UNDERSTANDING
THE SELF
EVELYN D. RECILES
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Self- Self- Self
awareness understanding improvement
Chapter I:
The Self from Various Perspective
I.
Philosophical
II.
Self Sociological
& Anthro.
III.
Psychological
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To define self from philosophical,
sociological, anthrophogical, and
psychological perspective.
2. To identify factors affecting one’s
being/ self.
3. To reflect from philosophical,
sociological, and psychological
perspective of the self.
The Self
It refers to the person’s essential
being that distinguishes them from
others.
It is the sum total of all that man
call his, which includes his body,
family, reputation, clothes, house
etc.
Agree/ Disagree
We are what we are
right now because we
want to be like this.
Agree/ Disagree
We can be whatever or
whoever we want to
be.
Agree/ Disagree
Our parents (or family
members) can only
influence us while we
are in childhood years.
Agree/ Disagree
Our tendencies are
completely tolerable.
Agree/ Disagree
There are still many
things that we haven’t
discovered about
ourselves.
Factors that contribute to one’s being….
1. Nature (Heredity)
2. Nurture (Environment)
3. Biological Factors
4. Personal choice
Me, Myself, and I…
Mechanics
1. Write at least three of your physical,
emotional, and social characteristics/
traits.
2. Identify which factor/s contributed to
the development of your characteristics.
3. Present your work in group.
4. Select a leader to synthesize the
activity.
Sample
Characteristics Heredity Environment Biological Choice
Physical
1. Fair Skin √
2.
3.
Emotional
1. Resilient √
2.
3.
Social
1. Sociable √ √
2.
3.
I. Philosophical Perspective of the Self
Philosophy is the study of the fundamental
nature of knowledge, reality and existence.
Derived from two Greek words:
Philos- love
Sophos-wisdom
Philosopher’s answer to the question “Who
Am I?”
SOCRATES VIEW OF THE SELF
Man is essentially
a soul.
This soul has
knowledge.
“Know thyself”
“An unexamined
life is not worth
living”.
PLATO’S VIEW OF THE SELF
Human beings
are composed of
two things:
1. Soul- true
self/ permanent
self/ unchanging.
2. Body-
changing self
AUGUSTINE’S VIEW OF THE SELF
Man is created in the
image of God.
Has an immortal soul
whose main pursuit is
to have an everlasting
life with God.
Happiness can only be
achieved in God alone.
Eternal Law – law of
conscience.
RENE DESCARTES VIEW OF THE SELF
Father of Modern
Philosophy.
Mind and body are
separate and
distinct but they are
conjoined.
I think, therefore; I
am (Cogito ergo
sum)
JOHN LOCKE’S VIEW OF THE SELF
Infant’s mind
at birth is
TABULA
RASA- blank
sheet/ blank
slate.
DAVID HUME’S VIEW OF THE SELF
The self keeps on
changing.
There is no
permanent/
unchanging self.
IMMANUEL KANT’S VIEW
Man is a free agent,
capable of making a
decision for himself.
As a free agent, man
is gifted with reason
and free will.
GILBERT RYLE’S VIEW OF THE SELF
The mind is not
distinct from the body.
The only way by which
we can know how the
mind is working is
through the behavior
of the person.
PAUL CHURCHLAND’S VIEW
How we feel, how
act, and how we
think are deeply
affected by the
brain.
MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY’S VIEW
He rejected the mind
and body dichotomy.
The self is a product
of our conscious
experience.
SIGMUND FREUD’S VIEW
Tripartite divisions of
the mind:
Id- pleasure
Ego- mediator
Superego- morality
Ego ideal
Conscience
Philosopher Perspective
Socrates Man is essentially a soul. “Know thyself”
Plato Soul (Permanent) and Body (Changing Self)
Aristotle There is no knowledge without sensory experiences
Augustine Man is created in the image of God
Descartes Dichotomy of mind and body. “I think, therefore I am”
Locke Infant’s mind at birth is Tabula Rasa
Hume The self keeps on changing
Kant Man is a free agent
Freud Role of the unconscious and childhood experiences
Ryle The mind is not distinct from the body
Churchland Feelings, actions, and thoughts are affected by the brain
Ponty Self is a product of one’s conscious experience.
A Reflection
Mechanics
1. Choose 1 philosophical perspective
that you considered truthful in
describing the self.
2. Specify the name of the proponent.
3. Discuss his philosophical
perspective.
4. State the reason for choosing his
philosophical perspective.
II. SOCIOLOGICAL &
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
Sociology is the scientific study of
societies and social relationships.
Anthropology is the scientific study
of human culture.
Knowing the self requires understanding
of our society and its culture because the
former is influenced by the latter.
SOCIETY VS. CULTURE
SOCIETY CULTURE
is a group in is the way of
which life of a
individuals particular
live & interact group/society.
Society includes…..
Components of Culture
1. Material Culture- all the things
that people make and use which
includes technology, clocks, utensils,
clothes, baskets etc.
2. Non-material culture- the non-
physical ideas that people have about
their culture (beliefs, norms, values etc)
Non-material
Bayanihan
Material
Bahay Kubo
Material
Jeepney
Material
Sculpture
Non- material
Religious
belief
Material
Pots
Non- material
Pagmamano
Characteristics of Culture
1. Culture is learned.
2. Culture is shared.
3. Culture changes.
4. Culture is transmitted across
generations.
5. Culture varies from society to society.
Facets of Culture
Techno.
Beliefs Values
Culture
Traditions Religion
Norms
Mead’s Social Self Theory
The conceptions a person holds about
himself emerge from social interaction with
others.
According to Mead, the self is made of two
components:
“me”- self as object
“I”- self as subject
Mead’s Three Stages of Development of Self
Stage 1: The Preparatory Stage (birth- 2 years)
Imitation/ mimicking people around them
Stage 2: The Play Stage (2- 6 years)
No specific rules/ “bahay-bahayan”
Stage 3: The Game Stage (6 years onwards)
Adhere to the rules of games/ playing more
formalized games.
The Looking- Glass Self
“Our sense of self is
influenced by others’ views of
us” (C0oley, 1902).
Labeling bias
Self- labeling
Social Comparison Theory
Self-concept are heavily influenced by
the process of social comparison
(Buunk & Gibbons, 2007; Van Lange,
2008).
Social comparison occurs when we
compare our own attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors with those of others.
III. PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
OF THE SELF
Psychology is the scientific study of human
behavior and mental processes.
Psyche- soul/ mind & Logos- study
Self- concept
Self-esteem
Self- efficacy
SELF-CONCEPT
is an organized, consistent set of perceptions
of and beliefs about oneself (Passer & Smith,
2007).
Carl Rogers asserted that we have two selves:
Real Self
Ideal self
Incongruence of the real self and ideal self
can lead to anxiety.
Factors affecting Self-Concept
Past Physical
Social roles
experiences features
Personality Own
Values
traits observations
Feedback
Abilities Goals
from others
SELF-ESTEEM
Refers to one’s overall assessment of
one’s worth as a person (Weiten, et al.,
2014).
Self-esteem is usually describe as high
or low.
Specific elements of the self-concept
may contribute to self-esteem.
Factors Affecting Self-Esteem
1. Excessive criticism during childhood.
2. Child abuse and punishment.
3. Negligence from parents.
4. Constant comparison with others.
5. Expectations.
SELF-EFFICACY
It refers to the belief in one’s
capabilities to achieve a goal or an
outcome.
The belief that one can have an impact
on one’s environment- to account for
psychological changes that come about
from a variety of treatments (Bandura,
1977).
Factors Affecting Self-efficacy
1. mastery experiences
2. social modeling
3. social persuasion
4. physical and emotional states
Mechanics
Complete the chart below by:
Articulating your own understanding about
the perspective of these different
disciplines with regards to “self”, and
Drawing/cutting out pictures on how these
perspective are tangibly perceived and
realized in the society with a single
sentence explanation for each.
The Self from Various Perspective
Philosophy Sociology Anthropology Psychology The Self in Western and
Oriental /Eastern Thought
End of Chapter I
