UNIT 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SELF?

 REFERS TO A PERSON’S ESSENTIAL BEING THAT DISTINGUISH FROM OTHERS.
 IT IS ALSO SYNONYMOUS TO THE CONCEPT OF “I”
PERSON’S NAME
 SERVES AS ONE’S INITIAL IDENTITY TO THE WORLD.
 IT CAN SERE VARIOUS PURPOSES SUCH AS INDICATION OF OWNERSHIP OF AN OBJECT OR
WORK OR IDENTIFICATION OF ONE’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENT.
BELIEF
 THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT A STATE IS TRUE OR SOMETHING EXIST.
CONCERN
 IT IMPLIES HAVING WORRIES OR ANXITIES.
CHAPTER II: THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
PHILOSOPHY
 IT IS THE ATTEMPT TO SEEK ANSWERS, EXPLANATIONS AND CONNECTIONS FOR PROBLEMS
AND THOUGHTS REGARDING REALITY, KNOWLEDGE, AND VALUE.
SOCRATES
 THE CENTER OF SOCRATES IDEA OF PHILOSPHY WAS THE DIVINE SOUL INSIDE THE HUMAN
BODY. HIS GOAL WAS TO “KNOW THYSELF”, WHICH HE AIMED TO ACHIEVE BY EXAMINING
HIMSELF. HIS METHOD INVOLVED HAVING CONVERSATION WITH A PARTNER A PRACTICE HE
HIGHLY VALUED AND BELIEVE TO BE THE GREATEST GOOD OF LIFE.
PLATO
 PLATO BELIEVE THAT THE BEST WAY TO LIVE AND ATTAIN HAPPINESS AND SOCIAL
STABILITY IS TO USE ONE’S SENSE OF REASON SYSTEMATICALLY AND TO UNDERSTAND THE
NATURE OF HUMANS.
 PLATO’S DUALIST PERSPECTIVE OF HUMANS MAINTATINS THE CO-EXISTENCE OF THE
IMMATERIAL MIND AND THE MATERIAL BODY. HE BELIEVE THAT THE SOUL PRECEDES BIRTH
AND SUCCEEDS DEATH. THUS, IT IS THE SOUL OR MIND THAT ATTAINS KNOWLEDGE, NOT THE
SENSES.
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
 AUGUSTINE’S LIFE, JOURNEY AND SPIRITUALLY GIVE LIGHT TO UNDERSTANDING ONESELF
AND THE NATURE OF HUMANS TO DEVELOPMENT OF ONE’S SELF COMES FROM SELF-
PRESENTATION AND SELF-REALIZATION WHICH ARE CENTERED ON HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
HE BELIEVES THAT THE CRIX OF THE SELF OR THE IDENTITY OF HUMANS REVOLVE AROUND
THE IDEA THAT GOD MADE HUMANS FOR HIMSELF AND THAT HUMANS WILL FIND THE REST
IN HIM.
RENE DESCARTES
 DESCARTES REGARDED AS THE FATHER OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY, VIEWWED THAT SELF AS A
THINKER THROUGH THE PHASE “I THINK THEREFORE I AM”. HE BELIEVED THAT THE MIND IS
THE SEAT OF ONE’S CONCIOUSNESS, WHICH FACILITATES THINKING PROCESS EXPERIMENTS,
INVESTIGATIONS, ANALYSES AND SYNTHESIS IN ORDER TO BUILD ONE’S SELF TO BECOME A
BETTER PERSON.
JOHN LOCKE
 HE BELIEVED THAT SELF-IDENTITY IS RELATED TO PHYCHOLOGICAL CONTINUITY. HE
BELIEVED THAT THE SELF COMES FROM THE CONCIOUSNESS OF A PERSON, NOT THEIR BODY
OR SOUL
 THE CONCEPT OF ONE’S SELF COMES FROM ONE’S GENERAL IDENTITY
DAVID HUME
 HUME ARGUED THAT HUMANS HAVE A TENDENCY TO SEE THEMSELVES AS EXISTING
STABLE ENTITIES. WHEN EXAMINING ONE'S EXPERIENCE, ONLY FEELINGS, SENSATIONS,
AND IMPRESSIONS ARE OBSERVED. FURTHERMORE, HUMANS ARE UNABLE TO OBSERVE
THEMSELVES IN A UNIFIED WAY, MEANING THERE IS NO SELF THAT CAN BE CONSTRUCTED AS
A WHOLE FROM THESE OBSERVATIONS.
 HUMANS CANNOT BE AWARE OF THEMSELVES. THEY CAN ONLY FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES
WITH THE EXPERIENCE THEY HAVE FOR A PARTICULAR MOMENT.

IMMANUEL KANT
 FOR KANT, THE MIND PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING THE SELF. THE MIND IS
ASSOCIATED WITH ONE'S CONSCIOUSNESS. HE FORMULATED A THEORY AND DISCUSSED HE
HUMAN COGNITIVE ARCHITECTURE IN HICH DESCRIBES THE MIND HAVING A COMPLEX SET
OF ABILITIES ALONG WITH ERTAIN FUNCTIONS.
GILBERT RYLE
 HE WAS THE ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT ORDINARY LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHERS DURING
THE 20TH CENTURY. HE ARGUED THAT DISTORTING THE MEANING OF WORDS RESULTS IN
PROBLEMATIC AND FALSE ASSUMPTIONS. HE BELIEVED THAT THE HUMAN SENSE OF SELF
COMES FROM HUMAN BEHAVIORS, AND NOT FROM THE MIND WHICH DOES NOT EXIST.
PAUL CHURCHLAND
  CHURCHLAND, ARGUED THAT THE MIND DOES NOT BECAUSE IT CAN NOT BE EXPERIENCED BY
ONE’S SENSES. HE FOCUSED ON ELMINATIVE MATERIALISM, WHICH ASSERTS THAT THE FOLD
PHYCHOLOGY OF THE MIND IS INCORRECCT. HE BELIEVE THAT IT IS PHYSICAL BRAIN THAT
GIVES OUR SENSE OF SLEF, NOT THE IMAGINARY MIND.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
 ACCORIDING TO PONTY, THE SELF IS A MANIFESTATION OF SUBJECTIVITY, WHEREIN A
SUBJECT CAN ACT AND CAUSE EFFECTS, THUS, IMPLYING ITS EXISTENCE.
 PONTY BELIEVED THAT THE PHYSICAL BODY IS PART OF SELF IDENTITY. THE PERCEPTIONS OF
THE MIND AND THE ACTIONS OF THE ARE INTERCONNECTED.

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

SOCIOLOGY
 IT IS THE EXAMINATION AND ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIP AND INSTITUTIONS
 VARIOUS ASPECTS OF HUMAN LIFE, SUCH AS FAMILY, STATE, RACE, SOCIAL CLASS, BELIEFS
AND RELIGION ARE STATED IN SOCIOLOGY
THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF SOCIETY
 SOCIOLOGY – STATES THE SELF IS COMPROMISED OF A SET OF PERSCEPTIONS ABOUT THE
SELF ABOUT THE SELF, OTHERS AND THE SOCIAL SYSTEM.
 A “SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED” PERSON IS SOMEONE WHO IS SHAPED AND INFLUENCED BY
SOCIETY DURING THEIR INTERACTION WITH OTHERS.
STRET AND BURKE (2003) PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF.
1. THERE IS A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SELF AND SOCIETY.
2. THE SELF EMERGES IN AND IS REFLECTIVE SOCIETY
3. THE BASIS FOR UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL STRUCTURES FROM THE ACTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS.
4. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF SELFHOOD IS ABOUT THE MEANINGS AND UNDERSTANDING
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PUBLIC SELF.
5. THERE IS A BRAOD CONTEXUALIZATION OF THE SELF.
SOCIAL SELF
 THE SOCIAL SELF IS A MULTIFACETED ANALYSIS OF THE SELF CONCEPT BASED ON THE
SOCIAL NATURE OF THE SELF. THE EMPHASIS IS ON SELF-ESTEEM ALONG WITH SELF-
CENTRALITY, SELF-OPENNESS, AND MAJORITY IDENTIFICATION.
SOCIETY AND THE SELF
 ACCORDING TO MEAD, INDIVIDUALS COMPSE A SOCIETY; WITHOUT A PEOPLE, A SOCIETY
CANNOT EXIST
 THE SELVES, MINDS, AND ROLES CARRIED BY INDIVIDUALS ENABLE A SOCIETY TO EXIST. HE
ARGUES THAT THE SELF DOES NOT EXIST AS A RESULT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DRIVES OR NEED
BUT BECAUSE SOCIETY NEEDS IT TO EXIST.
THE “I” AND “ME”
 THE SELF APPEARS AS A REFLECTION OF THE SOCIETY WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL ENGAGES AND
PARTICIPATES IN. MEAD, PRESENTED THE INTERACTIVE FACETS OF THE SELF NAMEL, “I” AND
“ME”. THE “ME” FACET IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF THAT ONE ASSUMES TO VIEW AND
ANALYZE THEIR OWN BEHAVIORS AND ACTIONS. THIS PERSPECTIVE IS A RESULT OF TAKING
ROLES IN SOCIETY AND ITS PROGRESSIVE STAGES. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE “I” FACET
REFERS TO THE SELF THAT IS IMPULSIVE OR SPONTANEOUS. THE SELF IS A RESULT OF THE
INTERACTION OF THESE TWO FACETS.
THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SLEF

ANTHROPOLOGY – COMES FROM THE TWO GREEK WORDS ANTHROPOS MEANNING “HUMAN”
AND LOGOS MEANING THOUGHT OR REASON”. REFERS TO THE STUDY OF HUMANS AND THEIR
ANCESTORS THROUGJ TIME.

4 SUB-DISCIPLINES OF ANTHROPOLGY
ARCHAELOGY, CULTURAL, BIOLOGICAL OR PHYSICAL, LINGUISTIC.

ANTHROPOLGY OF THE SELF

THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF STATES THAT THE SELF IS A "PHYSICAL
ORGANISM POSSESSING PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AND SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES" (EWING,
1990). FURTHERMORE, THE SELF IS NOT STATIC. IT IS ADDED AND SUBTRACTED FROM GENETIC
MATURATION, LEARNING, FORGETTING, STRESS, AGING, AND DISEASE (LEDOUX 2002). THIS
IMPLIES THAT THE SELF UNDERGOES MULTIPLE TRANSFORMATIONS RESULTING FROM
VARIOUS EXPERIENCE AND ENGAGEMENTS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

THE CULTURE OF ONESELF IS BELIEVE TO BE SHARED, ADAPTIVE, AND MALADAPTIVE,

SYMBOLIC, ENCOMPASSING, INTEGRATED, NATURAL, AND LEARNED.
• CULTURE REFERS TO THE "CUSTOMARY BEHAVIOR AND BELIEFS THAT ARE PASSED ON
THOUGHT ENCULTURATION." - KOTTAK, 2003
• CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGISTS STATE THAT THE HUMANS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO INTERPRET
THE MEANING OF THINGS. INDEPENDENT CONSTRUCTS REFERS TO CERTAIN
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURE. • INTERDEPENDENT CONSTRUCTS
REFERS TO THE COLLECTIVIST CULTURE.