Untitled Flashcard Set
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF — Comprehensive Reviewer
Self = a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others; it perennially molds and develops through time and experience.
PART 1: THE PHILOSOPHICAL SELF
Philosophical inquiry into the self dates back to the ancient Greeks and continues through Western thought. Below are the key thinkers in chronological/logical order.
# | Philosopher | Key Quote | Core Idea |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Socrates | "Know Thyself!" / "An unexamined life is not worth living." | True wisdom = knowing you know nothing. Growth requires humility + thirst for knowledge; self-knowledge opens the door to growth. |
2 | Plato | "Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge." | Dualism — body and soul are separate; soul survives death. Soul has 3 parts (Tripartite Soul, see below). |
3 | Aristotle | "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." | Growth starts from within. Human actions are driven by 7 causes (see below). |
4 | St. Augustine | "Do unto others, what you want others to do unto you." | Merges Greek philosophy with Christian faith. Self-identity achieved through a twofold process: self-presentation → self-realization. |
5 | René Descartes | "Cogito ergo sum" — I think, therefore I am. | Dualist like Plato. The self is the thing that thinks; truth comes from one's own reasoning, not tradition/authority. |
6 | John Locke | "Our concept of personal identity must derive from inner experience." | Tabula rasa (blank slate) — we're born empty and filled by experience. Identity = psychological continuity through consciousness. |
7 | David Hume | "The self is a bundle of impressions." | Self = a collection of ever-changing perceptions. There is no fixed, permanent self — who you are constantly changes. |
8 | Immanuel Kant | "To be is to do." / "Consciousness is the central feature of self." | Self = inner self (psychological states, reason) + outer self (senses, physical world) combined = consciousness. |
Plato's Tripartite Soul
Part | Class Analogy | Function |
|---|---|---|
Rational/Logical | Ruling Class | Seeks truth, swayed by facts and arguments |
Spirited/Emotional | Military Class | Feelings that fuel action |
Appetitive/Physical | Commoner | Drives eating, sexual desire, self-protection |
Aristotle's 7 Causes of Human Action
Chance — cause cannot be determined (random events/fate)
Nature — natural tendencies (e.g., getting irritable when hungry)
Compulsions — irresistible urges against one's own will (e.g., compulsive checking)
Habit — repeated behavior over time (e.g., a weekly ritual)
Reasoning — logical, thought-out responses
Passion — responses that satisfy feelings/emotions
Desire — inclination toward pleasant things
St. Augustine's Twofold Process
(a) Self-Presentation — expressing/behaving to create a desired impression on others.
(b) Self-Realization — discovering who we truly are, beyond physical form/image.
PART 2: THE SOCIOLOGICAL / ANTHROPOLOGICAL SELF
The self as shaped by society, culture, and modernity.
# | Concept | Key Idea |
|---|---|---|
1 | Self as Product of Modern Society (Gerry Lanuza) | Modernization frees us from old societal limits (racism, discrimination) — we can now choose our own identity. |
2 | Self as a Necessary Fiction (Friedrich Nietzsche) | Self = the sum of one's actions, thoughts, feelings projected to others. We need "necessary fictions" (firm beliefs) to avoid chaos in a changing world. |
3 | Post-Modern View of the Self | Self constantly changes due to social context, technology, globalization. Self = a narrative — a text we write and rewrite. (e.g., global migration → multicultural/pluralized identities) |
4 | Self as Artistic Creation | Self = an active, strategizing agent that negotiates its own definition — giving life form/meaning beyond established norms; everyone "creates" through personal style of living. |
5 | Self Creation & Collective Identity | Self is shaped by how we define ourselves in relation to others/society (Ashmore, Deaux, & McLaughlin-Volpe, 2004). |
6 | Self Creation & Struggle for Cultural Identity | Cultural identity can both strengthen and complicate one's sense of belonging. Culture = customary beliefs, social forms, material traits that distinguish one group from another (Oyserman, 2017). |
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1979)
Explains the self by studying a person across multiple layers of environment:
System | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
Microsystem | Direct contact — family, friends, school, work | Playing with neighbors in the afternoon |
Mesosystem | Interaction between microsystems | Parents disapproving of your friend group |
Exosystem | No direct contact but still affects you (parents' work, social media, community rules) | A school policy decision by an administrator you've never met still impacts your life |
Macrosystem | Exosystem on a wider scale — cultural attitudes, beliefs, values | Filipino family-oriented culture intensifying pandemic isolation struggles |
Chronosystem | Impact of time — how you're affected differently across life stages | — |
PART 3: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SELF
# | Theorist | Theory | Key Idea |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | William James | Me vs. I | Me = self as known (self-concept/object); I = self as knower (self-awareness/subject). "I know it was me who ate the cookie" — "I" reflects, "Me" acted. |
2 | Sigmund Freud | Provinces of the Mind | Self = interaction of Id (instinct), Ego (reality/mediator), Superego (morality) — illustrated as an iceberg. People use unconscious defense mechanisms to manage anxiety; not inherently bad. |
3 | Erik Erikson | Psychosocial Theory of Development | Identity develops across 8 life stages, each with a psychosocial crisis — a tension between a syntonic (harmonious) and dystonic (disruptive) element. |
4 | Donald Winnicott | True Self vs. False Self | People develop a False Self to protect a vulnerable True Self, often unconsciously, from a young age. |
5 | Eric Berne | Transactional Analysis Theory | Childhood/parenting shapes 3 ego states: Parent, Adult, Child. The "self" moves fluidly between these states. |
6 | Carl Rogers | Self-Concept Theory | Self-concept = 3 components (self-image, self-esteem, ideal self). Congruence = real self ≈ ideal self; Incongruence = large gap between them. |
Winnicott's False Self: Healthy vs. Unhealthy
Healthy False Self | Unhealthy False Self |
|---|---|
Allows functioning in society (e.g., being polite even when not in the mood) | Formed through forced compliance, not genuine adaptation; drives dysfunction (e.g., narcissism, addiction) |
Common false-self beliefs:
"If I am pretty, I will be more likable."
"If I have a lot of money, I am successful."
"If I work hard/achieve more, I will have more value."
"One more glass of wine, and I'll start feeling better."
Berne's Three Ego States
State | Behavior |
|---|---|
Parent | Nurturing, caring, controlling, or critical |
Adult | Logical, assertive, fact-based/objective |
Child | Playful, spontaneous, fearful, or overly compliant |
PART 4: THE EASTERN / CHINESE PHILOSOPHICAL SELF
# | School | Founder / Era | Goal / Core Idea |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Confucianism | Confucius (551–479 BCE) | Emphasizes li ("correct behaviors"). An ethnic religion focused on conduct in this life, not the afterlife; mistakes are opportunities to improve, not "sin." Goal: to be perfect and moral. |
2 | Daoism (Taoism) | Lao-Tse (c. 604–531 BCE) | Living in chaos, he taught flowing smoothly around obstacles — like water — rather than resisting them. Models itself on nature rather than human-made systems. |
3 | Mohism | Mo Di / "Mozi" (fl. c. 430 BCE), Warring States era (479–221 BCE) | Goal: a unified ethical/political order grounded in a utilitarian ethic of impartial concern for all, opposition to military aggression, and frugality over waste/luxury. |
4 | Fǎ Jiā (Legalism) | Warring States period | Sets aside morality; focuses on realistic consolidation of state power and wealth. Goal: order, security, and stability. |
5 | Buddhism | Buddha, Indian origin | A religion/dharma of varied traditions and practices. Centers on the Dharma Wheel — the law/principle governing the universe — which contains the Noble Eightfold Path (traditionally: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration). |
QUICK-RECALL SUMMARY TABLE
Domain | Central Question |
|---|---|
Philosophical Self | What IS the self, metaphysically — soul, mind, consciousness? |
Sociological Self | How does SOCIETY and culture shape who I become? |
Psychological Self | How does the MIND structure and develop identity? |
Eastern Philosophy | How should I LIVE/BEHAVE to achieve harmony or moral order? |
STUDY TIPS
Group philosophers by theme: dualists (Plato, Descartes) vs. empiricists (Locke, Hume) vs. rationalists (Aristotle, Kant).
Use the "Me vs. I" (James) as an anchor — many later theories (Freud's Ego, Rogers' self-image) build on the same subject/object split.
For the Chinese schools, remember each one's single-word goal: Confucianism = morality, Daoism = harmony/flow, Mohism = impartial utility, Legalism = order, Buddhism = enlightenment via the Eightfold Path.