MYSTICAL ROSE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Pogonlomboy, Mangatarem, Pangasinan

Mobile No.: 0920-964-4762

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

MODULE I

CONCEPT AND NATURE OF SELF(WHO AM I?)

THE PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF

Socrates: Know Yourself

Socrates is principally concerned with man.He is considers man from the point of view of his inner life . The
famous line of Socrates,”Know Yourself” tells each man to bring his inner self to light.

The core of Socratic ethics is the concept of virtue and knowledge.Virtue is the deepest and the most basic propensity of
man.Knowing one’s virtue is necessary and can be learned.Since virtue is inmate in the and self-knowledge is the source
of all wisdom,an dindividual may gain possession of oneself and be one’s own master through knowledge.

Plato : The Ideal Self,the Perfect Self

According to Plato,man was all-knowing before he came to be born into this world.With his separation from
paradise of truth and knowledge and his llong exile on earth,he forgot most the most knowledge he had.However,by
constant remembering through contemplation and doing good,he can regain his former perfections.

Man who is now an exile on earth has a guiding star ,a model,or a divine exemplar which he must follow to reach
and attain his destiny.In practical term,this means that man in this life should imitate his former self;more especially he
should live a life of virtue in which true human perfection exists.

Immanuel Kant: Respect for Self

Man is the only creature who governs and directs himself and his actions,who sets up ends for himself and his
purpose ,and who freely orders means for the attainment of his aims.Respect others as you would respect yourself.A
person should not be use as a tool,instrument,or device to accomplish another’s private end.Thus,all men are persons
gifted with the same basic rights and should treat each other as equals.

Rene Descartes:” I think,therefore I am”

Descartes states that the self is a thinking entity distinct from the body.His famous principle was “Cogito,ergo
sum,” which means “I think,therefore I am”.Although the mind and the body bare independent from each other and serve
their own function,man must use his own mind and thinking abilities to investigate,analyse,experiment,and develop
himself.

John Locke: Personality Identity

John Locke holds that personal personal identity( the self) is a matter of psychological continuity.For him,personal
identity is founded on consciousness(memory),and not on substance of either the soul or the body.Personal identity is the
concept about oneself that evolves over the course of an individual’s life.

David Hume: The Self is the Bundle Theory of Mind

Hume is skeptical about the existence of the self,specially,on whether there is a simple,unified self that exists
over time.For him,man has no “clear and intelligible” idea of the self.Hume asserts that what we call the “self” is really
just “a bundle or collection of different perceptions which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity”.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW OF SELF

Sigmund Freud: The Psychoanalytic Theory of Self

Freud’s asserts that the human psyche(personality) is structured intro three parts (tripartite).These structures-the
id,ego and superego-all develop at different stages in a person’s life.

Parts of Personality

1.Id(internal desire)-also called internal drives or instinctive drives,it consists of the body’s primitive biological drives
and urges which are concerned only with achieving pleasure and self-satisfaction.

2.Ego(reality)- It is the “I” part of the individual that give him/her the sense of his/her own identity .The ego is the
rational part of the personality.
3.Superego(conscience)-It is part of the personality concerned with morals ,precepts,standards,and ideas .The
superego is also the critical faculty of the personality.

Freudian Stages of Psychosexual Development

Erik Erikson: The Psychosocial Stages of Self-development

Erikson was primarily concerned with how both psychosocial and social factors affect the development of
individuals .
 MYSTICAL ROSE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Pogonlomboy, Mangatarem, Pangasinan
Mobile No.: 0920-964-4762

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

MODULE I-ACTIVITY

CONCEPT AND NATURE OF SELF(WHO AM I?)

MODULE 1 ACTIVITY (PERFORMANCE TASK)

Sharing Oneself

College life is said to be the most challenging and exciting phase of your life. It is an entirely new adventure that
everyone looks forward to.It is a word different from your primary as well as junior and senior high schools.

Make/Share a video of yourself by providing the following information.

 Your name
 your positive attritube or characteristic that begins with the first letter of your surname(e.g.,Santos"sweet")
 the school where you came from
 your reason for studying in this institution
 your feeling to be in this class
 In your own understanding,what is “Understanding The Self”?

MODULE 1 ACTIVITY (WRITTEN WORKS)

Direction:Identify the following.

_________________1. It is concerned with morals and ideas.

_________________2.It is concerned with achieving pleasure and self-satisfaction.

_________________3.Is the deepest and the most basic propensity of man.

_________________4.Is the only creature who governs and direct himself and his actions according to Emmanuel Kant.

_________________5.”I think,therefore I am” which means _________________?

_________________6.The concept about oneself that evolves over the course on individual’s life .

_________________7.The _________ is the rational part of the personality.

_________________8.In this stage,children begin potty training.

_________________9.In this stage,children like to put things in their mouth.

_________________10.The stage wherein individuals attracted to opposite sex peers.

Prepared by:LAARNI A.TOLETE,LPT

Instructor