UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF
MR. JERICK S. GARUALDO
PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Table of Contents
► Chapter I – Defining the Self: Personal and Developmental
Perspectives on Self and Identity
► Lesson 1: The Self from Various Philosophical
Perspectives
► Lesson 2: The Self, Society, and Culture
► Lesson 3: The Self as Cognitive Construct
► Lesson 4: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts
 CHAPTER I
DEFINING THE SELF:
PERSONAL AND
DEVELOPMENTAL
PERSPECTIVES ON SELF
AND IDENTITY
 CHAPTER I
DEFINING THE SELF:
PERSONAL AND
DEVELOPMENTAL
PERSPECTIVES ON SELF
AND IDENTITY
 Lesson 1:
The Self from Various
Philosophical
Perspectives
LESSON OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1.Explain why it is essential to understand the self;
2.Describe and discuss the different notions of the self from the
points-of-view of the various philosophers across time and place;
3.Compare and contrast how the self has been represented in different
philosophical schools; and
4.Examine one’s self against the different views of self that were
discussed in class.
ACTIVITY
Answer the following questions about your self as fully and precisely
as you can.
1.How would you characterize your self?
2.What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes your self
special?
3.How has your self transformed itself?
4.How is your self connected to your body?
5.How is your self related to other selves?
6.What will happen to your self after you die?
ABSTRACTION
• Socrates and Plato
► -Socrates was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning
about the self; the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself.
► -For Socrates, every man is composed of body and soul; all individuals have an
imperfect, impermanent aspect to him, and the body, while maintaining that there
is also a soul that is perfect and permanent.
► -Plato supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body and soul.
► -Plato added that there are three components of the soul: the rational soul, the
spirited soul, and the appetitive soul.
• Augustine and Thomas Aquinas
► -Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature; the body is bound to die on
earth and the soul is to anticipate living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in
communion with God.
► -The body can only thrive in the imperfect, physical reality that is the world,
whereas the soul can also stay after death in an eternal realm with the
all-transcendent God.
► -Aquinas said that indeed, man is composed of two parts: matter and form.
Matter, or hyle in Greek, refers to the “common stuff that makes up everything in
the universe.” Man’s body is part of this matter. Form, on the other hand, or
morphe in Greek refers to the “essence of a substance or thing.”
► -To Aquinas the soul is what animates the body; it is what makes us humans.
• Rene Descartes
► -Conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind
► -The body is nothing else but a machine that is attached to the mind. The human
person has it but it is not what makes man a man. If at all, that is the mind.
• David Hume
► -The self is not an entity over and beyond the physical body.
► - Men can only attain knowledge by experiencing.
► -Self, according to Hume, is simply “a bundle or collection of different
perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in
a perpetual flux and movement.”
• Immanuel Kant
► -Things that men perceive around them are not just randomly infused into
the human person without an organizing principle that regulates the
relationship of all these impressions.
► -There is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions that men get
from the external world.
► -Time and space are ideas that one cannot find in the world, but is built in
our minds; he calls these the apparatuses of the mind.
► -The self is not just what gives one his personality; it is also the seat of
knowledge acquisition for all human persons.
• Gilbert Ryle
► -Blatantly denying the concept of an internal, non-physical self; what truly matters is the
behavior that a person manifests in his day-to-day life.
► - “Self” is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient name that
people use to refer to all the behaviors that people make.
• Merleau-Ponty
► -The mind and body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated from one another.
► -One cannot find any experience that is not an embodied experience. All experience is
embodied; one’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world.
► -The living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one.
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT
In your own words, state what “self” is for each of the philosophers enumerated below. After
doing so, explain how your concept of “self” is compatible with how they conceived of the
“self.”
1.Socrates
2. Plato
3. Augustine
4. Descartes
5. Hume
6. Kant
7. Ryle
8.Merleau-Ponty
LESSON SUMMARY
► Philosophy is replete with men and women who inquired into the
fundamental nature of the self.
► -Socrates was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a
systematic questioning about the self.
► -Plato supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body and soul.
► -Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature.
► -Thomas Aquinas said that indeed, man is composed of two parts:
matter and form.
► Rene Descartes conceived of the human person as having a body and a
mind.
► -David Hume, the self is not an entity over and beyond the physical body
► -Immanuel Kant, there is necessarily a mind that organizes the
impressions that men get from the external world
► -Gilbert Ryle, “self” is not an entity one can locate and analyze
► -Merleau-Ponty, the living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences
are all one
 Lesson 2:
The Self, Society and
Culture
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1.Explain the relationship between and among the self, society, and
culture;
2.Describe and discuss the different ways by which society and culture
shape the self;
3.Compare and contrast how the self can be influenced by the different
institutions in the society; and
4.Examine one’s self against the different views of self that were
discussed in the class.
ABSTRACTION
What Is the Self?
► The self, in contemporary literature and even common sense, is commonly defined by the
following characteristics:
► -Separate means that the self is distinct from other selves. The self is always unique and has
its own identity.
► -Self-contained and independent because in itself it can exist. Its distinctness allows it to be
self-contained with its own thoughts, characteristics, and volition.
► -Consistency means that a particular self’s traits, characteristics, tendencies, and
potentialities are more or less the same.
► -Unitary in that it is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run through a certain
person
► -Private means that each person sorts out information, feelings and emotions, and thought
processes within the self. This whole process is never accessible to anyone but the self.
The Self and Culture
► -According to Marcel Mauss, every self has two faces:
► Moi refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body, and his basic identity, his
biological givenness.
► Personne is composed of the social concepts of what it means to be who he is.
► -Language is another interesting aspect of this social constructivism; it is a salient
part of culture and ultimately, has a tremendous effect in our crafting of the self.
► - If a self is born into a particular society or culture, the self will have to adjust
according to its exposure.
The Self and the Development of the Social World
► -More than his givenness (personality, tendencies, and propensities, among
others), one is believed to be in active participation in the shaping of the self.
► - Men and women in their growth and development engage actively in the shaping
of the self.
► -The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the self is mediated by language.
Mead and Vygotsky
► -For Mead and Vygotsky, the way that human persons develop is
with the use of language acquisition and interaction with others.
► -Both Vygotsky and Mead treat the human mind as something that is
made, constituted through language as experienced in the external
world and as encountered in dialogs with others.
Self in Families
► -The kind of family that we are born in, the resources available to us (human,
spiritual, economic), and the kind of development that we will have will
certainly affect us.
► -Human beings are born virtually helpless and the dependency period of a human
baby to its parents for nurturing is relatively longer than most other animals.
► -In trying to achieve the goal of becoming a fully realized human, a child enters
a system of relationships, most important of which is the family.
► -Human persons learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood by being in
a family. It is what a family initiates a person to become that serves as the basis
for this person’s progress.
Gender and the Self
► -Gender is one of those loci of the self that is subject to alteration, change,
and development.
► -The sense of self that is being taught makes sure that an individual fits in
a particular environment, is dangerous and detrimental in the goal of truly
finding one’s self, self-determination, and growth of the self.
► -It is important to give one the leeway to find, express, and live his
identity.
► -Gender has to be personally discovered and asserted and not dictated by
culture and the society
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT
Answer the following questions cogently but honestly.
1.How would you describe your self?
2.What are the influences of family in your development as an individual?
3.Think of a time when you felt you were your “true self.” What made you think you
were truly who you are during this time of your life?
4.Following the question above, can you provide a time when you felt you were not
living your “true self”? Why did you have to live a life like that? What did you do
about it?
5.What social pressures help shape your self? Would you have wanted it otherwise?
6.What aspects of your self do you think may be changed or you would like to
change?
LESSON SUMMARY
The self is commonly defined by the following characteristics:
-Separate, is always unique and has its own identity
-Self-contained and independent because in itself it can exist
-Consistency, a particular self’s traits, characteristics, tendencies, and potentialities
are more or less the same
- Unitary in that it is the center of all experiences and thoughts that run through a
certain person
-Private. Each person sorts out information, feelings and emotions, and thought
processes within the self.
The Self and Culture
-Every self has two faces: Moi and Personne;
-Language is a salient part of culture and ultimately, has a tremendous effect in our
crafting of the self.
The Self and the Development of the Social World
-Men and women in their growth and development engage actively in the shaping of
the self;
-The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the self is mediated by language.
Mead and Vygotsky
-The way that human persons develop is with the use of language acquisition and
interaction with others
Self in Families
-The kind of family that we are born in, the resources available to us, and the kind of
development that we will have will certainly affect us.
-Human persons learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood by being in a
family.
Gender and the Self
-Gender is one of those loci of the self that is subject to alteration, change, and
development.
-It is important to give one the leeway to find, express, and live his identity.
-Gender has to be personally discovered and asserted and not dictated by culture and
the society.
 Lesson 3:
The Self as Cognitive
Construct
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1.Identify the different ideas in psychology about the “self”;
2.Create your own definition of the “self” based on the definitions from psychology;
and
3.Analyze the effects of various factors identified in psychology in the formation of
the “self.”
ACTIVITY
• This activity has two parts that try to compare how we look at ourselves against
how people perceive us depending on how we present ourselves to them. For the
first part, list 10 to 15 qualities or things that you think define who you are around
the human figure representing you.
• For the second part, in the space below, write “I am ___________ (your name).
Who do you think I am based on what you see me do or hear me say?” Pass your
paper around for two to three minutes without looking who writes on it. As you
fill out the paper of your classmates, write briefly and only those that you observe
about the person. Do not use any bad words and do not write your name. After the
allotted period, pass all the paper to your teacher who will distribute them to the
respective owners.
ANALYSIS
► Compare what you wrote about yourself to those written by your classmates. What
aspects are similar and what are not? What aspects are always true to you? What
aspects are sometimes true or circumstantial? What aspects do you think are not
really part of your personality?
ABSTRACTION
► There are various definitions of the “self” and other similar or interchangeable
concepts in psychology.
► -Other concepts similar to self are identity and self-concept:
Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and
responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who one is.
Self-concept is what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about
who you are.
► -Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed in one time frame.
► -Carl Rogers captured this idea in his concept of self-schema or our organized
system or collection of knowledge about who we are.
► Theories generally see the self and identity as mental constructs, created and
recreated in memory.
► Freud saw the self, its mental processes, and one’s behavior as the results of the
interaction between the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.
► There are three reasons why self and identity are social products:
1.We do not create ourselves out of nothing. Society helped in creating the
foundations of who we are.
2.Whether we like to admit it or not, we actually need others to affirm and reinforce
who we think we are.
3.What we think is important to us may also have been influenced by what is
important in our social or historical context.
► Social interaction and group affiliation are vital factors in creating our self-concept
especially in the aspect of providing us with our social identity;
► There are times when we are aware of our self-concepts; this is also called
self-awareness;
► Carver and Scheier identified two types of self that we can be aware of:
1)the private self or your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings; and
2)the public self or your public image commonly geared toward having a good
presentation of yourself to others.
► Self-awareness also presents us with at least three other self-schema:
•The “actual” self is who you are at the moment
•The “ideal” self is who you like to be
•The “ought” self is who you think you should be
► Self-awareness may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances and
our next course of action.
► Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self-esteem,
defined as our own positive or negative perception or evaluation of ourselves.
► One of the ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is through social
comparison:
•The downward social comparison is the more common type of comparing ourselves with
others, by comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us.
•The upward social comparison which is comparing ourselves with those who are better off
than us.
► Social comparison also entails what is called self-evaluation maintenance theory, which
states that we can feel threatened when someone out-performs us, especially when that
person is close to us.
► In the attempt to increase or maintain self-esteem, some people become narcissistic, a
“trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-centeredness.”
► There is a thin line between high self-esteem and narcissism and there are a lot of
tests and measurements for self-esteem like the Rosenberg scale.
► Though self-esteem is a very important concept related to the self, studies have
shown that it only has a correlation, not causality, to positive outputs and outlook.
► Programs, activities, and parenting styles to boost self-esteem should only be for
rewarding good behavior and other achievements and not for the purpose of
merely trying to make children feel better about themselves or to appease them
when they get angry or sad.
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT
► Do a research and list 10 things to boost your self-esteem or improve
your self-concept. Cite your sources.
► Analyze which of those tips are more likely to backfire and make
someone conceited or narcissistic and revise them to make the
statements both helpful to the individual as well as society in
general.
LESSON SUMMARY
► Other concepts similar to self:
Identity, composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities
Self-concept, what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about who you
are
► Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed in one time frame.
► Theories generally see the self and identity as mental constructs, created and
recreated in memory.
► Social interaction and group affiliation are vital factors in creating our
self-concept.
► There are times when we are aware of our self-concepts; this is also called
self-awareness.
► Two types of self that we can be aware of:
(1) the private self or your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings, and;
(2) the public self or your public image commonly geared toward having a good
presentation of yourself to others.
► Self-awareness also presents us with at least three other self-schema:
•The “actual” self is who you are at the moment
•The “ideal” self is who you like to be
•The “ought” self is who you think you should be
► Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self-esteem.
► One of the ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is through
social comparison:
•The downward social comparison is by comparing ourselves with those who are
worse off than us.
•The upward social comparison which is comparing ourselves with those who are
better off than us.
 Lesson 4:
The Self in Western
and Eastern Thoughts
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1.Differentiate the concept of self according to Western thought against
Eastern/Oriental perspectives;
2.Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts; and
3.Create a representation of the Filipino self.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1.Differentiate the concept of self according to Western thought against
Eastern/Oriental perspectives;
2.Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts; and
3.Create a representation of the Filipino self.
ANALYSIS
► Do you agree with the differentiation between the West and the
East? Where can you find the Philippines in the distinction? What
are the factors that make the Philippines similar or different from its
Asian neighbors? Is there also a difference between regions or
ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines?
ABSTRACTION
Eastern thoughts:
► Sees the other person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create, a drama in
which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles
► Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and social relations that is
given more importance than individual needs and wants.
Western thoughts:
► Looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct from the other person, the creator
is separate from the object he created, in which the self is distinguished and
acknowledged
► The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since their focus is
on the person.
Confucianism
► A code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to his/her
relationship with other people
► The identity and self-concept of the individual are interwoven with the identity
and status of his/her community or culture, sharing its pride as well as its failures.
► Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life.
► The cultivated self in Confucianism is what some scholars call a “subdued self”
wherein personal needs are repressed (subdued) for the good of many, making
Confucian society also hierarchal for the purpose of maintaining order and balance
in society.
Taoism
► Living in the way of the Tao or the universe
► Rejects having one definition of what the Tao is
► Rejects the hierarchy and strictness brought by Confucianism and would prefer a simple
lifestyle and its teachings thus aim to describe how to attain that life
► The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the universe.
► The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self; it is living a balanced
life with society and nature, being open and accepting to change, forgetting about
prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well as complementarity
among humans as well as other beings.
Buddhism
► The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control
things, or human-centered needs; thus, the self is also the source of all these
sufferings.
► To forget about the self, forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you
have with the world, and to renounce the self which is the cause of all suffering
and in doing so, attain the state of Nirvana.
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT
► Create a representation, diagram, or concept map of the SELF
according to Filipino culture.
► Provide a brief explanation of your output. You can also cite books
and researches about Filipino culture, self, and identity to further
elaborate on the topic.
LESSON SUMMARY
Eastern thoughts:
► Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and social relations that
is given more importance than individual needs and wants.
Western thoughts:
► The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since their
focus is on the person.
Confucianism
► A code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to their relationship
with other people
► Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life.
Taoism
► The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the universe.
► The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self; it is living a balanced
life with society and nature.
Buddhism
► The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control things,
or human-centered needs
► To forget about the self, and in doing so, attain the state of Nirvana.