Esteban, Zairyll Jeanne S.

- Virtue is the order of love

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
THE SELF IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE - Man = HYLE/Matter + MORPHE/Form (essence)
Where are we heading? - A human person can know the truth using reason
• DEFINING THE SELF - There are some truths which can only be perceived with
• UNPACKING THE SELF the aid of light of divine revelation
• MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF - Truth emanates from God
1. DEFINING THE SELF - A higher form of perfection beyond this life can be found
• Philosophy in God alone
Modern Philosophers
• Sociology
• Descartes
• Anthropology
• Psychology • John Locke
• David Hume
• Eastern & Western Thoughts
Philosophy • Emmanuel Kant
DESCARTES
- “Love of Wisdom” - “I think therefore I am(exist)”
- The pursuit of understanding the underlying principles of - Father of Modern Philosophy
all things using enlightened reason - human person = mind + body
- Philosophy is an appretiation for wisdom - “There is so much that we should doubt”
- Greek word “philien” means “to love” and “Sophia” - “If something is so clear and lucid as not to be doubted,
means “wisdom” that’s the only time one should believe”
- Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge / truth + - the only thing one can’t doubt is existence of the self
judgment = enlightened reason/ insights - The Self = COGITO (the thing that thinks; mind) + EXTENZA
Ancient Philosophers (extension of mind/body)
• Socrates JOHN LOCKE
• Plato - At birth, the human mind is a tabula rasa – “blank slate”
- Experience
• Aristotle
SOCRATES - God created man and we are, in effect, God’s property
- “The unexamined life is not worth living.” DAVID HUME
- Empiricist: One can only know what comes from the
- “Awareness of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom.”
senses & experiences.
- “Know thy self.”
- Bundle Theory of Mind: The self is a bundle of different
- MAN = body + soul
perceptions which succeed each other with inconceivable
- BODY – imperfect, impermanent
rapidity.
- SOUL – perfect, permanent
PLATO - “The self is nothing but a bundle of impressions and
- The self is an immortal soul in a mortal perishable body. ideas.”
- Humans are omniscient (all knowing) before they are - IMPRESSION – basic objects of our experience/ sensation
born. - forms the core of our thoughts
- Humans should live a life of virtue in which true - IDEAS – copies of impressions
perfection exists. - not as “real” as impressions
- TRIPARTITE SOUL EMMANUEL KANT
1. Rational / Logical (intellectual) – seeks truth and is • Kant agrees with HUME that everything starts with
swayed by facts and arguments perception/sensation of impressions
2. Appetitive / Physical Desires (our desires mainly • There is a MIND that regulates and organizes these
physiological) – drives you to eat, have sex, and impressions
protect yourself • Time, space etc. are ideas that one cannot find in the
3. Spirited / Emotional – how feelings fuel your actions world, but is built in our minds; “apparatuses of the
ARISTOTLE mind”(time, space, others)
- The self is composed of: • Inner / mind (psychological state and rational intellect) +
a. Body and soul outer self / body (senses and the physical world)
b. Matter and mind • One can govern and direct him/herself, can identify own
c. Sense and intellect purpose, can do something to attain goals.
d. Passion and reason • Every human is an end in him/herself.
- Reason is supreme and should govern all of life’s activities Contemporary Philosophers
- Human happiness comes from the harmonious • Merleau-Ponty
development of the whole self • Ryle
- Perfection and happiness come from wisdom and virtue MERLEAU-PONTY
- Taught the Theory of Golden Mean • Phenomenologist
- EUDAIMONIA – highest level / most ideal happiness • The mind-body bifurcation is an invalid problem
Medieval Philosophers • Mind and body are inseparable
• St. Augustine • “One’s body is his opening toward his existence to the
• St. Thomas Aquinas world”
ST. AUGUSTINE RYLE
- Greek philosophy + Christianity/Scriptures • Agrees with Merleau-Ponty: “the workings of the mind
- Man is of a bifurcated nature (man = body + soul) are NOT distinct from the actions of the body but are one
- Soul is the spirit of man and the same.”
- Happiness/goal of man is to attain communion and bliss • Denies the internal, non-physical self
with the Divine by living his life on earth in VIRTUE • “What truly matters is the behavior that a person
- Happiness is having communication with God, life with manifests in his day-to-day life”
virtue, live in the order of love, attaining presence of God.
 • object
THE SELF FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE • socialized
• cultured
Sociology • generalized other – represents learned behaviors,
• “socius” companion, “logos” study of attitudes, expectations of the society.
• Socialization is the whole and lifetime process by which The self develops with the influence of our social interactions.
people learn the values, attitude, and behavior that are • We consider others as a looking glass, by which we build
appropriate and expected by their culture and our self-image on how we think they see us.
community. • Social interactions and activities lead to the development
• the study of social life, social change, and the social of the self.
causes and consequences of human behavior. THE SELF FROM AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
• Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, Anthropology
organizations, and societies and how people interact • Anthropology, the study of humankind everywhere
within these contexts. throughout time, produces knowledge about what makes
• Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of people different from one another and what we all have
sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile in common. (Haviland et al.)
mob; from organized crime to religious traditions; from • Anthropology is the study of humankind in all times and
the divisions of race, gender, and social class to the shared places. (Haviland et al.)
beliefs of a common culture. Fields of Anthropology
Agents of Socialization • Physical Anthropology - focuses on humans as biological
• Family (social organisms.
• Peer agents) • Cultural Anthropology - investigates the contrasting ways
• Groups groups of humans think, feel, and behave.
• School • Linguistic Anthropology – studies languages.
• Workplace (institutional • Archaeology – recovers Information about human
• Government agents) cultures.
• Mass media The human person is superior to other animals due to:
CHARLES HORTON COOLEY 1. Physical Aspects
• “I am not what I think I am, I am not what you think I am; 2. Social Aspects
I am what I think you think I am.” THE SELF EMBEDDED IN CULTURE
LOOKING-GLASS SELF Culture
• By Charles Horton Cooley • from L. cult or cultus; F. colere – tilling, cultivating,
• People’s self-understanding is constructed, in part, by refining; nurturing.
their perception of how others view them. • ...is that complex whole which includes knowledge,
• As we interact with others, the people around us become beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other
a mirror (an object that people used to call a “looking capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of
glass”) in which we can see ourselves. What we think of society (Taylor, 1871)
ourselves, then, depends on how we think others see us. • is the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the
Process in discovering the Looking-glass Self (Thompson et al,. material objects that together form a people’s way of life
2016) (Macionis, 2012)
1. The imagination of our appearance to others. CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
2. The imagination of their judgment of that appearance. • Learned – culture is learned. Culture is not innate, it is
3. The development of feelings about and responses to these learned. (Language, arts, traditions, norms, values)
judgments. • Shared
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD • Symbolic
• American Philosopher • Integrated – culture is integrated.
• Social Theorist • Every culture is an integrated system.
• Father of Symbolic Interactionism • There are functional relationships among the economic
THEORY OF THE SOCIAL SELF
base (infrastructure), the social organization (social
• By George Herbert Mead
structure), and ideology (superstructure).
• The self is NOT initially there at birth but arises in the
• The Barrel Model of Culture
process of social experience and activity.
Development of the Self
Social Activities
• Language
• Play
• Games
STAGES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF
• Preparatory Stage (0-2 years)
• Play Stage (2-6 years) – creativity and critical thinking,
recreational purposes, no limitations.
• Game Stage (7 years onwards) – has limitations, • Dynamic – culture is dynamic.
generalize others. • Why does culture change?
The I and the Me 1. Discovery – finding something that already exist.
THE I 2. Invention – creation of something new.
• Subject 3. Diffusion – borrowing from another culture.
• Existential TYPES OF CULTURE
• Natural • Material
• The person’s individuality • Nonmaterial
THE ME THE SELF IN CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY
 • How we see ourselves shapes our lives. Characteristics
• How we see ourselves is shaped by our cultural context, - Like their body
what kind of culture one has been practicing is greatly - Appreciate their qualities
influenced by factors surrounding the person. (Cuevo et - Do not compare yourself with others
al., 2018) - Speak to yourself kindly
• Self-awareness - the ability to perceive oneself as a - Proactive
unique being in time and space and to judge one’s own - Accept your emotions and know how to express them
actions. - Optimistic
• Enculturation - the process by which culture is passed - Welcome to praise others
from one generation to the next and through which - Confident
individuals become members of their society. - Look for challenge and adventure
• An important aspect of self-awareness is the attachment - Live the present moment
of positive value to one’s self. False Self
- When the person has to comply with external rules, such
• In the continued process of self-awareness, the child will
as being polite or otherwise following social codes, then
eventually develop his or her own identity.
NAME a false self is used.
• Naming individualizes a person and at the same time Characteristics
identifies one as a group member. - Pessimistic
THE SELF AND BEHAVIORAL ENVIRONMENT - Repress their emotions
BEHAVIORAL ORIENTATION - Take no risks
• Object Orientation – things - Blaming
• Spatial Orientation – places - Happy to imitate others
• Temporal Orientation – time - Focus on faults
• Normative Orientation – norms - Critical on themselves
The self is... - Suspicious of praise
• biologically attuned to respond to his or her environment, - Look defeated and depressed
• variably self-aware of the mechanisms of the elements of - Narcissistic
culture working within the self, - Compare themselves with others
• self-reflexive of the uniqueness and differences of all - Think they are important because of their possessions.
How to love and develop your true self
other selves and everything else around (Villafuerte et al.
1. God loves you
2018)
David Lester's Multiple Self Theory 2. Accept your self as you are
David Lester 3. Forgive yourself
- He is a British-American psychologist, suicidologist, and 4. Nurture yourself
emeritus professor of psychology at Stockton University. 5. Set boundaries
- BA from Cambridge University in 1964 6. Affirm yourself
- M.A. from Brandeis University in Psychology in 1966 Carl Rogers’ Self Theory
Carl Rogers
- M.A. from Cambridge University in 1968
- The psychologist behind self-Theory
- Received his first PhD in 1967
- Carl Rogers was an American psychologist who was one
- Received his second PhD in 1991
of the founders of humanistic psychology and was known
- In 2010, Lester has proposed a multiple self-theory of the
especially for his person-centered psychotherapy.
mind.
Multiple Self - He agrees with the main assumptions of Abraham
- The construction of multiple selves varies across different Maslow, but added that for a person to "grow", they need
roles and relationships. an environment that provides them with genuineness,
- Coping with different selves constitutes a formidable task acceptance, and empathy.
Self Theory
among adolescents.
- In Carl Roger's theory, he believes that there needs to be
- These challenges contribute heavily to the young person's
congruence between the real self and the ideal self. He
struggle for a unified self.
Unified Self also said that everyone seeks self-actualization... it is the
- The *unified self-theory* is a concept in psychology that goal. Self-actualization is when an individual achieves
suggests that the self is a unified entity, working together their full potential.
to create the experience and perception of the self. It is After a Person achieves Self-Actualization in which not
composed of different cognitive components that everyone does. they become a fully functioning Person. according
influence the overall personality and future aspirations of to Rogers.
an individual. Five Characteristics of a fully functioning Person
Multiple self vs. Unified self 1. Openness to Experience
- Multiple self refers to the different ways that individuals 2. Trust in Feelings
interact with the different situations and circumstances in 3. Existential Living
their lives. 4. Creativity
- Unified self the personality that stays within us, the self 5. Fulfilled Life
we usually only show to people we trust and whenever Self Concept
- we are alone. It is the development of an image of oneself which is an essential
Donald Winnicott’s True vs. False Self tool for the "goal", the self-actualization.
Donald Winnicott Self concept: how we see or describes ourselves
- April 7, 1896 – January 25, 1971 Positive
- An English paediatrician and psychoanalyst - think, act, and feel optimistic and constructive
True Self Negative
- Real self / Authentic self think, act, and feel pessimistic and destructive
- Feeling of being alive Three Parts of Self-Concept
- Real needs, desires, and thoughts 1. Ideal Self
 2. 3Self-Image
3. Self-Esteem
Albert Bandura’s The Self as Proactive and Agentic Self
Albert Bandura
- is a Canadian-American psychologist.
- He proposed a Social Cognitive Theory.
Social Cognitive Theory
- This theory suggests that human behavior can be learned
through both personal experiences and the experiences
of others, as we can observe and learn from our so-called
models.
Proactive Self
- Is a personality characteristics which has implications for
motivation and action.
- The belief in the potential for self-improvement is based
on values like resourcefulness, responsibility, values, and
vision.
Four Components of Human Agents of Human Agency and The
Agentic Perspectives
Intentionality
- deals with the forming of intentions that "include action
plans and strategies for realizing them"
Forethought
- enables a person to anticipate the likely consequences of
prospective actions.
- Example: when a person is deciding, that person has his/
her options. With each options he has to anticipate
outcomes in order for that person decides depending on
what might come after.
Self-Reactiveness
- We can react to a certain situations and be motivated to
regulate our actions.
- For Example,| choose this course and I must do my
obligations to study, pass, and learn from my subjects, I
must be reactive towards the things and circumstances
that might happen and will happen
Self-Reflection
- Refers to the self-examining nature of human agents
- Gives the person the ability to reflect upon and the
adequacy of his/her behavior
- For Example, I didn't study our lesson in UTS, I got a failing
grade. Basically, I will reflect on what happened and the
best thing to do is to do better and never let your teacher
or a certain subject bring you down.
SUMMARY
Social Cognitive Theory
- the influence of individual experiences, the actions of
others, and environmental factors on individual health
behaviors.
Agentic Self
- the aspect of human personality that is determined by
future assessments of one's goals, objectives, and actions
Proactive Self
- refers to a personality trait that influences motivation and
action.
The four components of Human Agency;
1. Intentionality
- it enables us to behave with a purpose including plans
and strategies.
2. Forethought
- we anticipate the outcomes.
3. Self-Reactiveness
- we act in a certain situation and we are being motivated
4. Self-Reflectiveness
- we reflect upon the adequacy of one's action.
Carl Jung’s Central Archetype Self
- Jung believed that each archetype played a role in
personality, but felt that most people were dominated by
one specific archetype.
- According to Jung, the actual way in which an archetype
is expressed or realized depends on upon a number of
factors, including an individual’s cultural influences and
uniquely personal experiences.
The Main Archetype
- Jung identified four major archetypes but also believed
that there was no limit to the number that may exist. The
existence of these archetypes cannot be observed
directly but can be inferred by looking at religion, dreams,
art, and literature. Jung's four major archetypes are: the
persona, the shadow, the anima/animus, and the self.
Jung’s Four Major Archetypes
1. The Persona
- The persona is how we present ourselves to the world.
The word "persona" is derived from a Latin word that
literally means "mask." It is not a literal mask, however.
The persona is how we present ourselves to the world.
- The persona archetype allows people to adapt to the
world around them and fit in with the society in which
they live. However, becoming too closely identified with
this archetype can lead people to lose sight of their true
selves.
2. The Shadow
- The shadow is a Jungian archetype that consists of sex
and life instincts. The shadow exists as part of the
unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas,
weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings.
- This archetype is often described as the darker side of the
psyche, representing wildness, chaos, and the unknown.
These latent dispositions are present in all of us, Jung
believed, although people sometimes deny this element
of their own psyche and instead project it on to others.
3. The Anima/Animus
- The anima is a feminine image in the male psyche, and
the animus is a male image in the female psyche.5 The
anima/animus represents the "true self" rather than the
image we present to others and serves as the primary
source of communication with the collective unconscious.
- In many cultures, however, men and women are
encouraged to adopt traditional and often rigid gender
roles. Jung suggested that this discouragement of men
exploring their feminine aspects and women exploring
their masculine aspects served to undermine
psychological development.
4. The Self
- The self is an archetype that represents the unified
unconsciousness and consciousness of an individual. Jung
often represented the self as a circle, square, or mandala.
- Creating the self occurs through a process known as
individuation, in which the various aspects of personality
are integrated. Jung believed that disharmony between
the unconscious and the conscious mind could lead to
psychological problems. Bringing these conflicts into
awareness and accommodating them in conscious
awareness was an important part of the individuation
process.
Two Different Centers of Personality
EGO
- makes up the center of consciousness, but it is the self
that lies at the center of
PERSONALITY
- encompasses not only consciousness but also the ego and
the unconscious mind personality