Chapter 1: Personal and Developmental

Perspective on Self and Identity

Lesson 1- The Self from Various Philosophical

The Greeks were the ones who seriously questioned myths and moved away from
them in attempting to understand reality and respond to perennial questions of
curiosity, including the question of the self.

1. Socrates> While the Pre- Socratic philosophers were

concerned much about what the world is made up, all these and all that, Socrates
was more concerned on the philosophy that man should
know himself. > His dictum, “ Know Thyself”. > He said that an“ unexamined self is
not worth living "During Socrates time most men were not aware of who they were
and the virtues that they were to attain in order to preserve their souls for the
afterlife.
> For Socrates to live but die inside is the worst that can happen to anyone
> For Socrates man is dualistic (made of
body and soul) Meaning all individuals have imperfect and impermanent aspect of
him and the body, while maintaining that there is also a soul that is perfect and
permanent

2. Plato > a student of Socrates. He supported

the idea that man is a dual nature, body and soul. > In addition he added that there
are three components of the soul: the rational soul, the spirited soul and the
appetitive soul.
> He said that justice can only be
attained when the three parts are working harmoniously with each other.
→ The rational soul forge by reason and
intellect has governed the affairs of the human person, the spirited part which is the
in charge of emotion should be at bay, and the appetitive soul is in charge of base
desires like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sex are controlled
as well.
> When such ideal harmony of the three
components of the of the soul , then the soul becomes just and virtuous.

3. Augustine > Influenced by the ancient view of Socrates

and Plato, infused his idea of man with the new found doctrine of Christianity. He
agreed that man is of bifurcated nature. One aspect of him dwells in the world and is
imperfect and continuously yearns to be with the Divine and the
other is capable of resting immortality → His famous line, “My soul is restless
until it rests in you"

4. Thomas Aquinas → He is considered the most imminent

thirteenth century scholar and stalwart of medieval philosophy to Augustine's
Christian view. He said that man is composed of two parts matter and form Matter
or “ hyle” in Greeks-refers to the common stuff that makes up everything in the
universe while form, “morphe” refers to the essence of a substance ot thing which
differentiates us from other animals and that is our soul which animates the body
that makes us humans.

5. Descartes → Father of Modern Philosophy-conceived the idea that the

human person is having a body and a mind. He claimed that there is so much that we
should doubt. There are many things we believe yet they turned out to be false. If
something is so clear and lucid as not to be even doubted, then that is the only time
when one should actually buy a proposition. He claimed that that the only thing that
one cannot doubt is the existence of the self, for even if one doubts oneself, that
only proves that there is a doubting self, a thing that thinks and therefore that can
not be doubted. Thus his famous, Cogito ergo sum“ | think therefore, I am". The fact
that one thinks should lead one to conclude without a trace of doubt that he exists.

> Descartes claimed that the self is a

combination of the two distinct entities, the cogito, the thing that thinks which is the
mind and the extenza or extension of
the mind, the body. > His view is that the body is nothing else
but a machine that is attached to the mind. > He said that the mind is the thinking
thing, that doubts, understands, affirms, conceives, denies, imagines and perceives,
etc.

6. Humes → a Scottish philosopher who has a very unique

way of looking at man. > He is an empiricist who argues that one can
only know what comes from the senses and experiences. (Empiricism is the school of
thought that espouses the idea that knowledge can only be possible if it is sensed
and experienced). When one imagines the feeling of being in love for the first time,
that is still an idea

> To Humes, the self is nothing else but a bundle

of impressions. Impressions are the basic objects of our experience or sensation,
which are vivid being products of our direct experience with the world. Ideas on the
other hand are copies of impressions because they are not as lively and vivid as our
impressions. For Hume men simply want to believe that there is a unified, coherent
self, a soul or mind, just like what other philosophers believe . In reality what one
thinks is a unified self is simply a combination of experiences with a particular
person.

7. Kant → Thinking that the self is only impressions was

problematic for Kant. He recognizes Humes account that everything starts with
perception and sensation of impression, however for him the things that men
perceive around them are not just ordinarily infused into the human person without
an organizing principle that regulates the relationships of these impressions. For
Kant there is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions that men get from
the external world. Kant suggests that it is an actively engaged intelligence in man
that synthesizes all knowledge and experiences.

8. Ryle → denying the concept of an internal, non-physical self. For ryle, what truly
matters is the behavior that a person manifest in his day-to-day life.
Ryle suggest that the “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.

9. Merleau-Ponty
→ He says that the mind and body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated
from one another. > For him one cannot find any experience that is not an embodied
experience. One's body is his opening towards his existence to the world. He doesn't
recognize dualism because for him it is nothing but misunderstanding. >For him the
living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experience are all one.

Lesson 1 insights

Socrates
A man should know his self if they don’t know their self its not worth living.
Adam is a teenager he feels like he doesn’t know himself, he feels like life is useless
since he doesn’t who he is. Not knowing yourself is like being a baby, completely
useless at all, just like a baby that is very naive. One should know their self to
completely enjoy life at this world.

Lesson 2: the self, society and culture

Thinkers just settled on the idea that there are two components of the human
person and what ever relationship that these two have less is important than the
fact that there is self. One of the loci if not the important axis of the analysis is the
relationship between the self and the external world.

After all, our selves are not special because of the soul infused into us. We may be
gifted with intellect and the capacity to rationalize things but at the end of the day,
our growth and development and consequentially, our selves are truly products of
our interaction with external reality.

The self

• The self, in contemporary literature and even common sense, is commonly defined
by the following characteristics: "separate, self-contained, independent, consistent,
unitary, and private"
(Stevens 1996)
• The self has always unique and has its own identity. One cannot be another
person. Even twins are
distinct from each other.
• The self is capable of morphing and fitting itself into
any circumstances it finds itself in.

• Remaining the same person and turning chameleon

by adapting to one's context seems paradoxical.

The self and culture

• According to Marcel Mauss, every self has two faces:PERSONNE AND MOI.
• Moi refers to a person's sense of who he is, his the body,
and his basic identity, his biological givenness. It is the person's basic identity.
• Personne, on the other hand, is composed of the
social concepts of what it means to be who he is. It has much to do with what it
means to live in a particular institution, a particular family, a particular religion, a
particular nationality, and how to behave
given expectations and influences from others.

The self and development of social world

• So how do people actively produce their social worlds? How do children growing
up become social beings? How can a boy turn out to just to be terribly different
when given up for adoption? More than his givenness (personality, tendencies, and
propensities, among others), one is believed to be
in active participation in the shaping of the self.
• Most often, we think the human persons are just passive actors in the whole
process of the shaping of the selves.

• That men and women are born with particularities

that they can no longer change. Recent studies, however, indicated that 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.
"Language as both a publicly shared and privately utilized symbol system is the site
where the individual and the social make and remake each other" (Schwartz et al
1993).

Mead and Vygotsky,

• For Mead and Vygotsky, the way that human persons develop is with the use
language acquisition and interaction with others. The way that we process
information is normally a form of an internal dialogue in our head. Those who
deliberate about moral dilemmas undergo this internal dialog. "Should I do this or
that?" "But if I do this, it will be like this." "Don't I want the other option?" And so
cognitive and emotional development of a child is always mimicry of how it is done
in the social world,
in the external reality where he is in.

• Both Mead and Vygotsky 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. A young child internalizes values,
norms, practices, and social beliefs and more through exposure to these dialogs that
will eventually become part of his individual world. For Mead, this takes place as a
child assumes the "other" through language and role-play. Can you notice how little
children are fond of playing role-play with their toys? How they make scripts and
dialogs for their toys as they play with them?

• According to Mead, it is through this that child

delineates the "\" from the rest. Vygotsky, for his part, a child internalizes real-life
dialogs that he has had with others, with his family, his primary caregiver, or his
playmates. They apply this to their mental and practical problems along with the
social and cultural fusions brought about by the said dialogs. Can you notice hoe
children eventually become what they watch? How children can easily adapt ways of
cartoon characters they are exposed for?

Self in families

• Apart from the anthropological and psychological basis for the relationship
between the self and the social world, the sociological likewise struggled to
understand the real connection between the two concepts. In doing so, sociologists
focus on the different institutions and powers at play in the society. Among these,
the most prominent is the family.

• While every child is born with certain givenness, disposition coming from his
parents' genes and general condition of life, the impact of one's family is still
deemed as a given in understanding the self. 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 as we go through life. As a
matter of evolutionary fact, human persons are one of those beings whose
importance of family cannot be denied.

• 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. Babies internalize ways and styles
that they observe from their family. By imitating, for example, the language of its
primary agents of rearing its family, babies learn the language. The same is true for
ways of behaving. Notice how kids reared in a respectful environment becomes
respectful as well and the
converse if it's raised in a converse family.
• Without a family, biologically and sociologically, a
person may not even survive or become a human person.
Gender and the self

• Another important aspect of the self is gender. Gender is one of those loci of the
self that is subject to alteration, change, and development. We have seen in the past
years how people fought hard for the right to express, validate, and assert their
gender expression. From the point of view of the social sciences and the self, it is
important to give one the leeway to find, express, and live his identity.

• The gendered self is then shaped within a particular

context of time and space. The sense of self that is being taught makes sure that an
individual fits in a particular environment. This is dangerous and detrimental in the
goal of truly finding one's self, self-determination, and growth of the self. Gender has
to be personally discovered and asserted and not dictated by culture and the society.

Lesson 2 insights

The self
Twins James and Jay is very different despite being twins. James is cheerful, an
extrovert while Jay is quiet, an introvert. Being twins doesn’t mean they should be
the same, James and Jay are being their self by just showing their own personality to
other people.

The self and culture

Moi Jaine is a girl she knows it by just her body, her biological being she knows that
she is who she is. She can not mistaken herself as other because she know herself.
Personne Jackie is a Filipino, an eldest in the family and an outgoing person. He is
the smartest kid in his class that’s why he is always joining academic competition.

The self and development of social world

Mary is the most popular girl in her school. She is very outgoing, friendly,helpful and
a kind person. Not only that but she is also very beautiful that’s also why many
people like her. She is also a great dancer and singer so she liked by many.

Mead and Vygotsky

Asla is an only child of her parents she is always left alone in her house with her toys
tp play with. When ever she always play she always create a dialog for her dolls.
Everytime she plays its like she always writes a script up ahead for her dolls. Not just
with her dolls but with every toy or thing she has, theres always a dialog or story for
it.

Self in families
Akira is the eldest child in their family. Whenever her parents go to work she takes
good care of her siblings. Its like a job for her as the eldest to look after her younger
siblings. Since she is the eldest everything that should be done by her parents will be
her responsibility when ever their out for work.
Gender and the self
Miko is often known as the princess of the family despite being a male. His family
already know that he has a female heart inside because of how he acts. He acts like a
girl and often want barbies as his dolls. As he grows he notice that he is often wants
to wear dresses and wear make up just like any other girls. Then one time when he is
in his class gender about oneself is tackled and that’s when he knows that he is not a
boy he is a girl in a boys body. He came out of the closet when he finally concludes
and know who he is and his family accepted him for being him self.

Lesson 3: the self as cognitive construct

Modern researchers acknowledge the contribution of different fields of studies
about the self ranging from the study of the self from a larger context to (nature and
society) down to the individual. 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.

Someone may sharply say “I am who I am". Yet one may ask, “If you are who you
are, then who are you that makes you who you are?” Self is defined in several
interchangeable concepts but simply put, self is the sense of personal identity and
who we are as individuals. William James (1890) conceptualized the self as having
two aspects, the “I” and the "me". The l-is the thinking, acting and feeling self (Hogg
and Vaughan 2010). The me is the physical characteristics as well as psychological
capabilities that make who you are (Gleitman et. al, 2011)Carl Roger's(1959) theory
of personality also used the l as the one who acts and decides while me is what you
think or feel about yourself as an object.

Identity and Self Concept Other concepts similar to self are identity_and self
concept. Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles as well as
affiliations that define who one is (Ovsemen, Elmore and Smith 2012). Self concept is
what basically comes to your mind when you are asked who you are. Self identity
and self concept are not fixed in one time frame. You may identify yourself based
from who you are years back, at present or in the future.

HOBBIES

FAMILY SELF RELIGION

NATIONALITY

THE SELF-SCHEMA CONCEPT

Mental Constructs Theories generally points out the self and identity as mental
constructs created and recreated in memory. Researchers point out to the frontal
lobe of the brain as the specific area in the brain associated with the process
concerning the self. Sigmund 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.
Under the theory of symbolic interactionism Mead argued that the self is created
and developed through human interaction.

According to Oyserman, Elmore and Smith (2012) there are three reasons why the
self is created and developed through human interactions:

1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing.

Society helps in creating the foundations of who we are even if we make our choices,
we still operate in our social and historical
contexts in one way or the other.

2. Whether we like it or not we need others to

affirm or reinforce who we think we are.
3.What we think is important to us may also have been influenced by what is
important in our social or historical context.

There are times when we are aware of our self concepts (self awareness):
1. The private self of your internal standards
and private thoughts and feelings
2. The public self of your public image
commonly geared toward having a good presentation of yourself to others(Hogg and
Vaughan, 2010)

Self awareness also presents us at least three other self schema: actual, ideal, and
ought self. The actual self is who you are at the moment, the ideal self is who you
like to be and 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. Self awareness can keep you from doing something
dangerous; it can help remind you that you have important things to do when
tempted to do something else. Self awareness also sometimes can be too much that
that we may be concerned about being observed and criticized by others, also called
self consciousness.

At other times especially when we are at large crowd, we may experience de

individuation or the “ loss of individual self awareness and individual accountability
in groups. A lot of people will attune themselves with the emotion of their group and
because the large crowd also provides some kind of anonymity, we may lessen self
control and act in ways that we will not do when we are alone.

Self Esteem One of the common concepts associated with the self is self esteem. It
is defined as our own positive and negative perception or evaluation of ourselves
(Jhangiani and tarry,(2014). One of the ways in which our social relationship affects
our self esteem is through comparison. According to the social comparison theory
we learn about ourselves, the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our status
by comparing aspects of ourselves with other people (Hoggs and Vaughan, 2010).

The downward social comparison is the most common type of comparing ourselves
with others. We create a positive self concept if we compare ourselves with those
who are worse off than us. By having the advantage we raise our self-esteem . The
upward social comparison is comparing oneself with those who are better off than
himself. While it can be a motivation for some, some may feel having a lower self-
esteem as they highlight more of their weaknesses and inequities.

Narcissism In one's attempt to maintain or increase self -esteem he may resort to

Narcissism. It is a trait characterized by overly high self - esteem, self admiration and
selfcenteredness. One often takes care of his image includes interpersonal
relationships by looking for better partners, better acquaintances, as well as people
who will appreciate them a lot. This makes one a bad romantic partner or friend
since they engage in relationships only to serve themselves.(Jhiangiani and Tarry,
2010)

People with high self-esteem are usually outgoing, adventurous and adaptable to a
lot of situations. They initiate or build relationships with people. However, they may
leave a relationship or activities that do not conform or boost their self concept.
Because of so high regard for themselves, they usually become bullies, usually try to
experiment in doing things such as drugs, alcohol and sex.

Lesson 3 insights
William James (1890) conceptualized the self as having two aspects, the "I" and the
"me". The l-is the thinking, acting and feeling self (Hogg and Vaughan 2010). The me
is the physical characteristics as well as psychological capabilities that make who you
are.

Mental Constructs Theories generally points out the self and identity as mental
constructs created and recreated in memory. Sigmund 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. According to Oyserman, Elmore and Smith (2012) there are
three reasons why the self is created and developed through human interactions.
People with high self-esteem are usually outgoing, adventurous and adaptable to a
lot of situations. People with low self esteem may become bullies, try to experiment
in doing things such as drugs, alcohol and sex. One often takes care of his image
includes interpersonal relationships by looking for better partners, better
acquaintances, as well as people who will appreciate them a lot.
Lesson 4: The self in western and eastern
thoughts
Cultures and cultural practices have great effects on peoples' ways of life and
changes as well. Different cultures with varying environments tend to create
different perceptions of the self . One of the most common distinction between
cultures of people are the cultures of the Eastern versus the Western. Eastern
represents Asia and western represents Europe and Northern America.

This distinction and countries included was politically highlighted at the time that
perceptions of the self were applied and accepted in the social sciences. While there
are countries who are geographically close to each other may share commonalities,
there are also a lot of factors that create differences. Since most of the theories
about the self come from western research, it is also noteworthy highlighting the
highlighting the eastern thoughts that have influenced our definition and
understanding of the self.

Confucianism Philosophy
- It is a code of ethical conduct on how should one harmoniously act according to his
relationship with other people. The identity and self concept of each individual are
interwoven with the identity and self concept of the individuals and status of his/her
community or culture sharing its pride as well as its failure (Ho, 1995)

In the Confucianism philosophy, self cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life
but the characteristics of a chun-tzu La man of virtue or noble character is still
embedded in his social relationship (Ho, 1995). The cultivated self in Confucianism is
what some scholars call the “subdued self' wherein personal needs are repressed
(subdued) for the good of many making Confucian society also hierarchal of the
purpose of maintaining order and balance in society (Ho, 1995)

Taoism Philosophy
Taoism is living the in the way of the Tao, or__the universe. However Taoism rejects
having one definition of what Tao is and one can only state clues of what it is as they
adopt the free- flowing, relative, unitary as well as the paradoxical view of almost
everything. Taoism 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 (Ho 1995).

In Taoism, the self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part
of a universe, one of the forms and manifestations of the Tao. 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 other beings
(Ho 1995). In this way one is able to act spontaneously because he will not be
restricted by some legalistic standards but because he is in harmony with everything.

Buddhism Philosophy
There are various groups adopting Buddhism philosophy, thus there might be little
differences in teachings but more likely their core concepts are alike. The self is seen
as 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. It is therefore
the quest to forget the self, the cravings of the self, the attachment with the world,
and to renounce self which is the cause of all sufferings and in so doing attain
Nirvana (Ho 1995). Nirvana means perfect happiness.

Eastern Thoughts
In the eastern thoughts the self is not the focus. Confucianism and Taoism still
situate the self within a bigger context. In striving to become a better person , one
does not create a self above other people or nature but a self that is beneficial to the
community as well as to be in harmony with anything else. For Buddhism the self
with all its connections and selfish ideas is taken not just out of the center of the
picture but out of the entire picture.

Illustrative comparison of eastern and western thoughts

Eastern thoughts

 Selflessness by living in harmonious life with nature and society

 Non prejudice and egocentric
 Keeps low profile, considers boasting oneself disrupts social relations
 Collective culture, social relations given more importance
 Loyal to the community. Looks after the welfare of the group, values
cooperation, group oriented
 Puts hierarchy of culture to keep things in harmony and order
 Have respectful terms for seniors and workers would not dare go against the
high ranking officials

Western Thoughts

 Looks at the world in dualities but focus most on the self

 Conscious of social roles that invoked traits positive for the self
 Highlights personal achievements
 Individualistic culture, individual needs a focus
 Loose association or loyalty to the group. The group is instrumental to the
individualistic pursuits Competition is the real name of the game. Promote fair
competition protecting the self or individual. Call their bosses and parents or
 other seniors by name . Bosses, parents can be approached head on when
conflicts arise

Lesson 4 insights

What is the aim of studying the self in Western and Eastern thoughts?
The aim of studying the self in the Western sense is to achieve health, normalcy and
personal knowledge. The aim in Eastern thought includes most of the above but
works toward the union of the higher self with the lower—it is therefore psychology
with a soul. A measure of integration between the Eastern and Western psychology
can be found in Psychosynthesis.

Generally speaking the Western concept of ‘self’ is centered on the individual entity,
and includes traits of character, intelligence, strengths to discover and develop,
weakeness to be identified and overcome, goals to achieve and that sort of thing.

On the other hand, the Eastern concept or ‘self’ is more esoteric. In the East there is
the ‘individual self’ that is identical to the Western concept, but in addition to that
there is the ‘Self’ (note the upper case spelling).

In the East, Self is one’s true nature, it is transcendent to ‘self’, and for most people
it is overlooked in large part, but less so than in the West. But the sages, mystics and
gurus of the East have taught over millennia things like meditation and the various
yogas to assist people in the discovery of their true nature. This true nature is the
commonality beneath all apparent individuals. In other words, to realize the Self is to
discover that there is no separation from anything and or anyone else.

The Self is not dependent upon mind/thought/concepts; it is that which witnesses all
events in the environment, all sensations in the body and all thoughts and emotions
that are experienced. It is silent, still, alert and profoundly peaceful. Those who have
realized the Self and have come to consciously abide in/as true nature are
considered to be ‘enlightened’

The Western self is subject to change for the better or worse depending on how life
circumstances play out so one can work on improving it and defining it endlessly. But
the Eastern Self is untouched by anything and cannot be improved upon. It is
unbounded wholeness, having no discernible traits that can be measured or
quantified in any way. It is free of every thing in the phenomenal world because it is
transcendent to every thing in the phenomenal world.