GE 1 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

CHAPTER II
UNPACKING THE SELF

Lesson II: To Buy or Not to Buy? That Is the Question!

- William James wrote in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890 that understanding the
self can be examined through its different components. He described these components as :
(1) its constituents
(2) the feelings and emotions they arouse – self-feelings
(3) the actions to which they prompt – self-seeking and self-preservation

- The constituents of self are composed of the material self, the social self, the spiritual self and
pure ego (Trentmann 2016; Green 1997).

MATERIAL SELF
- The material self, according to James, primarily is about our bodies, clothes, immediate
family, and home.
- BODY. The innermost part of our material self is our body. Intentionally, we are investing in
our body. We are directly attached to this commodity that we cannot live without. We strive
hard to make sure that this body functions well and good. Any ailment or disorder directly
affects us. We do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain body
parts because of its value to us.
- CLOTHES. Influenced by the “Philosophy of Dress” by Herman Lotze, James believed that
clothing is an essential part of the material self. Lotze in his book, Microcosmus, stipulates
that “any time we bring an object into the surface of our body, we invest that object into the
consciousness of our personal existence taking in it its contours to be our own and making it
part of the self” (Watson, 2014). The fabric and style of the clothes we wear bring sensations
to the body to which directly affect our attitudes and behavior. Thus, clothes are placed in the
secondary hierarchy of material self. Clothing is a form of self-expression. We choose and
wear clothes that reflect our self (Watson, 2014).
- FAMILY. Third in the hierarchy is our immediate family. Our parents and siblings hold
another great important part of our self. What they do or become affects us. When an
immediate family member dies, part of our self dies, too. When their lives are in success, we
feel their victories as if we are the one holding the trophy. In their failures, we are put to
shame or guilt. When they are in disadvantage situation, there is an urgent urge to help like a
voluntary instinct of saving one’s self from danger. We place huge investment in our
immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of our self.
- HOME. The fourth component of material self is our home. Home is where our heart is. It is
the earliest nest of our selfhood. Our experiences inside the home were recorded and marked
on particular parts and things in our home.
- Having investment of self to things, made us attached to those things. The more investment of
self-given to the particular thing, the more we identify ourselves to it. We also tend to collect
and possess properties. The collections in different degree of investment of self, becomes part
 of the self. As James (1890) describe self: “a man’s self is the sum total of all what he CAN
call his.” Possessions then become a part or an extension of the self.

We Are What We Have

- Russel Belk (1988) posits that “… we regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are
what we have and what we possess.” The identification of the self to things started in our
infancy stage when we make a distinction among self and environment and others who may
desire our possessions.
- As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases. However material
possession gains higher value in our lifetime if we use material possession to find happiness,
associate these things with significant events, accomplishments and people in our lives. There
are even times, when material possession of a person that is closely identified to the person,
gains acknowledgement with high regard even if the person already passed away.

Lesson III: Supernaturals: Believe It or Not !

Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the “self” according to William James in his
book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890. The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner
subjective part of self. It is the most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction
experienced when thinking of one’s ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility
and conscience, and of our unconquerable will (James, 1890) is purer than all other sentiments of
satisfaction (Green, 1997).

RELIGION
Rebecca Stein (Stein.2011) works on their definition of religion “as a set of cultural beliefs
and practices that usually includes some or all of basic characteristics.” These characteristics are:
1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being.
2. A focus on the sacred supernatural.
3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as
physical beings and objects.
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to
communicate to supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events.
5. The articulation of world view and moral codes through narratives and other means.
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within
a community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals.
An individual lives in a society where there are many practices of religion. The choice of
religious belief lies within the spiritual self. Although the choice maybe influenced by the society
and its culture.

RITUAL
Ritual is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law
(Britannica, 2017). Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known
societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.
Three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Britannica, 2017).
1. a feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred.
2. dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth
3. is symbolic in relation to its reference

The self can be described as a ritual being who exhibits a striking parallel between their ritual
and verbal behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules,
ritual may be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may
be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals
is expressions of religious beliefs.

Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices

1. BUDDHISM
a. Beliefs
- believes that there are suffering, pain, and frustrations in life. When people suffer, they want to
experience the goodness of life and disappointments. It becomes a habit known as the reactive
cycle of wanting and hating, like and dislike, and craving and aversion. This reactive cycle can
be broken through the practice of mediation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper understanding,
and acceptance of things as they are.
b. Customs and Practices
- two types of meditation practices:
a. Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving kindness
(Metta Bhavana).
b. Vipasanna practices aim at developing insight into reality.
- Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma. Through the reflection of
Dharma, Buddhists can achieve a deeper understanding of life. Buddhists believe in non-violence
principle.
- Some of the major Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February; Buddha Day
(Wesak) in May, Dharma Day in July; Padmasambhava Day in October, and Sangha Day in
November.

2. CHRISTIANITY
a. Beliefs
- believe in Trinitarian God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).
- Eternal life after death will be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ.
b. Customs and Practices
-Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion are practiced by Christian churches.
- Christmas and Resurrection (Easter) are the two major celebrations in Christianity. Christmas,
usually on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ while Resurrection Sunday
(depends on the lunar calendar, sometime in March or April) celebrates the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from death.

3. HINDUISM
a. Beliefs
- Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious groups; thus, there is no
single founder or leader. Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth,
governed by Karma. Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the past
life was spent. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next
incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. Vedas are sacred scriptures
of Hindus. Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other important texts of the Hindus.
b. Customs and Practices
- Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated festivals of the Hindus, Diwali is the Festival of
Lights while Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestations of God.

4. ISLAM
a. Beliefs
- Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God.” They believe in the unity and university of
God. Muslims also have a strong sense of community or “ummah” and an awareness of their
solidarity with all Muslims worldwide. Islam means “willing submission to God.”
- Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God. Mohammed was
born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel over a
period of 23 years. The Holy Book of Islam is called the Quran, which was taught to be recited
in Arabic because of any translation is seen as inadequate.
b. Customs and Practices
- Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of Muslim life:
1. Shahadah – statement of faith: “There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is
his messenger.”
2. Salat- the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
3. Zakat- the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a
Muslim’s assets.
4. Hajj- the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the
pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
5. Sawm- the fasting. Muslims do fasting from food, drink, and sexual act during the
celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The
fast is from dawn to sunset.
- Two of the major festivals in Islam are Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha. Eidul-Fitr is the celebration
at the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is celebrated within the completion of the Pilgrimage,
the Hajj.

5. JUDAISM
a. Beliefs
- The Jews believed in the God of Abraham, the same God that liberated the Hebre slaves from
Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land through the leadership of Moses and later, Joshua.
- The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah, the Savior. The sacred scripture of the Jews is
called the Torah or the Law. The Torah is the guide of the Jewish living. The study and
interpretation of Torah is part of the Jewish culture.
b. Customs and Practices
- There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah- the New Year
2. Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach- Passover
4. Shavuot- Pentecost
5. Sukkot- Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is an
important time when families gather for the Shabbat meal.