Psychological, Philosophical, and Social Views of the Self

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing theories and concepts of the self across psychology, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology based on lecture material.

"I" (William James)

The thinking, acting, and feeling self.

"Me" (William James)

The physical characteristics as well as psychological capabilities that make up who you are.

Identity (Carl Rogers)

Composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who one is.

Self-Concept

What basically comes to your mind when you are asked about who you are.

Ideal Self

The person we want to be, our idealized version of ourselves, and how we feel we should be.

Real Self (Actual Self)

Who we actually are.

Self-Schema

An organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are that acts as a mental framework developed from experiences with particular people, objects, or events.

Incongruence

Occurs when there is a misalignment, disparity, and a huge gap between our real and ideal self, often leaving us disappointed in ourselves.

Congruence

Occurs when there is alignment and a small gap between our real and ideal self, leading to confidence, satisfaction, and self-actualization.

Self-Esteem

Refers to one's overall worth as a person.

Socrates

The first philosopher who engaged in a systematic questioning about the self.

Dualism (Socrates)

The belief that reality or existence is divided into two parts; for Socrates, every man is composed of a body and a soul.

Prison of the Soul

Plato's term for the physical body.

Rational Soul

The thinking part of the soul in Plato's philosophy that seeks truth and logic.

Spirited Soul

The part of the soul in Plato's philosophy responsible for emotions like courage, ambition, and righteous anger.

Appetitive Soul

The part of the soul in Plato's philosophy that drives basic physical desires and needs like hunger and thirst.

Bifurcated Nature

St. Augustine's view that man has a two-part nature consisting of a mortal physical body and an eternal spiritual soul.

Matter (Hyle)

The common physical stuff or raw material that makes up a body.

Form (Morphe)

The essence or soul that organizes matter and gives it life, making it a specific, unique living thing.

Rene Descartes

Philosopher who conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind, viewing the body as a machine attached to the mind.

Cogito Ergo Sum

"I think, therefore I am"; René Descartes' assertion that every thought proves existence as a thinking thing.

David Hume

Empiricist philosopher who believed men can only attain knowledge through physical sensory experiences.

Bundle of Perceptions

David Hume's definition of the self as a collection of different perceptions succeeding each other in perpetual flux and movement.

Impressions (David Hume)

Everything that originates directly from our physical senses.

Ideas (David Hume)

Feeble images of thinking and reasoning based on our sensory impressions.

Immanuel Kant

Philosopher who proposed an organizing principle that regulates impressions and stated that humans have an inner and outer self.

Gilbert Ryle

Philosopher who argued that the self is not a specific locatable entity, but a convenient name for all daily behaviors a person manifests.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Philosopher who asserted that the mind and body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated and all experience is embodied.

Sigmund Freud

Psychoanalyst who posited that the self is the result of interactions among three components of the mind: ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO.

ID

The component of the mind operating on the Pleasure Principle.

EGO

The component of the mind operating on the Reality Principle.

SUPEREGO

The component of the mind operating on the Morality Principle.

Sociology

A social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and everyday culture.

Anthropology

The scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics in both present and past.

Edward B. Tylor

Scholar who defined culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, moral, law, customs, and acquired habits as a member of society.

Gilbert Geertz

Anthropologist who stated that culture is the principal basis of human specificity and introduced the concept of humans as unfinished animals.

Unfinished Animal Concept

Gilbert Geertz's argument that humans are born biologically incomplete and rely heavily on culture to regulate behavior and complete development.

Preparatory Stage

Mead's first stage of self-development (Birth to age 2) where children mimic those around them.

Play Stage

Mead's second stage of self-development (Age 2 to 6) where children play pretend without adhering to rules of organized games.

Game Stage

Mead's third stage of self-development (Age 7 onwards) where children adhere to game rules and understand other perspectives.

Generalized Other

The viewpoint of the social group at large, understood by children starting in Mead's Game Stage.

Individualist Societies

Societies where individuals look after themselves and immediate family, prioritizing individual interests, self-actualization, and 'I' thinking.

Collectivist Societies

Societies where people are born into extended families or groups that protect them in exchange for loyalty, prioritizing social harmony and 'we' thinking.

Low-Context Communication

A communication style prevailing in individualist societies.

High-Context Communication

A communication style prevailing in collectivist societies.

Task Prevails Over Relationship

A social norm characteristic of individualist societies.

Relationship Prevails Over Task

A social norm characteristic of collectivist societies.

Inner Self and Outer Self

Immanuel Kant's terms for the dual aspects of humans that unify to create consciousness and form the seat of knowledge acquisition.

Socialization (George Herbert Mead)

The developmental process through which the self emerges via three distinct childhood stages.

Embodied Experience

Maurice Merleau-Ponty's concept that all experience occurs through one's living body, which serves as their opening toward existence in the world.