GE UTS MIDTERMS

Philosophical self

Pre-Socratic Era

• many early western thinkers were interested in understanding the essence of things.

Vitalistic View of the self

• Thales of Miletus

  • all things were animated and living

  • life is the essence of things

  • believed in the idea that living things possess a life principle - the soul

Mechanistic View of the Self

• Democritus

  • movement was inherent in things. there was no need for a “prime mover” or a soul

  • He proposed that the universe is composed of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms

  • everything can be explained through physical matter and natural laws.

classical philosophy

• the soul or mind is what makes the person possess a self and experience the I.

Idealistic view of the self

• Socrates

  • the mind is capable of perceiving, knowing, and understanding what the I is experiencing.

  • “An unexamined life is not worth living”

  • life is made richer and more meaningful when put into perspective through self-reflection

  • Physical and ideal realms

  • the highest form of the true self can only be achieved with a life filled with knowledge, wisdom, and virtue.

Idealistic View of the self

• Plato

• world of forms

• a person’s soul is the instrument upon which individuals comprehend forms

• Plato’s Tripartite soul

Hylomorphism

• Aristotle

  • adheres to a vitalistic principle; the soul is the essence of the self

  • Vegetative soul, sensitive soul, rational soul

  • “The man is a rational animal”

  • emphasized virtue ethics, where achieving eudaimonia involves living in accordance with reason and developing virtues

early Christian Era

• the soul was emphasized as the spiritual nature of humans or a divine essence.

Neoplatonism

• Plotinus

  • founded neoplatonism- plato’s philosophy linked to religious thinking

  • believed that the soul is a prisoner of the body, so

The components of the Me-self

• Material self - the physical aspect of the self, including all other physical materials owned by the self.

• Social self - the attributes of the self as ascribed by others. There can be multiple social selves, which can exist in harmony and contradiction. One must selectively choose an active and dominant role in adulthood.

• Spiritual self - the inner thoughts and dispositions of the self. The internal frame of mind of a person, such as one's consciousness, personality, core values, and conscience. The subjective part of the self that others cannot easily perceive.

Carl Rogers: Self-concept

• Self image - one's perception of the self

• Ideal self - who the person aspires to be. Influenced by one's significant others and created out of experiences.

• Self Esteem (Self-worth) - One's evaluation of the self based on the alignment between the self-image and ideal self.

Carl Rogers’ Personality theory

• individuals have the capacity to grow and achieve their full potential (self-actualization) - actualizing tendency

• Self-actualization is impeded by conditions of worth that become ingrained in one's self structure.

• Self actualization can be facilitate by the following:

  1.) congruence

  2.) unconditional positive regard

  3.) empathy

• He believes that a positive regard of the self can lead to feelings of fulfillment.

Carl Rogers: Real and Ideal self

• incongruence: perceived self and ideal self are different. There is little to no overlap

• congruence: overlap between perceived self and ideal self.

the discrepancy between the real and ideal self can be developmentally differentiated:

1.) individuals at higher developmental levels can maintain various categories of selves, make finer distinctions, and Regulate each version of the self. ex: how adults manage the selves compared to adolescents and children.

2.) The individual begins to learn how to integrate and consolidate the different self concepts into a more coherent whole.

The real and possible selves

• possible selves also include those that one does not wish to become.

• The opposing selves motivate the person to act towards achieving a desired self and to avoid the undesirable one.

• impression management - the conscious effort to influence how people perceive you

• most individuals would like to convey an image

G.H.Mead: The social self

• proposed that the self emerges through social interactions and is shaped by:

  1. ) I - self

  2. ) Me - self

• symbolic interactionism

• Group identity - refers to how individuals define themselves based on group membership

Tajfel and turner: Social identity theory

• social categorization

• social identification - individuals adopt the norms, behaviors, and values of their group, making it part of their self-concept. the stronger the identification the more likely they will conform to group norms.

• social comparison - the evaluation off one's attitude, abilities, and traits in relation to ther individuals.

  1.) upward comparison - comparing oneself to someone “better”. often used to make one feel motivated to improve one's current status and abilities. the consistent comparison of oneself to those seem “better can lead to feelings of inadequency, anxiety, and guilt.

  2.) Downward comparison - comparison oneself to someone “worse”. often used to make one feel better. while this may boost one's self-esteem, downward comparison may foster arrogance.

• shifts in group membership - individuals who believe that their present group does not contribute to their feelings of self-worth may attempt to boost their existing.

Cultural variations of the self

• individualistic cultures - some cultures value groups and relationships

• collective cultures -

• The independent self -

• The interdependent self - the self is defined according to one's social