PHILOSOPHY
▪ Philosophy is from the Greek words “Philo” Which
means loving - and “Sophia” – which means
knowledge or wisdom. Putting it together,
philosophy is “loving knowledge” or “loving
wisdom”.
▪ The study of the fundamental nature of
knowledge, reality, and existence, especially in an
academic discipline.
▪ A particular theory that someone has about how
to live or how to deal with a particular situation.
▪ Academic discipline concerned with
investigating the nature of significance of ordinary
and scientific beliefs.
▪ Investigates the legitimacy of concepts by
rational argument concerning their implications,
relationships as well as reality, knowledge, moral
judgment, etc.
▪ Much of philosophy concerns with the
fundamental nature of self.
EMPIRICISM AND RATIONALISM
▪ The philosophy of the self has been defined
through two (2) distinct approaches: empiricism
and rationalism.
EMPIRICISM
▪ In empiricism, there is no such thing as innate
knowledge; instead knowledge is derived from
experience – either perceived with the five (5)
senses or processed with the brain.
▪ One knows things because he or she has
experienced it through sensory and bodily
experiences.
RATIONALISM
▪ Rationalism argues that there is innate
knowledge; however there are different resources
of innate knowledge.
▪ Rationalism explains self from the standpoint of
what is “ideal” and “true”, and not rooted in what
is felt by the senses or body. Conclusions are
derived through logic and reasoning.
THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
▪ Prominent philosophers have different views
regarding the nature of the self.
▪ The ancient philosophers explained the self from
their conceptual understanding
of the world since scientific evidence was hard to
obtain due to lack of measures.
▪ Meanwhile, contemporary philosophers have
incorporated science to their theories in the light of
the technological advancements they have been
exposed to.
SOCRATES
▪ known to be the OG “Father of Western Thought.”
▪ Believes in DUALISTIC principle.
2 kinds of existence:
1.)Body (visible, always changing)
2.)Soul (invisible, remains constant, invisible to
humans yet understood by the mind)
▪ Body (imperfect, impermanent) + Soul (perfect,
permanent)= MAN (an individual)
▪ He was known for the Socratic Method – it is a
method of inquiry in testing an idea or the act of
questioning that promotes critical thinking.
▪ “The unexamined life is not worth living”
▪ Concerned with the problem of the self
▪ “The virtuous man is a happy man.”
▪ The true task of the philosopher is to know oneself
▪ The self consists of two (2) dichotomous realms:
physical and ideal realms
▪ The physical realm – changeable, transient, and
imperfect,
▪ The ideal realm – unchanging, eternal, and
immortal.
▪ The soul – is the immortal entity, the essence of
the self.
▪ Self-knowledge is the ultimate virtue.
▪ I KNOW THAT I DON'T KNOW
PLATO RENE DESCARTES
▪ Student of Socrates who believed that the self is
▪ Father of Modern Western Philosophy.
synonymous with the soul.
▪ “I think, therefore I am.” or “Cogito ergo sum ”–
▪ He is the most the important influence of the
the keystone of Descartes’ concept of self.
Western concept of “Self”.
▪ Cogito - the things that thinks, which is the mind
▪ Known for his “Theory of Forms ”
▪ Extenza - extension of the mind which is the body
▪ Introduced the idea of a three-part soul:
▪ Human Person/Self = Body (machine) + Mind
APPETITIVE SOUL, RATIONAL SOUL, AND SPIRITUAL
(controls the body)
SOUL.
▪ The Mind
▪ The appetitive (sensual) – The element which is
1. It is a conscious, thinking substance that is
the human ' s most basic desires (food, drink, sleep,
unaffected by time.
sexual needs, etc.)
2. It is known only to itself (only you know your own
▪ The rational (reasoning) – The element that is the
mental state and thoughts)
reason and intellect to govern affairs, the part that
3. It is NOT made up of parts. It is both conscious
loves truth, hence, considered to be the should
and aware of itself.
rule over the other parts of the soul through the use
▪ The Body
of reason
1. It is a material substance that changes through
▪ The spirited/spiritual (feeling) – The element that is
time.
inclined toward reason but understands the
2. It can be doubted. The public can correct
demands of passion; in-charge of emotions like
claims about the body.
love, anger, ambitions, etc.
3. It is made up of physical, quantifiable, divisible
▪ BALANCE BETWEEN MIND AND BODY.
parts.
▪ The essence of the human self is a thinking entity
ST. AUGUSTINE that doubts, understands,
▪ Followed the view of Plato but adds Christianity. analyzes, questions and reasons.
▪ As a religious philosopher, he contemplated on
the nature of man with an emphasis on the soul as
JOHN LOCKE
an important element of man.
▪ one of the most influential Enlightenment
▪ Humankind is created in the image and likeness
Thinkers.
of God.
▪ The human mind at birth is tabula rasa or blank
▪ “Knowledge can only come by seeing the truth
slate. Human mind at birth is a tabula rasa, which
that dwells within us.”
means that knowledge is derived from experience
▪ The Body - dies on earth + soul-lives eternally in
▪ expounded Descartes description of the "Self" as
spiritual bliss with "God" = Man
a thinking thing to the self being a "thinking thing
▪ His ideas of the soul are the following:
with memories "
i) It is able to be aware of itself
▪ the premise that the self has memories, this
ii) It recognizes itself as a holistic one
means that the person existing now is the same
iii) It is aware of its unity
person yesterday because he remembers the
▪ ALL KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO GOD
thoughts, experiences, or actions of the past self.
▪ Body + Mind (ability to think + memories and
experiences) = SELF / Personal Identity
▪ The self or personal identity is constructed
primarily from sense experience – specifically,
what people see, hear, smell, taste and feel.
▪ KNOWLEDGE IS DERIVE FROM EXPERIENCE
DAVID HUME
▪ Hume was a Scottish philosopher, economist, and
historian during the Age of Enlightenment
▪ ALL KNOWLEDGE IS DERIVE FROM HUMAN SENSES
▪ He proposed the bundle theory where he
described the self or person or mind as a bundle or
collection of different perceptions that are moving
in a very fast and successive manner or in a
perpetual flux
▪ Self/ Human Person = combination of all
experiences with a particular person
▪ He sees the self through these two categories:
1) Impressions - These are the perceptions that are
the most strong. They enter the senses with most
force. These are directly experienced; they result
from inward and outward sentiments.
2) Ideas- These are the less forcible and less lively
counterparts of impressions. These are mechanisms
that copy and reproduce sense data formulated
based upon the previously perceived impressions.
▪ "Self" was nothing but a series of incoherent
impressions received by the senses.
▪ "Self" is not just one impression but a mix and a
loose cohesion of various personal experiences
and ideas
IMMANUEL KANT
▪ Reason is the final authority of morality. Morality is
achieved only when there is absence of war
because of the result of enlightenment.
▪ Kant is a central figure in modern philosophy. He
proposed that the human mind creates the
structure of human experiences.
▪ " self" as transcendental meaning it is spiritual or in
the nonphysical realm.
▪ " self" is not in the body, but rather it is outside of
it. However, the body and its qualities are rooted
to the " self". What bridges the " self" and the
material things or body is Knowledge.
▪ Self = Body + Mind (impressions and experiences
that are processed through mental understanding
of what happened)
▪ two kinds of consciousness of self (rationality):
1) Consciousness of oneself and one ' s
psychological states in inner sense,
2) Consciousness of oneself and one ' s states by
performing acts of apperception
▪ Apperception is the mental process by which a
person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to
the body of ideas he or she already possesses.
▪ For Kant what truly exist are your ideas and your
knowledge of your ideas; that you perceive the
outside world through the self with your ideas.
▪ Two components of the " self" :
1) Inner Self - the " self" by which you are aware of
alterations in your own state. This includes your
rational intellect and your psychological state,
such as moods, feelings, and sensations, pleasure,
and pain.
2) Outer Self- It includes your senses and the
physical world. It is the common boundary
between the external world and the inner self. It
gathers information from the external world
through the senses, which the inner self interprets
and coherently expresses.
▪ the " self" organizes information in three ways:
1) Raw perceptual input,
2) Recognizing the concept, and
3)Reproducing in the imagination
▪ a "unified" point of self-reference. Meaning you
are conscious of yourself as the subject, and you
are conscious of yourself as a common subject of
different representations.
SIGMUND FREUD
▪ a philosopher, physiologist, and psychologist and
one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th
century.
▪ focused on the " psyche " or "I" which is the
totality of the human mind, both conscious (what
you think you know and are aware of) and
unconscious (the things you don 't know that you
know or aware of).
▪ Self is multi-layered and represented thru the "
psyche" He distinguished three levels of the psyche
:
1) Conscious - deals with the awareness of present
perceptions, feelings, thoughts, memories, and
fantasies at any particular moment;
2) Preconscious/subconscious - related to data or
information that can readily be brought to
consciousness and are nonthreatening
3) Unconscious - part of the mind or psyche that
contains the basic instinctual drives of a person
including sexuality, aggressiveness, traumatic
experiences, unfulfilled wishes and childhood
desires that would be considered not appropriate
to talk about.
▪ known for his psychoanalytic theory, a personality
theory based on the idea that a person gets
motivated to act by unseen forces, controlled by
the conscious, and the rational thought. What is
unique about this theory is that he proposed the
existence of the unconscious as:
1) A database for traumatic repressed memories;
2) The source of anxiety-provoking drives that is
socially or ethically unacceptable to
individual.
▪ Freud further structured the dimension (or
personality) of"self" (Id, ego,superego)
▪ the superego consists of two systems:
CONSCIENCE, AND IDEAL SELF.
▪ "Wish Fulfillment is the road to the unconscious "
▪ Preconscious (easily retrievable memories and
information) + Conscious (Ego, Superego, Present
Moment, Awareness) + Unconscious (Id, traumatic
events, repressed moments) = Self or "I
GILBERT RYLE
▪ Gilbert Ryle is a philosopher and a professor.
▪ He described the distinction between mind and body
as the "dogma of the ghost in the machine" where
he explained that there is no hidden entity or ghost
called " soul" (or mind or self) in a machine called
"body ".
▪ Overt Actions and Behaviors = Self or Man
▪ The self is best understood as a pattern of
behavior, the tendency for a person to behave in
a certain way in certain circumstances.
▪ “I act, therefore I am.”
PAUL CHURCHLAND
▪ known for his studies in
neurophilosophy and the philosophy of mind.
▪ He believes that if something can be seen, felt,
heard, touched, or tasted - all experienced by the
sensory, then it exists.
▪ He proposed the idea of eliminative materialism
which he states that the "mind" and its mental
states do not exist. Rather, only the "brain " exists,
producing electrochemical signals this producing
the " self".
▪ The brain, not the mind, is responsible for the self.
▪ Body + Brain Activity= Self
▪ "The physical brain and NOT the imaginary mind
gives us our sense of self"
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
the
▪ Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a philosopher and
author.
▪ " self" as an embodied subjectivity. From the word
itself, embodied means to give a body to, while
subjectivity is the state of being a subject-
meaning an entity that possesses conscious
experiences, such as perspectives, feelings,
beliefs, and desires. What' s more is that a subject
acts upon or can affect other entity - or known as
object.
▪ believed that the mind and body are connected.
▪ He notes that everything that people are aware
of is contained within the consciousness.
▪ He is convinced that consciousness, the world,
and the body are intricately intertwined in
perceiving the world.
▪ Living body + conscious mind with thoughts and
its understanding of the surroundings + the external
world = Self or individual.
▪ "Physical body is an important part of the self.
SOCIOLOGY
Key Characteristics of a modern society
▪ According to American Sociological Association,
▪ Industrialism – The social relations implied in the
SOCIOLOGY is the study of social life, social
extensive use of material power and machinery in
change, and the social causes and consequences
all processes of production.
of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the
▪ Capitalism – A production system involving both
structure of groups, organizations, and societies
competitive product markets and the
and how people interact to within these context
commodification (putting a price tag) of labor
▪ Understanding Sociology in the question "Who am
power.
I?" - we learn how socially formed norms, beliefs,
▪ Institution of surveillance – The massive increase
and values come to exist within the person to a
of power and reach by institutions, especially in
degree where these become natural and normal
government.
(Elwell, 2003) and thereby developing the person's
▪ Dynamism – Most evident characteristic of
self-identity.
modern society. Dynamism is characterized as
having vigorous activity and progress.
The Sociological Concepts affecting the
self ▪ In a modern society, life is not a predetermined
▪ Modernization, Social group and social networks path with limited options, it is a society full of
and, mead and social self. possibilities. Everything is subject to change, and
changes happen much more rapidly than ever
MODERNIZATION before in human history. And with this rapid
Pre-modern Society changes, it is also affecting how one's self is being
▪ Concerned on one thing: SURVIVAL and that brought up, developed, and formed.
created a mindset that everything is LIMITED in
options in their choices.
▪ People behaved according to social rules and SOCIAL GROUP AND SOCIAL NETWORKS
traditions while the family and the immediate
environment provided supervisions on how to get
GEORGE SIMMEL
through life. Choosing where to live, what line of
▪ George Simmel was a German Sociologist,
work to do, and even who to marry was very
philosopher, and critic.
limited. (Hermannsdottir, 2011).
▪ He expressed that people create social networks
by joining social groups.
Modern Society
▪ Social Groups - Described as having two or more
▪ Significantly changed society by improving
people interacting with one another, sharing
people's living condition.
similar characteristics, and whose members
▪ There is freedom to choose where to live, what to
identify themselves as part of the group.
do, and who to be with because of the plenty of
EX. Ranz and Niana Family, Cardo Dalisay and
possibilities and options out there.
family, BTS , Golden State Warriors
▪ May have decreased in traditions and support
▪ Social Networks - refers to the ties or connections
system, such as family connections, because of
that link you to your social group. The connection
the increase in independence.
you have with your family is blood relation; you are
▪ Modernization has significantly changed society,
connected with your barkada because of your
and this has affected how an individual builds and
friendship, and the connection you have with your
develops his or her self-identity.
classmates is your common interest to learn.
 MEAD AND SOCIAL SELF
EX. familial, blood-related, neighbors in the
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
community, Common interest in music /
▪ George Herbert Mead was a sociologist from the
basketball.
late 1800s.
▪ He was well known for his "Theory of the
Social Group
Social Self" which is based on the perspective
▪ Organic Group that the self is a product of social interactions +
– Naturally occurring Highly influenced by family internalizing the other people's views along with
Formed in traditional societies the one's personal view about oneself.
– You join this group because your family is part of ▪He believed that the "self" is not present at

it, in the first place.

birth, rather it is developed over time through
social experiences and activities.
– This is refer to as organic motivation.
▪ Mead proposed that there are three stages of
– Example: Extended Family Religious group
self-development:
Community Tribe.
1. LANGUAGE – Through shared
– Positive effects: rootedness - gives you sense of
understanding of symbols, gestures, and
belongingness.
sound, language gives the individual the
– Negative effects: Less freedom, high social
capacity to express himself or herself while
conformity (you need to follow the rules and
at the same time understanding what the
expected to act and behave according to
other people are conveying.
community standards).
2. PLAY – At this level, individuals role-play or
assume the perspective of others.
▪ Rational Group
Roleplaying enables the person to
– Often occurs in modern societies .
internalize some other people's
– Made up of different people coming from
perspectives; hence, he or she develops an
different places .
understanding of how the other people
– You join a group because of common interest
feel about themselves in a variety of
and out of your free will and choice. This is called
situations.
rational motivation.
3. GAME – The level where the individual not
– Example: FB Groups, MobileGames League,
only internalizes the other people's
Student, Organizations, Community Groups
perspective and his own personal
– Positive effects: Freedom in terms of movement
perspective, he or she is also able to take
and interaction .
into account societal rules and follows it.
– Negative effects: Can easily be disbanded; no
According to Mead, the self is fully
meaningful connection with others.
developed by understanding the rule, and
one must abide by it to "win the game" or
be successful.
▪ Mead sees the individual as an active process,
not just a mere reflection of society.
▪ He further proposed two interactive aspects of
the self: The "I" and the "Me"
▪ The "ME" is the socialized aspect of a person. It is
the product of what the person has learned while
interacting with others and with the environment.
Learned behaviors, attitudes, and even
expectations comprise the "me".
▪ It is your image of yourself in public.
▪ The "I" is that part of the self that is unsocialized
and spontaneous.
▪ It is the individual's response to the community's
attitude towards the person.
▪ The "I" presents impulses and drives and enables
him or her to express individualism and creativity
depending on the situation. It constructs a
response based on what has been learned by the
"me".
▪ "I" represents the unique traits of a person. It is
your natural and real self in private.
▪ Mead's idea of the development of the self is
anchored on social interactions and experiences,
he defined that there are two sides of the self,
which is the "I" and "Me". The "I" is really our inner
and natural response to the experiences learned
from the "me" self. The "me" self, on the other hand,
is the self that we show to the public as a response
to what we have learned from our interactions and
experiences within the society. As you know in
public, we behave according to a "standard" and
"expectation" and that is the "Me" self exercising
control of our being.
 ▪ Implicit – Not immediately available to the
Anthropology is the study of people, past and consciousness. (Such as your personality, genes
present. It is the systematic study of humanity, with characteristics, and mood).
the goal of understanding our evolutionary origins, ▪ Explicit – You are consciously aware of this part of
our distinctiveness as a species, and the great the self (Such as your likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.)
diversity in our forms of social existence across the ▪ In a nutshell: LeDoux see the self (both implicit
world and through time. They consider the past, and explicit) as a product of the changes in the
through archaeology, to see how human groups (1) genetics of our body (genes from our ancestors,
lived hundreds or thousands of years ago and puberty),
what was important to them. They consider what (2) what we learn and unlearn from the
makes up our biological bodies and genetics, as environment and interactions, what we
well as our bones, diet, and health. It also tries to consciously and unconsciously forget and
understand how people interact and remember (the past or certain happenings),
communicate in different societies. (3) the stress in our lives that affect our physical
and mental activity (if we are so stress we
Understanding the field of Anthropology will help sometimes eat a lot or forget to eat or we lose
you understand yourself better by giving you an sleep so this affects our body chemicals and
idea how humans continually evolved from the brain),
so-called "primitive cave men" to civilized citizens, (4) Aging (we mature as we age), and
thus can help explain our behaviors that is linked (5) disease (when we have certain diseases and
to our self-identity. It is also through the study of illness, it will affect our body chemicals and systems
anthropology that you understand why you see does affecting our self).
similarities and difference from animals because
biological structures and genetics. Moreover, it is Katherine Ewing's
through this study that you understand how we are ▪ "Self as a Representation"
all the same as human beings but we are very ▪ Katherine Ewing is an Anthropologist and a
much different and this difference is because of Professor.
how one's culture shapes one's identity. ▪ She asserted the definition that the self is a
physical organism "possessing psychological

A. The Self and the person in functioning and social attributes.”

▪ She also asserted that "self" is illusory (deceptive
Contemporary Anthropology
or scam). She said that people construct a series
of self representation that are based on selected
Joseph LeDoux's cultural concepts of a person and selected
▪ "Implicit and Explicit aspects of the Self" "chains" personal memories.
▪ Joseph LeDoux is a contemporary neuroscientist. ▪ Meaning --> Selected chain of Personal memories
▪ According to LeDoux, the development of the + Selected cultural concepts = Self Representation
self is framed, maintained, and affected ▪ self-representation depends on the context or
biologically, mentally, and socially. situation.
▪ He believes that "the self is not static ; it is added
to and subtracted from by genetic maturation,
learning, forgetting, stress, ageing, and disease."
▪ He conceptualized the Implicit and Explicit
aspects of the self.
▪ In a nutshell, Ewing said that the "self" is illusory or
can be a "scam" because individuals tend to
present or define themselves on selected life
happenings and also selected cultural concepts.
Self-representation means that the "self" is shaped
and represented by the cultural mental entities or
cultural habits that we take in as we grow up,
depending on the situation faced.
These anthropological concepts of the self
developed by Ewing and LeDoux emphasizes that
we are products of our genes that has been
passed down from our ancestors, moreover, our
self is a organism with physical, emotional,
psychological, and social functioning distinct from
other organisms. We also learned that how we
present ourselves to others can be determined by
our culture and tradition.
The Self embedded in Culture
CULTURE
▪ Cultural anthropologists argued that the self is
culturally shaped and infinitely variable.
▪ "Cultural traditions and social practices regulate,
express, and transform the human psyche,
resulting less in psychic unity for human kind than in
ethnic divergences in mind, self, and emotions."
▪ Anthropology sees the "self" as not universal, but
rather very different and unique from one another
because of the culture and traditions practiced all
over the world.
▪ There are two ways of how the self is constructed.
1. Independent constructs
– Characterized by "Individualistic Culture" such as
in North America and Europe.
– They represent the self as separate,
distinct, with emphasis on internal
attributes or traits, skills, and values.
2. Interdependent constructs
– Typical of the "Collectivist Culture" and evident in
Asian countries
– Stressing the important connection between the
individual to other people.
▪ These constructs are also known as
"Self-Construals".
Construal is an interpretation of the meaning of
something; so when we say self-construal it means,
the meaning of the "self"
CATHERINE RAEFF
Even psychologists like Catherine Raeff believed
that culture can influence how you view
relationships, personality traits, achievement,
and expressing emotions.
Culture influences the following:
▪ Relationships – Culture influences how you enter
into and maintain relationships. For example,
relationships may be seen as voluntary or as duty
based in some societies. In Western societies, it is
essential for a person to choose whom to marry
while some Eastern societies still practice arranged
marriage.
▪ Personality Traits – Culture influences whether
(and how) you value traits, like humility,
self-esteem, politeness, assertiveness, and so on, as
well as how you perceive hardship or how you feel
about relying others.
▪ Achievement – Culture influences how you
define success and whether you value certain
types of individual and group achievements.
▪ Expressing Emotions – Culture influences what will
affect you emotionally, as well as how you express
yourself, such as showing your feelings in public or
keeping it private.
CULTURE
▪ The study of anthropology emphasizes that the
different culture in different communities and
society plays a big role in shaping one's self. It may
not be obvious but the way we behave, how we
react to certain situations, how we express our
feelings are largely influenced by our culture - and
these contributes to how we are able to answer
the question "Who Am I?
What is Psychology ? ▪ When we say cognitive construction it means
Psychology is the scientific study of how one’s building up of one ’ s self concept

people behave, think, and feel. It includes

topics, such as how the brain works, how our
memory is organized, people interact in
groups, and how children learn about the
world. In fact, everything that concerns the
human being is a concern of psychology.
From the basic workings of the human brain to
consciousness, memory, reasoning
language, to personality and mental health,
and everything about the human experience
Self-concept - The representation of one ' s self
that contains knowledge about the individual,
including beliefs, personality traits, physical
characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles, as
well as the knowledge that we exist as a human
being. Or in bisaya, imong pag tanaw ug imong
pag-ila sa imong kaugalingon.
and
▪ Jean Piaget is a Swiss clinical psychologist known
for his work in child development

is part of the scope. ▪ Developed the “theory of cognitive

psychology is the study of how you behave,
think, and feel, it is essential to learn more
about this field so you get to understand how
your mindset, thoughts, and emotions affect
your behavior and contribute to shaping who
you are. It just makes sense
Understanding the reasons why you act in a
certain way, why you think these certain
development”
—- The theory of cognitive development is a
comprehensive theory about the development of
human intelligence. The theory deals with the
nature of knowledge itself; and how humans
gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it
(Torres & Ash, 2007).
right? ▪ According to Piaget, cognitive development is a
progressive reorganization of mental processes
resulting from biological genetic maturation (our

thoughts, and why you feel certain emotions genes and body developing) and environmental
experience (what we learn from our surroundings
will definitely help you manage and become
and life experiences)
better versions of yourself and answer the
▪ He believes that children construct an
question - Who am I?
understanding of the world around them,
experience inconsistencies between what they
already know and what they discover in their
The Domains of Psychology affecting the environment, and then adjust their ideas
self accordingly - and this help them shape their self.

A. The self as a Cognitive Construct

▪ What is “ cognitive ”?
– Cognitive or cognition pertains to the activities
relating to, being, or involving conscious
intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning, or
remembering)
▪ There are three basic components to Piaget' s B. Harter ' s Self-Development Concept
cognitive theory.
▪ Dr. Susan Harter is a psychologist, author, and a
Schemas/schemes - These are the building blocks professor
of knowledge. Schemes are mental organizations ▪ Her theory on the stages of development of the
that individuals use to understand their self-conept is similar to Piaget - starting from early
environments and designate action. childhood. But her theory expanded the
Adaptation - It involves the child' s learning self-development concept until adulthood.
processes to meet situational demands. There are
two types of adaptation processes: 4 stages of development of self-concept
— Assimilation is the application of previous
concepts to new concepts. For example, a child 1.Early Childhood – Early childhood stage
who just learned the word “fish, ” shouts “fish!" describes the " self" in terms of concrete,
upon seeing one. observable characteristics, such as:
— Accommodation happens when people (1)physical attributes ("I' m pretty/ugly/strong "),
encounter completely new information or when (2) material possessions ("I have lots of toys "),
existing ideas are challenged. For example, a child (3) behaviors ("I love playing with my toys "), and
knows dogs and cats. At school, he/she learns the (4) preferences ("I like candies ") because during
word “ animals.” The child will then adjust her this stage, the personality of the child is still forming
understanding that dogs and cats are both so the concept of the self is physical.
animals. People often have to form a new schema 2. Middle of later childhood – In this stage,the self is
or alter existing mental categories to described in terms of trait-like constructs (e.g
accommodate new information smart, honest, friendly, shy) because this is the
Stages of Cognitive Development. According to stage where children are slowly expressing who
Piaget, children progress through 4 stages in the they are through their overt actions (or behaviors
following order: that are directly observable). This concept of the
Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs. old) – The child learns by self would require the type of hierarchical
doing: looking, touching, sucking. The child also organizational skills characteristic of logical
has a primitive understanding of cause-and-effect thought development.
relationship. 3. Adolescence – This stage is where the
Preoperational (2-7 yrs. old) – the child uses emergence of more abstract self-definitions, such
language and symbols including letters and as inner thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and motives
numbers. Egocentrism is also evident conservation are rapidly developing.
marks the end of the preoperational stage and the 4.Emerging Adults – During this stage, the concept
beginning of concrete operation. of the self is having a vision of a “ possible self.” It is
Concrete Operation (7-11 yrs. old) – the child the “ age of possibilities ” (Amett, 2004a). In one
demonstrate conservation reversibility serial Australian study (Whitty, 2002), early emerging
ordering, and a mature understanding of the adulthood (ages 17— 22) was found to be a time
cause and effect relationship. of " grand dreams, ” of being wealthy and having
Formal Operations (12+ yrs. old) – the individual a glamorous occupation, but beyond emerging
demonstrates abstract critical thinking. adulthood (ages 28—33) the visions of a possible
self become more realistic as the person is now in
the age where he is capable of managing himself
to achieve his dream self and life.
C. William James and The I-Self & Me-self
WILLIAM JAMES
▪ He is a Philosopher, Psychologist, and university
professor
▪ He is the author of “The Principles of Psychology ”
▪ Known as “The Father of American Psychology ”
▪ Developed the earliest self-theory psychological
analyses: “I-self” and “Me-Self”
James' I-Self and Me-Self
▪ I-Self – "l-self" is the pure ego. It is the subjective
self. It is the "self" that is aware of its own actions.
The "l-self" characteristically has four features.
These are:
1. A sense of being the agent or initiator of
behavior. I believe my actions have an impact;
that I cause an effect in my environment.
2. A sense of being unique. This is how I am
different from everything in my environment;
perceive there is only one Me.
3. A sense of continuity. I am the same person from
day to day.
4. A sense of awareness about being aware. I
understand what is going on in me and around
me; and I know I understand it.
▪ Me-Self – The "me-self" is the self that is the object.
It is the “ self” that you can describe, such as your
physical characteristics, personalities, social role, or
relationships, thoughts, feelings.
James called it the empirical self. Empirical is
defined as “based on, concerned with, or
verifiable by observation or experience rather than
theory or pure logic ” (WEB). The dimensions of the
me-self include:
1. Material – physical appearance and extensions
of it such as clothing, immediate family, and
home;
2. Social – social skills and significant interpersonal
relationships; and
3. Spiritual – personality, character, defining values.
D. Carl Rogers ' Real and Ideal Self
CARL ROGER
▪ American Psychologist
▪ Founder of the Humanistic Approach to
Psychology or Humanistic Psychology
▪ He coined the term “ actualizing tendency ”-
which refers to a person’s basic instinct to succeed
at his or her highest possible capacity.
▪ His is a firm believer of free will, the greatness of
the human potential for goodness, and
self-alignment
▪ He divides the self into 2 categories: The Real Self
and the Ideal Self
Personality Development and the Self-Concept
▪ Humanistic psychology emphasized the active
role of the individual in shaping their internal and
external worlds.
▪ stressed that a person is an active, creative,
experiencing being who lives in the present and
who thinks, feels, and responds to his or her
environment.
▪ all behavior is motivated by self actualizing
tendencies and these tendencies drive you to
reach your full potential.
▪ He believes that the world a person exists in is the
center of constant changes, and the person
reacts to these changes
▪ person holds a positive self-concept, he or she
would tend to feel good about himself or herself
and would generally see the world as a safe and
positive place.
▪ person holds a negative self-concept, then he or
she may feel unhappy with who he/she is.
Real Self E. Personality Theories
▪ The REAL self is the person you actually are. ▪ It is very common that when a person is asked
▪ It is how you behave right at the moment of a the question "Who are you?" or "Who Am I?" - the
situation. It is who you are in reality - how you think, go to answer is your personality traits such as I am
feel, or act at present. Ikaw ni as a person a.k.a kind, I am friendly, I am disciplined, I am smart,
human being a.k.a pagkatao. among others. There are several personality
theories developed by different psychologists on
Ideal Self how the selfconcept is structured this way.
▪ The ideal self is the person that you would like
yourself to be. Gordon Allport
▪ It is YOUR concept of the “best me ” who you ▪ He proposed the “ personality trait” theory -
look up and aspire to become ▪ He asserted that every person possesses “traits ”.
▪ It is an idealized image of self that has developed ▪ According to Allport, a "trait" is your essential
based on what you have have learned and characteristic that never, ever changes and sticks
experienced. with you all your life. Moreover, these traits shape
▪ The ideal self could include: who you are (how you think, feel, or behave, etc.)
1. Notions influenced by your parents; in any given day (Hall,& Lindzey, 1957; Morris, et al.,
2. What you admire in others; 2002).
3. What the society sees as acceptable; and Greg Henriques
4. What you think is in your best interest ▪ Proposed that human self has three related, but
separable domains. Domains
The importance of Alignment 1. Experiential self-theater of consciousness
▪ Rogers emphasized the need to achieve because it is the first experience its beingness ;
consistency between the ideal self and the real closely tied to memory
self. 2. Private self-conscious - the narrator or
▪ “If the way that I am (the real self) is aligned with interpreter; the self that narrates the unfolding
the way that I want to be (the ideal self), then I will events and at the same time tries to make sense of
feel a sense of mental well-being or peace of the experience.
mind.. In other words, when your real self and ideal 3. Public self/persona - the image you project to
self are very similar, you experience congruence. the public; this is the image that interacts with
High congruence leads to a greater sense of other
self-worth and a healthy, productive life ”(Rogers,
C. 1950, 2000; Ellingham, I. 2001). F. Donald Winnicot ' s True Self vs. False
▪ When there is a great inconsistency between
Self
your ideal and real selves or if the way you are is
DONALD WINNICOT
not aligned with what you want to be, then you
▪ English pediatrician and psychoanalys
experience a state Rogers called incongruence.
▪ Introduced the concept of “false self” and “true
He added that incongruence could lead to
self” .
maladjustment. Maladjustment is defined as the
▪ He states that the “ self” is simply “the person who
inability to react successfully and satisfactorily to
is me ”
the demands of one's environment (Rogers, C.
▪ He also proposed that the healthy core of a
1950, 2000).
healthy person ’ s self is hidden from the outside
world, uninfluenced by external (harsh) realities.
Winnicott's True and False Self

True Self
▪ True self flourishes in infancy if the mother is
positively responsive to the child's spontaneous
expressions (Winnicott, 1960; Jones-Smith, 2011).
▪ Winnicott described true self as a sense of “self”
based on “spontaneous authentic experience."
▪ The True Self has a sense of integrity, of
connected wholeness. True self is a sense of being
alive and real in one's mind and body, having
feelings that are spontaneous and unforced.
▪ A child whose mother is positively responsive and
supports the child's natural process of individuation
will grow up as an adult with a TRUE SELF with a
stable self-image; views other people realistically;
and accepts both the positive and negative side
of every person including himself/herself.

False Self
▪ The false self is the product of early experience. It
is a defensive organization formed by the infant
because of inadequate mothering or failures in
empathy.
▪ The false self is also based on being completely
obedient to the parents' wishes. Winnicott asserted
that when the child is constantly expected to
follow rules, a false self develops.
▪ The false self is a mask or a persona. It is a form of
defense that constantly seeks to anticipate others'
demands and complies with them, as a way of
protecting the true self from a world that is felt to
be unsafe.
▪ However, when the person has a false self but
can still function both as an individual and in the
society, then he or she has a healthy false self. The
healthy false self feels that it is still connected with
the true self. Thus, it can be compliant without
feeling guilty that it abandoned its true self.
▪ On the other hand, there is also the unhealthy
false self. An individual who may seem happy and
comfortable in his or her environment but actually
feels forced to fit in and constantly needs to adjust
his or her behavior to adapt to the social situation
is said to have an unhealthy false self.
The last field that we will understand is how the
SELF is viewed in the lens of the western and
eastern perspectives. We learn from the
perspective in Anthropology that a person’s
cultural background can affect how a person sees
himself or herself. Researchers reported that
people are shaped by their culture, and their
culture is also shaped by them. To go deeper to
the categories of culture, the predominant
thoughts are the Western and Eastern view. One of
the major proponents of cultural psychology,
Richard Shweder, wrote “Cultural traditions and
social practices regulate, express, and transform
the human psyche, resulting less psychic unity for
humankind .' - this make us unique individuals from
one another in a global scale and also contribute
to the shaping of one's self.
We are all individuals who think, feel, and behave
similar as that of the members of his or her
community. However, each community has its
own standards, expectations, and rules that shape
its members. If we divide the world into two
thoughts, there is a distinct perspective from the
western versus eastern thought, from the way we
eat, how we live, the principles we abide by, and
even how one sees one ’ s self. Learning this will
help us better understand and be compassionate
with ourselves as we strive to become better
individuals.
B. The Domains of the Western and
Eastern Thoughts affecting the self
A. Western Concept of The Self
– United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia,
United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
France (countries where Western culture, traditions,
customs, and practices are prevalent.)
▪ The western concept of self is anchored on
ancient philosophers ' (remember our first
perspective?) beliefs that the body constitutes
individuality.
▪ The epitome of the Western idea of self came
from Rene Descartes ’ famous line “I think,
therefore I am, ”
▪ The western tradition is generally acknowledged
to be “imbued” with a style of thinking based on
dichotomy and binary opposition.” (Ha unsa daw
maam?) Meaning their idea about the self is similar
to duality – heart and soul, mind and body
▪ There is a distinct line between the person
(observer) and his observed reality. Westerners
often think that they can separate from reality
based on their decisions and choices in life.
4 categories on how the term “ self” is used in
contemporary western discussion according to
Frank Johnson:
1. Analytical – The “ self” is an observer separate
and distinct from external objects (Me versus Other
mentality)
2.Monotheistic – Involved the tendency toward
unitary explanations of phenomena and a closed
system view of “ self”. (Mentality that all must
believe that we come from one omnipotent
power or that evolution has happened because of
one single entity versus different factors
combined).
3.Individualistic – Westerners prioritize
self-expression, establishing who one is, self
actualization, and finding satisfaction in the world
(The Me and my happiness mentality)
4. Materialistic/Rationalistic – Westerners discredit
explanations that do not use analytic-deductive
modes of thinking. They always use logic to explain
things more than believing on divinity or fantasy
(ex. "All men are mortal. Jay is a man. Therefore,
Jay is mortal." )
B. Eastern Concept of The Self
– China, Philippines, India, Japan, Iraq, Turkey,
Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt (countries
where Eastern culture, traditions, customs, and
practices are prevalent)
▪ In the Eastern Concept, they focus to see the "
self" as a dynamic process. It is interdependent
with a lot of factors and dimensions and it is and
ever-changing.
▪ The Eastern concept of self is rooted in various
spiritual practices such as Hinduism, Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism, and Islam.
HINDUISM (sign: RED CALLIGRAPHY OF HINDU)
▪ The Earliest religious writings in the East are the
Vedas- which formed the Hindu Philosophy and
dharma – the principle of cosmic order
▪ The Vedas illustrate the eastern mindset of a
nondual universe but rather a creation that is
completely unified with the creator, with no
distinction.
▪ The Self or “Brahman ” is the divine universal
consciousness encompassing the universe.
▪ “Change your perception of the world to
perceive the Brahman in oneself and in others.”
BUDDHISM (sign: WHEEL OF SHIP)
▪ Taught by Buddha
▪ His premise is that the “ self” is a dynamic process
meaning it is interdependent and ever-changing.
▪ His doctrine called “ anatta ” , defined as “ noself
or no-soul, conceptualize that the idea that the
self is “ eternal” and “ permanent” is false and an
illusion.
▪ Because of the tendency for human beings to “
stay the same ” and attached themselves to what
they can ’t control, it causes one ’ s suffering
because the self is constantly changing and we let
the outside forces have an effect on us.
CONFUCIANISM (sign: KING)
▪ The Confucian thought of “ self” is similar to
psychology ’ s personality – or the qualities that
make up one ’ s being.
▪ According to Confucian thought, the self or the
person ’ s character are not something that exists
inherently but rather it is formed through
upbringing and the environment.
▪ The Confucian thought presented that each one
of us is born with four beginnings:
– A heart of compassion that leads to full potential
called Jen;
– A heart of righteousness that leads to full
potential called Yi;
– A heart of propriety that leads to full potential
called Li;
– A heart of wisdom that leads to full potential
called Chih
▪ When all of the four beginnings reach full
potential, one achieves a state of moral
excellence. But differentiating to the Western
concept of Self-Actualization, this concept of self is
deeply embedded within the family and society
and it is only within this context that the self comes
to be what it is
TAOISM (sign: YIN AND YANG)
▪ The idea of Taoism stems from ChuangTzu which
rejected the views that self is part of a hierarchy.
▪ Chuang-Tzu said that “the perfect man has no
self; the spiritual man has no achievement; the true
sage has no name ” – Thus his principle is focused
on selflessness. In sum, Chuang Tzu ’ s conception
of selfhood entails conscious self-transformation
leading to the attributes of a balanced life in
harmony with both nature and society.
ISLAM (sign: STAR AND MOON)
▪ Written in the Holy Qur ’ an, the Arabic word for “
self” is Nafs
▪ Nafs pertains to the psyche (the totality of the
conscious and unconscious human mind) or the
soul.
▪ The Nafs or self is the Quran does not define any
property of it as goodness or evil. Instead, the naf
or self is something that needs to nurtured and
balanced so that it can progress into becoming
good or evil through its thoughts and actions
▪ The self in the Islam sense is used in both
individualistic and collective
C. Individualistic vs. Collective Self
▪ Individualistic Self and Collective Self are two
dominant self-concepts that is highly formed by
culture. Culture plays a very significant role in the
development of the self-concept. It embodies
specific values, thoughts, or ideas that play a
central role in determining a person ’ s sense of “
self”.
▪ Individualism refers to the extent that you value
independence and personal uniqueness. Highly
individualistic people value personal freedom, self
sufficiency, control over their own lives, and
appreciation of the unique qualities that distinguish
them from others.
▪ Collectivism refers to the extent that we value our
duty to groups to which we belong, and to group
harmony. Highly collectivist people
themselves by their group membership and value
harmonious relationships within those groups.
III. Individualistic vs. Collective Self
Individualism
▪ “I am my own man” and “I am the master of my
fate; I am the captain of my soul”
▪ Individualistic Selves are dominant in cultures in
the USA, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, the
Netherlands, and New Zealand. These cultures
emphasizes the moral worth of the individual.
Individualists encourage asserting one’s goals and
desires; they highly value independence and
self-reliance.
▪ Individualistic cultures are oriented around the
individual: that a person should be independent
instead of having the mentality of identifying with
a group. They value personal goals over group
interest most of the time.
▪ Societies that focus on the person create an
individualistic self-concept where the person sees
the personal difference of traits and characteristics
that distinguish the individual within his or her social
context.
▪ Individualistic orientation tends to rely on
interpersonal comparison and is associated with
the motive of protecting or enhancing the person
psychologically.
Collectivism
▪ Eastern culture practiced by countries in Asia (like
us in the Philippines) base their values and
self-concept in a collectivist view.
▪ People in collectivistic culture emphasize
interdependence and harmonious relatedness
with one another (family, coworkers, friends, etc.)
define
▪ It is of utmost importance to be part of and
maintain social networks, maintain good
relationships, and fulfill obligations.
▪ Patricia Licaucan, a Filipino psychologist and
educator, determined that one of the strengths of
the Filipino character is our deep love and
concern for the family – not just your immediate
family but extending to your extended family such
as you grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.
▪ The Filipino is dominantly a collective culture as
one’s family is the source of personal identity, the
source of emotional and material support, and the
person’s main commitment and all responsibility.
 D. The Self as embedded in
Individualistic vs. Collective Self Relationships and through Spiritual
Development in Confucian Thought
▪ Some contemporary self-concept theories
attempted to close the gap between cultural
▪ The Confucian tradition as a way of thinking and
concepts as it can ’t be all black and white or
lifestyle is still an inspiration to many East Asian
purely individualistic and collectivist orientation.
Societies.
(Diba? Can you say you are purely collectivistic in
▪ The Confucian concept of Li often rendered as “
nature as a Filipino?)
proper conduct” or “ propriety ” was originally
▪ Roy Baumeister proposed that self-concept could
denoted as court rites or rituals performed to
be organized in three aspects:
sustain social and cosmic order.
Private – refers to the mental processes that
▪ In the Confucian sense, self-development is a
perceive one ’ s own traits or behaviors (ex. I am
lifelong commitment to learning. However, it is not
honest)
only about reading books or taking exams, it is also
Public – refers to the generalized view of the self,
about ritual practice. It involves practicing
such as the perception of how others view you (ex.
discipline for the mind and body to love life not as
People think I’ m honest)
an isolated individual but as an active participant
Collective – refers to the view of self in a collective
in the living community.
concept (ex. My family and friends expects me to
▪ The most important concept of the self in
be honest)
Confucian thought is the view that the “ self” is the
▪ According to Baumeister, it is assumed that these
center of relationships. The idea is that it is only by
three aspects exists in every person. However, a
continually opening the self to others that the “
dominant aspect would probably present itself
self” maintains its wholeness and identity
depending on one ’ s culture. Thus, in an
individualistic culture, the person would
predominantly show the private self and will have
according to personal beliefs, feelings, philosophy,
etc. While in a collectivist culture, the person would
present “the collective self” more and is thus more
inclined to behave according to rules, norms, and
customs expected of him/her.