendent
God.
 Aquinas said that indeed, man is composed of two parts: matter and form. Matter,
or hyle in Greek, refers to the “common stuff that makes up everything in the
universe.” Man’s body is part of this matter. Form, on the other hand, or morphe in
Greek refers to the “essence of a substance or thing.”
 To Aquinas the soul is what animates the body; it is what makes us humans.
 Rene Descartes
 Conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind
 The body is nothing else but a machine that is attached to the mind. The human
person has it but it is not what makes man a man. If at all, that is the mind.
 David Hume
 The self is not an entity over and beyond the physical body.
 Men can only attain knowledge by experiencing.
 Self, according to Hume, is simply “a bundle or collection of different perceptions,
which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux
and movement.”

 Immanuel Kant
 Things that men perceive around them are not just randomly infused into the
human person without an organizing principle that regulates the relationship of all
these impressions.
 There is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions that men get from
the external world.
 Time and space are ideas that one cannot find in the world, but is built in our
minds; he calls these the apparatuses of the mind.
 The self is not just what gives one his personality; it is also the seat of knowledge
acquisition for all human persons.
 Gilbert Ryle
 Blatantly denying the concept of an internal, non-physical self; what truly
matters is the behavior that a person manifests in his day-to-day life.
 “Self” is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient
name that people use to refer to all the behaviors that people make.
 Merleau-Ponty
 The mind and body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated from one
another.
 One cannot find any experience that is not an embodied experience. All
experience is embodied; one’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world.
 The living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one.
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

In your own words, state what “self” is for each of the philosophers enumerated below.
After doing so, explain how your concept of “self” is compatible with how they conceived of the
“self.”
1. Socrates
2. Plato
3. Augustine
4. Descartes
5. Hume
6. Kant
7. Ryle
8. Merleau-Ponty

REFERENCES
Alata, Eden Joy P., Caslib, Jr., Bernard N., Serafica, Janice Patria J., and Pawilen, R.A. 2018.
Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines: REX Book Store.
Chaffee, John. 2015. The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically about Ideas. 5th Ed. Boston:
Pearson.
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
Plato. 2000. Plato: The Republic. “Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stevens, Richard.
1996. Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications

LESSON 1
(ACTIVITY)
THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
Name: Date:
Section: Score:

LESSON 1
(ANALYSIS)
Name: Date:
Section: Score:
LESSON 1
(APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT)
Name: Date:
Section: Score:
CHAPTER I

SELF AND IDENTITY
LESSON 2: THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Examine one’s self against the different views of self that were discussed in the class.
 Describe and discuss the different ways by which society and culture shape the self.
 Compare and contrast how the self can be influenced by the different institutions in the
society.
 Explain the relationship between and among the self, society, and culture.
INTRODUCTION
The self is the highly individual, irreducible unit- a person who springs from a
culture/society and generally understand what to do, and why. How we see ourselves shapes our
lives, and is shaped by our cultural context as well as the influence of our society.
The self is something that a person perennially molds, shapes, and develops. The self is
not a Knowing one’s capabilities, character, feelings or motivations leads to have a better
understanding of ourselves as a unique and separate individual. We may be gifted with intellect
and the capacity to rationalize things but at the end of the day, our growth and development and
consequently, we are truly products of our interaction with external reality.
In this lesson, we shall try to examine the different influences, factors, and forces that
shape the self. And as you go through the lesson, you will also describe how individuals
belonging to a society are bonded by common cultural values, traditions and beliefs that define
their culture. You will also discover how culture provides guidelines to people on how to live.
ACTIVITY

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, lists down your salient characteristics that you remember. Please
use the attached sheet for all your answers.
MY ELEMENTARY SELF MY HIGH SCHOOL SELF MY COLLEGE SELF
ANALYSIS
After having examined your “self” in its different stages, fill out the table below:
Similarities in all Stages of Differences in my “self” Possible reasons for the
my “self” across the three stages of differences in
my life
DISCUSSION
 What Is the Self?

The self, in contemporary literature and even common sense, is commonly defined by the
following characteristics:
 Separate means that the self is distinct from other selves. The self is always unique
and has its own identity.
 Self-contained and independent because in itself it can exist. Its distinctness allows
it to be self-contained with its own thoughts, characteristics, and volition.
 Consistency means that a particular self’s traits, characteristics, tendencies, and
potentialities are more or less the same.
 Unitary in that it is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run through a
certain person.
 Private means that each person sorts out information, feelings and emotions, and
thought processes within the self. This whole process is never accessible to anyone but
the self.
 The Self and Culture

 According to Marcel Mauss, every self has two faces:
Moi refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body, and his basic identity, his
biological givenness.
Personne is composed of the social concepts of what it means to be who he is.
 Language is another interesting aspect of this social constructivism; it is a salient
part of culture and ultimately, has a tremendous effect in our crafting of the self.
 If a self is born into a particular society or culture, the self will have to adjust
according to its exposure.
 The Self and the Development of the Social World

 More than his given-ness (personality, tendencies, and propensities, among
others), one is believed to be in active participation in the shaping of the self.
 Men and women in their growth and development engage actively in the shaping
of the self.
 The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the self is mediated by language.
 Mead and Vygotsky

 For Mead and Vygotsky, the way that human persons develop is with the use of
language acquisition and interaction with others.

 George Herbert Mead

 Both Vygotsky and Mead treat the human mind as something that is made,
constituted through language as experienced in the external world and as encountered
in dialogs with others.
 Self in Families
 The kind of family that we are born in, the resources available to us (human,
spiritual, economic), and the kind of development that we will have will certainly
affect us.
 Human beings are born virtually helpless and the dependency period of a human
baby to its parents for nurturing is relatively longer than most other animals.
 In trying to achieve the goal of becoming a fully realized human, a child enters a
system of relationships, most important of which is the family.
 Human persons learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood by being in a
family. It is what a family initiates a person to become that serves as the basis for this
person’s progress.
 Gender and the Self

 Gender is one of those loci of the self that is subject to alteration, change, and
development.
 The sense of self that is being taught makes sure that an individual fits in a
particular environment, is dangerous and detrimental in the goal of truly finding one’s
self, self-determination, and growth of the self.
 It is important to give one the leeway to find, express, and live his identity.
 Gender has to be personally discovered and asserted and not dictated by culture
and the society.


Answer the following questions cogently but honestly.
1. How would you describe your self?
2. What are the influences of family in your development as an individual?
3. Think of a time when you felt you were your “true self.” What made you think you were
truly who you are during this time of your life?
4. Following the question above, can you provide a time when you felt you were not living
your “true self”? Why did you have to live a life like that? What did you do about it?
5. What social pressures help shape your self? Would you have wanted it otherwise?
6. What aspects of your self do you think may be changed or you would like to change?
REFERENCES
Chaffee, John. 2015. The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically about Profound Ideas. 5th Ed.
Boston: Pearson.
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
Ganere, Jonardon. 2012. The Self: Naturalism, Consciousness, and the First Person Stance. New
York: Oxford University Press. York: Cambr
Mead, George Herbert. 1934. Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social
Behaviorist. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Schlenker, Barry R. 1985. The Self and Social Life. New York: McGraw-Hill. Stevens, Richard.
1996. Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications

LESSON 2
(ACTIVITY)
THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE
Name: Date:
Section: Score:
LESSON 2
(ANALYSIS)
Name: Date:
Section: Score:
LESSON 2
Name: Date:
Section: Score:
CHAPTER I
SELF AND IDENTITY
LESSON 3: THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of one’s self and
identify by developing a theory of the self
 Identify the different ideas in psychology about the “self”
 Create your own definition of the “self” based on the definitions from psychology
 Analyze the effects of various factors identified in psychology in the
 Formation of the “self”
INTRODUCTION
The study of psychology may focus on the individual and the cognitive functions, but it
does not discount the context and other possible factors that affect the individual. For students
who take up psychology, discussions on theories, and development, among others actually take
at least one semester and there still more to be learned about the concept of “self”.
The differences from one another create changes in the environmental conditions with
which the self has to cope. In this lesson, you will be provided an overview of the themes of
psychology regarding the “self”.
ACTIVITY

This activity has two parts that try to compare how we look at ourselves against how
people perceive us depending on how we present ourselves to them. For the first part, list 10 to
15 qualities or things that you think define who you are around the human figure representing
you.
For the second part, in the space below, write “I am (your name).
Who do you think I am based on what you see me do or hear me say?”
ANALYSIS
Reflect what you wrote about yourself. What aspects are always true to you? What
aspects are sometimes true or circumstantial? What aspects do you think are not really part of
your personality?

DISCUSSION
There are various definitions of the “self” and other similar or interchangeable concepts
in psychology.
Other concepts similar to self are identity and self-concept:
Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities, as well
as affiliations that define who one is.
Self-concept is what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about who you
are.
 Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed in one time frame.
 Carl Rogers captured this idea in his concept of self-schema or our organized system or
collection of knowledge about who we are.
 Theories generally see the self and identity as mental constructs, created and recreated in
memory.
 Freud saw the self, its mental processes, and one’s behavior as the results of the
interaction between the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.
 There are three reasons why self and identity are social products:
 We do not create ourselves out of nothing. Society helped in creating the foundations of
who we are.
 Whether we like to admit it or not, we actually need others to affirm and reinforce who we
think we are.
 What we think is important to us may also have been influenced by what is important in
our social or historical context.
 Self-awareness also presents us with at least three other self-schema:
 The “actual” self is who you are at the moment
 The “ideal” self is who you like to be
 The “ought” self is who you think you should be
 Self-awareness may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances and our next
course of action.
 Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self- esteem, defined
as our own positive or negative perception or evaluation of ourselves.
One of the ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is through social
comparison:
 The downward social comparison is the more common type of comparing ourselves with
others, by comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us.
 The upward social comparison which is comparing ourselves with those who are better
off than us.

 Social comparison also entails what is called self-evaluation maintenance theory,
which states that we can feel threatened when someone out-performs us, especially
when that person is close to us.
 In the attempt to increase or maintain self-esteem, some people become
narcissistic, a “trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-
centeredness.”
 There is a thin line between high self-esteem and narcissism and there are a lot of
tests and measurements for self-esteem like the Rosenberg scale.
 Though self-esteem is a very important concept related to the self, studies have
shown that it only has a correlation, not causality, to positive outputs and outlook.
 Programs, activities, and parenting styles to boost self-esteem should only be for
rewarding good behavior and other achievements and not for the purpose of merely
trying to make children feel better about themselves or to appease them when they get
angry or sad.

 List 10 things on how to boost your self-esteem or improve your self-concept. Cite your
sources.
 Analyze which of those tips are more likely to backfire and make someone conceited or
narcissistic and revise them to make the statements both helpful to the individual as well
as society in general.
REFERENCES
Elmore, Kristen, George Smith, and Daphna Oyserman. 2012. “Self, Self-Concept and Identity.”
Handbook of Self and Identity. 2nd Ed. Edited by Mark R. Leary and June Price Tangney:
69-95. New York: The Guilford Press.
Hogg, Michael, and Graham Vaughan. 2010. Essentials of Social Psychology. Italy: Pearson
Education Ltd.

LESSON 3
(ACTIVITY)
THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT
Name: Date:
Section: Score:

LESSON 3
(ANALYSIS)
Name: Date:
Section: Score:

LESSON 3
Name: Date:
Section: Score:

CHAPTER I
SELF AND IDENTITY
LESSON 4: THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across different disciplines and
perspective
 Differentiate the concept of self-according to Western thought against Eastern/Oriental
perspectives.
 Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts.
 Create a representation of the Filipino self.
INTRODUCTION
The study of self may focus on the individual and the cognitive functions, but it does
not discount the context and other possible factors that affect the individual. The idea here is
that people are separate entities from each other but does not ignore the fact that somehow,
everyone is connected to one’s and each other world.
The differences from one another create changes in the environmental conditions with
which the self has to cope. In this lesson, you will be provided an overview of the self in
Western and Eastern Thoughts.
ACTIVITY
Write top five differences between Western society and Eastern society, culture, and
individuals in the table below. Cite your sources.
WESTERN EASTERN
ANALYSIS
Do you agree with the differentiation between the West and the East? Where can you find
the Philippines in the distinction? What are the factors that make the Philippines similar or

different from its Asian neighbors? Is there also a difference between regions or ethno-
linguistic groups in the Philippines? Write your answer on the attached sheet.
DISCUSSION
 Eastern Thoughts:
 Sees the other person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create, a
drama in which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles.
 Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and social relations that
is given more importance than individual needs and wants.
 Western Thoughts:
 Looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct from the other person,
the creator is separate from the object he created, in which the self is distinguished
and acknowledged.
 The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since
their focus is on the person.
 Confucianism
 A code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to
his/her relationship with other people.
 The identity and self-concept of the individual are interwoven with the identity
and status of his/her community or culture, sharing its pride as well as its failures.
 Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life.
 The cultivated self in Confucianism is what some scholars call a “subdued
self” wherein personal needs are repressed (subdued) for the good of many, making
Confucian society also hierarchal for the purpose of maintaining order and
balance in society.

 Taoism
 Living in the way of the Tao or the universe.
 Rejects having one definition of what the Tao is.
 Rejects the hierarchy and strictness brought by Confucianism and would
prefer a simple lifestyle and its teachings thus aim to describe how to attain that life.
 The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the
universe.
 The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self; it is
living a balanced life with society and nature, being open and accepting to change,
forgetting about prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well
as complementarity among humans as well as other beings.
 Buddhism
 The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and
control things, or human-centered needs; thus, the self is also the source of all these
sufferings.
 To forget about the self, forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you
have with the world, and to renounce the self which is the cause of all suffering and
in doing so, attain the state of Nirvana.

Create a representation, diagram, or concept map of the SELF according to
Filipino culture. Provide a brief explanation of your output. You can also cite books and
researches about Filipino culture, self, and identity to further elaborate on the topic.
REFERENCES
Qingxue, Liu. 2003. “Understanding of Different Cultural Patterns or Orientations between East
and West.” Investigationes Linguisticae. Vol. IX. April 2003. Accessed October 14,
2017. http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/inveling/pdf/liu_quingxue_inve9.pdf.
Wolter, Derek C. 2012. In Search of the Self: Eastern versus Western Perspectives.”
Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research Vol. 1: Iss. 1, A r t i c l e 1 . Accessed
October 14, 2017. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewContent.cgi?
refere=https://www. google.com.ph/&httpsredir=1&article=1003&context=ojur.

LESSON 4
(ACTIVITY)
THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
Name: Date:
Section: Score:

LESSON 4
(ANALYSIS)
Name: Date:
Section: Score:

LESSON 4
Name: Date:
Section: Score:


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CHAPTER I – DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL

PERSPECTIVES ON SELF AND IDENTITY

LESSON 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 1

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 2

 Augustine and Thomas Aquinas

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 3

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 4

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 5

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 6

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 8

LESSON 2: THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 9

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 10

 The Self and Culture

 The Self and the Development of the Social World

 Mead and Vygotsky

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 11

 George Herbert Mead

 Gender and the Self

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 12

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 13

THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

LESSON 3: THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 17

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 18

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 19

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 20

THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

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THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

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THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

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LESSON 4: THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 24

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 25

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

CapSU Main – CoEd – mccaloyola| 26

THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS

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THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS

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THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS

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