UNDERSTANDING THE SELF NOTES
dies with it.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
a) The Essential View
 Also known as the Avocado View
 The seed at the center contains all
the essential information about
what makes an avocado an
avocado.
1. The Judaic and Christian
Traditions
 Humans are made in the image
and likeness of God.
 Animals may have instincts and
intelligence but they are not made
in God’s likeness.
 We are self-conscious.
 We have the capacity to love.
 We have fleshy outward
appearance but inside we share
the divine nature.
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition
 Reason is at the core our being.
 Our reasoning ability sets us apart
from other terrestrial beings.
 Reason controls emotions &
appetites.
 We may act like animals at times,
but only because we are not using
reason to control the other parts of
our being.
 Humans alone are capable of
living according to reason.
 Socrates
- “. . . the soul is in the very
likeness of the divine, and
immortal, and intellectual, and
uniform, and indissoluble, and
unchangeable” (Phaedo)
 Pluto
- The other world of Forms
 Aristotle
- Denied the world of Forms
- Said the form exists within the
object
- The soul exists only in the
body
- When the body dies, the soul
3. The Theocentric Tradition
 St. Augustine of Hippo
- Nature (behind which, of course,
stands God) gives us a general
sense of our duties. Social
institutions shape these to promote
"socially useful" habits such as
justice. But these efforts do not
truly suffice to make us good.
- The most important part of a
person is the inner person, i.e., the
mind (not the intellect or reason
but the will).
- The orientation of the will
determines whether we love lower
goods (such as bodily goods,
wealth, and reputation) or higher
goods (virtue and, above all, God).
- Although originally neither good
nor bad, the human will became
corrupted so that it is in most
cases inclined to love lower rather
than higher goods.
4. Self in the Modern Period
 We are learning, however, that
suppressing emotions can be
unhealthy.
 Reason is given primacy.
 Rationalism may be important, but
emotions are an important aspect
in life as well (Rationalism =
Emotions)
 Feminism – the theory that women
should have political, economic,
and social rights equal to those of
men and should define their own
roles.
b) The Protean View
 Named after Proteus – the shape
shifter in the Greek mythology.
 Depending on the situation,
demanding him to change forms.
 Like an artichoke or cabbage, as
the layers are removed, one finds
there is no central core.
 The self is made up of layers.
 This idea says that humans are
many layers that function at
various times in life.
 Life is such that we need to be
able to react in many different
ways.
 This is consistent with the idea that
there are no moral absolute or
certain truth.
1. Oriental Philosophy
a. Buddhism
 At death these disperse and are
united with other skandhas
(reincarnation).
 When we die, we actually continue
in many forms.
 Everything is dependent on
everything else.
 Advocates the impermanence of
everything.
 “anatman” – the idea that there is
no permanent, separate,
individual, ego-self.
 We are collection of various
elements called “skandhas”
temporarily united.
- Form
- Feeling/Sensation
- Perception
- Impulse/Volition
- Consciousness
 Enlightenment
- the Buddhist term of the realization
that comes from seeing the world
as it actually is.
- Is recognizing that happiness is in
your own hands.
 Nirvana is “blowing out” the flame
(desire) of the false self
 The Four Noble Truths
- Dukkha - Life is suffering
(continual change)
- Samudaya - Desire (ego) causes
suffering
- Nirodha - Ending desire (ego) ends
suffering
- Magga - Following the Noble
Eightfold Path ends desire.
b. Taoism
 “Tao” – the way or the path.
 Taoism – living in harmony with
the Tao.
 People are made of five elements
 As long as these elements are in
harmony, we are healthy.
 Ch’I flows through us (rather than
blood). This is the energy of the life
force.
 Acupuncture tries to eliminate any
obstructions of the ch’i flowing
through us.
c. Hinduism
 There is a core within each of us.
 The “atman” – in Hinduism, the self
or soul, which endures successive
reincarnation.
- Expression of the divine or ultimate
reailty.
- Carrier of “karma”
 “Karma” – the spiritual principle of
cause and effect where intent and
actions of an individual (cause)
influence the future of that
individual (effect).
2. Existentialism
 Emphasizes individual existence,
freedom, and choice.
 Humans define their own meaning
in life.
 Man is able to make rational
decisions despite his existence in
an irrational universe.
3. African Model
 A person is born into a culture or
social group that is the source of
his or her being.
 Community is extremely important.
 A person becomes a fully realized
person through a life lived well in
support of a community.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Anthropology
 Came from the word “anthropos”
for “human” and “logos” for “study”.
 Deals with the cultural and
biological similarities and
variations.
 Study human populations in all
periods of time, all parts of the
world.
 Has 2 general subdivisions:
Physical Anthropology and Cultural
Anthropology.
Cultural Anthropology
 The branch of anthropology
dealing with the origins, history,
and development of human
culture, and including in its scope
the fields of archaeology,
ethnology, ethnography, and
linguistics.
 Uses intensive field investigations.
 Deals with political and economic
organization.
 Law and conflict resolution.
 Patterns of consumption and
exchange.
 Kinship and family structure.
 Gender relations.
 Childbearing and socialization.
 Religion, mythology, and magic
symbols and language.
 Family and social systems.
 The arts.
 Secret societies (and all other
forms of cultural behavior).
Franz Boas
 English anthropologist.
 Founder of cultural anthropology.
Culture
 Define the selves
 A complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals law,
custom, and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by man as a
member of society. – Edward
Taylor
 The customary ways of thinking,
feeling and behaving and which
they transmit from one generation
to another.
WAYS BY WHICH CULTURE IS
LEARNED OR ACQUIRED
1. Imitation
 Human action by which one tends
to duplicate more or less exactly
the behavior of others.
2. Indoctrination
 Takes place in the form of formal
teaching or training which may
take place anywhere.
3. Conditioning
 The individual acquires certain
patterns of beliefs, values,
behaviors or actions further
reinforced by system of reward
and punishment.
4. Acculturation
 Process by which societies of
different cultures are modified
through fairly close and long
continued contact.
5. Amalgamation
 Intermarriage of persons coming
from different cultural groups,
resulting into some kind of
biological fusion.
COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
A. Material Culture
 Artifacts, tools, objects made from
tools.
B. Non-Material Culture
1. Norms
a) Folkways
b) Mores
 Taboos are negative mores.
c) Laws
 Sanctions – reward or
punishment.
 Social control – applying
sanctions in order to
 encourage conformity to social values, and so on, and for what
norms. reasons.
2. Ideas, Beliefs, Values  Ideology – when idea, value, norm,
3. Symbols or other culture trait works to the
 Language advantage of one group for any
reason.
Cultural diversity

 Refers to the wide range of 3. Ecological Approach

differences in cultural patterns,  Compares the social structure of
ideas, beliefs, knowledge, forms of different societies that have the
social organization and practical same level of hunting technology.
responses to the environment. –Julian Steward (1955)
 Ecology – the study of relationship
between organisms and their
FACTORS THAT PROMOTE CULTURAL environment.
DIVERSITY  Cultural ecology – culture traits are
shaped by the resources and
1. Environment limitations of the surrounding
2. Isolation environment and by the changes in
3. Technology that environment.
4. Cultural themes
5. Diffusion SYMBOLIC USES OF CULTURE

APPROACHES IN ANALYZING 1. Culture of Poverty

CULTURE 2. Culture of Opulence
3. Culture of Corruption
 It involves understanding its major 4. Culture of Silence or Culture of
values and norms, seeing how Sabotage
these are reflected in social 5. Pop Culture
behavior, and perhaps studying 6. Culture of Apathy
the way in which the values and 7. Culture of Conspicuous
norms shape and are shaped by Consumption
the material culture. 8. Culture of Exploitation and
Dehumanization
1. Functionalist Approach
 Sees a particular trait as existing PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
because it serves as an important DEFINITION OF TERMS
social function.
 Cultural trait – simplest unit or The SELF
element of culture.  Consists of all the characteristics
 Culture complex – is a system of of a person.
interrelated traits that function
together as a unit. IDENTITY
 Culture pattern – is a specific and
 Refers to who a person is,
enduring system of trait
representing a synthesis and
complexes.
integration of self-understanding.
2. Ideological Approach PERSONALITY
 This approach tries to find out
which groups support which ideas,  Refers to the enduring personal
characteristics of individuals;
 encompasses the Self and one’s
Identity.
SELF-UNDERSTANDING
 Is the cognitive representation of
the Self, the substance of self-
conceptions.
 Based in part on roles and group
membership.
 Provides underpinnings for the
development of identity.
e.g. I am a 13 year-old student, a boy, a
football player, a family member, a video
game lover, and a movie fan.
CHANGES IN THE NATURE OF SELF-
UNDERSTANDING WITHIN THE LIFE
STAGES
A. Early Childhood
 Self-understanding is
characterized by:
1. Using Concrete/Observable
Descriptions (e.g., I can
count/ABCs, I live in a big house).
2. Physical Descriptions (e.g., I have
brown hair, she has black hair, I’m
taller).
3. Unrealistic Positive Over-
estimations 0f personal attributes.
 This is because young children:
1. Have difficulty in differentiating
their desired and actual
competence.
2. Cannot yet generate an ideal self
that is distinguished from a real
self.
3. Rarely engaged in Social
Comparison (ego centrism).
4. Have the inability to recognize that
they can possess opposite
attributes.
B. Late Childhood
 Older children start to:
1. Describe themselves using traits
(e.g., popular, nice, helpful, smart,
dumb).
2. Use social descriptions –
references to social groups (e.g.,
Catholic, Girl Scout).
3. Engage in social comparison –
thinking what they can do in
comparison with others.
4. Distinguish between real & ideal
selves – differentiating their actual
competencies from those they
aspire to have5. More Realistic
because of increased social
comparison and perspective-
taking.
C. Adolescence
 Adolescent self-understanding is
characterized by:
1. Abstract and Idealistic Thinking
(e.g., I’m sensitive, I am indecisive)
2. Self-consciousness
3. Contradictions within the Self –
differentiating their concept of the
self into multiple roles in different
relationship contexts.
4. The fluctuating self – the
adolescent self continues to be
characterized by instability until the
adolescent constructs a more
unified theory of self.
5. Real and ideal selves: Possible
self – includes what they might
become, what they are afraid of
becoming (e.g., money problem,
checklist results)
6. Self-integration – achieved in late
adolescence or emerging
adulthood, which results to an
integrated sense of identity.
D. Adulthood (Young and Middle)
 Importance of Self-awareness
becomes an important
developmental task in adulthood
(e.g., awareness of strengths and
weaknesses).
 Possible selves:
1. Young Adults: What they would
like to become; oftentimes
unrealistic at first.
2. Middle-aged: Possible selves in
terms of areas in which they
 already have performed (e.g.,
Being good at my work, Having a
good marriage); trying to attain
hoped-for selves.
3. Older Adults: Concerned with
maintaining what they have and
preventing/avoiding health.
Problems and dependency (Smith,
2009); Life Review (Thinking About
the Past? Regrets?).
JAMES MARCIA’S THEORY ON
IDENTITY STATUS
 describes a person’s position in
the development of an Identity.
 Dimensions of the Identity Status:
1. Exploration – refers to a person’s
investigating various options for a
career and for personal values.
2. Commitment – involves making a
decision about which identity path
to follow, and making a personal
investment in attaining that
identity.
 Identity Achievement – has
explored and has made a
commitment.
 Identity Moratorium – still
exploring, has not yet made a
commitment.
 Identity Foreclosure – has not
explored, has made a
commitment.
 Identity Diffusion – has not
explored, has not made
commitment.
PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY
Self-Concept
 The way you think about yourself
and your abilities or appearance.
 One's conception of oneself or of
one's role.
Ideal Self
 This is the kind of person whom
we would like to be.
 It is dynamic and forever changing.
 It is an idealized version of yourself
created out of what you have
learned from your life experiences,
the demands of society, and what
you admire in your role models.
Real Self
 It is the self that feels most true to
what and who we really are.
 It refers to how we think, feel, and
look.
 The underlying organismic self:
What a person is capable of
becoming if they lived in an ideal
world. An individual would have
lived in an environment of
unconditional positive regard.
Congruence
 Ideal self is closer to real self.
Incongruence

Four Quadrants of Marcia’s Identity Status  Feelings not aligned with our
Has the person made a actions.
commitment?
YES NO Carl Rogers
Has the YES Identity Identity
person Achievement Moratorium
explored
 Proposed that to be a fully
meaningful functioning person, one must
alternative experience genuineness
s regarding
(authenticity), empathy, and
some
identity unconditional positive regard.
options NO Identity Identity Diffusion
(e.g. Foreclosure
Person-Centered Theory of Personality
career,
values,  Defined concepts such as
sexuality, congruence (versus incongruence)
etc.)
 which is dependent upon the
person's experience of his / her
real self and ideal self.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
subjective and most intimate self.
Aspects of an individual's spiritual
self include things like their
personality, core values, and
conscience that do not typically
change throughout their lifetime.

William James

 The proponent of the school of

thought called Functionalism.
 Pieced together a theory of self
that is remarkably modern.
 In his book The Principles of
Psychology (1890), he discusses
the manifold nature of the self.
His Theory of Self is divided into two
main categories:

 “ME” Self – refers to the aspects

of someone that come from that
person's experiences.
 "I" Self – the thinking self,
sometimes referred to as the pure
ego.
The "ME" Self is further divided in
three:

 The Material Self

- is consists of things that belong to
us or that we belong to. Things like
family, clothes, our body, and
money are some of what makes up
our material selves.

 The Social Self

- is who we are in a given social
situation. For James, people
change how they act depending on
the social situation that they are in.
James believed that people had as
many social selves as they did
social situations they participated
in.

 The Spiritual Self

- is who we are at our core. The
spiritual self is more concrete or
permanent than the other two
selves. The spiritual self is our