Commision on Higher Education

Municipality of Oas, Province of Albay

Region V
OAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

G.E 1 -Understanding The Self

MODULE 1

DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND

DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON SELF
AND IDENTITY

NAME OF STUDENT

COURSE/SECTION

DATE SUBMITTED
INSTRUCTOR Mrs. Mary Joy C. Rellon, LPT

PREFACE

Page | 1
 Knowing oneself is critical to being an effective team member as well as being
successful in life, work, and relationships. Your personal identity influences everything
you do, and it changes and evolves over time.

The purpose of this module is to help you deepen your understanding and
appreciation for who you are as a person. You will explore how you see yourself
through the lenses of personal identity, your skills and talents, roles, values, personal
core, and how you meet your psychological needs. You will also examine how you
respond to the pressures of changes and transitions in your life. You will have an
opportunity to examine how your personal identity has been shaped by a variety of
people and experiences. You will also have opportunities to think about and discuss
your values, interests, hopes for the future, as well as, your strengths and challenges.
You will learn about how your psychological needs are the primary source that
motivates and drives your behavior. You will also learn critical knowledge about
change and how important it is in today’s workplace to be adaptive and to embrace
change as a personal and professional growth experience.

You will be invited and encouraged to take risks, to step outside your comfort
zone, and to challenge your thinking and the thinking of others. You will be engaged
in reflection, partner activities, storytelling, discussion groups, self-assessment, and
giving and receiving feedback.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page | 2
 Page

Pre-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Lesson 1 Concept and Nature of Self: Who Am I? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Information sheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Activity 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Activity 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Lesson 2 Self, Society And Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Information sheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Activity 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Activity 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Lesson 3 Self As Cognitive Construct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Information sheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Activity 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Activity 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Lesson 4 Self In Western And Eastern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Information sheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Activity 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Activity 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Post-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Pre- Test
Direction:

Page | 3
 I. Answer the following questions.

1. How would you characterized yourself?

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.

2. What makes you stand out from the rest?

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.
3. What makes your self special?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.

4. How has your self transformed itself?

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.

5. How is your self connected to your body?

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.

6. How is your self related to other selves?

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.

7. What happen to your self ater you die?

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________.

Direction:
II. Multiple Choice.Select the best answer for each question.

Page | 4
1.”Unexamined life is not worth living”.
a. Aquainas b. Plato c. Socreates

2. ”Is who you are at the moment”.

a. Actual self b.Ideal self c. Ought self

3. He asserts that the human psyche is structured into 3 parts.

a. Erik Erikson b. Freud c. Plato

4. He conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind

a. David Hume b. Gilbert Ryle c. Rene Descartes

5. It is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and
introspection.
a.Social Comparison b. Social Contrast c.Social Justice

6. He agreed that man is bifurcated/dual nature.

a. Augustine b. Erik Erikson c. Sigmund Freud

7. It refers to person’s sense of who he is,his body and his basic identity.
a. Culture b. Personne c. Moi

8. It is meant that self is distinct from other selves.

a. Consistent b. Self-contained c. Separate

9. “A unified being,essentialy connected to conciousness,awareness and agency”

a. Feeling b. Me c.Self

10. It is a "trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, selfadmiration, and self-

centeredness.
a.Moi B.Narcissism c.Trait

LESSON 1

CONCEPT AND NATURE OF SELF: WHO AM I?

Page | 5
1.2 Lesson Objective
At the end of this lesson, the student must be able to:

a. Define the nature, concept, and meaning of the self;

b. Discuss the nature of the self from your own point of view;
c. Use the conceptualization and representation of the self from various
disciplines and perspectives.

1.3 Introduction
Our names represent who we are. Our names signify us. However, the name is
not the person itself no matter how intimately bound it is with the bearer. It is only a
signifier. Self is thought to be more than the name. Self is something that a person
perennially molds, shapes, and develops. The self is not static.

1.4 Content

Information Sheet 1

The Philosophical view of Self: Various Philosophers

Socrates: Know Yourself

He is principally concerned with man. He was the first philosopher who

engages in systematic questioning about the self. “Every man is composed of body
and soul.” – i. e. dualism [Man is composed of two important aspects of his
personhood]
Therefore, 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.
[Platonic]
He considers man from the point of view of his inner life. The famous life of
Socrates tells each man to bring his inner self to light. A bad man is not virtuous
through ignorance. The core of Socratic ethics is the concept of virtue and
knowledge. Virtue is the deepest and most basic propensity [strong natural tendency
to do something] of man. Knowing one‟s own virtue is necessary and can be learned.

Page | 6
Since 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 through
knowledge.

Plato: The Ideal Self, perfect self

Plato claimed in his dialogues that Socrates affirmed that the unexamined life
is not worth living. With this, he basically took off from his master and supported the
idea that man is dual in nature. He added that there are components of the soul: a]
rational soul; b] spiritual soul; and c] appetitive soul.
The republic – he emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be
attained if the three parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another.
The rational soul forged/ copied by reason and intellect that govern the affairs of the
human person; the spiritual soul which in charge of emotions; and appetitive soul in
charge of base desires.
Therefore, when this ideal state is attained, the human person‟s soul becomes
just and virtues. To make it simple, a man was omniscient before he came to be born
into this world. In practical terms, this means that man in this life should imitate his
former self; he should live a life of virtue in which true human perfection exists.
“Love in fact is one of the links between the sensible and the eternal world.” - Plato

Rene Descartes: Cogito, ergo sum/ I think, therefore I am

He conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind. He claims

that there is so much that we should doubt since much of what we think and believe
is not infallible, they may turn out to be false.
Rene thought that the only thing that one cannot doubt is the existence of
the self, for even if one doubts oneself, that only proves that there is a doubting self,
a thing that thinks and therefore, that cannot be doubted.
The self then for Rene is also a combination of two distinct entities, the
COGITO, the thing that thinks, which is the mind, and the EXTENZA of the mind,
which is the body, ie. like a machine that is attached to the mind.
The human person has the body but it is not what makes a man a man. If at
all, that is the mind. Descartes: says: “What then am I? A thinking thing, that doubts,
understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses; that imagines also and perceives.
To sum, although the mind and the body are independent of each other and
serve their own function, man must use his own mind and thinking abilities to
investigate, analyze, experiment, and develop himself.

David Hume: the self is the bundle theory of mind

He is an empiricist who believes that one can know only through the senses
and experiences. Example: Ana knows that Lenard is a man not because she has seen

Page | 7
his soul. Ana knows Lenard just like her because she sees him, hears him, and
touches him.
Hume posits that self is nothing else but a bundle of impressions. What are
impressions? For Hume, they can all be categorized into two: impressions and ideas.
The first one is the basic objects of our experience or sensation. So, it forms the core
of our thoughts. Example: when one touches fire, the hotness sensation is an
impression which is the direct experience.
On the contrary, Ideas are copies of our impressions. Because of this, they are
not as lively and clear as our impressions. Example: the feeling of being in love for
the first time that is an idea. According to Hume, the self is a bundle or collection of
various perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and
are in a perpetual flux and movement. Thus, the self is simply a collection of all
experiences with a particular being.

Immanuel Kant: respect for self

Every man is thus an end in himself and should never be treated merely as a
means – as per the order of the Creator and the natural order of things.
To Kant, 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 built-in our human mind. Kant calls these the apparatuses of the mind.
Along with the different apparatuses of the mind goes the self. Without the
self, one cannot organize the different impressions that one gets in relation to his
own existence. Thus, the self is not just what gives one his personality. It is also the
seat of knowledge acquisition for all human persons.

Gilbert Ryle: The Mind-Body Dichotomy

For Ryle, what truly matters is the behavior that a person manifests in his day-
today life. For him, looking for and trying to understand the self as it really exists is
like visiting your friends‟ university and looking for the “university.”
Ryle says that 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: Phenomenologist

He insisted that body and mind are so intertwined 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. Because
men are in the world. For him, the Cartesian problem is nothing but plain
misunderstanding. The living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all
one.

Page | 8
 The Christian or Biblical view of Self

The Holy Bible

“God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and
female He created them. God blessed them, saying, „Be fertile and multiply; fill the
earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds in the air, and
all the living things that move on the earth.” Gen. 1:24-28
Thus, it is appropriate to think of the self as the “multi-bejeweled crown of creation –
the many gems thereof representing and radiating the glorious facets of man‟ self
that include the physical, intellectual, moral, religious, social, political, economic,
emotional, sentient, aesthetic, sensual, and sexual aspects.

Augustine: Love and justice as the foundation of the individual self

Augustine‟s view of the human person reflects the entire spirit of the
medieval world when it comes to man. He combined the platonic ideas into
Christianity perspective.
Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated/ dual nature. An aspect of man
dwells in the world and is imperfect and continuously years to be with the Divine and
the other is capable of reaching immortality.
The body is bound to die on earth and the soul is to anticipate living eternally
in communion with God.
He believes that a virtuous life is the dynamism of love. Loving God means
loving one‟s fellowmen; and loving one‟s fellowmen denotes never doing any harm
to another.
“An sakong puso dai matutuninong sagkod na Ika mapasapuso ko.” – Augustine

Thomas Aquinas: Angelic doctor

Adapting some ideas from Aristotle, Aquinas said that indeed, man is
composed of two parts: matter and form. Matter/ hyle refers to the common stuff
that makes up everything in the universe. Forms/ morphe refers to the essence of the
substance of things. It is what makes it what it is.
In the case of the human person, the body of the human person is something
that he shares even with animals. What makes a human person a human person is
his essence. Like Aristotle, the soul is what animates the body; it is what makes us
humans.

Page | 9
 The Psychological View of Self

Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalytic theory of self

He asserts that the human psyche [personality] is structured into 3 parts.

These structures – ID [internal desires], EGO [reality], and SUPEREGO [conscience] –
all develop at different stages in a persons‟ life.
Freud also argues that the development of an individual can be divided into
distinct stages characterized by sexual drives. As the person grows, certain areas
become sources of pleasure, frustration, or both. Freudian stages of psychosexual
development: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

Erik Erikson: Psychosocial stages of self-development

He primarily concerned with how both psychological and social factors affect the
development of individuals. He formulated 8 major stages of development, each
posing a unique developmental task and simultaneously presenting the individual
with a crisis that s/he must overcome [see chart]

1.5 ACTIVITY

Activity 1

Write an essay about anything that you wish to submit about yourself. You may use
these following suggested topics:
a. Me as I see me
b. How other people see me?
c. How I would like other people to see me?

Activity 2

Page | 10
In your own words, state what “self” is for each of the following philosophers. 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. Aquinas: __________________________________________________________
5. Descartes: _________________________________________________________
6. Hume: _____________________________________________________________
7. Kant:_______________________________________________________________
8. Ryle: ______________________________________________________________
9. Merleau Ponty: ___________________________________________________
10. Sigmund Freud: ___________________________________________________

Page | 11
 LESSON 2

SELF, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

2.2 Lesson Objective

At the end of this lesson, the student must be able to:

1. State the relationship between the self, society, and culture;

2. Describe and discuss the different ways by which society and culture shape
the self;
3. Interpret 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.

2.3 Introduction
Across time and history, self has been debated, discussed and fruitfully or
otherwise conceptualized by different thinkers in philosophy. With the advent of
social sciences, it became possible for new ways and paradigms to reexamine the
true nature of the self.
Thinkers settled on the idea that there are two components of the human
person and whatever relationship these two have is less important than the fact that
there is a self. One of the loci, if not the most important axis of analysis is the
relationship between the self and the external world. What is the relationship
between external reality and the self?

Page | 12
2.4 Content

Information Sheet 1

What is the self??

The self, in contemporary literature and even common sense, is commonly

defined by the following characteristics: “separate, self-contained, independent,
consistent, unitary and private.”

SEPARATE- it is meant that the self is distinct from other selves .The self is always
unique and has its own identity.one cannot be another person. Even twins are
distinct from each other
SELF-CONTAINED & INDEPENDENT-because in itself it can exist its distinctness
allow it to be self-contained with its own thoughts, characteristics, and volition. It
does not require any other self for it to exist.
CONSISTENT- because it has a personality that is enduring and therefore can be
expected to persist for quite some time its consistency allows to be studied ,
described, and measured, consistency also means that a particular self 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 it is like the chief command post in an individual where all processes ,
emotion, and thoughts converge.
PRIVATE- Each person sorts out information, feelings and emotions, and though
processes within the self. This whole process is never accessible to anyone but the
self. This last characteristic of the self being private suggest that the self is isolated
from the external world

From this perspective: the concern of this lesson is in understanding the

vibrant relationship between the self and the external reality. This reality is called
social constructionist perspective - that argues for a merged view of the person
and their social context where the boundaries of one cannot easily be separated
from the boundaries of the other.
Social constructionists argue that self should not be seen as a static entity that
says constant through and through. Rather, the self has to be seen as something that
is in unceasing flux, in a constant struggle with external reality and is malleable in its
dealings with society.

Page | 13
 As a man of different roles [as a father, friend, teacher, husband] one can
expect a person to change and adjust his behaviors, ways and even language
depending on his social; situation. We ourselves play different roles, act in various
ways depending on our circumstances. This is not only normal but it is also
acceptable and expected. The self is capable of morphing and fitting itself into any
circumstances it finds itself in.

THE SELF AND CULTURE

Remaining the same person and turning chameleon by adapting to one's

context seems paradoxical. A French Anthropologist MARCEL MAUSS has an
explanation for this phenomenon. According to Mauss, every self has two faces:
personne and moi.
Moi - refers to a person's sense of who he is, his body, and his basic identity, his
biological governess. Moi is a person's basic identity personne on the other hand, is
composed of the social concepts of what it means to be who he is.
Personne - has much to do with what it means to live in a particular institution, a
particular family, a particular religion, a particular nationality and how to behave
given expectations and influences from others.

THE SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL WORLD

The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the self is mediated by language.

Language as both a publicly shared and privately utilized symbol system is the site
where the individual and the social make and remake each other.

MEAD AND VYGOTSKY

For Mead & Vygotsky the way that the human persons develop is with the use
of language acquisition and interactions with others - without a family biologically
and sociologically a person may not even survive or became a human person.

GENDER AND THE SELF

Here is another important aspects of the self and gender. GENDER is one of
those loci of the self that is subject to alteration, change, and development. We have
seen in the past years how people fought hard for the right to express, validate, and
assert their gender expression.
However, from the point of view of the social sciences and the self, it is
important to give one the leeway to find, express, and live his identity. This account
illustrates that our gender partly determines how we see ourselves in the world.
Often times society forces a particular identity unto us depending on our sex and /or
gender.

Page | 14
 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 other. A young child internalized values, norms,
practices, and social beliefs and more through exposure to these dialogs that will
eventually become part of his individual world. VYGOTSKY, for this part a child
internalizes real life dialogs that he has had with others, with his family, his primary
caregiver, or his play mates.

Self in Families

Apart from the anthropological and psychological basis for the relationship
between the self and the social world, the sociological likewise struggled to
understand the real connection between the two concepts. In doing so, sociologists
focus on the different institutions in powers at play in the society. Among these the
most prominent is the family. GENDER has to be personally discovered and asserted
and not dictated by culture and the society

2.5 ACTIVITY

Activity 1

Direction: By means of a diagram, you are going to present your relationship to the
society and culture.

s c

Page | 15
 Activity 2

Direction: Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answer
in the space provided.

1. What social pressures help shape yourself? Would you have wanted it
otherwise?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
______________________.
2. What aspect of your self do you think may be changed or you would like to
change?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________.

Page | 16
 LESSON 3

SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

3.2 Lesson Objective

At the end of this lesson, the student must be able to:

1. Analyze the effects of various factors identified in psychology in the formation

of the "self";
2. Create your own definition of the "self" based on the definitions from
psychology; and
3. Evaluate the different ideas in psychology about the "self".

3.3 Introduction
As discussed in the previous unit, every field of study, at least in the social
sciences, have their own research, definition, and conceptualization of self and
identity. Some are similar while some specific only their field. Each field also has
thousands of research on self and identity as well as related or synonymous terms.
The trend of the lessons also seems to define the concept of the "self" from a larger
context (i. e; culture and society) down to the individual. However, it must be pointed
out the modern researches acknowledge the contributions of each field and this is
not some sort of a Nurture vs. Nature, society/culture vs Individual/brain, and other
social sciences vs. Psychology debate, psychology may focus on the individual and
cognitive functions, but it does not discount the context and other possible factors
that affect the individual.
For students who take up psychology, discussions on theories, and
development, among others actually take at least one semester and there are still
more to be learned about the concept of "self". This lesson provides an overview of
the themes of psychology regarding the said concept.

Page | 17
3.4 Content

Information Sheet 1

In confidence or in an attempt to avoid further analytical discussions, a lot of

people say, "I am who I am" yet, this statement still begs the question, "if you are
who you are, then who are you that makes you who you are?"
As mentioned earlier, there are various definitions of the "self" and other
similar or interchangeable concepts in psychology simply put, "self" is "the sense of
personal identity and of who we are as individuals (Jhangiani and Tarry 2014)."

William James (1890) was one of the earliest psychologists to study the self
and conceptualized the self as having two aspects the "I" and the "me".
The "I" is the thinking, acting, and feeling self (Gleitman, Gross, and Reisburg
2011; Hogg, and Vaughan 2010). The "me" on the other hand, is the physical
characteristics as well as psychological capabilities that makes who you are
(Gleitman, Gross, and Reisburg 2011; Hogg and Vaughan 2010). Carl Rogers's (1959)
theory of personality also used the same terms, the "I" as the one who acts and
decides while tha "me" is what you think or feel about yourself as an object
(Gleitman,Gross and Reisburg 2011).
Other concept similar to self are Identity is composed of personal
characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who
one is (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith 2012).
Self-concept is what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about
who you are (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith 2012). Self-identity and self-concept are
not fixed in on-e time frame, and they are not fixed for life nor are they ever-
changing at every moment.
Carl Rogers captured this idea in his concept of self-schema or our organized
system or collection of knowledge about who we are (Gleitman, Gross, and Reisberg
2011; jhangaini and Tarry 2014). Imagine an organized list or diagram similar to the
one below.

Page | 18
 Hobbies

Family SELF Religion

Nationality

It may also include your interest, work, course, age, name, and physical
characteristics, among others. As you grow and adapt to the changes around you,
they also change, but they are not passive receivers, they actively shape and affect
how you see, think and feel about things.
Theories generally see the self and identity as mental construct created and
recreated in memory (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith 2012). Current researches point
to the frontal lobe of the brain as the specific area in the brain associated with the
processes concerning the self.
Several psychologist, especially during the fields earlier development,
followed this trend of thought, looking deeper into the mind of the person to
theorize about the self, identity, self-concept, and in turn, one's personality.
The most influential of them is Sigmund Freud. Basically, Freud saw the self
its mental processes and ones behavior as the result of the interaction between the
I.D, EGO and the SUPEREGO.
As in the above mentioned definitions of the self, social interaction always has
a part to play in who we think we are. This is not nature vs. Nurture but instead a
nature-and--nurture perspective.

Three reasons why self and identity are social products:

1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing.

2. Whether you like to admit it or not, we actually needs others to affirm and
reinforce who we think we are, we also need them as reference points about
our identity.
3. What we think is important in our social or historical context.

Two types of self that we can be aware: the private self or your internal
standards and private thoughts and feelings. The public self or your public image
commonly geared toward having a good presentation of yourself to others (Hogg
and Vaughan 2010)
Self-awareness there are times, however, when we are aware of our
selfconcepts also present us with at least three other self-schema the:

Page | 19
 ACTUAL, IDEAL, and OUGHT SELF.

ACTUAL SELF is who you are at the moment

IDEAL SELF is who you like to be.

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. It can keep you doing something dangerous. It can be
too much that we are concerned about being observed and criticized by others. It is
also known as self-consciousness (Jhangiani and Tarry 2014).
At other times, especially with large crowds, we may experience de individuation
or "the loss of individual self-awareness and individual accountability in groups. A lot
of people will attune themselves with the emotions of their group and because the
large crowd also provides some kind of anonymity. We may lessen our self-control
and act in ways that we will not do when we are alone.
Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self-
esteem, one of the common concepts associated with the "self". It is define our own
positive or negative perception or evaluation of ourselves (jhangiani, And Tarry 2014;
Gleitman, Gross, and Reisberg 2011).
One of the ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is
through social comparison. According to the social comparison theory, we learn
about ourselves, the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our social status by
comparing aspects of ourselves with other people (Jhangiani, and Tarry 2014; Hogg
and Vaughan 2010).
The Downward Social Comparison is the more common type of comparing
ourselves with others. As the name implies, we create a positive self-concept by
comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us. (Jhangiani and Tarry
2014). By having the advantage, we can raise our self-esteem.

The Upward Social Comparison which is comparing ourselves with those who are
better off than us (jhangiani, and Tarry 2014). While it can be a form of motivation
for some, a lot of those who do this actually felt lower self-esteem as they highlight
more of their weakness or inequities.

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 (i.e., a friend or family).
Take note that this occurs not only between individuals but also among groups.
Thus, if a person’s group is performing better and is acknowledged more than the
group, then his self-esteem may also be heightened.

Page | 20
 Such 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 this case, we usually react in three ways:
First, we distance ourselves from that person or redefine our relationship with
them. Some will resort to the silent treatment, change of friends, while some may
also redefine by being closer to that person, hoping that some association may give
him a certain kind of acknowledgement also.
Second, we may also reconsider the importance of the aspect or skill in which
you were out performed.
Lastly, we may also strengthen our resolve to improve that certain aspect of
ourselves.
However, in the attempt to increase or maintain self-esteem, some people
become narcissistic. Narcissism is a "trait characterized by overly high self-esteem,
selfadmiration, and self-centeredness.
Sometimes, there is a thin line between high self-esteem and narcissism and
there are a lot of test and measurements for self-esteem like the Rosenberg scale but
the issue is that the result can be affected by the desire of the person to portray
herself in a positive or advantageous way.

3.5 ACTIVITY

Activity 1

Direction: Research and list 3 major things to boost your self-concept or self-
esteem. Cite the sources. Analyze which of those tips are more likely do back fire and
make someone conceited or narcissistic and revise them to make the statements
both the helpful to the individual as well as society in general.

Page | 21
 Activity 2

Direction: Read and analyze the statement carefully. Choose and write the letter of the
best answer.

1. It is a trait characterized by overly high self-esteem and self-centerdness.

a. Narcissism b. Venus c. Egoism
2. It entails self-evaluation.
a. Social Contrast b. Social comparison c. Social justice
3. It is comparing ourselves with those who are better than us.
a. Downward Social Comparison b. upward social comparison c. Ego
4. It is a common type of comparing ourselves with others.
a. Downward Social Comparison b. upward social comparison c. Ego
5. Other similar concept to self.
a. Identity b. culture c. Society

Page | 22
 LESSON 4

SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN

THOUGHT

4.2 Lesson Objective

At the end of this lesson, the student must be able to:

1. Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thought;

2. Choose a representation from the Filipino self; and
3. Differentiate the concept of self according to Western through against Eastern
perspectives.

4.3 Introduction
Different cultures and varying environment tend to create different
perceptions of the self and one of the most common distinctions between cultures
and people in the Eastern-vs-Western dichotomy wherein Eastern represents Asia
and Western represents Europe and Northern America.

4.4 Content

Information Sheet 1

There are many sources in which you can analyze the perspective of each
culture and country about the concept of “self.” In this lesson, we will look at
religious beliefs and political philosophies that greatly influenced the mindset of
each nation or culture.
First is Confucianism. It can be seen as a code of ethical conduct, of how one should
properly act according to their relationship with other people; thus it is also focused
on having a harmonious social life. Thus, 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.

Page | 23
Eastern Self
Everyone is interconnected in a drama with specific roles. Self-cultivation: The
cultivated self in Confucianism is what some scholars call a “subdued self” wherein
personal needs are repressed [subdue] for the good of many, making Confucian
society also hierarchal for the purpose of maintaining order and balance.
Second philosophy is Taoism. Taoism was founded by Lao Tzu. Taoism is living
to the way of the Tao (Universe). However, they reject the hierarchy and strictness of
Confucianism. Taoism prefers to live a simple life. Self is not an extension of family or
community. Self is part of the universe, one of the forms and manifestations of the
Tao. The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self, it is living a
balanced-about prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well
as complementarily among humans as well as other beings.
The 3rd is 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 suffering. Life is full of suffering and it is made up of a cycle of
birth, decay, illness, death. It is therefore our quest to forget about the self, forget the
craving of the self, break the attachments you have with the world, and to renounce
the self w/c is the cause of suffering and in doing so, attain the state of nirvana.
Nirvana (liberation)blowing out the flames of desire.

Western Self
Western Self focuses on self (Individualistic). You compare in order to be
better. You create associations and bask in the glory of that group for your self-
esteem. You put primacy on developing yourself. By focusing on the self, they may
seem to have loose associations or even loyalty to their groups. Competition is the
name of the game and they are more likely straightforward and forceful in their
communication as well as decision making. They value equality even if they see that
individual can rise above everything else. They also promote ideals that create 'fair'
competition and protect the individual.

Western and Eastern Differences

Western referred as the school of thought from Greek Philosophy. It is rooted
from Rome and Christianity. Laws are the ones that govern the behavior. It is
individualist in culture. It is all about 'I'. Tries to find self as it is the given part of the
divine. Logical, scientific, rational, and focus on ethics.
Eastern roots are from Asia. They believe that natural world does not follow
laws, it simply 'is'. It is collectivist in culture. It is all about 'We'. Drawn on people's
actions and thought as one. Trying to get rid of the false 'me' concept and find
meaning in discovering the true 'me'. Life is all about unity. The inner self must be
freed.

Page | 24
Western and Eastern Similarities
Similarities: Both approach share a concept that a deeper understanding of reality is
possible. Influenced by the notion that there is a supreme being who guides the
mankind and provides for all he created. Believes in the concept of "god as the king
of universe".

4.5 ACTIVITY

Activity 1

Direction: Select the correct answer.

1. It is known as noble man

a. Chun-Tzu b. Li c. Yan
2. A cultural belief that self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance
a. Taoism b. Confucianism c. Buddhism
3. They possess an attitude of being straightforward and forceful in
communication.
a. Eastern b. Western c. Northern

Activity 2

Option 1 : Make a mandala art work that represent about yourself. Then, put your
explanation at the back of the mandala.

Option 2 : Create a concept map of the SELF according to Filipino culture. Provide a
brief explanation of your output. You can also cite books or researches about Filipino
culture, self, and identity to further elaborate on the topic.

Page | 25
 SUMMARY

 Self – it is defined to as “a unified being, essentially connected to

consciousness, awareness, and agency (or, at least, with the faculty of
rational choice).
 The self is comprised of two, correlated, aspects: The I and the ME. The I refers to
that aspect of self that is actively experiencing the world (e.g., perceiving, thinking,
or feeling). The ME refers to that aspect of self that is an object of our attention,
thought, or perception. The I is implicated in (virtually) everything we do; it is
nearly always present in consciousness. The ME is not always part of our
experience; we very often take other people and things as the object of our
attention.  The term self-concept refers to the way people characteristically think
about themselves; the term self-esteem refers to the way people characteristically
feel about themselves. 
 Self-psychology is concerned with subjective experience (with what people think
they are like); personality psychology is more concerned with objective experience
(with what people are actually like). Despite these differences, selfpsychology and
personality share many similarities. This occurs because what people are really like
influences how they think and feel about themselves, and because people’s
thoughts and feelings about themselves represent one aspect of their personality.
 Not all theorists ignored the self during the era when behaviorism reigned.
Sociologists and numerous clinical psychologists maintained that people’s
selfreferent thoughts and feelings were an important topic for psychological
study. Several experimental findings also cast doubt on a strictly mechanistic
analysis of behavior.
 These developments allowed the self to be restored as a legitimate topic of
psychological study.  Several functions of the self were identified. The I refers to
our awareness that we are a distinct and unified entity, continuous over time, and
capable of willful action. The ME influences the processing of information, and
guides present and future behavior.

Page | 26
 POST-TEST

Two-Minute Speeches

Prepare a two-minute speech about yourself describing the essence of your personal
identity, “Who are you?”. You can choose to share a personal story or an interesting
experience. You can talk about your family and career, or your goals and dreams.

Presentation Notes

Debriefing Questions

• What was your experience going through this exercise?

• How was this difficult for you?
• What were you thinking (self-talk) before and during this speech?
• What were you feeling before you told your story?
• What is it you want us to see in you by telling this story?

Page | 27
 REFERENCES:

 UnderstandingTheSelf/Outcome-BasedModule/By/
JonathanVeranMacaya,PhD,RPsy/JasmineNadjaJunghan-Pinugu,RPm,RGC/
JohnChristopherDimasakaCastillo,MsSW,RSW
 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/nature-vs-nurture
 https://www.eriesd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?
moduleinstanceid=19511&dataid=24592&FileName=Module%201%20-
%20Understanding%20Self%20Participant%20Booklet%20v4.pdf
 https://utsged101portfolio.wordpress.com/section-1-social-environmental-
and-other-life-factors-s-e-l-f/
 https://www.bing.com/search?
q=nature+vs+nurture+in+understanding+the+self&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-
1&pq=nature+vs+nurture+in+unde&sc=0-
25&sk=&cvid=1D35B368B9EF4A999E934517E76C93C2
 https://www.eriesd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?
moduleinstanceid=19511&dataid=24592&FileName=Module%201%20-
%20Understanding%20Self%20Participant%20Booklet%20v4.pdf

Page | 28
Page | 29