Psychology- is the science of human behavior and mental processes.

Tools in Understanding the

Self
FOR FILIPINO COLLEGE STUDENTS
 Orientation

College is a journey. To some of you, a small happy journey is called a “road trip” or a
“joyride”. Before we ride our bikes or cars, we make sure that our vehicle can last the long road
and that our driving skills will keep us safe on the road. Just like a joyride, college life requires
you to have the right positioning or orientation about your trip even as you are yet to discover
the exciting things along the way. Let us take a 360-roadtrip in the world of college, a joyride
for your future.

As a college student, you must know that entering the university means choosing a
course which will train you to master the knowledge and the skills required to realize your
professional dreams and lifelong plans. While there are various courses and subjects taught in
the university, remember that the approaches of education in dealing with knowledge and skills
can be categorized into four major disciplines. When we say discipline, that means a teaching
by which a student or a follower live by; as in disciples which means followers. You, as a student
of the university, shall follow the instructions of the school and the teachings of your course in
order to master the tasks of your industry. If you are an engineering student, for example, you
shall live by the skills and standards you learn from the science of engineering in order to be
recognized and registered as a professional engineer.

Most often, having a discipline means an adherence to the teachings as a way of life.

The Disciplines of Knowledge in Education

Let us understand now which discipline your chosen course belongs to. The four major
disciplines of knowledge are Arts, Religion, Philosophy, and Science. All these disciplines are
“bodies of knowledge” or organized collection and presentation of information. They have their
own principles and approaches in dealing with knowledge and reality.

Arts is an expression of human experiences projected or told in creative ways like

painting, sculpture, architecture, designs, acting, dance act, storytelling, etc. It requires from
its students the skills in what the human body and intellect can do to express or immortalize the
human spirit and imagination. The purpose of artistic expression is to show an idea or
experience in a way that is unique, pleasing, and appreciable to oneself or to other people.
Literature, Fine Arts, Interior Design, and Creative Writing are examples of Arts courses in
college.

Philosophy literally means love of wisdom. Based from observation and speculation
about things and events, philosophers were able to explain human experiences and beliefs with
the use of reason. To them, the knowledge of reality is validated by our innate ability to grasp
the truth. (Although not anymore under Philosophy and now an independent discipline,
Mathematics or our mathematical ability is one of the functions of reason that is abstract—a
reality that is purely intellectual and immaterial.) Logic and Ethics are some of the subjects in
college that are under the discipline of Philosophy.

Religion is the human attempt to reconnect to the divine or the Creator. It uses faith,
or a strong belief that is supported by reason, in grasping the idea of the unseen power.
(Religious subjects are taught in some private and sectarian schools. Public schools and State
Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are legally bound by the principle of the Separation of Church
and State contained in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines so they do not offer religious
courses.)

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 Science is the systematized body of knowledge based on observation and
experimentation. It is the discipline that separated from Philosophy and Religion in order to
establish a definite understanding of reality based on experience acquired and verified
by the human senses. A student of Science must be able to explain or prove the reality of a
matter or an event based on observable evidences and from the scientific laws already
established in the field of Science.

As a discipline, Science aims to describe, explain, predict, and modify the matters
and events of the universe, living or non-living, in promoting progress. It uses the Scientific
Method as the only process of investigating matters and phenomena (natural or social events).
Most courses in college belong to Science like engineering, nursing, biology, technical-
vocational or technological courses, economics, political science, etc.

For this particular subject, Understanding the Self, using the book “Tools in
Understanding the Self”, our approach will mostly use the discipline of Science and some
teachings from Arts and Philosophy in enriching your knowledge of your “Self” and, therefore,
in developing yourself into the person you want to be.

Tools in Understanding the Self

The topics in this book are designed according to the developmental characteristics of
late adolescence, or the college age. They are presented in an order that will help you discover
your “Self”. We start by understanding the concept of the “Self” and then delve into the basic
knowledge of the characteristic traits of adolescence, or what you are today, and later we
advance to learning the skills in improving or “reinventing” yourself.

Our main objective is to know our strengths and weaknesses, and to find opportunities
to learn from them and improve. Simply put, you must aim to have a more effective control of
your thoughts, emotions, and actions to bring yourself into a personal transformation leading to
success, happiness, and wholeness.

Here in this book, we emphasize the importance of tools. When what the human body
can do reached its limits, we humans invented tools. Unable to see the tiniest living organism,
Leeuwenhoek created his own microscope and discovered bacteria. Unable to see the farthest
object, Galileo used the telescope to explore the stellar and planetary movements of the
universe.

In this book, each module is labeled as a tool so that we remember that what we learn
from each module must be utilized or applied in real life. You may be the best surgeon in town,
but without your medical tools, you can do nothing. You may be a good sculptor, but without
your hammer and chisel, you can do nothing.

What are the intellectual tools we need in order to understand and change our lives?
Remember, tools are extensions of our capabilities and, in life, we have to use tools to make
things work.

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 UNIT 1
The Self in Different Perspectives
This Unit introduces concept, definition, and processes of self-understanding
encompassing the scientific and philosophical explanations about the Self and Identity. The
module also broadly introduces the factors that contribute to one’s being and identity. It covers
the different factors that contribute to one’s being, the philosophical and theoretical
explanations about the self across generations of philosophers and theorists.

Philosophy of the self has been defined through two distinct philosophical lenses:
rationalism and empiricism which will be discussed in tool number 1. The scientific study of the
self is also a central topic in Psychology and Sociology which will be tackled in tool number 2.
These sciences associated self and personality as influence and conditioned by the different
factors that surrounds an individual. Natural and biological science and social sciences
encompass a number of disciplines that have deliberated on the nature of the Self. Such
discourses will be tackled in the tool number 3. Domains of human development that generally
influences our sense of self are likewise presented in tool number 4.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit, the students must be able to:
o Define, differentiate and synthesize the two major philosophical traditions of
knowledge;
o Define, describe and synthesize the different psychological perspectives in
understanding the self; and
o Describe the three domains of human learning and development.

Rationalism
vs.
Empericism
M
O Domains
of Human Mentalism
D Develop- SELF Behaviorism
U ment Humanism
L
E
Nature
Map vs.
Nurture

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 Philosophy offers us two distinct approaches in examining what we know and how we
know it; namely, rationalism and empiricism. These two major approaches are used in our
attempt to understand an object, event, or idea. Rationalism uses reason while Empiricism uses
the senses as tools of knowledge. The two philosophical approaches (also called the “isms” of
knowledge) deal with “the known, the knowable, and the unknowable,” (Acuña, 2001)

TOOL BOX

To know your “Self”, you must use your

reason and your senses.

Rationalism claims that we are equipped with innate ability to know what is (or, is not)
true, real, or right. This innate ability is reason, the chief source and test of knowledge in
rationalism. Reason gives a person a deeper understanding of life and the matters of the
universe. Reason does not only give us an understanding of what we can observe with the use
of the senses but also of the things our minds can think about, such as soul, God, and
mathematical solutions—things which cannot be found in the physical world but significantly
affect how humans live and progress. The reality of the soul, God, and good and evil cannot be
proven by material evidences; however, with the use of reason, they can be found to be an
essential part of the truth. These ideas are called metaphysical concept—a reality which
cannot be proven by the human senses but can be intelligible and meaningful with the use of
reason.

Socrates (470-399 BCE) is one of the great philosophers who taught about the virtue
of knowing oneself. He learned his philosophy from his seven great sages (or great thinkers
ahead of his time) and adhered to the message written on the Temple of Apollo in Delphi:
“Know thyself,” (Plato, Protagoras. Translated by: Lamb, W.R.M., 1967. Retrieved from
perseus.tufts.edu). The maxim means that man must know himself first before he can make
good decisions and deal rightly with himself and other people. It is important that you know
yourself well by examining your thoughts, judgments, and purpose in life. It is hard to be a good
person or to be good at something if you do not know yourself.

The story of Socrates and his teachings was written by his great student named Plato
(427-347 BCE). Plato founded the first higher learning institution called the Academy about
2,400 years ago. The Academy can be considered as the origin of the public education we have
today. Plato made a discussion on the nature of man through his books. He used the method
of introspection as was used by Socrates and other philosophers.

Introspection is a means of learning about one’s own conscious thoughts or recent

mental processes (Schwitzgebel, 2019. Retrieved from plato.standford.edu). It is a process that
generates knowledge, judgments, or beliefs about one’s own mental events or processes.
Introspection can roughly be translated into the Filipino language as pagmumuni-muni or
pagbubulay-bulay or pagninilay-nilay or pagsisiyasat ng sarili.

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 The most important aspect of introspection is that it is about monitoring and examining
your own thoughts and thinking process, and not about someone else’s. When you examine
your thoughts, you evaluate the reasons behind them if they will bring about either good or
harm to yourself and to people around you.

Plato postulated that man is not purely a physical object that often changes. The
essence of man, according to Plato, is its pure form which can be discovered only through
reason. Reason reveals the ideal form of man which is the eternal soul. By reason man is able
to know the virtues or good qualities that he must possess. This can be achieved by doing
introspection.

The belief in the twofold nature of man as body and soul is called dualism, or the
philosophical belief that man is made up of body and soul (a teaching that originated from
ancient religions and expounded by Philosophy using reason). The body is the physical or
material aspect which can be observed by the senses while the soul reveals its nature through
reason. The body is imperfect and mortal, and therefore, prone to mistakes. However, the
enduring characteristics of a person in making good judgments and decisions may signify a
deep connection to the pure and eternal nature of the soul.

While Socrates and Plato taught that man should pursue the ideal and use reason to
know the truth and the good conducts of the self, Aristotle (384-322 BCE), who was a student
of Plato, on the other hand, focused on seeking the truth by observing nature. He insisted that
“no one can learn anything at all in the absence of sense,” (Dawes, G.W., 2017. Retrieved from
plato.standford.edu). This means that knowledge is gained through sensory experience. The
tradition that claims that sensory experience is the only source of knowledge is called
empiricism.

Empiricism is the philosophical approach to knowledge whose truth value can only be
verified by the senses. Reality, according to empiricists, are the things which can be observed
or experienced by the senses. If a person claims that something exists but that thing cannot be
proven by using any of the senses, then it is not real. Reality then relies only on what can be
observed or experienced by the senses.

Aristotle, an empiricist himself, claimed that the body and the soul are inseparable
whole, not two entities that work together or against each other. Aristotle may be meaning that
the soul is a functional part of the body. This philosophical belief is called monism. Monism is
the view that man is one unitary organic whole with no independent parts (Merriam-Webster
Inc., 2020). In modern philosophy, Rene Descartes, whose philosophy was grounded in both
reason and senses, extended this belief by claiming that the body is a mechanical system
composed of tiny fibers that activate the muscles.

Owing to the philosophy of empiricism, Science emerged as an independent discipline

of knowledge. The scientific method has its roots in Aristotle’s curiosity about nature, along
with his works on logic called Organon, and later in the systematic process proposed by Francis
Bacon in his book Novum Organum. Science claims that man is a natural creature
(naturalism), a material being (materialism), a mechanical system (mechanism), and his
actions are caused by other natural, material and mechanistic events found inside and outside
the body (determinism). Scientists regard reason as a function of the brain or the mind.
Reason is the processes of the mind in making decisions.

Since the soul cannot be proven by the senses, modern empiricists rejected the belief
that it is eternal and an independent part of the Self. In empirical science, the Self is your body

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 whose mechanisms work in order to adapt to the environment. Our ability to recognize
ourselves and everything we do, feel, or think is controlled by the master organ which is the
brain. The brain is a part of the body, while the mind is the function of the brain.

Reason and knowledge as innate in us did not impress one of the modern philosophers
named John Locke. He theorized that the mind at birth is a blank page, or the concept of “tabula
rasa”, Latin term which means blank slate or blank page. Popularizing the term tabula rasa,
Locke explained that an infant’s mind is empty or devoid of knowledge and reason at birth. It is
only when the infant interacts with the world that it gains knowledge. Your knowledge of your
“Self” depends on the experiences that you’ve had since you were born, and continuously
improves as you learn from your community, your school, and from your wider interactions with
other people or the society.

We can apply empiricism to ourselves by understanding that we gain knowledge

through experience. If we do not involve ourselves in social, community, or school activities, we
will have less chances of learning in life. If we are exposed to a harmful environment, our
development will be negatively affected resulting to a poor regard to the self. However, if we
engage in meaningful activities and are exposed to a rich learning environment, we will be
better off in life.

EXERCISE 1A: How Do I See MySelf?

Instructions: For each statement, indicate whether you agree or disagree by encircling your
choice.

1. My life choices are based on what I have actually Agree Disagree

experienced.
2. My views about the world are dependent on what I have Agree Disagree
actually witnessed.
3. I am likely to buy a brand that I have already use and not
Agree Disagree
based on referrals.
4. I would rather remain in my comfort zone than try
Agree Disagree
something new.
5. Most of the time, I make choices based on the present Agree Disagree
rather than the future.
6. I am likely to hold on to what I have now, even if there is a
Agree Disagree
greater option in the future.
7. For me, happiness is tangible. Agree Disagree

Scoring Key:
If majority of your answers is “agree”, then you are an empiricist. If majority of your answers is
“disagree”, then you are a rationalist.

Process questions:
1. How do you differentiate empiricism and rationalism?
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 2. Do you agree with your classification? Why or why not?

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EXERCISE 1B: How Do I See MySelf?

Instructions: Read the different statements below and answer the succeeding questions. In
answering, take note of the three discerning points between empiricism and rationalism.
Rationalism Empiricism
The primary and most superior source of The only source of genuine knowledge
knowledge about reality is reason. about the world is sense experience.
Reason is unreliable and inadequate route
Sense experience is unreliable and
to knowledge unless it is grounded in the
inadequate route to knowledge.
solid bedrock of sense experience.
There is no such thing as innate knowledge
The fundamental truths about the world can
because knowledge is derived from
be known a priori: either innate or self-
experience. The mind before experience is
evident to our minds.
a tabula rasa, a blank state.

1. When you are studying or reviewing lessons, are you more likely to take the rationalist
viewpoint or empiricist viewpoint? Why?
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______________________________________________________________________

2. How do you apply empiricism and/or rationalism in studying your lessons? Be specific and
concrete. Try to remember your habits and how you make sense of the lessons.
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3. Is it possible to make use of both philosophical approaches? Why or why not?

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 The scientific study of the self is a central topic in Psychology and Sociology.
Psychology is the science of human behavior and mental processes. Sociology, on the other
hand, is the science of social behavior or group interactions in a given culture. Let us now
understand the Self in the perspective of science.

Psychology started by using Introspection as a tool applied to the study of

consciousness (or the awareness of what is happening in or around oneself). Through
introspection, one is able to understand his behavior by being aware of what he is experiencing
with the senses and how he interprets these experiences in his mind. However, Dr. Sigmund
Freud proposed that an individual does not just behave according to his consciousness. He
likened the mind to an iceberg floating in the middle of the ocean. At the surface of the ocean
is the tip of the iceberg which is just a small portion of the entire iceberg. Underneath the water
is a much larger portion of the iceberg. The tip of the iceberg, according to Freud, is the
conscious part of the mind which comprises the things one is aware of; while the much bigger
part below the surface of the water is the unconscious which contains the childhood memories
and the mental processes away from awareness that significantly affect human behavior.

Inferring from his analyses of the patients in his psychiatric clinic, Dr. Freud explained
that our actions, the way we respond to situations, and our individual personalities are very
much influenced by our own past experiences, especially early childhood memories that were
buried—or forgotten but not erased from—the deep recesses of the mind. This simply means
that what you have become today is the result of your childhood experiences, painful, traumatic,
curious, happy or otherwise. Unaware of their effects in our present life, we are significantly
affected by the memories of our past which we have long forgotten. The unpleasant or painful
experiences which made much damage in our lives may have been long forgotten but still have
an influence for unstable emotions in some of us. The unstable emotions and maladaptive
behavior caused by traumatic early childhood experiences are manifestations of what Freud
called neurosis. A person suffering from neurosis can still function normally but consistently
shows maladaptive or ineffective behavior and inappropriate emotional reactions to certain
situations especially when challenges in relationships or tasks arise.

If you think you have some neurotic tendency in you, do not lose hope. Dr. Freud
offered a remedy to this by having an insight of your past. When you are able to examine your
past and have an understanding of the events leading to other events of your life, you would
be able to forgive yourself and form a more stable and effective personality. If it is difficult for
you to handle the pain and the trauma in recalling your past, you may need a professional
counselor or psychologist who knows how to help you.

Another way to understand yourself is by knowing the mechanisms of how observable

behavior leads to results. American psychologist John B. Watson applied a physiology
experiment on animal to humans. He used the dog experiment conducted by Russian Nobel
Prize winner Ivan Pavlov. In his laboratory experiment on the salivation of dogs, Pavlov paired
the sound of the metronome to feeding the dog. His experiment shows that initially the dog
normally salivates to food but not to the sound of the metronome, as if the sound is meaningless
and does not create any reaction from the dog. When the sound is paired to the food in several

PAGE 8
repetitions, the dog learns to associate the sound to the food and reacts by salivating.
Eventually, even without the food, the dog salivates upon hearing the sound of the metronome.
This experiment inspired American behaviorist J. B. Watson to believe that behavior is not the
result of mentalistic processes but by association of observable actions. He applied the
experiment to a child named Little Albert with the purpose of teaching him fear of a furry animal.
Little Albert used to be fond of bunnies but later on became fearful of them when Watson paired
a loud sound whenever a bunny was presented to the child. Watson explained that our
behaviors which constitute the Self are learned by associating them to pleasant or unpleasant
events. In the same way, learning happens when a behavior either results to a reward or a
punishment. Behaviors that lead to pleasant consequences (reward) tend to be repeated; while
behaviors that result to unpleasant consequences (punishment) tend to be avoided.

In the practical sense of behaviorism, when your parents or your teachers reward or
praise you for doing good at school, you tend to be consistent with your academic performance.
A student who fails in an exam may want to stop idling and start studying so that he will not get
a failing grade again and scolded by his parents!

Behaviorism defines the self by how it is shaped by our behaviors that lead to either
reward or punishment. We do good in our studies and tasks so that we are successful and
happy. We do not want to experience hunger and poverty so we avoid laziness. We define
ourselves by the success and effectiveness of our actions.

The humanistic perspective in understanding the Self gives emphasis on the value of
human beings as creative and possessed with great potentials. It emphasizes the value of self-
exploration in your attempt to live freely and to realize your potentials. In humanistic stance,
you consider yourself as a goal-oriented person with freedom and creativity to shape or define
yourself not by your past or by your failures but by your possibilities. You are the one who
makes choices for yourself so you are responsible for your life.

Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were two of the prominent pioneers of humanistic
psychology. Maslow emphasized that a human individual must attain his basic needs before
he can go up to the next level. He proposed that human needs form a hierarchy from the most
basic to the highest: namely, (1) physiological, (2) safety, (3) love/belonging, (4) esteem and
(5) self-actualization.

Maslow described self-actualization by stating, “What a man can be, he must be.” In
other words, self-actualization can generally be thought of as the potential realization of one’s
creative, intellectual and social potentials as driven by the love of it rather than by material or
external rewards. Man’s ultimate goal is to maximize the use of his abilities and resources for
the good of the Self and the community he belongs to.

TOOL BOX No. 2

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 In psychotherapy, Rogers proposed that helping a person to grow must require a non-
judgmental, accepting environment that provides unconditional positive regard, or showing
support and acceptance that is free from judgment and that motivates self-discovery.

EXERCISE 2
A. From the given quotations below, choose one and relate it to either behaviorism, mentalism
or humanism.

“Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength.
Mastering yourself is a true power.”
- Lao Tzu

“You cannot dream yourself into a character, you must hammer and force yourself one.” -
- Henry David Thoreau

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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PAGE 11
 TOOL BOX No. 3
Optimum development depends on the
effective interaction between heredity and
environment.

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EXERCISE 3A: My DNA – Diversity, Nature/Nurture and Anatomy
Instruction: Identify from which parent you have inherited the following attributes by checking
the write column.

Attributes Father Mother Both Neither

Height
Weight
Shape of face
Eyes
Nose
Ears
Lips
Color of hair
Skin complexion
Feet size
Body size/structure

After accomplishing the table, answer the following questions:

1. In terms of your physical features, who do you resemble more - your father or mother?
How do you say so?
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______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. In terms of temperament or disposition (quiet/loud, jolly/serious, impulsive/conscientious),

who do you take after – your father or mother? Explain your answer.
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3. Based on your answers to the preceding questions, do you think that when you reach your
dominant parent’s age, you will also be like him or her? Why or why not?
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EXERCISE 3B: My DNA – Diversity, Nature/Nurture and Anatomy
Instructions: Indicate whether these medical conditions are present or have occurred in your
family (from your grandparents to your own generation), including yourself, by checking the
corresponding line.

Conditions:
___ Heart disease ___ Measles ___ Autism
___ Asthma ___ Typhoid fever ___ ADHD
___ Tuberculosis ___ Chicken pox ___Learning disability
___ Pneumonia ___ Anemia ___ Polio
___ Cardiovascular ___ Dengue fever ___ Hearing loss
diseases (stroke) ___ UTI ___ Vision loss
___ Organ failure ___ Viral infection ___ Alzheimer’s disease
___ Cancer ___ Obesity ___ Diabetes

Answer the following questions:

1. From whose side of your family did majority of the medical conditions come from – your
father’s side or mother’s side?
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2. Does experiencing any of the above conditions influence your sense of self? If yes, how?
If no, why?
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3. Do you think your parents’ or grandparents’ lingering illnesses will be passed on to you?
Why or why not?
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4. Do you think you can avoid having any of these medical conditions in the future? Why or
why not?
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5. How do you value your health?

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 ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

NOTE:
Your family’s medical history is a vital part of who you are. Your genetic makeup
determines your behavior and self to a significant extent. Health is a major consideration in
making decisions about your life.
However, it is not only your biological makeup that defines and shapes you. Social
factors also play a role in how you will develop.

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PAGE 16
PAGE 17
References:
Alata, Eden Joy P., et al., (2018) Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book
Store.
Corpuz, R. M., et al., (2019) Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines: C & E
Publishing, Inc.
Lahey, B. (2009), Psychology: An Introduction, Ney York: McGraw-Hill

Macayan, Jonathan V., (2018) et al., (2019) Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines:
C & E Publishing, Inc.

PAGE 18
UNIT TEST
TEST I. Identification. Write the term that is being referred to by the following statements.

___________________1. It is a means of learning about one’s own conscious thoughts or

recent mental processes.
___________________2. This domain of human development focuses primarily on personality,
emotions and relationships with others.
___________________3. The belief in the twofold nature of man as body and soul.
___________________4. This maxim means that man must know himself first before he can
make good decisions and deal rightly with himself and other people.
___________________5. Latin term which means blank state or blank page.
___________________6. A philosophical approach which believes that there is no such thing
as innate knowledge, rather this knowledge is derived from
experiences through our senses.
___________________7. The process of learning to cope and react in an emotionally
appropriate way.
___________________8. It is a view that man is one unitary organic whole with no independent
parts.
___________________9. A philosophical approach that explains self from the standpoint of
what is ideal and true.
___________________10. This school of thought is based around the study of behavior in
human and animals in response to negative or positive stimulation.

TEST II. Modified True or False. Write your SURNAME if the statement is true, if it is false,
underline the word/s that make the statement false and write the word/s to make the statement
true.
___________________1. It is possible for a parent to have a child whose appearance or
behavior is completely different from their own.
___________________2. The chief source and test of knowledge in empiricism is reason.
___________________3. John B. Watson theorized that the mind at birth is a blank page.
___________________4. Self-actualization is the highest level of psychological development
in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
___________________5.

___________________6.

___________________7.
___________________8. Mentalism emphasizes the value of self-exploration in man’s attempt
to live freely and to realize his potentials
___________________9.

__________________10.

TEST III. Short Essay. Answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly as
possible.
1. If we are product of both nature and nurture, which between the two contributed more to
our self-development. Justify your answer.

PAGE 19
 2. Do our physical bodies define who we are? Explain your answer.
3. Among the philosophical and psychological perspectives presented in this unit, which one
do you think really contributes in understanding yourself?

My Insights

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