PHILOSOPHY
own perception.
Philosophy - a training guide for your mind, showing
how you think in clear, analytic, and powerful ways.
- often called the mother of all disciplines simply
because all fields of study began as
philosophical discourses.
- study of acquiring knowledge through rational
thinking and inquiries that involves in answering
questions regarding the nature and existence of
man and the world we live in.
Self - defined as “a unified being, essentially connected
to consciousness, awareness and agency (or, at
least, with the faculty of rational choice).
PHILOSOPHERS
SOCRATES - First martyr of education, knowledge, and
philosophy.
- underlies in the importance of the notion
"knowing oneself". A person's acceptance of
ignorance is the beginning of acquisition of
knowledge.
Socratic Method (Socratic conversation) - role of both
the teacher and the student is known to the world;
asking and answering questions to stimulate critical
thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying
presumptions.
PLATO – student of Socrates.
- the father of academy (a place where learning
and sharing of knowledge happens; Later
became one of the pillars and basis of what
schools and education is now in the present).
- a person who is a follower of truth and wisdom
will not be tempted by vices and will always be
correct/moral/ethical.
Plato believed that the soul is divided into 3 different
parts that has different views, leading to different
behaviors.
1. Appetitive soul - the part of the person that is
driven by desire and need to satisfy oneself.
This satisfaction involves physical needs,
pleasures and desires, objects, and situations.
2. Spirited soul- courageous part of a person. One
who wants to do something or to right the
wrongs that they observe. This is very
competitive and is very active. Competitiveness
drives one to expect positive results and
winning.
3. Rational soul- the drive of our lives. The part that
thinks and plan for the future (the conscious
mind). It decides what to do, when to do it and
the possible results one could have depending
on their actions.
ST. AUGUSTINE - A saint and a philosopher of the
church.
- emphasized that we may not be able to give our
agreement to everything other people tell us, but
we can still agree to those who we are from our
- follows the idea that God encompasses us all,
that everything will be better if we are with God.
- His idea of a man and how to understand who we
are as a person is related to our understanding
of who we are and how we question ourselves.
RENE DESCARTES - a French philosopher known to
be the father of modern philosophy because of his
radical use of systematic and early scientific method
to aid his ideas and assumptions.
- is known to be the proponent of the "methodical
doubt" (continuous process of questioning)
doubting, asking questions are part of one's
existence.
- known for the statement "cogito ergo sum" (I
think therefore I am) and according to him, a
person is comprised of mind (thinks and
questions what the body has experienced) and
body (perceives from the different senses).
JOHN LOCKE – An English philosopher and physician.
- He is the Father of Classical Liberation.
- works on the self is most represented by the
concept "tabula rasa" (blank slate).
- stated that a person is born with knowing nothing
and that is susceptible to stimulation and
accumulation of learning from the experiences,
failures, references, and observations of the
person.
DAVID HUME – A Scottish philosopher.
- focused his work in the field of empiricism,
skepticism, and naturalism.
- explained that the Self is the accumulation of
different impressions and does not exceed the
physical realm.
- there is no permanent self because impressions
of things are based from our experiences where
we can create our ideas and knowledge.
IMMANUEL KANT – A German philosopher that is
known for his works on empiricism and rationalism.
- established that the collection of impressions and
different contents is what it only takes to define a
person.
- emphasizes that a person who fully understand
the self has a certain level of consciousness or
sense that uses our intuition which synthesizes
all the experiences, impressions and perceptions
of ourselves will pave the way to define and know
who we are really are.
- argued that the sense called "transcendental
apperception" is an essence of our
consciousness that provides basis for
understanding and establishing the notion of self
by synthesizing one's accumulation of
experiences, intuition, and imagination.
SIGMUND FREUD – An Austrian psychologist and
physician.
- The Father of psychoanalysis.
 - well known for his work on human nature and the
unconscious.
- believed that man has different constructs of
personality.
- conceptualized about the different levels of
consciousness that provides an idea how a
person develops a sense of self.
Man has 3 aspects of personality.
1. Id- the child aspect of a person; attention is on
satisfaction of one's needs and self-
gratification. Driven by pleasure principle.
2. Super ego- the conscience of one's personality.
Has the inclination to uphold justice and do
what is morally right and socially acceptable
actions. Involved in the notion of right or wrong
that is imparted to us by our parents or people
that took care for us during childhood.
3. Ego - police or the mediator between id and
super ego. Operates within the boundaries of
reality, primary function is to maintain the
impulses of the id to an acceptable degree.
Introduced the Levels of Consciousness:
1. Conscious- where minority of our memories are
being stored and the memories that are in the
conscious is easier to be to be tapped or
accessed.
2. Pre-conscious - the middle part of the entirety
of our consciousness; the memories stored in
this area can still be accessed but with a little
difficulty.
3. Unconscious- this area is where majority of our
memories since childhood are deeply stored. It
is very difficult to tap the memories. It would
need a trained professional and several special
techniques in order to make some memories
resurface.
GILBERT RYLE – He used behavioristic approach to
self.
- self is the behavior presented by the person.
- explained that the self is exemplified in his "ghost
in the machine" view (man is a complex machine
with different functioning parts, and the
intelligence, and other characteristic or behavior
of man is represented by the ghost in the said
machine.
PAUL CHURCHLAND - A Canadian philosopher whose
focus is on the idea that people should improve our
association and use of worth in identifying the self.
- self is defined by the movement of our brain. A
constant movement of the brain can be the basis
of who the person is (emphasized by Churchland
and his wife in the statement "the brain as the
self").
- focuses on the philosophy of "eliminative
materialism" and understanding the different
neural pathways, how they work, and what
implications are those movement to people is a
measurable classification on one's behavior.
MAURICE JEAN JACQUES MERLEAU-PONTY – A
French philosopher.
- known for his works on existentialism and
phenomenology.
- coined the idea of phenomenology of perception
(unity of the function of the mind and the body)
which is divided into three division.
- regarded that the body and mind are not
separate entities but rather those two
components is one and the same.
- idea of perception follows the idea of Gestalt
psychology (gives importance on the whole
rather than the sum of its parts).
THOMAS AQUINAS - The most eminent 13th century
scholar and stalwart of the medieval philosophy,
appended something to this Christian view.
- the soul is what animates the body; it is what
makes us humans.
He explained that Man is composed of two parts:
- Matter or hyle in Greek - refers to the “common
stuff that makes up everything in the universe.”
and
- Form or morphe in Greek - refers to the “essence
of a substance or thing”.
SOCIOLOGY
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
✓ Sociologist from University of Chicago
✓ Symbolic Interactions Perspective
THEORY OF SELF
Self - is something that emerges thorough social
interaction.
- developed as we age, as we grow.
- develops through interacting with others, through
reflecting on that interaction, to thinking about
how others are perceiving you, and that helps
you generate an image of yourself.
- mirrored in the reaction of the other.
Two parts of Self:
1. Self-awareness - By taking the role of other, we
can become self-aware.
2. Self-image - mirrored in the reaction of the other.
Imitation - we are constantly trying to put ourselves
in the shoes of another and think about how they
are seeing this event or situation or this action
transpiring.
Generalized others - When you have internalized
the widespread cultural norms, mores, and
expectations of behaviors
THE “I” and “ME” of the SELF
“I” – what is out there, acting, being spontaneous,
doing things in the world
 ”me” – an object, the aggregate combined image of
yourself that has been given to you from
interacting with society
HENRI de SAINT-SIMON (1760-1825)
✓ The social aim was to produce things useful to
life
✓ Call for “society of science” – influenced his
disciple Auguste Comte
✓ Historic founder of French Socialism Origin of
many ideas elaborated into Comtism
✓ His idea of the reconstruction of society were
conditioned by the French Revolution and by
feudal and military system
✓ insisted on the necessity of new and positive
reorganization of society
HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903)
Synthetic Philosophy - Encompasses realms of
physical, psychological, biological, sociological, and
ethical
Moral Philosophy
Social Statistics
- Human happiness can be achieved only when
individuals can satisfy their needs and desires
without infringing on the right of others to do the
same
- In obtaining full satisfaction, one must derive
pleasure from seeing pleasure in others.
Principles of Ethics – basic law of ethics and morality
- Extension of laws in the natural world, and much
of his scientific justification for his moral position
Moral dictum - Once physical and biological realms
are discovered, humans should obey them and
cease trying to construct, through political
legislation, social forms that violate these laws.
Scientific position - The laws of social organization
can no more be violated than can those of the
physical universe, and to seek to do so will
create, in the long run, more severe problems.
Implicitly obey them! - Humans should be as free
from external regulation as possible
Social Statistics
- Moral laws and laws of laissez-faire capitalism
converge and how they reflect biological laws of
unfettered competition and struggle among
species.
- While decrying war as destructive, it allows more
organized “races” to conquer the “less organized
and inferior races,” increasing thereby, the level
and complexity of social organization.
The law of individuation - In the union of many men
into one community.
DAVID EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)
✓ French sociologist, cited as the principal
architect of modern social sciences
✓ Established academic discipline with Marx
and Weber
✓ How societies could maintain their integrity
and coherence in modernity, an era in which a
traditional social and religious tie are no longer
assumed, and in which new social institutions
have come into being
✓ Acceptance of sociology as a legitimate
science
Sociology of Knowledge
- How concepts and categories of logical thought
could arise out of social life
- Certain aspects of logical thought common to all
human did exist, but they were products of
collective life and that they were not universal a
priori since the content of categories differed
from society to society
Collective representations
- The symbols and images that come to represent
the ideas, beliefs, and values elaborated by a
collectivity and are not reducible to individual
constituents
- Created through intense social interaction and
are products of collective activity
- Controlled by society (as a whole) yet
simultaneously by virtue of that individual’s
participation within the society
Language – a social product that structures and
shapes our experience of reality
- product of collective action, language contains
within it a history accumulated knowledge and
experience that no individual would be
capable of creating on their own
ALBERT BANDURA (1925)
Social Learning Theory
- Theory that attempts to explain socialization and
its effect on the development of the self
- It looks at the individual learning process, the
formation of self, and influence of society in
socializing individual
- Formation of one’s identity is a learned response
to social stimuli
- An individual’s identity is not the product of the
unconscious, but instead is the result of modeling
oneself in response to the expectations of others
- Behaviors and attitudes develop in response to
reinforcement and encouragement from people
around us
Self-Efficacy
- People’s belief about their capabilities to produce
designated levels of performance that exercise
influence over events that affect their lives
- This belief determines how people feel, think,
motivate themselves, and behave
Four Main Sources of Self-Efficacy - which raises one “to the height and dignity of the
1. Mastery Experience subject”
- Successes build a robust belief in one’s - You gain personality within a field only by
personal efficacy stepping out of your own self
- A resilient sense of efficacy requires - Teach the subject, not your interpretation of the
experience in overcoming obstacles through subject
perseverant effort - Make your students interested in the subject
2. Vicarious Experience itself, rather than in the person teaching it
- Provided by social models
- Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by LEWIS MORGAN
sustained effort raises observers’ beliefs that - The Leasguge of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee or
they too, possess the capabilities to master Iroquois (1851)
comparable activities required to succeed - This presented the complexity of Iroquois society
- People seek proficient models who possess in a path-breaking ethnography that was a model
the competencies to which they aspire for future anthropologists
3. Social Persuasion - He wanted to provide evidence for monogenesis,
- People who are persuaded verbally that they the theory that all human beings descended from
possess the capabilities to master given a common source
activities are likely to mobilize greater effort - The structure of the family and social institutions
and sustain it than if they harbor self-doubts develops and change according to a specific
and dwell on personal deficiencies when sequence
problem arises
- People who have persuaded that they lack Theory of Social Evolution
capabilities tend to avoid challenging activities - Kinship relations as a basic part of society
that cultivate potentials and give up in the face - Critical link between social progress and
of difficulty technological progress
4. Psychological Responses - Interplay between the evolution of technology, of
- People rely partly on their somatic and emotional family relations, of property relations, of the
states in judging their capabilities larger social structure, and systems of
- They interpret their stress reactions and tensions governance, and intellectual development.
as signs of vulnerability to poor performance
George Mead Symbolic Interactions Perspective;
KARL MARX (1818 – 1881) two parts of Self: Self-awareness
Theory of Self-Estrangement or Self-Alienation and Self-image
- “the alienation of man’s essence, man’s loss of Henri de Saint- French Socialism; synthetic and
objectivity and his loss of realness as self- Simon moral philosophies
discovery, manifestation of his nature, David Emile Sociology of Knowledge
objectification and realization” Durkheim
- When a person feels alienated from others and Albert Bandura Social Learning Theory
society as a whole Karl Marx Theory of Self-Estrangement or
- A person may feel alienated by his work by not Self-Alienation
feeling like he has meaning to his work, therefore Max Weber Self-help Imagination
losing their sense of self at the workplace Lewis Morgan Theory of Social Evolution

MAX WEBER (1864 – 1920)

German sociologist and political economist Capitalism ANTHROPOLOGY
developed out of a Protestant ethic, a religious
calling
Anthropology - a relative newcomer to the debate on
Iron cage – as the religion became peripheral,
selfhood.
capitalism decoupled from its roots and
- does express a unique view on the issue of
established itself as the dominant force in society
selfhood: the anthropological approach both
starts and finishes with the group.
Exercise Self-Help Imagination
- has an important voice in the discussion of
- “Personality” makes little sense in its modern
selfhood.
usage
*The self needs to be seen as a socially defined
- “an inner devotion to the subject and only to the
phenomenon, created by both the impression of the
subject”
group upon the individual and the expression of the
individual upon the group.
MARCEL MAUSS
- remaining the same person and turning
chameleon by adapting to one’s context seems
paradoxical.
- French anthropologist
- studied non-Western societies all over the world
and proposed the “Total Social Phenomenon”.
According to Mauss, every self has two faces: personne
and moi.
Moi - refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body,
and his basic identity, his biological givenness.
- a person’s basic identity.
Personne - composed of the social concepts of what
it means to be who he is.
- has much to do with what it means to live in a
particular institution, a particular family, a
particular religion, a particular nationality, and
how to behave given expectations and
influences from others.
Total Social Phenomenon - tackles that every sector in
a community or society should cooperate to have a
well-balanced living.
Language - is a salient part of culture and ultimately,
has a tremendous effect in our crafting of the self.
- has something to do with culture. Language and
culture are intertwined.
- might also be one of the reasons why cultural
divide spells out differences in how one regards
oneself.
Culture - a system of inherited conceptions expressed
in symbolic forms by means of which men
communicate, perpetuate, and develop their
knowledge about and attitudes towards life.
*If a self is born into a particular society or culture, the
self will have to adjust according to its exposure.
*According to the anthropological perspective, the self
is embedded in our culture.
CLIFFORD GEERTZ
- American cultural anthropologist who defined
culture as “a system of inherited conceptions
expressed in symbolic forms by means of which
men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their
knowledge about and attitudes towards life.
Basic premises of his work, "The Impact of the
Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man," The
Interpretation of Cultures. (1966), include the
following:
➢ Look for what makes people/cultures different,
not the same; it is more effective to analyze
human nature by noting the differences between
cultures that arise over time and space than to try
to form vague notions of universals.
➢ Culture reveals the link between what man is
capable of and how he actually behaves, which
in turn helps define human nature.
➢ Culture is the "accumulated totality" of symbolic
patterns that appear in different societies.
THE SELF FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology - A field of social sciences that focuses on
the study of man.
- does not pertain only to one aspect of man but
rather on the totality of what it means to be
human.
- looks into man’s physical/biological
characteristics, his social relationships and the
influences of his culture from the dawn of
civilization up to the present.
* “What man is now, is a product of his past”
Four subfields of anthropology:
a) Archaeologists’ focus - is the past and how it
may have contributed to the present ways of
how people conduct their daily lives.
- suggest that in many places around the
world, the species homosapiens did not
become extinct because of their ability to
think, use tools and learn from experience.
- these discoveries of archaeologists made
people realize the important aspect of
human nature, which is survival.
b) Biological Anthropology - Focus primarily on
how the human body adapts to the different
earth environments.
- also do comparative studies on human
beings both dead and living and other
primates (apes and monkeys)
*Biological characteristics human beings share may
earn for them complete dominion over all earth
creatures and at the same time be the cause of their
extinction.
c) Linguistic Anthropology - Human survival is
primarily linked to their ability to communicate.
- language identifies a group of people.
- an essential part of human communication is
language.
d) Cultural Anthropology - are interested in
knowing what makes one group’s manner of
living particular to that group and forms an
essential part of the member’s personal and
social identity.
Culture - described as a group of people’s way of life.
includes their behaviours, beliefs, values and symbols
that they accept that are socially transmitted
through communication and imitation from
generation to generation.
Theory of Cultural Determinism – human nature is
determined by the ideas, meanings, beliefs and
values learned as members of a society.
- the contention that culture has a strong impact on
how the individual views himself.
This theory has positive and negative implications:
 a) (+) suggests that human beings can be you are, then who are you that makes who you
shaped/formed to have the kind of life they are?”
prefer. SELF - the “sense of personal identity and of who we
- there is no limit placed on the human ability are as individuals (Jhangiani and Tarry 2014).”
to be or to do whatever they set their minds Identity- concept of an individual about himself and
and hearts into. often referred to as “self-identity”
b) (–) it may mean that people have no control Self-identity - is the belief of what the individuals thinks
over what they learn. and feels about him. And can also be influenced by
- blindly accept the learning their cultures how others perceive an individual
expose them to. Self-development is a continuous process throughout
the lifespan; one’s sense of self may change, at
Cultural diversities - manifested in different ways and at least somewhat, throughout one’s life.
different levels of depth. Self-representation has important implications for
Symbols - considered the most superficial level of socio-emotional functioning throughout the lifespan.
culture and values belong to the deepest level or are
considered the core of culture. WILLIAM JAMES (1890)
- William James was one of the earliest
The following are the ways in which culture may psychologists to study the self and
manifest itself in people: conceptualized the self as having 2 aspects – the
1. Symbols - the words, gestures, pictures or “I” and the “me”.
objects that have a recognized/accepted
meaning in a particular culture. The Me and I
- can be shared or copied by other cultures I - the thinking, acting, feeling self.
who find them also fitting for their own Me - the physical characteristics as well psychological
culture. capabilities that makes who you are.
2. Heroes - the persons from the past or present *The "Me" is the social self and the "I" is the response
who have characteristics that are important in to the "Me."
a culture. *" In other words, the "I" is the response of an individual
3. Rituals - activities participated in by a group to the attitudes of others, while the "me" is the
of people for the fulfilment of desired organized set of attitudes of others which an
objectives and are considered to be socially individual assumes.
essential. “I” (the self in action) Me” (the self as an object
4. Values - considered to be the core of every - Self in process, in the world)
culture. in the moment - The structured
- are unconscious and can neither be - The impulsive, and
discussed nor be directly observed but can spontaneous, determinate
only be inferred from the way people act and and part of the self
react to circumstances and situation. indeterminate - A product of
part of the self interaction and
- Non-reflective conscious
PSYCHOLOGY - Part of the self reflection
that produces - We know the “I”
Psychology – means the study of souls but now it is individuality only through
study of mind. the “me”
- delves in the Physiological having to with an
organism’s physical processes and the Cognitive Attitudinal Change
having to do with an organism’s thinking. - Quoting William James himself “The greatest
- primarily studies WHO and WHAT we are, WHY discovery of my generation is that human beings
we act and think in a particular manner and what can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of the
is our potential as an individual. mind”. He meant that with just the simple change
- focus on the individual, cognitive functions and of attitude anyone even you can change your life
other possible factors that affect the individual. for better or for worse.
*Psyche meaning soul/mind; and logos meaning study”
CARL ROGERS
Who am I? “When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I
look at people I am optimistic.”
- A lot of people say, “I am who I am”, yet this
Carl Rogers’s theory of personality also used the same
statement still begs the question “if you are who
terms like William James.
 I - the one who acts and decides
- reflects what people see or perceive themselves
doing in the physical world
Me - what you think or feel about yourself as an object.
- more subjective and psychological
phenomenon, referring to individuals’ reflections
about themselves
Self-schema – is our organized system or collection of
knowledge about who we are.
- include our interests, work, course, age, name,
and physical characteristics.
- As you grow and adapt to the changes around
you, self-schema also changes.
Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) - refers to
accepting and supporting another exactly as they
are, without evaluating or judging them.
- term attributed to Carl Rogers, the creator of
person-centered counseling and one of the
founders of humanistic therapy.
Identity and Self-concept Overview
Identity - composed of personal characteristics, social
roles and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that
define who one is.
- can also be influenced by how others perceive an
individual
- concept of an individual about himself and often
referred to as “self-identity” or the self-belief of
what the individuals thinks and feels about
himself.
Self-Concept - how someone thinks about or perceives
themselves.
- “the individual’s belief about himself or herself,
including the person’s attributes and who and
what the self is."
Roles- are also part of his identity.
*SELF, IDENTITY, and SELF-CONCEPT are NOT
FIXED in one-time frame. They are not also fixed for
life nor are they ever-changing at every moment.
Experiences of the Self
The Self-concept includes two different experiences of
the self:
1. The existential self - The concept that you are
unique/different from others (Persian poet RUMI
pondered, “Who am I in the midst of all this
thought traffic?”), Subjective (I).
2. The Categorical self -concept (and the concept
of others) tends to focus on his or her own visible
characteristics, Objective (ME).
Self-Concept
Real self - is WHO WE ACTUALLY ARE, HOW WE
THINK, HOW WE FEEL, LOOK, AND ACT.
- can be seen by others, but because we have no
way of truly knowing how others view us, the real
self is our self-image.
Self-Concept/Self-Schema Composed of 3 Things:
1. Self-Image (Real Self) – who you are at the
moment.
- Includes: Physical description, Social
Roles, Personal traits, existential
statements
2. Ideal Self – who you like to be is how we want
to be.
- idealized image that we have developed
over time, based on what we have learned
and experienced.
- include components of what our parents
have taught us, what we admire in others,
what our society promotes, and what we
think is in our best interest.
3. Ought Self (Self-Esteem/Self-worth) – who
you think you should be.
- defined as our own positive and negative
perception or evaluation of ourselves.
Incongruence – A person’s ideal self may not be
consistent with their actual experience (real self), or
what is even possible.
- One has to find solution to such discrepancies to
avoid agitation, dejection, or other negative
emotions.
Self-actualization –refers to the need for personal
growth and development throughout one's life. It is
the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
which was developed by psychologist Abraham
Maslow.
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth – refers to the extent to
which we like, accept, or approve of ourselves; or
how much we value ourselves.
- always involves a degree of evaluation, and we
may have either a positive or a negative view of
ourselves.
Social Comparison Theory
*According to the Social Comparison Theory, we learn
about ourselves, the appropriateness of our
behaviors, as well as our social status by comparing
aspects of ourselves with other people.
There are types of social comparison:
Downward Social Comparison - is the more common
type of comparing ourselves with others.
- create a positive self-concept by comparing
ourselves with those who are worse off than us.
Upward Social Comparison - comparing ourselves
with those who are better off than us.
- can be a form of motivation for some, a lot of
those who do this actually felt lower self-esteem
as they highlight more of their weakness or
inequities.
Social comparison – One of the ways in which our
social relationship affects our self-esteem.
- also entails what is called Self-Evaluation
Maintenance Theory.
 - In this theory, we can feel threatened when
someone out-performs us, especially when that
person is close to us
In this case, we usually react in 3 ways:
▪ We distance ourselves from that person or
redefine our relationship with them.
▪ Reconsider the importance of the aspect or skill
in which you were outperformed.
▪ Strengthen or resolve to improve that certain
aspect of ourselves.
CARVER AND SCHEIER (1981)
Carver and Scheier have identified 2 types of self that
we can be aware of:
1. The Private self – your internal standards and
private thoughts and feelings.
2. The Public self – public image commonly geared
toward having a good presentation of yourself to
others.
Self-consciousness – is when self-awareness can be
too much that we are concerned about being
observed and criticized by others.
• Looking outside – e.g. seeing other people who
are better and dreaming to become the same.
• Looking inside – reflecting on what the heart
desires
SIGMUND FREUD
Sigmund Freud - an Austrian neurologist and the
founder of psychoanalysis, the clinical method for
treating psychopathology through dialogue between
a patient and a psychoanalyst.
- the influential German psychologist of the early
20th century, provided not only a revolutionary
way of understanding human personality but also
how society affects our psychology.
- concluded that mental disorder might be caused
purely by psychological factor rather than organic
factors.
- proposed that dreams are the disguised
expressions of unconscious wishes and
emphasized libidinal (sex) urges of a person.
Psychoanalysis – a method through which an analyst
unpacks unconscious conflicts based on the free
associations, dreams and fantasies of the patient.
Socialization (Freudian Perspective) – the lifelong
process of learning the ways and behaviors
appropriate to particular society, is not only an
external or structural process but also an internal,
mental process.
*There, in the inner psyche the individual—the
unconscious and conscious self—societal presence
is constantly being engaged with by the person.
*Freud's theory of human personality revealed another
facet of society.
*Freud's formulation, the individual human mind—the
source of our subjectivity—is created by social and
cultural forces that operate beneath the level of the
unconscious self.
Freud’s view of human nature
- human beings are biological organisms
motivated by the satisfaction of bodily needs and
with motivating forces that drive behavior.
- His theory suggests that personality (mind) is
composed of the id, the ego, and the superego.
True Self Vs False Self
True self - the core of you who are, the original you,
unshaped by upbringing or society.
- state you were born in and it is a state that still
exists inside you.
False self (Adapted self) - parts of you that have
altered behavior, repressed feelings and pushed
your needs aside to fit in with others.
THE SELF IN WESTERN AND ORIENTAL/EASTERN
THOUGHT
“One of the most effective ways to learn about oneself
is by taking seriously the cultures of others. It forces
you to pay attention to those details of life which
differentiate them from you.” - Edward T. Hall
Concept of self - There are a lot of sources in which we
can analyze the perspective of each culture and
country about the concept of the “self.”
Literature - like how one depicts a hero or villain in
their stories in different countries, like USA, China,
Korea, etc.
Socialization - like how they see their boss or their
subordinate.
Artworks, Dances, Even Clothing - This thing may
show us clues about the Self.
Cultural Diversity
- Put themselves first
- Dedicated to independent thinking and self-
reliance
- Distant to the feelings of others
- Preserving, and success of the group is more
important
- Paying attention to the needs and feelings of
each member of the group
- Sensitive with the feelings of the members of the
group to each other
Western thoughts
- They give higher value with their personal rights.
- The western society is trying to find and prove the
"truth."
Eastern thoughts
- Giving more value to social responsibility and
accepting the reality of life (fact) and interested in
maintaining the balance of life
 WESTERN EASTERN 5 Basic Virtues of Confucianism:
VALUES - Ren – benevolence, humaneness
- emphasize more on - with their collectivistic - Yi – righteous, justice
the value of equality culture, put more emphasis - Li – proper, rite
even if they see that the on hierarchy as the culture - Zhi – knowledge
individual can rise wants to keep things in - Xin – integrity
above everything else. harmony and order
- one can say that they (Qingxue, 2003). TAOISM (Daoism)
also promote ideals
- Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-
that create “fair”
tzu (6th century BC) advocating humility and
competition and protect
religious piety.
the individual.
- aims to describe how to attain life.
SELF-DESCRIPTIONS
Talk more about their talk about their social roles or
- Is living in the way of the TAO or the UNIVERSE.
personal attributes the social situations that The 3 Treasures or 3 Jewels
when describing invoked certain traits that Jing – “essence”
themselves they deem positive for their Qi – “energy”
selves. Shen – “spirit”
SELF-EVALUATIONS
highlight their personal keep a low profile as Concept of Harmony - A central feature of Taoism is
achievements promoting the self can be harmony between people and their environment,
seen as boastfulness that Nature, or Tao.
disrupts social relationships Tao Chi (Yin-Yang diagram) is an example of the
INDIVIDUALISTIC COLLECTIVIST value of harmony with the environment. It is also
Focus is on the person The group and social applied to the concept of health for energy (qi/chi),
relations is given more balance for disease prevention, healing, and the
importance than individual development of human potential.
needs and wants
Looks at the world in Sees the other person as BUDDHISM (Indian Religion)
DUALITIES wherein part of yourself as well as the - world’s 4th-largest religion, with over 520M
you are distinct from the things you may create, a
followers or over 7% of the global population are
other person, the drama in which everyone is
Buddhists.
creator is separate from interconnected with their
- All Buddhist traditions share the GOAL OF
the object he created. specific roles
OVERCOMING SUFFERING AND THE CYCLE
OF DEATH & REBIRTH, either by the attainment
WESTERN VS. EASTERN PHILOSOPHERS
of Nirvana or through the path of Buddhahood.
3 Marks of Existence:
CONFUCIANISM (RUISM) Impermanence (anicca) - all things are in constant
- is described as tradition, a philosophy, a state of flux; nothing lasts, and everything decays
humanistic or rationalistic religion which was Suffering (dukkha) - all things are not experienced;
developed from the teachings of the Chinese everything is conditioned and conditioning
philosopher CONFUCIUS (1551-479 BCE) who Non-Self (anatta) - denies that there is anything
considered himself a re-codifier and re-transmitter called a “SELF”
of the theology and values inherited from the
Shang and Zhou dynasty. *It is our quest to forget about the SELF, forget about
- focused on having a harmonious social life. the cravings of the self, break the attachments you
- Identity and self-concept of the individual are have with the world, and to renounce the self which
interwoven with the identity and status of his/her is the cause of all suffering and in doing so, attain the
community or culture, sharing its pride as well as state of NIRVANA.
its failures. *Gautama Buddha taught that all beings conditioned
Subdued Self’ – personal needs are repressed by causes (sankhara) are impermanent (anicca) and
(subdued) for the good of many, making Confucian suffering (dukhha), and that not-self(anatta)
society also hierarchical for the purpose of characterizes all dhammas, meaning THERE IS NO
maintaining order and balance in society. “I”, “ME” or “MINE” in either the conditioned or the
unconditioned (i.e. nibbana).
3 Essential Core Values of Confucianism:
- Filial Piety – respect for elders
- Humaneness- goodness
- Ritual - proper conduct