Module for Understanding the Self UTSNO1G Department of Psychology Lyceum of the Philippines University- Cavite AY. 2020-2021 Prepared by: Gliare A. Garcia Angelica Irah Mari Pallasigui Hannah Descallar Neil lsaac Perez Camille Eleano Reinier Dave P. Zapanta Gladlyn Mae MacapanasIll. The Self from Various Perspectives At the end of this module, you are expected to: 1. Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the self from various disciplinal perspectives. 2. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across different disciplines and perspectives. . Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self. . Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of one’s self and identity by developing a theory of the self. heA. Philosophical Views of the Self Note: The following is an outline summary of the topic. Please refer to the textbook for a more detailed discussion of the topic. Pre-Assessment/ Guide Questions 1. Why are philosophical views important in understanding the different perspectives on the self? 2. What is human consciousness? What is identity? What are some of the different views about them? 3. How do you think philosophy shapes how people view themselves? Philosophy Before knowledge became specialized, all inquiries into the nature of things, stemmed from Philosophy. Thus, the question of self and identity began as a philosophical inquiry and has been intertwined with the question on "what is the nature of man?" Different philosophical views attempt to answer various questions, from personal identity and consciousness, to the origins of man and where our lives will ultimately lead to. + The study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. + “Love of Wisdom” + Historically served as the antecedent for modem branches of studies + An inquiry in the nature and essence of man, the world around him, and within him. The Self in the Ancient Times This topic focuses on ancient Greek Philosophy. Greek philosophers have pondered upon the nature of man; mainly its composition and/ or purpose for existence or “essence.” They are among the fist thinkers who sought to examine man’s purpose.Democritus “Father of the atomic theory” Materialism - Everything is the result of natural laws Attempted to explain the world without reasoning to purpose, prime mover, or final cause. Sensations and other mental phenomena are simply atoms in motion, Mental abilities vary with physical condition (the very young and the very old). Socrates “Know thyself" - believes that every man should bring his/ her inner self to light A man is not virtuous because he is ignorant "Virlue of knowledge" Virtue is innate in the mind Self-knowledge is the source of wisdom Focused on the correlation between knowledge and virtue (rationalistic moral philosophy Socrates’ student Tripartite Theory of the Psyche (Soul) + The Appetites - includes all our myriad desires for various pleasures, comforts, physical satisfactions, and bodily ease + The Spirited - The part of us that loves to face and overcome great challenges, the part that can steel itself to adversity, and that loves victory, winning, challenge, and honor. + The Mind - Our conscious awareness. This is the part of us that thinks, analyzes, looks ahead, rationally weighs options, and tries to gauge what is best and truest overall. Believed that every physical object has a corresponding abstract idea The “soul” is the essence: the purpose for existing. Itis intrinsically pure. The body is imperfect, with misleading or evil passions and appetites. The process of learning is simply “remembering what the soul already knew" “The goal of the philosopher is to die, therefore, retuming to a perfect state."Aristotle One of Plato's students Believes that the soul must exist in plants and all animals. It is not separable from the body, but rather is the form, or manner of operation, of a living thing Kinds of Souls According to Aristotle + Vegetative soul- Motionless, unresponsive + Animal soul - Capacity for perception and locomotion + Rational soul - Capacity for reason To speak of the soul is to speak of certain kinds of powers or capacities Thus, the soul cannot be separate from the body Medieval Philosophy Religion is one of the forces that played a central role in answering questions about the nature of man. From a Eurocentric perspective, Christianity provided direction to man's purpose. Christianity One of the three major Abrahamic religions (along with Judaism and Islam) “God created man after his own image” God gave man a purpose Man was saved from sin by Christ and becomes the heir of the heavenly kingdom Man is the crown of creation Medieval Philosophy Theocentric God and faith are more important than the self Divine truth must be accepted by faith and is beyond the power of human reason Human reason is meant fo strengthen faithSt. Augustine + Believed that a virtuous life is a dynamism of love + A good life is the constant movement towards love + Awicked life is a constant turning-away from love + The self is composed of body, soul, and spirit + Body- outer part that comes in contact with the world + Soul-Mind, emotion, and will + Spirit - Core self that can commune with God + God created the soul to be superior to the body, therefore, must lead the body St. Thomas Aquinas + There was a struggle to reconcile the relationship between theology (faith) and philosophy (reason) + Said "both kinds of knowledge ultimately come from God’. They could also work in collaboration: + Faith could guide reason and prevent it from making mistakes, while reason could clarify and demystify faith + Five proofs of God's existence + Unmoved Mover - there must be something that causes change without itself changing. + First Cause - there must be a cause which is not itself caused by anything further. + Contingency - In the world we see things that are possible to be and possible not to be. But if everything were contingent and thus capable of going out of existence, then, nothing would exist now. But things clearly do exist now. Therefore, there must be imperishable: a necessary being + Degree - there exists some most-good being which causes goodness in all else + Final Cause - We see various non-intelligent objects in the world behaving in regular ways. This cannot be due to chance since then they would not behave with predictable results. Therefore, their behavior must be set by something else, and by implication something that must be intelligent+ Believed that the laws of the state were, a natural product of human nature, and were crucial to social welfare. + By abiding by the social laws of the state, people could earn eternal salvation of their souls in the afterlife Age of Enlightenment People began to question the power and the assumptions of the church. There were rediscoveries of ancient Greek philosophy Rene Descartes + Mind-body dualism - Separation of the mind and the body + Humans - union of the mind and the body. + The body is a machine that moves in predictable ways + The mind is distinct and free to decide on the actions of the body + Rationalist - he believed in innate ideas + Methodical doubting + “Cogito ergo, sum” (I think, therefore, | am) + Consciousness is the primary form of existence John Locke + “Tabula Rasa” Blank Slate + “Personalidentity” (self) is a matter of psychological continuity + Personal identity is founded on consciousness and not on the substance of either the soul or the body + Personal identity is a concept about oneself that evolves throughout the lifetime * May include aspects that the man has no control over David Hume + Empiricist - knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. + The concept of “self”, to be intelligible, must be based on the impression of the senses + Impressions - experiences like pain, pleasure, temperature, ete. + The ideas we refer to are copies of these impressions+ Since all impressions are separate, distinct, and transient, the “self” is nothing but a collection of different perceptions that succeed each other and are in constant change. + We have no actual knowledge of the physical substance, but only the qualities of the substance. + Two faculties: memory and imagination + Memory - stores the impressions we perceive + Imagination — formulates and organizes ideas. We tend to associate ideas that are similar, and if they occur successively. + Memory and imagination link up with experiences that are closely connected. + We connect all the experiences we have had and form a notion of the “self.” Bundle Theory of Self - The "self" is just a collection of different perceptions which succeed each other” Immanvel Kant + Human knowledge is composed of both sensory and rational elements + Sensory elements are meaningless unless the rational ("a priori knowledge") element interprets it + The mind has a built-in organizing structure that sort, organize, relate, and synthesize what our sense organs take + Two kinds of self: + Empirical self - aspects that makes the self unique like physical looks, memories, personalities, culture + Transcendental self - organizes and gives meaning to sensory data + Since the mind is the source of ideas and sensory impressions are just elements in producing ideas, the self is a product of the mind + Allexperiences are interpreted through the mind. The self is not an object but a subject, an organizing principle that actively makes sense of the sensory experience Modern Age Sigmund Freud + Focused on the unconscious + The unconscious is shaped by childhood experiences + “Personality is set by the age of seven”+ Man is primarily driven by basic instincts (food and sex) + Three levels of awareness + Conscious - current contents of your mind + Pre-conscious — contents that you are not curently Conscious aware of but easily rg accessible Breconscicus) 5 + Unconscious - contents that ue S00) are kept out of consciousness because they threaten the integrity of the ego sid + Resides completely at the unconscious level + Acts under the pleasure principle + Super-ego + The moralist and idealistic part of the personality + Resides in preconscious + Operates on "ideal principle” + initially formed form environment and others (society, family etc) + Intemalized conventions and morals + Resides in alll levels of awareness + Operates under “reality principle" + Atlempts negotiation between Id and Superego to satisfy both realistically Gilbert Ryle + The selfis does not exists separately from observable behavior + The self must be seen as a pattern of behavior + The nature of the motive of the self can be described by how the self acts in different circumstances + The “self” is how people behavePatricia and Paul Churchland Neurophilosophers The self is the brain The mental state of the mind can impact the physical condition of the self (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor). Mortality and free will are products of the brain, To understand the nature of the mind, we must understand the brain Changes in the brain causes changes in cognition, emotion, and behavior. Maurice Merleau-Ponty Asserts that the body is not a “thing” or object of study There is an intimate and inseparable unity between the self and the body. The self is the body and the body is itself. The self is and embodied subjectivity The self cannot be reduced to an object because of the oneness between the self and the body. The body is the medium for knowing the world and giving meaning to it. Our consciousness, experience, and identity are found in and through our body. References: Textbook: Degho, Degho, De Claro,Lejano (2018). Understanding the self. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House References: Arcega, A. & Brawner, Dalisay (2018) Understanding the Self. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc ‘Supplementary Material Reflect on the video “Who am |" by Ted-Ed channel. Video can be found in this link: https://www.voutube.com/watchév=UHwVyplU3PActivity: Essay- answer the questions completely and concisely Among the various philosophical perspectives of the self, pick two that you agree with the most. Explain why. (10 points) Activity: "My Own Philosophy Application.” Formulate your own philosophy of who you are. Name Your brief background: Significant Experiences leading to a philosophy: Philosophy of the Self.