Understanding The Self GE 101 Prelim Notes

Course Overview: GE 101 Understanding The Self

Course Description:
- Deals with the nature of identity, as well as the factors and forces that affect the development and maintenance of personal identity.
- Guided by the directive to "Know Oneself," which has inspired varied ways to comply.
- Central Question: "Who Am I?" — asked most urgently in adolescence, traditionally believed to be the period of vulnerability and great issues. Issues of self and identity are among the most critical to the young.
- Course Goals: Facilitate the exploration of issues and concerns regarding self and identity to arrive at a better understanding of one's self. Strives to integrate personal with academic experiences, contextualizing classroom matters and everyday experiences for better learning, generating a new appreciation for the learning process, developing a critical and reflective attitude, and enabling self-management and self-improvement to attain a better quality of life.
Structure of the Course:
- Part 1: Seeks to understand the construct of self from various disciplinal perspectives: philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and psychology — as well as the division between Eastern and Western thought. Each seeks to answer "What is the Self?" while raising the question: "Is there even such construct as the self?"
- Part 2: Explores various aspects making up the self, including biological, material, up to and including the Digital Self.
- Part 3: Identifies three key areas of concern for young students: learning, goal setting, and managing stress. Provides practical applications and hands-on experiences of developing self-help plans for self-regulated learning, goal setting, and self-care.

Philosophical Perspective of the Self

Socrates: Know Yourself
- Core Concept: Socratic ethics centers on the concepts of virtue and knowledge.
- Virtue: Defined as the deepest and most basic propensity of man. Knowing one's virtue is necessary and can be learned.
- Self-Knowledge: Virtue is innate in the mind, and self-knowledge is the source of all wisdom. Through knowledge, an individual gains possession of oneself and becomes one's own master.
Plato: The Ideal Self, the Perfect Self
- Pre-natal Omniscience: Man was omniscient (all-knowing) before being born into this world.
- Exile and Forgetfulness: Separation from the paradise of truth and knowledge and long exile on earth caused man to forget most of his knowledge.
- Regaining Perfection: Man can regain former perfections through constant remembering via contemplation and doing good.
St. Augustine: Love and Justice as the Foundation of the Individual Self
- Virtuous vs. Wicked Life: A virtuous life is a dynamism of love (a constant following of and turning towards love), whereas a wicked life is a constant turning away from love.
- Love and Justice: Loving God implies loving one's fellow men. Loving fellow men denotes never doing harm to another, following the golden principle of justice: doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
René Descartes: "I think, therefore I am" (Cogito, ergo sum)
- Thinking Entity: The self is a thinking entity distinct from the physical body.
- Mind-Body Independence: Although the mind and body are independent from each other and serve their own distinct functions, man must use his mind and thinking abilities to investigate, analyze, experiment, and develop himself.
John Locke: Personal Identity
- Evolution of Identity: Personal identity is the concept about oneself that evolves over the course of an individual's lifespan.
- Determinants: Includes aspects beyond individual control (e.g., place of upbringing, skin color) as well as personal choices (e.g., how time is spent, beliefs held).
David Hume: The Self is the Bundle Theory of Mind
- Skepticism of Unified Self: Skeptical about whether a simple, unified self exists over time; asserts man has no clear and intelligible idea of the self.
- Bundle Theory: What is referred to as the "self" is merely a bundle or collection of different perceptions succeeding each other with inconceivable rapidity.
Immanuel Kant: Respect for Self
- Self-Governance: Man is the only creature who governs and directs himself and his actions, sets ends/purposes for himself, and freely orders the attainment of his aims.
- Categorical Imperative of Respect: Respect others as you would respect yourself. A person must never be used as a tool, instrument, or device to accomplish another's private ends.
- Basic Rights: All men are persons gifted with the same basic rights and must treat each other as equals.
Sigmund Freud: Structure of the Self & Development
- Three Parts of the Self:
- Id: Internal desires, containing Eros (love/life drive) and Thanatos (death drive).
- Ego: The reality principle.
- Superego: The conscience.
- Theory: Formulated the Psychosexual Development Theory.
Erik Erikson: Psychosocial Development
- Theory: Formulated the Psychosocial Theory of development across the lifespan.

Sociological Perspective of the Self

Theory of Structuration:
- Social life is more than random individual acts; it is actively determined by social forces.
- Cannot be studied solely as micro-activity; requires examination at the macro level.
- Human agency and social structure exist in a reciprocal relationship.
- Repetition of individual acts reproduces social structures over time.
- Everyday actions create, reinforce, and reproduce social expectations.
- Expectations of other people constitute social forces and structures.
- Requires "faith" in the coherence of everyday life (a routine trust).
The Self as a Product of Modern Society:
- Post-Traditional Modernity: Modernity is post-traditional (free from traditional constraints).
- Traditional vs. Post-Traditional Role Definition:
- In traditional societies, social order is rooted in traditions and beliefs that provide clearly defined roles.
- In post-traditional societies, individuals must work out their roles themselves.
- Features of Late Modernity:
- The self is not fixed or something an individual is born with.
- Choosing a lifestyle is mandatory for everyone.
- Relationships become "pure relationships" between equals, where all terms must be negotiated and no external reasons exist for staying together.
- All knowledge is accepted as provisional and capable of being proven wrong.
- Everyday life and relationships require trust.
- Individuals accept risks and choose future actions by anticipating outcomes (media heightens awareness of risk).
The Self and Romantic Love:
- Romantic love introduced the concept of narrative into individual lives.
- The biography of the self takes on a life of its own through narrative options suggested by popular media (movies and soap operas).
- In modernity, sexual development and satisfaction become part of the reflexive project of the self.
- Sexual orientation becomes a more significant identity concern than artistic or literary tastes due to media amplification.
Consumerism and Identity:
- Modernity shapes the project of the self under commodity capitalism.
- The corporate world redirects the project of the self into a series of shopping opportunities.
- Expressive commodities purchased impact the project of the self; the self becomes a struggle against commodified influences.
- Consumerism acts as a primary vehicle to develop and project a chosen lifestyle.
- Lifestyle as Template: A lifestyle serves as a readymade template or genre for the narrative of the self.
- Lifestyle choices shape personal narratives, visibly expressing identity and linking individuals to like-minded communities.
- Identities embedded in lifestyles are anchored across lifestyle sectors (work, home, relationships).
The Body and the Self in Sociology:
- The body serves as the outer expression of the self to be continuously worked upon and improved.
- Transformation of Intimacy: In post-traditional society, relationships are formed for the mutual satisfaction of emotional needs rather than economic or symbolic convenience.
- Relationships are consciously constructed, analyzed, or terminated based on mutual satisfaction.

Anthropological Perspective of the Self

Identity as Part of the Self:
- Eleven Components of Identity:
1. Creations
2. Choices
3. Values
4. Beliefs
5. Appearance
6. Ethnicity
7. Practices/Habits
8. Work
9. Family and Friends
10. Interests
11. Possessions
Anthropological Guide to Understanding the Self:
- Each culture represents a collective group's responses to its environment.
- Identity is developed within the context of the group.
Key Postulates in Contemporary Anthropology:
- "Concept of Culture is the definition of man."
- "Cultural norms do not help in understanding man."
- "Look at culture as a text that can be read."
- Media influences society and culture (including language, traditions, beliefs, knowledge, and personalities).
- Culture is not a causal force or agent in the world, but rather the context in which people live out their lives.

Psychological Perspective of the Self

William James: "I" Self vs. "ME" Self:
- "ME" Self (Self as Object):
- Represents the "us" in a given situation.
- Divided into three components:
  1. Material Self: Physical objects, possessions, and body.
  2. Social Self: Emerging from social consciousness and interactions.
  3. Spiritual Self: Inner psychological self and moral core.
- "I" Self (Self as Subject):
- Represents the Ego or the thinking self.
- Provides continuous sense of identity across past, present, and future.
Real Self vs. Ideal Self:
- Real Self:
- Who a person really is.
- Tied to self-worth.
- Dynamic and subject to change.
- Can be observed by others.
- Ideal Self:
- How an individual wants to be.
- Based on learned values and societal standards.
True Self vs. False Self:
- True Self:
- Instinctual core.
- Sense of self derived from spontaneous experience.
- Provides the feeling of being alive.
- False Self:
- Serves as a defensive façade.
- Considered necessary for social adaptation, though questionable if overused.
- Must not be allowed to rule the individual.

The Self in Western and Eastern Thought

Core Paradigm Shift:
- Western Thought: Focused on the independent, individualistic self.
- Eastern Thought: Focused on the interdependent, collaborative self.
Comparative Breakdown of Western vs. Eastern Orientations:
- Independence & Socialization:
- West: Develops early independence; responsible for self; lives on one's own.
- East: Learns to depend on others; listens to authority; responsible for others.
- Communication & Expression:
- West: Expresses self; thinks less, talks more; deals with problems in a straightforward manner.
- East: Reads nonverbal cues; thinks more, talks less; seeks advice when dealing with problems.
- Goals & Priorities:
- West: Personal goals take priority; tasks are more important than relationships; motivated by personal preferences, needs, and rights.
- East: Personal goals are secondary to group goals; relationships are more important than tasks; motivated by group norms and imposed duties; goodness of the whole supersedes the individual.
- Skill Integration:
- West: Cognitive skills are independent of social skills.
- East: Social and cognitive skills are integrated.
- Self-Portrayal & Identity Statements:
- West: "I am special"; "I am unique"; "I am me"; "I am an individual"; "I am who I am"; "I am a rational agent"; "I am responsible for my own action."
- East: "I am part of my family"; "I am part of my community"; "I am part of my country"; "My actions directly impact my family and my community."
- Behavioral Traits & Values:
- West: Self-confidence, independence, curiosity, free thinking; afraid of making mistakes; focused on competence and personality; adopts a "You can do it" attitude; seeks change and evolution.
- East: Discipline, obedience, good observation skills, patience, respectfulness; believes questioning leads to doubt; focused on values, knowledge, skills, reputation, and harmony; adopts a "We are here for you" attitude; accepts reality as it is; believes in reincarnation.
- Interpersonal & Cultural Dynamics:
- Sex: West views sex for pleasure; East views sex for purpose.
- Lifestyle: West lives alone (almost); East lives with friends.
- Anger: West displays transparent anger; East displays hidden anger.
- Seniors & Authority: West places elders last; treats bosses on the same level or by name. East places elders first; views bosses as superiors.
- Decision-Making: West is straightforward; East uses adlibs.
- Concept of Evil: West views evil as something that must be eradicated; East views evil as necessary (to contextualize and see the good).
- Ultimate Wish: West wishes for a successful life; East wishes for a long life.

The Physical Self: Biological Foundations and Development

Factors in Physical Self Development:
- Development results from two interacting forces: Heredity (Nature) and Environment (Nurture).
- Heredity (Nature): The transmission of traits or characteristics from parents to offspring. Provides the raw materials of the individual. Physical, mental, social, emotional, and moral trait potentials are passed through generations via genes.
- Environment (Nurture): The sum total of forces or experiences undergone from conception to old age. Includes family, friends, school, nutrition, and contact agencies.
Beginning of Life & Genetics:
- Fertilization: Life begins at fertilization — the meeting of the female sex cell and male sex cell.
- Gonads: Reproductive organs where sex cells develop.
- Male Gonads: Testes produce male sex cells called spermatozoa.
- Female Gonads: Ovaries produce female sex cells called ova.
- Zygote & Gestation: The fertilized egg cell (zygote) contains all parental hereditary potentials. It travels to the uterus and grows over a gestation period of approximately $280\,\text{days}$ , $36\,\text{weeks}$ , or $9\,\text{calendar months}$ .
- Sex Determination:
- Each parent contributes one sex chromosome to the offspring.
- Female parent passes an $X$ chromosome.
- Male parent passes either an $X$ or a $Y$ chromosome.
- $XX\,\text{Combination}$ : $X$ from father + $X$ from mother = Female offspring.
- $XY\,\text{Combination}$ : $Y$ from father + $X$ from mother = Male offspring.
- Genes & DNA: Genes are small particles in string-like formations that act as true carriers of hereditary characteristics. Inside a gene is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the code of heredity containing information and instructions that program inherited traits.
- Maturation: The unfolding of inherent traits.
Stages in the Human Lifespan:
- Prenatal Period: Conception to birth.
- Infancy: Birth to end of the second week.
- Babyhood: End of the second week to end of the second year.
- Early Childhood (Preschool Age): $2\,\text{years}$ to $6\,\text{years}$ .
- Late Childhood (Elementary Age): $6\,\text{years}$ to $10\,\text{years}$ or $12\,\text{years}$ .
- Puberty (Preadolescence): $12\,\text{years}$ to $13\,\text{years}$ or $14\,\text{years}$ .
- Adolescence: $13\,\text{years}$ or $14\,\text{years}$ to $18\,\text{years}$ .
- Early Adulthood: $18\,\text{years}$ to $40\,\text{years}$ .
- Middle Age: $40\,\text{years}$ to $60\,\text{years}$ .
- Old Age (Senescence): $60\,\text{years}$ to death.

Culture, Body Image, and Self-Esteem

Societal Impact on Body Image:
- Humans are social beings genetically reliant on one another for survival, making social interactions physiologically and psychologically crucial.
- How society perceives an individual impacts self-worth and body perception.
- Body Image Dimensions (Internal/Personal and External/Societal):
- Visual perception of one's body.
- Emotional feelings regarding physical appearance.
- Self-talk and internal dialogue concerning the body.
- Perceived sense of how others view one's body.
Role of Media and Cultural Ideals:
- Media acts as a platform reinforcing cultural beliefs and projecting standards of appearance that individuals validate and perpetuate.
- Continuous exposure to idealized images creates a cycle of discontent when individuals fail to find those traits in themselves.
- Negative Body Image Manifestations:
- Extreme dieting.
- Compulsive extreme exercise.
- Clinical eating disorders.
- Extreme or unnecessary plastic surgery.
- Anabolic steroid use for muscle building.
- Current Embedded Ideals:
- Female Ideal: Fashionably clad, perfect skin, tiny waists, ample breasts, protruding behinds, and weight not exceeding $59\,\text{kg}$ . Unrealistic and genetically impossible for most.
- Male Ideal: Ripped 6-pack abs projected by sportsmen and fitness models, often impossible without illegal steroids.
- Media Reality Distortion: Media projects unrealistic standards as achievable through dieting, exercise, and transformative, firming, or tightening creams.
Size Prejudice:
- Cultural intolerance of body diversity associates being thin, toned, and muscular with being hard-working, successful, popular, beautiful, strong, and disciplined.
- Being fat is socially associated with being lazy, ugly, weak, and lacking willpower.
- Fatness is treated as a moral character judgment rather than a neutral physical description.
Influence of Micro-Social Circles:
- Friends and family shape values. Friendship groups significantly affect body image due to shared time, values, and experiences.
- Classrooms, dormitories, and common rooms frequently host negative body talk (e.g., "I wish I had her stomach", "I hate my thighs", "I feel fat"), reinforcing appearance focus and social comparison.
Ten Steps to Building a Positive Body Image:
1. Talk back to the media: Recognize all media messages are constructed artifacts rather than reflections of reality; express dissatisfaction with appearance-focused messages.
2. De-emphasize numbers: Weight in $kg$ on a scale does not measure health or overall body value; prioritize healthy eating habits and physical activity patterns.
3. Acknowledge unchangeable body frames: Accept that basic body frame (thin, large, short, tall) cannot be fundamentally altered; appreciate and work with individual uniqueness.
4. Stop body comparisons: Avoid evaluating personal physical needs and abilities against other people's bodies.
5. Engage in enjoyable movement: Exercise for pleasure and positive physical feelings (e.g., walking, swimming, biking, dancing) rather than compulsion.
6. Surround oneself with healthy influences: Spend time with individuals who maintain healthy relationships with food, activity, and their bodies.
7. Question appearance-based self-esteem: Basing personal happiness on physical appearance leads to frustration and hinders true happiness.
8. Broaden perspectives on health and beauty: Read literature on media influence and cultural variances; visit art galleries to observe historical and cultural diversity in body types.
9. Recognize size prejudice as discrimination: Understand that size prejudice is a form of discrimination, and that body size/shape does not reflect character, morality, intelligence, or success.
10. Achieve self-acceptance: Cultivate a realistic perception of the body, celebrating personal uniqueness while letting go of negative societal conditioning.

Psychological and Sociological Importance of Physical Beauty

Conscious vs. Subconscious Perception:
- While the conscious mind advocates avoiding judging people by their appearance, the subconscious mind forces judgment based on physical looks during initial encounters.
- Studies confirm individuals evaluate each other based on physical appearance during initial interactions before getting to know one another.
The Attractiveness Halo Effect:
- Theory stating that individuals automatically attribute positive personality traits to physically attractive people before directly interacting with them.
- Study on Success: Physically attractive individuals were rated as more socially successful, financially successful, and happier upon initial evaluation.
- Study on Academic Evaluation: Teachers were provided student photographs paired with identical, rearranged report texts. Teachers assigned higher ratings and assumed higher intelligence for attractive students, while classifying unattractive students as problem children.
- Study on Altruism/Helpfulness: People showed significantly higher willingness to assist an individual when asked by an attractive or well-dressed person.
Subjectivity of Physical Beauty:
- Standards of physical attraction vary across individuals (e.g., preferences for blonds vs. brunettes, dark vs. light skin tones).
- Self-labeling as "unattractive" is a subjective error, as personal standards differ from external perceptions.
Self-Image Problems and False Beliefs:
- Self-image issues arise when personal appearance fails to match internal beauty standards (e.g., believing attractiveness requires being slim, causing a non-slim individual to feel unattractive despite being viewed as attractive by others).
- Resolution of self-image issues requires identifying and correcting false internal beliefs regarding physical attractiveness rather than altering actual appearance.