The Self from Various Perspectives: Philosophical & Psychoanalytic Views

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards reviewing key concepts, figures, and definitions concerning the nature of the self, personal identity, and personhood.

Self / Not-Self Boundary (Ken Wilber)

Ken Wilber's concept that self-identity depends on drawing a mental boundary line separating what is inside ("me" or self) from what is outside ("not-me" or not-self).

Plato's View of Human Nature

The perspective that human existence is essentially a struggle between reason (the higher, rational core) and desire (the lower, irrational appetites), where reason ought to govern.

Soul (Plato)

The immaterial, indestructible, and immortal self consisting of three parts: reason, desire, and spirit.

Reason (Plato)

The level of the soul that knows reality, calculates, makes decisions, and has the appropriate role of governing the other parts of the soul.

Desire (Plato)

The irrational level of the soul composed of instinctive cravings, urges, and physical appetites such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.

Thumos / Spirit (Plato)

The spirited level of the soul whose central role is to assist reason in controlling and regulating the appetitive or desire part.

Rationalist Account of the Soul (Descartes & Kant)

The philosophical position that identifies the soul or mind strictly with reason, excluding desires, feelings, and emotions from the soul and relegating them entirely to the body.

Hume's View of Reason and Passion

David Hume's empiricist stance that desires and emotions are legitimate sources of motivation, and that reason is and should be the slave of passion.

Ego (Freud)

The part of the psychoanalytic self that deals with external reality and strives to balance the conflicting demands of the id, the superego, and reality.

Id (Freud)

The component of the psychoanalytic self containing all instinctual drives—including aggressive, sadistic, and sexual impulses—that constantly seek immediate satisfaction.

Superego (Freud)

The moral conscience composed of moral values internalized from family and society, functioning to help the ego keep the id in check.

Repression (Freud)

The psychological mechanism of pushing forbidden desires down into the unconscious mind when there is extreme conflict between instinctual impulses and moral standards.

Personal Identity (John Locke)

The continuous sameness of consciousness and memory over time, which establishes a person's identity independently of biological or physical changes.

Human Being vs. Person (Locke & Kant)

A distinction where a "human being" refers strictly to a biological organism (Homo sapiens), whereas a "person" is a thinking, rational, and conscious agent possessing special moral value.

Ends in Themselves (Kant)

Immanuel Kant's principle that rational persons possess intrinsic value and dignity, meaning they must always be treated as ends in themselves and never merely as a means to an end.