UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
THE SLEF FROM THE VARIOUS
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
Philosophy
 The fundamental nature of
knowledge, reality, and existence.
 It is much concerned with the
fundamental nature of self
 We can get in philosophy, first, can
justify own opinion. Second, explain
in people why they are wrong. Next
is you can spot bad argument
(against the topic).
 Philosophy, teach how to think.
 First person who used philosophy
word was Phythagoras.
Ubuntu Philosophy
 Ubuntu originated in ancient Africa
 A new born baby is not a person.
Kapag new born ang bata wala pa
siyang soul, so, hindi pa siya ganap
na tao.
 But upon growing up they
experiences (baby) ‘yong nag mmold
sa kanila para maging isang kabuuan
ng isang self o maging isang tao.
 People are both without ena, ena
means soul.
Philosophers
Socrates
 Socrates was the first philosopher to
engage in a systematic questioning
about the self.
 "the true task of the philosopher is to
Plato
know oneself", in short, Know
thyself
 Main task ng philosopher ay dapat
malaman niya kung sino siya at kung
bakit siya nag eexist, Socrates main
point of view.
AJF
 Man is composed of body and soul.
He believe that man is dualistic.
 The body cannot leave without the
soul. The body and soul cannot leave
without each other.
 Body = imperfect, impermanent
 Soul = perfect, permanent
 An examine life is not worth living.
If we do not reflect to our
experiences here on earth then we do
not really know the meaning of life.
 According to him, we should always
reflect on the meaning of life.
 There is a soul before the body. We
already existing before our body
 We are existing in the realm of ideas,
before we live or na materialize dito
sa earth .
 In the realm of ideas or kung saan
tayo nag eexist before tayo mag exist
dito sa mundo is we are full of
wisdom but once our soul comes in
material world, tinatawag niyang
material world ang earth.
 Kung saan tayo ng galing doon ang
relam of ideas. Basically kapag
pumunta na ‘yong soul natin sa
material world or na transfer na sa
material world we forget all.
 Kaya may tinatawag tayo na socratic
method. There is a just we still
remember our material self is
connecting doon sa past self natin, na
nag stay doon sa realm of ideas.
 He was student of Aristotle
 Plato supported the idea that man is a
dual nature of body and soul.
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Basically they are same ideas with
Socrates that man is dualistic. Man
has a body and man has a soul
 He founded the academy which
became the proto type of today’s
university.
 He believe that there is an dichotomy
between the ideal and the material
world
 He also believe na meron tayong
ideal world and material world.
 Material world we live in today is
not real. It just a replica of what was
in the ideal world.
 We are just replica, kumbaga sa
mirror, we are the shadow. The true
world is nasa labas.
 The real world is the world of fords.
The world we live in is the material
world, same concept with Socrates.
 The soul is the most divine aspect of
the self.
 Soul is not merely related with God,
it is not merely related with our
religion or with faith, our soul ay
hindi natin nakikita at ayon ang
nagpapagalaw sa atin as a person
 Kapag naghiwalay yong soul natin
then mawawala ‘yong dichotomy ,
means we have one body and one
soul, dahil may soul at body tayo we
are human being, we have our own
self, this is the idea of dichotomy.
 3 opponents of the soul
• Rational
- This the part of our soul which is
responsible with our reasoning and
intellect. Our thinking soul. Ito ‘yong
pinakasuperior or pinakamataas sa
lahat ng soul natin.
AJF
- Responsible of thinking.
- Ito dapat lagging pinapairal
• Spirited
- Responsible for our emotion and
passion
• Appetitive
- Responsible for our desire, for our
basic needs as a person.
St. Augustine
 Augustine agreed that man is
bifurcated nature.
 Bifurcated nature means we also
believe that dichotomy concept of
self (the man has body and man has a
soul). We have two aspect of a
person, imperfect body and we also
have this body that is capable of
reaching immortality, which is the
soul.
 The body dies and the soul reunites
with creator.
 His perspective was influence by
Plato, however St. Augustine also
thinks or believe “This world is just
material world” and meron tayong
higher type of world and that is
heaven.
 Believes in present of God
 Most attempted philosophy of the
catholic or the Christian churches.
 Our life in world is temporary, our body.
The real world is heaven.
St. Thomas Aquinas
 Man is composed of the hyle and the
morphe.
 The soul is what animates the body;
it is what makes us human.
 The man is composed of matter
form.
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Matter and Form we have;
Hyle Morphe
 If our body and soul separated,
basically we are death.
 For Hyle, this is the matter, the
common stuff that make up
everything. Our body is our matter
that’s what makes up everything
 Morphe is our form, essence of
living
 According to Aquinas, the essence of
living are only located sa atin, na
human being.
Rene Descartes
 Father of modern philosophy
 The body is a machine controlled by
mind.
 He popularized cogito ergo sum.
 He believed that a human being was
essentially self-contained and self-
sufficient; an inherently rational,
mind-bound subject, who ought to
encounter the world outside her head
with skepticism.
 "the only thing that you can be
certain of is your own cogito or the
fact that you are thinking"
 He doubts the physically existence of
physical body, his first pov
 The name of his doubt is hyperbolic,
doubt of existence as a person
 The mere fact that I doubt my
existence is the evidence that I truly
exist, even though I don’t believe
that I exist with my body but the
mere fact I doubt na nageexist ako is
the reason na nageexist ako, his
idead about the quote I think
AJF
therefore I am, his famous quote. I
think I exist therefore I exist
John Locke
 He believed that perception and
experience of a person is important
in the establishment of who the
person you can become.
 Popular with his concept "Tabula
Rasa" or Blank Slate, means nong
pinanganak tayo wala tayong
kamuwang muwang sa mundo.
 We are born a Blank State
 Our identity, our body, our soul is
not identified immediately, in our
human body
 He include person memory
David Hume
 Self is a collection of different
perceptions.
 The self is not an entity over and
beyond the physical body.
 "Self is just a bundle of different
perception"
 All knowledge is the right from our
human senses.
 He was popular with bundle theory.
 Our self is collection of impressions,
impression means our directive vivid
experiences
 Somehow same his idea with John
Locke
 Bundle theory, impression and idea.
Immanuel Kant
 He argued that ideas are apparatus in
the mind.
 The self is not just what gives one
his personality; it is also the seat of
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
knowledge acquisition for all human
person.
 We have our inner and outer self
 He doesn’t believe in body and soul
 Our inner and outer self are
manifesting in form of consciousness
 Inner self comprise of our
psychological state, which is our
mind, our brain and our rational
thinking.
 Outer self includes, sense and
physically world.
Gilbert Ryle
 He denies of internal and non-
physical self which is our soul.
 "what truly matters is the behavior a
person manifests in his day-to -day
life.
 Behavior-our action, day to day life
 Self is not an entity one can locate
and analyze but simply the
convenient name the people use to
refer to all the behaviors that people
make.
 If you want to understand yourself
you should look into you day to day
behavior or action
Merleau-Ponty
 He believed that everything about us
are one and cannot be separated.
 The mind and body are so
intertwined that they cannot be
separated from one another.
- Need lang natin hasain ‘yong mga
nasa mind natin for us to be function
well as a person
Sigmund Freud – A psychologist
AJF
 The self is multilayered
 The unconscious is the source of our
motivations.
 he identified three structures of
personality; ID, EGO,SUPEREGO
like iceberg
 sa ice berg mahahalintulad ang ating
brain since we have conscious part,
unconscious part and preconscious
part
 Conscious, the things we currently
aware
 Preconscious, memories experience
na hindi naming iniisip ngayon pero
kapag tinanong ka alam o lalabas
sasagutin mo
 Unconscious mind, our most painful
experiences, keep down
 ID structure of our mind wherein it
works in pleasure seeking mind,
mature, impulsive, child life cannot
delay graphication, like devil
 EGO reality principle, work in
reality principle and it can console
the ID, CAN DELAY
GRAPHICATION, EGO DECIDE
 SUPERGO the concise and the
moral judge of conduct, siya ba
sasabi na bawal yan. Too much
influence of the superego can cause
anxiety
Psychosexual Stages of Development
 Oral Stage: Birth to 1 year
- Erogenous Zone: Mouth
 Anal Stage: 1 to 3
- Erogenous Zone: Bowel and Bladder
Control
 Phallic Stage: 3 to 6 Year
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
- Erogenous Zone: Genitals,
nagkakaroon na ng curiosity regards
to his genitals
 Latent Stage: 6 to Puberty
- Libido Inactive
 Genital Stage: Puberty to death
- Maturing sexual interest
EGO DEVELOPS
Oral – The mouth-sucking, swallowing etc.
SELF FROM THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
 Self-contained – distinct with its
own thoughts, characteristic, and
volition
 Consistent – enduring; expected to
persist for quite some time
 Independent – does not require other
self to exist
 Unitary – center of all experiences
and thoughts.
 Private - isolated from the external
world
Social constructivists argue that the self
should not be seen as a static entity that
stays constant through and through.
 The self has to be seen as something
that is in increasing flux, in a
constant struggle with external
reality and is malleable in its
dealings with society.
 We ourselves play different role , act
in different ways depending on our
circumstance.
AJF
Anal – The anus- withholding or expelling
faeces
Phallic- The penis or clitoris – masturbation
SUPEREGO DEVELOPS
Latent – Little or no sexual motivation
present
Genital – The penis or vagina – sexual
intercourse
 Separate - distinct of others
According to Mauss, every self has two
faces:
 Moi
Person’s basic identity
 Personne
Composed of social concepts of what
it means to be who he is.
Language is another interesting aspect of
this social constructivism.
Language is a salient part of the culture and
ultimately, has a tremendous effect effect in
our crafting o the self.
 For Mead and Vygotsky, the way
that human persons develop with the
use of language acquisition and
interaction with others.
 The way we process information is
normally a form of an internal
dialogue in our head. Those who
deliberate about moral dillemas
undergo this internal dialogue.
The Self in Families
 The kind of family that we are born
in, the resource available to us, and
the kind of development that we will
have will certainly affect us.
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Human person learn that ways of
living and therefore their selfhood by
being in a family.
Gender and the Self
 Gender is one of those loci of self
that is subject to alteration. change,
and development
 The sense of self that is being taught
make sure that an individual fits in a
particular environment, is dangerous
and detrimental in the goal is truly
finding one's self.
Sociology
A social science that studies human
societies, their interactions, and the
processes that preserve and change them.
 Mead: Social Self
 Cooley: The looking glass – self
 Goffman: Constructing Situations
and Drama
The Social Self
 the social self is created through
social interaction
 process started in childhood, with
children beginning to develop a
sense of self at about the same time
that they began to learn language.
 Social experience
 Communication
 Reflective Reflexive
Stages in the Development of the Self
Preparatory
Children mimic/imitate others
Play Stage
children pretend to play the role of a
particular or significant others
Game Stage
children play organized games and
take on the perspective of the generalized
other.
AJF
• Generalized other
• Dual Nature Self
The Looking Glass Self
 The looking glass self refers to the
notion that self develops through our
perception of other's evaluation and
appraisal of us.
 The image people have of
themselves is based on how they
believe others perceive them.
We imagine how we appear to other people
We imagine how other people judge the
appearance that we think we present
• If we think the evaluation is
favorable, our self concept is
enhanced
• If we think the evaluation is
favorable, our self concept is
diminished
Constructive Situations and Drama
 meaning is constructed through
interaction
Interaction Order - what we
do in the immediate presence of
others.
 DRAMATURGY focuses on how
individuals take on roles and act
them out to present a favorable
impression to their audience.
 Goffman argues that people are
concerned with controlling how
others view them, a process call
impression management
The Self is a Social Construct
 FRONTSTAGE. people play
different roles throughout their daily
lives and display different kinds of
behavior depending on where they
are and the time of the day
 BACKSTAGE. when people engage
in back stage behavior, they are free
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
of the expectations and norms that
dictate front stage behavior.
 Each definition of a situation lends
itself to a different approach , and the
consequences are real.
 The self is a social construction
dependent of the situation.
PYSCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF
THE SELF
The Self as Cognitive Construct
 Theories see the self and identity as
mental constructs, created and
recreated in the memory
 Identity is composed of personal
characteristics, social roles, and
responsibilities, as well as
affiliations that define who one is
 Self-concept is what comes to your
mind Self-concept is what comes to
your mind
Identity
• Other similar concept to self
Self, identity, and Self-concept are not
fixed in one time frame.
 Carl Rogers
He captured this idea in his concept
of self-schema or our organized
system or collection of knowledge
about who we are.
 Sigmund Freud
Freud saw the self, its mental
processes, and one's behavior as the
result of interaction between the Id,
Ego, and Superego
 Carver & Scheier
He identified two types of Self-
awareness:
1. Private Self
2. Public Self
Why?
Self and Identity as Social Product
AJF
 We do not create ourselves out of
nothing.
 We need others to affirm and
reinforce who we think we are.
 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 in
providing us with self-identity.
Self-Awareness times when we are aware of
our self-concept
Two types of Self-Awareness
CARVER AND SCHEIER
 Private Self these are your private
thoughts, feelings
 Public Self this is your public image
and it is geared toward having a
good presentation
Schema of Self- Awareness
 Actual Self - who are you at the
moment
 Ideal Self - who you like to be
 Ought Self - 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 have
a great impact on our self-esteem.
• SELF ESTEEM is our own positive
or negative perception or evaluation
of ourselves.
Upward Social Comparison
It is comparing ourselves with those
who are better than us
Downward Social Comparison
It is a common type of comparing
ourselves with others.
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Social Contrast
It entails self-evaluation
Social Comparison
entails what is called self-evaluation
maintenance theory.
• Social Maintenance Theory means
we feel threatened when someone
out-performs us, especially if that
person is close to us.
• In an attempt to increase or maintain
self-esteem, some people become
Narcissistic
• Narcissistic is a trait by overly high
self-esteem, self-admiration and self-
centeredness.
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
psychological test and measurement
for self-esteem
Psychology and Self
 William James concept of Self
2 Aspect of the Self
"I Self"
• thinking, acting, and feeling self.
"Me Self"
• concerned with describing personal
experience
 CARL ROGERS self -Theory
Three Components of the Self
• Self-image
• Ideal Self
• Self esteem
 ALBERT BANDURA self as
proactive and agentic
• Bandura views people as
agents of experience.
• He suggests that humans
have the ability to act and
make things happen.
• He proposed 4 Agentic
Perspective
1. Intentionally
2. Forethought
3. Self-reactiveness
4. Self-reflectiveness
• He emphasized the
importance of social learning
• human beings are always
striving for self-fulfillment or
self-actualization
• When the needs of the self
are denied, severe anxiety
may result.
• he was popular for his "Bobo
Doll Experiment"
Self-Concept
• image of self
4 Steps in Observational Learning
1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Motor reproduction
4. Motivation
SELF EASTERN WESTERN
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.
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

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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Asian Culture is called a
collectivistic culture as the group of
social relations that is given more
importance that individual needs and
wants
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.
 Golden Rule: Principle of
Reciprocity; "Do not do unto others
what you would not want others to
do to you "
 The individual' s greatest mission of
attaining Self-realization wherein
self-cultivation is instrumental
 Self-cultivation is knowing one ' s
role in society and acting
accordingly.
 Moral character is perfected through
continuously taking every
opportunity to improve oneself in
thought and action.
 System of thoughts and behavior
originating in Ancient China
Taoism
 Living in the way of the Tao or the
universe
AJF
 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
 The self is an extension of the
cosmos, not of social relationship
 The self is described as one of the
limitless forms of the Tao
 Tao is regarded as a nature that is the
foundation of all that exist.
 The perfect man has no self and the
selfless person leads to a balanced
life, in harmony with both nature and
society.
 Chinese Philosophy attributed to Lao
Tzu
Buddhism
 "buhd" means awake
 Siddharta Gautama known as
Buddha is the founder of 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.
5 parts that compose the individual
1) Matter
2) Sensation
3) Perception
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

4) Mental Constructs until it is freed from the cycle of

5) Consciousness
 There is no self ( nor soul), there is
only nothing and all else is an
illusion
 There is nothing permanent but
change.
 " anicca " - means impermanence /
everything in life is always changing,
nothing else last forever.
 The ideal is to experience Nirvana, a
state of transcendence devoid of self-
reference
 State of transcendence can be
achieved through meditation
Hinduism
 "the goal of a man is to have
knowledge of the true reality " -
Brahman
 Law of Karma is the most important
doctrine in Hinduism - Everything
that you do in the past will
eventually come back to bite you.
 Hindus believe that Atman being an
immortal soul continues to be
reincarnated from lifetime to lifetime
rebirth and reach a state of Nirvana
or Non Birth
 Karma does not end with a body ' s
death, it' s influence may extend
through incarnation of the soul
 The religion of ancient people
"Aryans"
Western Philosophy
• Individualism
• school of thought from Greek
Philosophy
• take its root from Rome and
Christianity main principle: self-
dedication
• focused on ethics
Eastern Philosophy
• Collectivism
• Based mainly in Asia
• Take its root from Confucius,
Buddhism, and Taoism
• Main principle: unity
• Thrives on virtues

AJF
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AJF
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