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LESSON 1: PHILISOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
OF ONESELF
SOCRATES (469-399 BCE)
It is the duty of the philosopher to know oneself To live without knowing who you are and what virtues you can attain is the WORST that can happen to a person An unexamined life is not worth living A person id dualistic and is composed of a body and soul o Body- imperfect and impermanent aspect o Soul- perfect and permanent aspect
PLATO (428-347 BCE)
Justice in humans can only be attained if the 3 parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another The soul has 3 component or parts: appetitive, rational, and spirited soul
Appetitive Soul
responsible for the desire and cravings of a person Eating, drinking, sleeping, having sex Must be controlled and focused
Rational Soul
the thinking, reasoning, and judging aspect Balances and guides the other parts of the soul Must be well developed an in charge
Spirited Soul
accountable for emotions and makes sure that the rules of reasons are followed to attain victory Can be seen as a bridge between the rational soul and the appetitive soul Emotions are checked
ST. AUGUSTINE (354-430 CE)
One of the most significant Christian thinkers in the development of the LATIN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY Believes that there is this imperfect part of us which is connected with the world and yearns to be divine There is a part of us that is not bound by this world and therefore attain morality
RENE DESCARTES (1596-1650)
The person is composed of the COGITO (mind) and the EXTENZA (body) A person should only believe the things that can pass the test of doubt The only thing that a person cannot doubt is the existence of his or her “self” Doubt about the self proves that there is a thinking or doubting self “Cogito ergo sum” means “I think therefore I am” Doubt is the prestige of wisdom
JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)
A person’s mind at birth is a blank slate (tabula rasa) This blank slate is filled and a personal identity or “self” is formed through experiences “Self” cannot be found in the soul nor the body but in one’s consciousness (Nimbalkar, 2011) Consciousness is not the brain itself Consciousness and the “self” that comes with it can be transferred from one person to another
DAVID HUME (1711-1776)
All aspects as well as knowledge come from the senses and experiences There is no “self” beyond what can be experienced We don’t know others because we have seen and touched their souls, we know them because of what we can observe The “self” is a collection of different perceptions
IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804)
A rationalist who thinks that reason nor mere experience is the foundation of knowledge There must be something in us that organizes these sensations to crate knowledge and ideas The “self” organizes and synthesizes our experiences into something meaningful for us The self is something that transcends or is above even our consciousness
Gilbert ryle (1900-1976)
We should focus on the observable behavior of a person in defining the self The duality approach states that there can be a private unobservable aspect of a person and a different public and observable part One can describe oneself as good but otherwise in real life
He rejects the duality approach and believes that a person’s ideas, emotions, and behaviors that are related to observable behavior make up their full self by observing others actions
Maurice jean merleau-ponty (1908-1961)
Mind and body are interconnected with each other and cannot be separated Our body is our connection to the external world
Paul churchland (1942)
Proposed the use of eliminative materialism or eliminativism Neuroscience will replace folk psychology over time
LESSON 2: SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE
SOCIETY
Defined as a group of people sharing the same culture and interacts in a definite territory Has a culture and way of life for those living in that specific society Society is composed of people Social institutions are created to maintain a smooth functioning society
Culture
Commonly divided into material culture and non-material culture Composed of ideas, behavior, and material possessions
Material culture
Attires Tools and weapons Architectural designs Religious implements
Non-material culture
Belief system Values Norms (expected behaviors) Shared language and symbols
Norms
Rules on what to do and what not to do in a certain situation Expected behaviors
Values
Ideal behaviors or principles Sets the standard of what is acceptable from a person who is a part of a society
Socialization
A person absorbs the culture of a society through socialization (enculturation) A lifelong process of learning, teaching, internalizing and living the culture of a society
Status
The position in a society or a particular group The distinguishing title relative to the other members of the group
Ascribed status
Inherited or given Being a prince Nepotism
Achieved status
Acquired through a person’s own efforts and achievements Being elected as a president
Theoretical approaches
Enables us to combine and use concepts in a meaningful way to look and understand a part of reality
Symbolic interactionism
Geoge Herbert Mead The self is created, developed, and changed through human interaction There are 3 reasons why self and identity are social products:
- The "self" did not just come out of thin air
- We actually need others to affirm and reinforce who we think we are
- Our notion of what is personally important to us is also influenced by the current trends of what is important in our society
Culture and Personality
Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead The personality or the self is dependent on the cultural practices and socialization process of a certain group
on self within
The “I” and the “me”
William james
One of the earliest psychologists to study the self Conceptualized the self as having two aspects: the "I" and the "me." The "I" is the thinking, acting, and feeling self The "me," is the physical characteristics as well as psychological capabilities that makes who you are
Carl rogers
Theory of personality The "I" is the one who acts and decides The "me' is what you think or feel about yourself as an object
Identity
Composed of one’s personal characteristics, roles, and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who one is
Self-concept
What comes to your mind when you are asked about yourself The result of the interaction between who we think we are and how others see us
Carl rogers’ 3 parts of the self-concept
Ideal self
It is the person you want to be Has the attributes or qualities you are either working toward or want to possess Who you envision yourself to be if you were exactly as you wanted
Self-image
It is the way we see ourselves It includes what we know about ourselves physically and our personality
Self-esteem
It is the value we place upon ourselves It is dependent on the way we evaluate ourselves Those evaluations incorporate our personal comparisons to others as well as others’ responses to us.
Self-schema
Our own organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are Consists of interrelated descriptions of the self Some conditions are central to the self and some are relevant but less central They actively shape and affect how you see, think, and feel about other things or the people around you It may also include your interests, your work, your course, your age, your name, and your physical characteristics among others
Conditions of worth
They perceive that their parents, peers, or partners love and accept them only if they meet those people’s expectations and approval.
Carver and Scheier’s 2 types of self
The private self
a person's internal thoughts and feelings
The public self
what a person commonly shows to the others, specifically for creating a good public image
self-awareness
may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances and our next course of action presents us with at least three other self- schemas: the actual, the ideal, and the ought self
the actual self
it is who we are in the present
the ideal self
It is who we like to be, especially in the future
The ought self
It is who we think we should be in contrast to the actual self
Self-consciousness
too much self-awareness that we are concerned about being observed and criticized by others
deindividuation
the loss of individual self-awareness and individual accountability in groups A common example is a mass demonstration erupting into a riot
Social comparison
One of the ways ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem We learn about ourselves, the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our social statuses by comparing aspects of ourselves with other people
downward social comparison
the most common type of comparing ourselves with others we create a positive self-concept by comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us we are able to raise our self-esteem
upward social comparison
comparing ourselves with those who are better off than us a lot of those who do this felt lower self-esteem as we highlight more of our weakness or inequities
self-evaluation maintenance theory
we can feel threatened when someone outperforms us, especially when that person is close to us, that is, a friend or family we usually react in 3 ways:
- we distance ourselves from that person or redefine our relationship with them
- we may reconsider the importance of the aspect or skill in which we were outperformed
- we may also strengthen our resolve to improve that certain aspect of ourselves
Narcissism
trait characterized by overly high self-esteem. self-admiration, and self-centeredness. are often charismatic because of how they take care of their image.
Rosenberg scale
an example of tests and measurements for self-esteem the result can be affected by the desire of the person to portray himself or herself in a positive or advantageous way
