SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

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GEC 101 - UTS
VARIOUS
SELF FROM

PERSPECTIVES

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101
SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

WHO ARE YOU?

How many times have you been asked this question?
In how many ways have you answered?
Why is this important?

PONDER

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 MIND-BODY DUALITY

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

Consists of physical material

Consists of spiritual essence

Exists in the metaphysical world Exists in the empirical world

Perfect soul Imperfect body

Thoughts, truth Senses, deceptive

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 PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

SOCRATES PLATO AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

Believed that the true self is the 'soul' or the Elaborated Socrates' two-part self by saying A man is a rational substance consisting of
rational part of ourselves that the soul has three parts: reason, desire, the soul and body, which are united like the
To know this soul, we must seek within by and spirit Trinity
questioning (i.e., the Socratic method) Our reason/intellect constitutes our true self To know oneself is to know God

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 PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF
SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
RENE DESCARTES
Father of Modern Philosophy; proposed the
mind-body dualism
The true self is within the soul, and we must
discover it through scientific inquiry and
method
JOHN LOCKE
Our consciousness is the self, giving us a
sense of continuity over time
The self is developed by experiencing, as we
are all born as 'blank slates' (tabula rasa)
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101
DAVID HUME
The self is an idea, the amalgamation of
different perceptions over time; a
'designation'
The self does not exist
 PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF
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IMMANUEL KANT
There is a transcendental self (the self which
organizes our sensations and knowledge) and
an empirical self (the conscious self)
The self is the thread which binds our
experiences of 'self' together in a 'unity of
consciousness'
GILBERT RYLE
Refused the metaphysical self, and focused
on observable behaviors
The self is best understood as a pattern of
behavior, the tendency or disposition for a
person to behave in a certain way
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101
EDMUND HUSSERL &
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
It is best to investigate humanity in terms of
their personal experience (i.e.,
phenomenology)
The self is experienced subjectively, not
known objectively
 PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

PAUL CHURCHLAND
To explain the self, we must be grounded on
neuroscience
The self is a series of neurological
phenomena which can be observed in the
brain

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 The rise of Psychology led to psychologists' focus on
investigating the self as a cognitive construct.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

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Focused its inquiry on internal cognitions and asks

questions such as:
What can make an effective self? Happy self?
Etc.
How does the self know itself (consciousness)?
What cognitive processes are involved in
forming the self?

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 SIGMUND FREUD'S

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW
THE SELF HAS CONSCIOUS AND
UNCONSCIOUS PARTS

There is a part of the 'self' that is

The unconscious part of the self are
conscious of itself, and this includes
those parts of the self which are not
the mental processes which we are
easily accessible to our awareness
aware of

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SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

 WILLIAM JAMES
Father of Functionalist School of Thought
I-Self and Me-Self

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

The I-Self (i.e., "I", the knower) is the subjective
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self, which does everything in the here and now. It

is aware of itself and gives you the sense of who
you are.
The Me-Self (i.e., "me", the known) is the objective
self, the repository of all experiences: past,
present, and future. The Me-Self is composed of
the material, social, and spiritual self

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 SELF-ESTEEM

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

BY WILLIAM JAMES

Our overall evaluation of

ourselves, and its different
dimensions

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 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101
SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ESTEEM

Why do some people have so-called 'low self-esteem'?
Or the reverse, 'high self-esteem'?

PONDER

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 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101
For James, a realistic view of self and one's
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aspirations is important in order to have

positive feelings about oneself
The problem occurs when one's ideal self turns
into an idealistic and unrealistic MUST SELF
(i.e., 'I must be a good student', 'I must provide
my family with luxuries').

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 SELF-REGULATION
Our ability to control our behaviors
ALBERT towards goals which are more likely to

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

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BANDURA result in positive experiences and rewards

THE PROACTIVE AND
AGENTIC SELF

We are capable of controlling our SELF-EFFICACY

behavior towards more achievable Our beliefs about our capabilities to achieve
goals, leading to more positive views a goal
of the self

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 THE SOCIOLOGICAL/ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEWS
emphasize that the self must not be viewed in isolation, but must be seen as part
of a larger society, culture, and societal values.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

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 SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
The self is a product of how the people interact with society
at large. Only when one has participated in different social

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

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positions and learn from those experiences can we be self-

conscious.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
The self is differently conceptualized across cultures (e.g.,
SELF & Western/Eastern Orientations). How we view the self begins
and ends with the group we are in.
ENVIRONMENT

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 George Herbert Mead
The Self as a Sociological Construction
Mead's viewed the self to be constructed
through the process of socialization, where we

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

learn to be self-conscious (i.e., aware of how

people see us and the roles that we play).
Also conceptualized an I-Me self in terms of
social interaction; wherein the 'Me' is how
others see the self, and the 'I' is the personal
assessment of the social self.
There must be a balance between the I and the
Me.

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 ME-SELF (JAMES & MEAD)

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

W. JAMES G.H. MEAD

The self as a product of cognition The self as a product of social interaction

The Me-Self is an object of awareness, of and role- taking
the total experiences of the 'I', having The Me-Self is the sum of all perceived
material, social, and spiritual perceptions others have of the self
components

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 THE CONCEPT OF SELF VARIES WITH CULTURE.

Markus & Kitayama (1991) pointed out that the primary method in which cultural values influence
psychological processes is in terms of how individuals define and see their 'selves' in relation to

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

others in their social network.

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 WESTERN &
EASTERN
VIEWS

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

THE SELF AND CULTURE

For Western/Individualist For Eastern/Collectivist

Societies, the self is seen as a Societies, the self is seen as an
dynamic and organized whole emerging concept from a
against other wholes in society combined set of multiple
and environment. identities.

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 Confucius
The Eastern/Oriental View of Self
Confucius laid out Chinese philosophy which
defined the self in terms of cardinal
relationships (e.g., ruler-minister, father-son,

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

etc.) nurtured by reciprocity, interdependence,
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and interrelatedness. This philosophy eventually

spread throughout the Eastern parts,
influencing societies and cultures within it.
Confucian philosophy focuses on relational
identity, the identity as defined by significant
relationships.
In Eastern/Oriental cultures, the concept of self
is impinged upon by societal values and
expectation.

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 SALIENT FEATURES OF INDIVIDUALIST
AND COLLECTIVIST CULTURES

INDIVIDUALIST CULTURES COLLECTIVIST CULTURES

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

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Fosters independence and individual achievement Fosters interdependence and group success

Promotes self-expression, individual thinking Promotes adherence to norms, respect for authority/elders,
and personal choice group consensus

Associated with egalitarian relationships Associated with stable, hierarchical roles

and flexibility in roles

Associated with private property and individual ownership Associated with shared property and group ownership

HO ET AL., 2004

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 THE CONCEPT OF SELF VARIES WITH CULTURE.

The expression of self inevitably varies depending on the culture we are in, which impinges its own

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

unique values and expectations on our selfhood.

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 SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

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PONDER
Because it is!
WHY IS IT SO COMPLICATED?

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101
SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

SUMMARY ON THE MATTER OF SELF

The self is a complex and multifaceted aspect of human beings defined by
ourselves, others, and the environment, which is needed to be a fully functioning
human.

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 SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

THANK YOU!

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B

E
Y

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

 HOMEWORK

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF / GEC 101

SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Create a concept map of your understanding

of the self based on the ideas from the
different perspectives on the self:
philosophical, psychological, social, and
anthropological.

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