Program: Topic: Defining the Self: Personal and

Developmental Perspectives on Self and

Identity:
Course: Understanding the Self Instructor: Anthony A. Alagon
Code PSY100 Module #: 3 MONTH Week 5-6 # of Page: 15

I. Preliminaries
Introduction to the In confidence or in an attempt to avoid further analytical discussions, a lot of
Module Objective 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 in the previous module, there are various definitions of the “self”
and other similar interchangeable concepts in psychology. Simply put, “self” is “
the sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals (Jhangiani and
Tarry 2014).”
Section Topics Learning Outcomes Assessment/ Modality
Evaluation

1. Demonstrate critical
 Learning  Module
Section 1: The Self as and reflective thought Journal  Google
Cognitive Construct in analyzing the
 Concept Classroom/Meet/Zoom
development of one’s Map  Canvas
Section 2: The Self in self and identify by
Western and Eastern
 Activity:  Social media platforms
developing a theory of  Two
Thoughts the self. Sides of
. 2. Compare and contrast the Same
how the self has been Planet
represented across  “You”
different disciplines through
and perspective. other’s
eyes

II. Instructions (Keywords and Concepts)

 Cognitive Construct- also known as Constructivism, was pioneered by Jean Piaget.
Constructivists purport that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world
through their experiences and their reflections upon these experiences.
 Eastern- it means coming from or associated with the people or countries of the East, such as
India, China, or Japan.
 Fake Self- refers to certain types of false personalities that develop as the result of early and
repeated environmental failure, with the result that the true self-potential is not realized, but hidden.
 Self-worth - the sense of one's own value or worth as a person
 True Self- The true self is the epicenter of a person's entire being, it is the total sum of everything
that we are
 Western- Western is used to describe things, people, ideas, or ways of life that come from or are
associated with the United States, Canada, and the countries of Western, Northern, and Southern
Europe.

Content Lecture/ Discussion

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Module 3. Section 1: The Self as Cognitive Construct

The psychology of studying self is about either the cognitive and affective representation of one's
identity or the subject of experience. The earliest formulation of the self in modern psychology forms the
distinction between the self as I, the person knower, and the self as Me, the person that is known.

“The Self and It Selves”

William James, a psychologist, has introduced in his document The Principles

of Psychology (1890) a numerous concepts and distinction of self. For James,
his main concepts of self are the “me-self” and the “I-self”. The “me-self” is
the phenomenal self, the experienced self or the self as known. It is the self
that has experience the phenomena and who had known the situation. The “I-
self” is the self-thought or the self-knower. James had claimed that the
understanding of Self can be separated into three categories: “1. Its
constituents; 2. The feeling and emotions they arouse – Self-feelings; 3. The
actions to which they prompt – Self-seeking and self-preservation (James,
1890, p162)

Also, James wrote sub-categories of self, 1. the material self; 2. the social self;
and 3. the spiritual self.

The Material Self is constituted by our bodies, clothes, immediate family and
home. It is in this that we attached more deeply into and therefore we are most
affected by because of the investment we give to these things. The Social Self
is based on our interactions with society and the reaction of people towards
us. It is our social self that thought to have multiple divergence or different
version of ourselves. It varies as to how we present ourselves to a particular
social group. The most intimate self, the spiritual self. It is the most intimate
because it is more satisfying for the person that they have the ability to argue
and discriminate one’s moral sensibility, conscience and indomitable will.

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Conception of Self

Carl Rogers, had come up with his conception of self through the intervention he used for his client,
the Person-centered therapy. It is a non-directive intervention because it believes that all people
have the potential to solve their own problems. Rogers believe that people must be fully honest
with themselves in order to have personal discovery on oneself. In this concept of self, he had come
up with three sides of a triangle.

a. The Perceived Self (Self worth - how the person sees self & others sees them)
b. The Real Self (Self Image - How the person really is)
c. The Ideal Self (How the person would like to be)

Concept of Unified and Multiple Self

As DanielCW (2016) wrote in his article “Psychoanalysis vs Postmodern Psychology” he has

emphasized how Freud perceived person as a unified beings and Gergens concept of multiple
“selves”

In Freud’s concept, he argued that mind is divided into three connected but distinct parts. The Id,
Ego and Super Ego. Id as the center of primitive, animalistic impluses (sex, food & comfort)
following the pleasure principle. Superego as the center for ethical imperative. The one that
reminds the self of what is right of wrong following morality principle. And the Ego as the moderator
between these two which was driven by rationality principle. And then also, Freud has stated two
important division of mind, the conscious and unconscious. Conscious are the thoughts that we
are aware of. And Unconscious as thoughts that we are not aware of. (DanielCW, 2016)
Although, Freud has argued that self has multiple parts, he still believed that ultimately we are a
Unified being (at least, when we are healthy). Ego remains at the helm of mind, guiding the Id and
Superego and staying at the center. Thus Gergen argued that having a flexible sense of self allows
for multiple “selves”. That it is up to the self to define himself as warm or cold, dominant or
submissive, sexy or plain.

According to Kenneth Gergen, proponent of Postmodern Psychology, the individual has many
potential selves. He carries within him the capacity to identify himself, whether warm or cold,
dominant or submissive, sexy or plain. How we bring ourselves in every situation will help him get
through for a day. Therefore, maybe it is healthy to have many mask. Multiple selfhood is part of
what it means to be human, and forcing oneself to stick to one self-concept maybe unhealthy.

True Self and Fake Self

True Self, as rooted from early infancy is called the simple being. The sense of self based on
spontaneous authentic experience and feeling of being alive, having “real self”.

Example, as a baby we react base on our sense of reality. The baby reacted spontaneously based
on our instinctual sense.

Fake Self, is our defense facade. Overlaying or contradicting the original sense of self. Problem
would be we might build false set of relationship through concealing a barren emptiness behind an
independent-seeming façade.

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Module 3. Section 2: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts

There is a clash of civilization that is plaguing the country right now and though this is not officially and
consciously acknowledged, this war for dominance is victimizing all Filipinos in one form or another. There
is really no middle ground, and it is either one is rooting for the other side or opposing all contentions and
wisdom from another side. This is the battle for the dominance, and prisoners are not taken and captured.
This is literally, the war between the eastern self versus the western self.

Western culture basically is about the focus on oneself and personal needs; Eastern culture is about
focus on others and the feeling of others. Western culture is predicated on putting egoism first while Eastern
culture is about collectivism. Conceptually, there is a vast of difference between egoism and collectivism.
While egoism is focused on oneself, collectivism is all about focus on others. While the Western culture is
inclined in more acquisition of material things, the Eastern culture is tilted towards less assets (thus the
mantra less is more). Western culture is obsessed with being successful, the eastern culture is more
inclined towards long life; for the Eastern culture, long life is equated with wealth.

In the Eastern culture, wealth and poverty is the result of fortune and luck, for the Western culture,
wealth and poverty is the result of enterprise and hard work. The Eastern culture values the wisdom of
years and seniority, while the Western culture celebrates the youth and being young. Philosophically, the
Eastern culture subscribe to concept of reincarnation while Western culture subscribe to the idea of
evolution. Taken as a whole, these basic and subtle differences between the Eastern culture and the
Western culture are taking its toll on Filipinos on which culture to adopt. The dilemma is whether to follow
and subscribe to the Western influences or subscribe to Eastern ideas.

Western Philosophy

Western Philosophy (Ancient Greek, Europeans, and Americans) usually focus on five
categories:
Metaphysics- the study of existence
Epistemology- study of knowledge
Ethics- the study if action
Politics- the study of force
Aesthetics- the study of art

In western philosophy, the philosophers tend to use a lot of logic, reasoning and categorization. They
tend to break down the ideas as much as they could. They also focused on the ideas in parts rather than
the whole.

Eastern Philosophy

Eastern Philosophy (Mostly China and India) also explored the five main categories, but they
didn’t really make a distinction between certain categories.
They didn’t make a distinction on:
Metaphysics and Epistemology
Philosophy and Religion

Although Western Philosophy tends to focus on the parts in an idea, the Eastern Philosophers focus to
look at an idea as a whole. Rather than breaking down ideas and concepts into categories, Eastern
Philosophy preferred to generalize the ideas and show how they’ll reflect the same truths. Western
philosophy focuses on the finding the differences in ideas, while Eastern philosophy focuses on the
similarities.

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 CONFUCIANISM

 Can be seen as a code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to their
relationship with other people
 Focused on having a harmonious social life
 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 but the characteristics of a chun-tzu
 Chun-tzu, a man of virtue or noble character.
 Subdued Self- 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

 Is living in the way of the Tao or the universe.

 Taoists adopt a free-flowing, relative, unitary as well as paradoxical view of almost everything
 Taoism 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 an extension of the family or the community; it is a 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, forgetting about prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality
as well as complementary among humans as well as other beings.

BUDDHISM

1. Suffering exists
2. The origin of this suffering
3. There is an end to suffering
4. How to stop the suffering?

Eightfold Path

1. Right view
2. Right Resolve
3. Right Speech
4. Right Conduct
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

• The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold or control things, or human-
centered needs
• The self is the source of all the sufferings; Therefore, it is our quest to forget about 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

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 West and East

INDIVIDUALISTIC VS COLLABORATIVE

WEST EAST
I am special I am part of my family
I am unique I am part of my community
I am me I am part of my country
I am an individual The goodness of the whole is more important than
the individual
I am who I am My actions directly impact my family and my
community
I am a rational agent
I am responsible for my own action.

West Brain, East Brain

how deeply culture—the language we speak, the values we absorb—shapes the brain

Cultural neuroscience (culture reflects on different regions of the brain)

The Americans The Asians showed

showed more activity more activity in areas
in regions that that process figure-
recognize objects. ground relations-holistic
context

Psychologist Nalini Ambady (2009) showed drawings of people in a submissive pose (head down,
shoulders hunched) or a dominant one (arms crossed, face forward) to Japanese and Americans.
The brain's dopamine-fueled reward circuit became most active at the sight of the stance. Japanese
response to submissive poses while Americans response to dominant poses

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEST AND EAST

Individualistic vs Collaborative

Self

Lifestyle

Relationship

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 How is the child taken care of?

How a senior life looks like?

Problem solving

Low Power Distance High Power Distance

Persons must earn respect
Collaborative classrooms
Teachers facilitate learning
Persons direct themselves
Parents teach children to obey
Children respect parents and those in authority
Teachers take initiative in class
Teachers are to transfer wisdom
Students respect teachers
Persons expect direction

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Independence Interdependence
Develop early independence Learn to depend on others
Express yourself Read nonverbal cues
Responsible for self Listen to authority
Live on one’s own Responsible for others; Personal goals
secondary to goals of the group
One’s own goals take priority : Motivated by Motivated by the norms of, and duties imposed
own preferences, needs, and rights by the group
Tasks are more important than relationships Relationships are more important than tasks
Cognitive skills independent of social skills Social and Cognitive skills are integrated

Definitions of Education

West East
(Latin) which comes from a verb “educere” Teaching
Which means to lead, draw, and bring out. Nurturing

The horizontal “drawing out” of wisdom into vision

Taiwan’s education pays more
attention to the instilling and
accumulation of knowledge,
US pays great attention to train cultivating the students’ respect
the students’ practice ability to
to the knowledge and authority
and building the ability to inherit
utilize the knowledge, cultivating the knowledge system.
the students’ question to the  The acceptance to
knowledge and authority and knowledge
building the ability to extend the  Structured
knowledge system.  Consistence
 The dynamic changes to
knowledge
 Unstructured
 Freedom
TEACHERS

West East
American teachers were more knowledgeable Chinese teachers had stronger
about general educational theories and knowledge of the subject matter and
classroom skills. building the solid foundation.

Evokes creative thinking. Spend more time with their students

Encourage students to challenge the Persistent

Knowledge
Teaching atmosphere lively and vivid Authority figure

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 STUDENTS

West East
Self-confident Disciplined
Independent Obedient
Curious Good observers
Free thinking Patient
Respectful
Afraid of making mistakes

SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
West East
Informal, egalitarian Formal, hierarchical
People most comfortable with their social equals; People most comfortable in the presence of a
importance of social rankings minimized. hierarchy in which they know their position and
the customs/rules for behavior in the situation.

III. Viable and vibrant Activities

Description of the Learning Activities

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Activity 1: “You Through Others’ Eyes

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, you need to trace your right hand in the
space provided below, around that hand, list ten to fifteen (10-15) qualities or things that you think define
who you are.

TRACE YOUR RIGHT HAND HERE BELOW

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?”

Ask ALL of your classmates to write briefly and only those that they observe about you. Ask them not to
use bad words nor write their name

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 ANALYSIS

Compare what you wrote about yourself to those written by your classmates and answer the
following questions:

1. What aspects are similar and which are not?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

2. What aspects are always true to you?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

3. What aspects are sometimes true or circumstantial?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

4. What aspects do you think are not really part of your personality?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

5. What did you learn from this activity?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Activity 2: Two Sides of the Same Planet

Write top five (5) differences between Western and Eastern society, culture, and individuals in
the table below. Cite your sources.

Western Eastern

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?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

IV. Opportunity to reflect and articulate students’ acquired knowledge.

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Purpose of the activity

1. To differentiate the concept of self according to Western thought against Eastern/Oriental

perspectives.

2. To create a representation of the Filipino self.

3. To analyze the effects of various factors identifie in psychology in the formation of self.

Criteria for Evaluation

Each item will be scored (5 pts. each) according to the following Criteria:

5 points- if rich in content, insightful analysis, synthesis and evaluation, clear connections made to real-
life situations or to previous content, an occasional grammatical or stylistic error.

4 points- if substantial in information, general connections are made but are sometimes not clear, few
grammatical or stylistic errors.

3 points- If information is thin and commonplace, connections are limited, little evidence of personal
connection, obvious grammatical or stylistic errors

2 points- Rudimentary and superficial, little analysis, lack of connection to personal life, obvious
grammatical errors or errors make content very difficult to read.

0 points-No work submitted

Summary and Reflection

Please refer to student’s Learning Journal

V. Textbooks and other References

1. Alata et Al. (2018).RBS Understanding The Self (1st Edition)
2. Johnson, T. (1985). The western concept of self. In Marsella (Ed.), Culture and self: Asian and
western perspectives (pp. 91 – 138). Tavistock Publications
3. Wei-Ming, T. (1985). Selfhood and Others in Confucian Thought. In Marsella (ed).
Culture and Self: Asian and western perspectives. Tavistock Publication. 231 – 251.

PREPARED BY:

Mr. Anthony A. Alagon

Professor

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

PSY100- MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF