UTS-REVIEWERjay.docx

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

The Self from Various Philosophical Perspectives

1. Socrates and Plato

• Concerned with the problem of the self.
• Socrates:
  • The true task of a philosopher is to know oneself.
  • "Unexamined life is not worth living."
  • Each person possesses an immortal soul that survives beyond death.
  • Reality is dualistic, made up of two dichotomous realms (body & soul).
  • The physical realm is changeable, transient, and imperfect.
  • The ideal realm is unchanging, eternal, and perfect.
  • Our bodies belong to the physical realm; our souls belong to the ideal realm.
• Plato:
  • Added three components of the soul: Rational soul, Spirited soul, Appetitive soul.
  • Rational soul: Enables deep thinking, wise choices, and true understanding.
  • Spirited soul: Basic emotions like love, anger, ambition.
  • Appetitive soul: Basic biological needs like hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.
  • Genuine happiness is achieved when reason controls spirit and appetites.

2. Augustine's Synthesis of Plato and Christianity

• Combined Platonism with Christian doctrine.
• Man has a bifurcated nature: the body is bound to die, the soul anticipates eternal life in spiritual bliss with God.

3. Aristotle

• Hylomorphism: Matter and form require each other to exist.
• Matter (hyle): The common "stuff" that makes up the material universe.
• Form (morphe): The essence of a thing, what makes it what it is.
• The soul animates the body; it is what makes us human.

4. Descartes' Modern Perspective on the Self

• Cogito, ergo sum: "I think, therefore I am."
• The thinking self (soul) is nonmaterial, immortal, and conscious.
• The physical body is material, mortal, and nonthinking.
• Relationship between mind and body: The mind can significantly affect the body.

5. John Locke on the Self

• The self is founded on consciousness and memory, not the body and soul.
• At birth, the mind is a blank slate (Tabula Rasa).

6. David Hume

• The self is a bundle of different perceptions/experiences.
• Knowledge comes from senses and experiences.
• Two entities: impressions (vivid sensations) and ideas (less vivid copies of impressions).

7. Immanuel Kant

• The mind actively organizes and synthesizes sense data.
• The self weaves together the fabric of experience into a unified whole.

8. Gilbert Ryle

• Behaviorism: The self is defined by behavior presented to the world.
• The self is a pattern of behavior, tendencies, or dispositions in certain circumstances.

Key Concepts from Sociology and Anthropology

• Hughes and Kroeher (2008): "We are born into a social environment; we fully develop into human beings in a social environment; and we live our lives in a social environment. What we think, how we feel, and what we say and do are all shaped by our interactions with other people."

How the "Self" Operates with Society and Culture

• The self is shaped by social interactions and cultural influences.
• Society: A group of people sharing the same culture and interacting in a specific territory.
• Culture: Divided into material culture (attires, tools, weapons, etc.) and nonmaterial culture (belief systems, values, norms, language, and symbols).

Main Institutions Affecting Our Idea of the Self

• Government: Maintains peace and order, affects our concept of self by providing structure and safety.
• Family: The first social institution we encounter; teaches us how to relate to the outside world.
• Schools: Transmit knowledge and culture from one generation to another.
• Religion: Provides explanations for the unexplainable, meaning and purpose of life, and continuity of relationships beyond death.

Socialization and Culture

Learning Culture

• Socialization (Enculturation): Lifelong process of learning, teaching, internalizing, and living the culture of a society.
• Status and Roles: Learned positions and expected behaviors that affect our self-concept.

Mead's Theory on the Self

• George Herbert Mead: The self is created, developed, and changed through human interaction.
• The self and identity are social products, influenced by sociocultural context, others' affirmations, and societal trends.

Clifford Geertz and Ruth Benedict on Culture

Geertz's View

• Culture: A collection of symbols with meanings, made and negotiated by individuals to make sense of their lives.

Benedict and Mead's View

• Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead: Personality or self is dependent on cultural practices and socialization processes.
• Personal development, including gender roles, is based on cultural expectations, not biological traits.

Impact of Social Institutions on the Self

Government

• Provides structure and safety, shaping our concept of self through its functions and laws.

Family

• A miniature society where we first learn to relate to others and develop our sense of self.

Schools

• Ensure the transmission of knowledge and culture, influencing our self-concept through education.

Religion

• Offers meaning, purpose, and continuity of relationships, impacting our self-concept through belief systems.

Anthropology and Culture

Definition

• Anthropology: The study of human societies and cultures and their development.
• Culture: The set of unwritten norms of conduct that guide the behavior of a group.

Perspectives on Culture

• Mbarek A. Morocco: "Culture is the acquired pair of glasses through which we see life."

Filipino Proverbs and Their Meanings

• Kung maiksi ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot: Adapt to your resources.
• Huli man daw at magaling, naihahabol din: It's never too late to catch up.
• Ang taong hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang pinanggalingan ay di makakarating sa paroroonan: Remember your roots to reach your goals.
• Naghangad ng kagitna, isang salop ang nawala: Be content; greed leads to loss.
• Ang lalagyang walang laman ay maingay: Empty vessels make the most noise.
• Ang tumakbo ng matulin, pag natinik ay malalim: Hasty actions have deep consequences.
• Kung hindi ukol, hindi bubukol: If it's not meant to be, it won't happen.
• Kapag puno na ang salop ay dapat nang kalusin: Address issues when they overflow.
• Ang pag-aasawa ay hindi biro, 'di tulad ng kanin, Iluluwa kung mapaso: Marriage is serious, unlike food you can spit out if too hot.

Influence of Proverbs

• Origin: These proverbs are rooted in Filipino culture and heritage, reflecting collective wisdom.
• Benefits: They offer moral guidance and practical wisdom, helping individuals and the nation develop a strong cultural identity.

Cultural Interpretation

• We see and interpret behavior through our cultural filter (cultural programming).
• Influences include parents, friends, and relatives, who pass on cultural messages.

Stereotyping

• Stereotypes form about people who are different from us (e.g., politicians, indigenous people, homeless individuals).

Dilemmas of a Society

• Hierarchy vs. Equality
• Individualism vs. Collectivism
• Performance vs. Caring
• Uncertainty vs. Let it be
• Flexibility vs. Discipline

Ways to Relate to Culture

1. Confront: Believe your behaviors are the right ones.
2. Complain: Isolate yourself into social bubbles.
3. Conform: Adapt to the society's way of behaving.

Challenges of Cultural Competence

• Diversity: An inside job that goes beyond race and gender.
• No blame for current or past inequities.
• Human beings are ethnocentric and resist change.
• Comfort and trust are found in likeness.
• Sharing power is difficult.
• These realities make dealing with diversity a challenge.

The Self as a Cognitive Construct

Definitions

• The Self: According to psychologists Jhaniani and Tarry (2014), it is "the sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals."
• William James (1890): Conceptualized the self as having two aspects:
  • The "I": The thinking, acting, and feeling self.
  • The "Me": The physical characteristics and psychological capabilities that make you who you are.

Theories of Self

• Carl Rogers (1959): Used similar terms:
  • The "I": The one who acts and decides.
  • The "Me": What you think or feel about yourself as an object.

Components of Identity

• Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, responsibilities, and affiliations (Elmore, Oyserman, and Smith, 2012).
• Self-concept: What comes to your mind when you are asked about who you are.

Dynamic Nature of Self

• Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed; they change over time.
• Carl Rogers' Self-schema: An organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are, which evolves as we grow and adapt (Gleitman, Gross, and Reisberg, 2011).

Mental Constructs

• Theories see the self and identity as mental constructs created and re-created in memory.
• The frontal lobe of the brain is associated with processes concerning the self (Elmore, Oyserman, and Smith, 2012).

Freud's Theory of the Mind

• Id: Unconscious, instinctual drives focused on pleasure.
• Ego: Balances the Id and the Superego, rational and realistic.
• Superego: Conscience, moral lessons from parents, society, and religion.

Environmental Effects on the Self

• Symbolic Interactionism: G.H. Mead (1934) argued that the self is created and developed through human interaction.
• Social interaction and environment play a crucial role in shaping the self.

Self-awareness

• Private Self: Internal standards, thoughts, and feelings.
• Public Self: Public image aimed at representing oneself to others.
• Actual Self: Who you are at the moment.
• Ideal Self: Who you aspire to be.
• Ought Self: Who you think you should be (Higgins 1997 in Hogg and Vaughnn 2010).

Social Comparison Theory

• We learn about ourselves by comparing aspects of ourselves with others.
• Downward Social Comparison: Comparing with those worse off to boost self-esteem.
• Upward Social Comparison: Comparing with those better off, which can lower self-esteem.

Self-evaluation Maintenance Theory

• We may feel threatened when someone close to us out-performs us.
• Reactions include distancing ourselves, redefining the relationship, or reconsidering the importance of the skill or aspect.

Narcissism

• Some people become narcissistic in an attempt to increase or maintain self-esteem (Jhiangiani and Tarry 2014).
• Narcissism is characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-centeredness.