Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prelim
PHILOSOPHY
• philosophy employs inquisitive mind to discover the ultimate causes, reasons, and
principles of everything
• goes beyond scientific investigation by exploring all areas of knowledge such as religion,
psychology, politics, physics, and even medicine
• “love of wisdom ” – desire for truth by formulating never ending questions to provide
answers to every inquiry about the nature of human existence
• philosophical framework was first introduced by the ancient Greek philosophers
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
Socrates:
• first to focus on the full power of reason on the human self: who we are, who we should
be, and who we will become
– body
• soul, the essence of the self is the immortal (last forever) entity
• an individual can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and
knows the value of himself which can be achieved through soul-searching
Plato:
–reason
–physical or appetite
–spirit or passion
• Reason –divine essence that enables us to think deeply, m akes wise choices, and achieve
a true understanding of eternal truths
–hunger
–thirst
–sexual desire
• Spirit / Passion –includes basic emotions
–love –aggressiveness
–anger –empathy
–ambition
• these 3 elements are in a dynamic relationship with one another, sometimes in conflict
especially when reason is not in control of their spirits and appetites
• harmonious integration under the control of reason is the essence of Plato’s concept of
justice
Aristotle:
– vegetative
– sentient
– rational
– intellectual capacity
• suggests that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good, flourishing, fulfilling life
• in pursuit of happiness it requires doing virtuous actions such as justice and courage
ST. AUGUSTINE
• view body as “spouse” of the soul, both attached to one another by a “natural appetite”
RENE DESCARTES:
I Think Therefore I Am
• give emphasis to the nature of reasoning process and understand its relationship to the
human self
• essence of human self – a thinking entity that doubts, understands, analyzes, questions,
and reasons
– idea of thinking self as non- material, immortal, conscious being, independent of physical
laws of universe
–physical body as a material, mortal, nonthinking entity, fully governed by physical laws of
nature
• soul and body are independent from one another and can function without the other
JOHN LOCKE:
• essence of self is its conscious awareness of itself as a thinking, reasoning, and reflecting
identity
• using the power of reason and introspection enables one to understand and achieve
accurate conclusions about the self
DAVID HUME:
There is No Self
• through sense experience and introspection, individual will discover that there is no self
• impressions are basic sensations of people’s experience (hate, love, joy, pain, cold)
• people have no experience of a simple and individual impression that they can call the self
IMMANUEL KANT:
• it is the self that makes experiencing an intelligible world possible because it is the self
that is actively organizing and synthesizing all of our thoughts and perceptions
• self construct its own reality, actively creating a world that is familiar, predictable, and
most significantly mine
• conscious self
– takes into account the realistic demands of situation and preserve the equilibrium
(balance) of entire psychodynamic system of the self
• preconscious self –contains material that is not threatening and easily brought to mind
GILBERT RYLE:
• mind and body are intrinsically linked in complex and intimate ways
• mind expresses the entire system of thoughts, emotions, and actions that make up the
human self
PAUL CHURCHLAND:
• all a person has is the brain, so if the brain is gone, there is no self
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY:
• all the knowledge about the self is based on the phenomena of experience
• everything that people are aware of is contained within the consciousness - responsible
for actively structuring conscious ideas and physical behavior
Sociology
• people whom a person interacts with become a mirror in which he or she views
himself or herself
• person develops a sense of self through social interaction and not the biological
preconditions of that interactions
the “I”
the “ME”
• represents the internalized attitudes and demands of other people and individual’s
awareness of those demands
• no matter how much the world shapes a person, he/she will always remain a
creative being and react to the world around him/her
• children imitate people around them especially family members with who they
have daily interaction
• children understand not only their own social position but also those of others
around them
• become concerned about and take into account in their behavior the generalized
others which refer to attitudes, viewpoints, demands, and expectations of the
society which include cultural norms and values that serve as references in
evaluating oneself
GERRY LANUZA
JEAN BAUDRILLARD
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
CARL ROGERS
SIGMUND FREUD
You/EGO - (person) or you, the one who decides to have a balance outcome
MIDTERM
Unpacking The Self
• it requires an analysis of the life span and the physical development that happens in each
stage
• physical changes that occur at the start of adolescence result largely from the secretion of
various hormones which affects every aspect of an adolescent’s life, especially the way they
view themselves
• generally, girls are more dissatisfied than boys with their physical appearance and their
overall body image
• for girls, self-consciousness and dissatisfaction with their appearance reach their peak
between the ages 13 and 15
• body’s ability to perform its functions gradually changes through an individual’s aging
–in general, body performs least during infancy and old age
–physical efficiency peaks in early adulthood between ages of 20 and 30, and slowly
declines into the middle age
ADOLESCENCE
• transition between childhood and adulthood entailing major physical, cognitive, and
psychosocial changes
–puberty - person attains sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce (fertility)
• characterized by rapid physical changes that include the maturation of the reproductive
system
7. Adolescence - 14 to 18 y/o
– 23rd pair from father and mother is called the sex chromosomes or gonosomes
• genes are basic carrier of hereditary traits and can be classified as dominant (strong
genes) or recessive genes (weak genes)
THEORIES OF PHYSICAL SELF
theory of physiognomy
– face is a three-dimensional reflection of “who we are and how life has affected us”
according to ancient Chinese practice which rooted from Five Element Theory which makes
use of elements of water, wood, fire, earth, and metal as archetypes for everything occuring
in the natural world
– face readers observe how facial features and markings correspond to a person’s mental,
emotional, and physical makeup
– an excess of or deficiency in any of the 4 bodily fluids (or humors) in a person influences
their personality, temperament, and well-being
– choleric (yellow bile) - easily get angry and temperamental (excessive sensitivity)
• Jean Haner in her work The Wisdom of Your Face, suggests that:
– people with full and thick eyebrows tend to be confident, assertive, and goal-oriented
– person with large or highly defined jaws have strong values and firm beliefs
– Squier and Mew (1981) persons with long and angular-shaped faces tend to be more
responsive, assertive, and genuine
BODY IMAGE
body image
• how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance
appearance
• refers to everything about a person that others can observe such as height, weight, skin
color, clothes, and hairstyle
• body image is related to self-esteem which is a person’s overall evaluation of his or her
own worth
• girls are more concerned than boys about their physical appearance and overall body
image
– the greatest concern that girls express about their bodies is how they conform to
idealized notions of beauty
– emphasis that peers, parents, or the media put on ideal body types which is slim
and thin lead girls to experience body dissatisfaction
• for both boys and girls, bullying and peer pressure are associated with greater body
dissatisfaction
• tv, advertising, and movies are full of women who are thin, thus constructing the notion
that the ideal body shape is slim
–the result is they try to change their physical appearance either through cosmetic surgery,
dieting, or excessive exercise
–too much concern with thinness and ideal body shape may result in body dissatisfaction
• girls who have higher body dissatisfaction are likely to experience depression, low self-
esteem, and eating disorders
– anorexia nervosa - an eating disorder wherein the person refuses to eat for fear of gaining
weight which can result in severe starvation and death
– bulimia nervosa in which a person induces purging after binging on large quantities of
food
• in Egypt art, beauty is perceived in women with slim, high waist, narrow hips, and long
black hair
• women with a full figure and rounded hips were considered beautiful during the
Renaissance period
• during Medieval age, chubby, fat, or plump women are considered beautiful
• genereally individuals who have clean and unblemished skin, thick shiny hair, well-
proportioned bodies, and symmetrical faces are traditionally considered the most beautiful
• beauty has always been considered important throughout the history since these features
indicate youth, health, good genes, and fertility
• advertisements, magazines, and televisions are filled with good-looking faces which
emphasize the value of physical attractiveness
• the reality however is beauty standards presented in media are so unrealistic, that even
the most beautiful and handsome supermodels cannot achieve it
• one form is tattoing - which injects ink onto the skin to draw a design
• body piercing - lets people wear jewelry through different piercings in their body
(ears, nose, tongue)
• traditionally, these two forms of body modification were considered signs of one’s
strength, bravery, and social status
– studies have shown that men and women who are physically attractive have more
opportunities in finding jobs, getting promotions, and having higher income
– some people also view attractive people as happier, smarter, and better people
– it’s important to see into a person’s inner thoughts and feelings--one’s inner self
• respectt individuality
• make friends
• be independent
• pray