GED 101: Understanding the Self - Comprehensive Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering philosophical, sociological, psychological, physical, and sexual dimensions of the self from the GED 101 course syllabus.

Self-Concept

The cognitive structure and mental picture of who an individual is, encompassing perceptions of one's own behaviors, abilities, unique characteristics, values, goals, and social roles.

Self-Understanding

The comprehension of what one's motives are when acting, serving as an individual's cognitive representation of the self composed of the substance and content of self-conceptions.

Personality

A relatively permanent pattern of traits and unique characteristics that provide both consistency and individuality to a person's behavior, derived etymologically from the Latin word 'persona' (theatrical mask) and 'per sonare' ('to sound through').

Five-Factor Model (Big Five)

The widely accepted trait framework summarizing personality into five broad, independent dimensions remembered by the acronym OCEAN: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Socratic Method

A dialectic inquiry technique formulated by Socrates involving asking questions and engaging in dialogue to clarify concepts, resolve logical inconsistencies, and discover proper definitions.

Dichotomous Self (Socrates)

The perspective that every human being is composed of two distinct realms: a physical realm (the changeable, imperfect, and mortal body) and an ideal realm (the unchanging, eternal, and immortal soul).

Three-Part Soul (Plato)

Plato's conceptualization of the self composed of Reason (the divine essence that seeks truth), Physical Appetite (biological bodily desires), and Spirit or Passion (basic emotional drives such as ambition and anger).

Cogito, Ergo Sum

René Descartes's foundational philosophical principle ('I think, therefore I exist'), establishing that consciousness and doubt prove the existence of an immaterial, thinking self.

Tabula Rasa (John Locke)

The doctrine of the 'blank slate' asserting that personal identity and knowledge originate entirely through conscious experience, sensory perception, and memory rather than innate ideas.

Fictional Self (David Hume)

Hume's empiricist conclusion that there is no enduring, unified self, but rather a bundle of fleeting impressions and ideas organized by the mind into an imaginary construct.

Transcendental Apperception (Immanuel Kant)

Kant's concept of the mind's synthesizing faculty that actively organizes raw sensory data and impressions into a unified, coherent experience of reality and self-awareness.

Category Mistake (Gilbert Ryle)

A logical error identified by Gilbert Ryle wherein philosophers mistakenly treat the self or mind as an independent, non-physical entity separate from physical bodily dispositions and behavioral patterns.

Eliminative Materialism (Paul and Patricia Churchland)

The philosophical position that folk-psychological terms (such as belief, desire, and fear) misrepresent reality, asserting that all mental states are ultimately explainable by biochemical processes and brain states.

Self-Subject (Maurice Merleau-Ponty)

The phenomenological framework positing that mind and body are seamlessly united in an embodied consciousness where the self, the body, and the world mutually perceive and define one another.

Social Self ('Me' and 'I' - George Herbert Mead)

Mead's model dividing the self into the 'Me' (the conventional, socialized self that adopts the attitudes of the generalized other) and the 'I' (the spontaneous, unique, and active response to the 'Me').

Generalized Other

The organized community or social group whose collective cultural norms, values, and expectations an individual internalizes to evaluate and regulate their own identity and behavior.

Objective Culture vs. Subjective Culture (Georg Simmel)

Subjective culture refers to the individual's capacity to produce, absorb, and direct cultural elements, whereas objective culture comprises external cultural institutions, artifacts, and structures that expand beyond personal control.

Blasé Attitude (Georg Simmel)

An urban defense mechanism characterized by emotional detachment, absolute boredom, and indifference, resulting from the sensory overload and calculated economic transactions of modern city life.

Theory of Cultural Determinism

The anthropological view that human nature, behavioral expressions, and societal identity are primarily shaped and governed by the specific culture into which an individual is born and socialized.

Tripartite Model of Human Consciousness (Gregg Henriques)

A psychological theory dividing consciousness into three distinct yet connected domains: the experiential self (the felt theater of consciousness), the private self (the verbal narrator), and the public self (the persona displayed to others).

False Self vs. True Self (Donald Winnicott)

The true self is rooted in genuine spontaneous feelings and authentic vitality from infancy, whereas the false self is a compliant, defensive social mask designed to protect the true self from environmental demands.

Self-Efficacy (Albert Bandura)

An individual's personal belief in their ability to organize and execute courses of action necessary to manage prospective situations and achieve targeted goals.

Ren (Confucianism)

The foundational Confucian virtue of human-heartedness, benevolence, and true humanity, realized through propriety ($li$), filial reverence ($xiao$), and unconditional moral rightness ($yi$).

Genotype vs. Phenotype

Genotype is the inherited genetic blueprint embedded within an organism's DNA, whereas phenotype refers to the observable physical and anatomical expression of those genetic traits.

Looking-Glass Self Theory (Charles Horton Cooley)

The sociological theory asserting that an individual's sense of self develops as a mirror image based on how they imagine they appear to others and how they interpret others' judgments.

Social Skin (Terence Turner)

The anthropological concept that the surface of the human body functions as a symbolic medium upon which societal categories, cultural roles, and collective meanings are visibly inscribed.

Dramaturgical Theory (Erving Goffman)

A sociological perspective analyzing human social interaction as a theatrical performance where individuals manage impressions, perform roles, and alter behaviors to influence audience perception.

Erogenous Zones

Specific areas of the human body characterized by exceptionally dense concentrations of sensory nerve endings that produce heightened physiological sensitivity, arousal, or pleasure when stimulated.

Human Sexual Response Cycle (HSRC)

The four-phase physiological sequence of sexual arousal outlined by William Masters and Virginia Johnson, consisting of Excitement, Plateau, Orgasm, and Resolution.

Triangular Theory of Love (Robert Sternberg)

A psychological theory postulating that love is constructed from three primary components: Intimacy (emotional closeness), Passion (motivational and physical arousal), and Commitment (cognitive decision to sustain a bond).

John Lee's Love Styles

A typology categorizing love into six relational styles: Eros (romantic/passionate), Agape (selfless/altruistic), Storge (affectionate friendship), Ludus (uncommitted game-playing), Mania (obsessive/possessive), and Pragma (practical/logical).

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)

A combination of pharmaceutical medications used in treating Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to halt viral replication, protect $CD4$ T-cells, and prevent progression to AIDS.