Undestanding

the SELF An Introduction to the

Philosophical, Sociological,
Anthropological, and
Psychological Definition of
the SELF

by:
Romeo M. Mangabat Jr.
Nature vs. Nurture
 Someinsist that the self is predominantly a
product of natural processes to which
people are inherently predisposed

The natural basis for the self is anchored on

biology and explains that human traits are
passed from one generation to another
The Genetics of the SELF
Heredity/Natur  Transmitted traits
serve as a blueprint
e of the self.
-Transmission of traits
and characteristics 1. Attitude
from one generation 2. Behavior
to another. 3. Tendencies etc
The Beginning of Life
Fertilization Gonads
 Refersto the  Testes–
meeting of the spermatozoa
female sex cell and  Ovaries –
the male sex cell ova
Zygote – fertilize egg
cell
The zygote goes to the
uterus and continues to
grow during the gestation
period of about 280 days or
36 weeks or 9 calendar
months.
  DNA

Heredity (Deoxyribonucleic
Acid)
 Genes – are small  Code of
particles in a string- Heredity
like formation and
carries the - it contains
characteristics of information and
the parents instructions about
the newly created
Xand Y and programs the
Chromosome traits that should
be inherited
Nurture
The self should be
principally viewed as an
outcome of various
nurturing factors in the
context of one’s life.
Life Experiences
 Socialsciences have provided a
number of insights and explanations
about self, it gives emphasis on how
group life (formal or informal)
affects an individual behavior and
attitude and emphasize on the
impact of various social institutions
to the construction of the self.
Social Factor
 Refers to the influences of
significant people in one’s life.
 Family(Social Groups)
 is refered as the nursery of human
nature.
 Its is were the most basic attitudunal
and behavioral attributes of
individuals are shaped.
The Pschological
View of the SELF
 The Pschoanalytic Theory of
the Self
Sigmund Freud
Asserts that the human psche
(personality) is structured into
three parts (tripartite). These
structures are all develop at
different stages in a person’s
life.
Parts of Personality
1. Id (Internal Desires)

2. Ego (Reality)

3. Superego (Conscience)
1. Id (Internal Desires)
 Itconsist of the body’s primitive
biological drives and urges which
are concerned only with
achieving pleasure and self-
satisfaction.
 Id is completely in the
unconcious.
 Also called internal drives or
instinctive drives.
2. Ego ( Reality)
Itsis the “I” part of the
individual that gives
him/here the sense of
his/her own identity.
The ego is the rational part
of the personality.
3. Superego (Conscience)
Itis the part of the
personality concerned with
morals, precepts, standards,
and ideas.
The superego is the critical
faculty of the personality
Pschosexual Development
Theory
Freud also argues that the
development of an individual
can be divided into distinct
stages characterized by sexual
drives.
As a person grows, certain
areas become sources of
pleasure, frustration or both.
1. Oral
From birth to the end of first
year.
The mouth becomes the part
of the body through which
gratification is secured
2. Anal (Expulsive Phase)
From the age of 2 to 3 years.
The child drives the feelings of
pleasure or pain from
defecating.
It covers the toilet-training
period.
3. Phallic
From the age of 3 to 6 years.
The child gets curious about his
her genitals and becomes
attached to the parent of the
opposite sex.
Oedipus complex – the
attraction of a boy his mother
Electra complex – the
attraction of a girl to her father
4. Latency
From the age of 10 to 12
years.
Sexual motivations
presumably recede in
importance as the child
becomes preoccupied with
developing skill and other
activities.
5. Genital
After puberty, the deepest
feeling of pleasure
presumably come from
heterosexual relations.
The Psychosocial Stages of
Self-Development
 ErikErikson was primarily concerned
with how both psychological and
social factors affect the
development of individuals
 He has formulated eight major
stages of development, each
posing a unique developmental
task and simultaneously presenting
the individual with the a crisis that
he/she must overcome.
A CRISIS is not a “a threat of
catastrophe but a turning
point, a crucial period of
increased vulnerability at
heightened potential.”
Individuals develop a healthy
personality by mastering life’s
outer and inner dangers.
 Identity vs. Self
Identity
The qualities, beliefs etc. that
make a paticular person or
group different from others.
“the distinguishing character or
personality of an individual.”
The identity of The identity of
a person is a person can
highlighted by be best
a dominant depicted
trait which using certain
makes him or traits that
her would set him
distinguishable or her apart
from other. from others.
Self
 The person that someone normally
or truly is or the entire person of an
individual.
The definitions provided suggest
that the demarcation that
separates the two fall on the social
representation of the term.
Known to others or
Only known to one self
 THE
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW
OF THE SELF
SOCRATES:
Know Yourself
Socrates is principally
concerned with man. He
considers man from the point
of view of his inner life.
Know yourself – tells each
man to bring his inner self to
light
The core of Socratic
ethics is the concept of
virtue and knowledge.

Virtue – is the deepest

and the most basic
propensity of man.
Knowing one’s own virtue
is innate in the mind and
self-knowledge is the
source of all wisdom.
An individual may gain
possession of oneself and
be one’s own master
Plato:
Ideal Self, the Perfect Self
Man is omniscient or all knowing
before he came to be born into this
world.
With his separation from the
paradise of truth and knowledge
and his long exile from earth, he for
most of the knowledge he had.
By constant remembering
through contemplation and
doing good, he can regain his
former perfections – using his
former self as a guiding star or
model.
This mean that man in his life
should imitate his former self – he
should live a life of virtue in which
true human perfection exists.
Happiness – is the fruit of
virtue is attained by the
constant imitation of the
divine exemplar of virtue,
embodied in man’s
former self.
Immanuel Kant:
Respect for the Self
Man is the only creature
who governs and directs
himself and his action, who
set up ends for himself and
his purpose, and who freely
orders means for the
attainment of is aims.
Every man is thus an end in
himself and should never be
treated merely as a means.
Respect others as you would
respect yourself.
A person should not be used as
a tool, instrument, or device to
accomplish another’s private
ends.
Rene Descartes:
I think, therefore I am
The SELF is a thinking entity
distinct from the body.
Cogito, ergo sum
– “I think, therefore I am.”
Although the mind and the
body are independent with
each other and serve their
own function, man must use
his own mind and thinking
abilities to investigate,
analyze, experiment, and
develop himself.
John Locke:
Personal Identity
Holds that personal identity
(the self) is a matter of
psychological continuity.
Personal Identity – is founded
on the consciousness
(memory), and not on the
substance of either the soul or
the body.
Personal identity is the
concept about oneself
that evolves over the
course of an individual’s
life.
It may include aspect of
the life that man has no
control over
David Hume:
The Self is the Bundle Theory of
the Mind
Man has no clear and
intelligible idea of the self.
He posits that no single
impression of the self exists;
rather, the self is just the thing
to which all perceptions of a
man is ascribed.
 The Biblical View of the Self
The Crown Creation of the Self
-According to the Holy Bible, man
following his redemption by he Savior
from eternal bondage, now shares in
the infinite merits of his Redeemer and
has become not only the inheritor of
the new earth but also the heir of
heavenly kingdom.
The SELF as the Multi-bejeweled
Crown of Creation
Physical Economic

Intellectual Emotional
Sentient
Moral
Aesthetic
Religious
Sensual
Social
Sexual
Political Aspects
St. Augustine:
Love and Justice as the Foundation
of the Individual Self
He believes that a virtuous
life is a dynamism of love.
It is a constant following of
and turning towards love
while a wicked life is a
constant turning away from
love.
Loving God means loving one’s
fellowmen; and loving one’s
fellowmen denotes never doing
any harm to another.

The Golden Principles of Justice

“Doing unto others as you would
have them do unto you.”