M2 l PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE SELF

Pre-Socratics

Prior to Socrates, the Greek thinkers, sometimes collectively called the__________ to denote that some of preceded Socrates while others existed around Socrates’ time as well, preoccupied themselves with the question of the primary substratum, arché that explains the multiplicity of things in the world.

Congruence

The closer the real and ideal selves are, the happier a person is.

True Self

The authentic self, shown to close people.

False Self

A self presented to impress others.

Self-Esteem

Correlated (not caused by) positive outcomes; excessive self-esteem can lead to narcissism or negative behaviors.

Collective Unconscious

Shared psychological traits among humans

1. Id

2. Ego

3. SuperEgo

Tripartite Model of Personality:

Id

One of the Tripartite Model of Personality:

The primal part of the mind driven by instincts, seeking immediate pleasure and avoiding pain without considering consequences.

Ego

One of the Tripartite Model of Personality:

The rational part that balances the id's desires with reality, making practical decisions to satisfy needs in a socially acceptable way.

Superego

One of the Tripartite Model of Personality:

The moral compass that enforces societal values, guilt, and conscience, striving for perfection and controlling the id’s impulses.

1. Oral (0-1)

2. Anal (1-3)

3. Phallic (3-6)

4. Latency (6-12)

5. Genital (12+)

Psychosexual Stages of Development: (5)

Oral

A stage of Psychosexual Development:

Pleasure from sucking, fixation can lead to smoking or overeating.

Anal

A stage of Psychosexual Development:

Toilet training, fixation can cause excessive cleanliness or messiness

Phallic

A stage of Psychosexual Development:

Awareness of gender differences, fixation can cause abnormal sexual behavior

Latency

A stage of Psychosexual Development:

Repression of sexual energy, focus on school.

Human Agency

People actively shape their own experiences

1. Intentionality

2. Forethought

3. Self-Reactiveness

4. Self-Reflectiveness

5. Self-Efficacy

Core Features of Agency: (5)

Intentionality

One of the Core Features of Agency:

Planning and goal-setting.

Forethought

One of the Core Features of Agency:

Anticipating consequences

Self-Reactiveness

One of the Core Features of Agency:

Choosing actions and regulating behavior

Self-Reflectiveness

One of the Core Features of Agency:

Evaluating one’s own thoughts and actions.

Self-Efficacy

One of the Core Features of Agency:

Belief in one’s ability to succeed.

Genital

A stage of Psychosexual Development:

Maturity, focus on healthy sexual relationships.

I-Self (Thinking Self)

Under William James’ Concept of the Self. The self that knows, also called the pure ego or soul

Me-Self (Empirical Self)

Under William James’ Concept of the Self. The self shaped by experiences.

1. Material Self

2. Social Self

3. Spiritual Self

Me-Self is divided into: (3)

Material Self

One of the Me-Self:

Physical attributes and possessions.

Social Self

One of the Me-Self:

How one behaves in different social settings.

Spiritual Self

One of the Me-Self:

Core values, purpose, and moral behavior

Arché

The primary substratum that explains the multiplicity of things in the world, a concept explored by the Pre-Socratics.

Socrates

A philosopher who shifted the focus from the natural world to the problem of the self. He was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning of the self, believing that the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself.

True

True or False:

Plato claimed in his dialogs that Socrates affirmed that the unexamined life is not worth living.

Gadfly

The role Socrates took upon himself, disturbing Athenian men from their slumber and shaking them off in order to reach the truth and wisdom, by questioning their presuppositions about themselves and about the world.

Dualistic

The philosophical view held by Socrates, stating that every human person is composed of body and soul.

Soul (Socrates)

According to Socrates, this is the perfect and permanent aspect of a human being.

Body (Socrates)

According to Socrates, this is the imperfect and impermanent aspect of a human being.

Plato

Socrates’ student who supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body and soul and added that there are three components of the soul: the rational soul, the spirited soul, and the appetitive soul.

The Republic

Plato's magnum opus which emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be attained if the three parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another.

Rational Soul

According to Plato, this is one of the components of a soul, this part of the soul is forged by reason and intellect, responsible for governing the affairs of the human person.

Spirited Soul

According to Plato, this is a part of the soul that is in charge of emotions.

Appetitive Soul

According to Plato, this is the part of the soul in charge of base desires like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sex.

1. Rational Soul

2. Spirited Soul

3. Appetitive Soul

The Three Components of the Soul that Plato Added:

Justice (Plato)

According to Plato, a state attained when the three parts of the soul (rational, spirited, and appetitive) are working harmoniously with one another.

Virtuous (Plato)

A quality of the human person’s soul when it reaches a just state, according to Plato.

Augustine

A philosopher whose view of the human person reflects the entire spirit of the medieval world, combining ancient Platonic views with Christian doctrine.

Bifurcated Nature

Augustine's view of human nature, suggesting that humans have two distinct parts: one dwelling in the world and imperfect, yearning for the Divine, and the other capable of reaching immortality.

Body (Augustine)

According to Augustine, the part of the human person that is bound to die on earth and can only thrive in the imperfect, physical reality of the world.

Soul (Augustine)

According to Augustine, the part of the human person that anticipates living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with God and can also stay after death in an eternal realm with the all-transcendent God.

Communion with God

The ultimate goal of every human person, according to Augustine, attainable by living a virtuous life on earth.

Medieval Worldview

The general perspective during the medieval period, reflected in Augustine's philosophy, which emphasized the duality of human existence and the importance of spiritual salvation.

René Descartes

The Father of Modern Philosophy, who conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind.

The Meditations of First Philosophy

Descartes' famous treatise where he argues that much of what we think and believe may be false and that one should only believe what can pass the test of doubt.

Doubt

A central concept in Descartes' philosophy, used as a tool to arrive at certain knowledge.

Cogito ergo sum

Descartes' famous conclusion, "I think therefore, I am," derived from the idea that the very act of doubting one's existence proves the existence of a thinking self.

Cogito

In Descartes' philosophy, the thing that thinks, which is the mind.

Extenza

In Descartes' philosophy, the extension of the mind, which is the body.

Body (Descartes)

According to Descartes, a machine that is attached to the mind; the human person has it, but it is not what makes man a man.

Mind (Descartes)

According to Descartes, the essential part of the human person, responsible for thinking, doubting, understanding, affirming, denying, willing, refusing, imagining, and perceiving.

Thinking Thing

Descartes' definition of the self: "It is a thing that doubts, understands (conceives), affirms, denies, wills, refuses; that imagines also, and perceives."

David Hume

A Scottish philosopher and empiricist who challenged traditional notions of the self.

Empiricism

The school of thought that espouses the idea that knowledge can only be possible if it is sensed and experienced.

Impressions

For Hume, the basic objects of our experience or sensation; they form the core of our thoughts and are vivid because they are products of our direct experience with the world. Example: the cold sensation when touching an ice cube.

Ideas (Hume)

For Hume, copies of impressions; they are not as lively and vivid as impressions. Example: imagining the feeling of being in love for the first time.

Self (Hume)

According to Hume, "a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement."

Bundle Theory of the Self

Hume's theory that the self is not a unified entity but a collection of constantly changing perceptions and experiences.

Immanuel Kant

A philosopher who found Hume's view of the self as a mere combination of impressions problematic.

Organizing Principle

Kant's idea that there is a mind that organizes the impressions men get from the external world, regulating the relationship of all these impressions.

Mind (Kant)

According to Kant, the entity that organizes the impressions that men get from the external world.

Self (Kant)

For Kant, not just what gives one his personality, but also the actively engaged intelligence in man that synthesizes all knowledge and experience; it is the seat of knowledge acquisition for all human persons.

Transcendental Idealism

Kant's philosophical system which posits that human experience is structured by the mind's inherent categories and forms of intuition, rather than solely by sensory input. (While not directly stated in the text, it's essential to understanding Kant).

Aristotle

A Greek philosopher who believed that the soul is merely a set of defining features and does not consider the body and soul as separate entities.

Soul (Aristotle)

According to Aristotle, the essence of all living things; it is not a separate entity from the body.

Vegetative Soul

In Aristotle's philosophy, the soul possessed by plants and other simple organisms, responsible for growth and basic life functions.

Sentient Soul

In Aristotle's philosophy, the soul possessed by animals, responsible for sensual desires, feelings, and emotions.

Self-Actualization

According to Aristotle, the rational nature of the self is to lead a good, flourishing, and fulfilling life.

Moral Virtues

In Aristotle's philosophy, characteristics of the rational soul, such as justice and courage, which contribute to a good and flourishing life.

John Locke

An English philosopher who believed that the human mind at birth is tabula rasa, or a blank slate.

Tabula Rasa

Latin for "blank slate"; Locke's concept of the mind at birth, meaning that all knowledge and identity are derived from experience.

Self (Locke)

According to Locke, constructed primarily from sense experiences that shape and mold the individual throughout their life.

Conscious Awareness

For Locke, a key to understanding the self; it is the essence of the self, involving thinking, reasoning, and reflecting.

Memory

According to Locke, a key to understanding the self, as it provides continuity and coherence to one's identity.

Self-Consciousness

For Locke, the necessary component for a coherent personal identity or knowledge of the self as a person.

Reason (Locke)

According to Locke, the power used to gain knowledge and understand experiences, enabling one to reach intelligent conclusions about the self.

Gilbert Ryle

He believed the self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances.

I act, therefore, I am

Ryle's philosophical principle, emphasizing the connection between action and self.

Mind and Body (Ryle)

Ryle considered them intrinsically linked. The self is the same as bodily behavior.

Mind (Ryle)

The totality of human dispositions known through behavior. Expresses the system of thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Paul Churchland

He advocates the idea of eliminative materialism.

Eliminative Materialism

The idea that the self is inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the body. All a person has is the brain, so if the brain is gone, there is no self.

Brain (Churchland)

For Churchland, the physical brain, and not the imaginary mind, gives people the sense of self.

Mind (Churchland)

According to Churchland, the mind does not really exist because it cannot be experienced by the senses.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

He argues that all knowledge about the self is based on the "phenomena" of experience.

I (Merleau-Ponty)

A single integrated core identity, a combination of the mental, physical, and emotional structures around a core identity of the self.

Mind and Body (Merleau-Ponty)

Unified, not separate, at the fundamental level of direct human experience.

Phenomenology of Perception

Merleau-Ponty's book where he notes that everything people are aware of is contained within consciousness.

Consciousness (Merleau-Ponty)

A dynamic form responsible for actively structuring conscious ideas and physical behavior. Intricately intertwined with the world and the human body in perceiving the world.

Perception (Merleau-Ponty)

Not merely a consequence of sensory experience; rather, it is a conscious experience.

Embodied Subjectivity

Merleau-Ponty's concept of the self, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the body and consciousness in experience.

Erik Erikson’s Theory of the Self

This theory focuses on the development of the ego and how it contributes to identity formation.

Ego

Is a positive force that helps build identity and lays the foundation for strengths and virtues in life