UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

The Self From Various Perspectives Sigmund Freud The self is multi-layered
SELF - a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others,
Gilbert Ryle The self is the way people behave
especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.
John Ruskin – a prominent social thinker of the Victorian era Paul and Patricia Churchland The self is the brain. Mental states
will superseded by self states
 He postulated the three perennial questions.
Three Fundamentally Perennial Questions Maurice Merleau-Ponty The self embodied subjectivity

1. Who am I? Socrates: Know yourself

2. Where does man come from?
3. Does man’s life have a purpose?
The Philosophical View of Self
PHILOSOPHY
 Comes from the Greek words, “philo” which means love and
“sophia” means wisdom.
 It means love for wisdom, an active pursuit of wisdom.
 A human search for meaning in life.
PHILOSOPHER WHO IS THE SELF?
Socrates, Plato and St.Augustine The self is an immortal soul that
exists over time
Descartes The self is a thinking thing, distinct
from the body
John Locke Personal Identity is made possible
by self-consciousness
David Hume There is no “self’, only a bundle of
constantly changing perceptions
passing through the theatre of our
minds
Immanuel Kant The self is a unifying object, an
organizing consciousness that
makes intangible experience
possible
 Principally concerned with man
 Considers man from the point of view of his inner life
 “Know yourself”, tells each man to bring his inner self to light
 The concept of virtue and knowledge is the core of Socratic ethics
 Virtue- the deepest and most basic propensity of man. Some
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 – Self as a rational substance consisting of body and soul
 According to him, the mind or soul is distinct in its own right and
is God-given.
 The soul has three parts – The head (exerts reason), the heart
(for noble impulses) and the diaphragm (seat of our own
passions)
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
“I think,therefore I am”
 French philosopher who is usually considered the “father of
modern philosophy”
 Man is a finite substance composed of two independent
substances known as “ Cartesian dualism” mind and body
 But what then am I? A thing which thinks. What is a thing which
thinks? It is a thing which doubts, understands, affirms, denies,
wills, refuses, which also imagines and feels.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Descartes knows that he exists and continues to exist as long as
he is a “thing that thinks”
 He stated that the mind and body are independent from each
other and serve their own function.
 According to him,man must use his own mind and thinking
abilities to investigate,analyze,experiment and develop himself
John Locke: Personal Identity
 Self-identity depends on our having the same consciousness and
memories
 He distinguishes between a substance (the soul) and
consciousness
 Memory provides an reliable link between what we might call
different stages of a person
 Two objections:
 We forget much of what we experience
 Our memories are not always accurate
David Hume (1711-1776)
“The self is the bundle theory of mind”
 For him, man has no “clear and intelligible” idea of the self
 Hume’s thesis in moral philosophy was as skeptical and shocking
as his thesis in epistemology:
 There is no knowledge of right and wrong and no rational
defense of moral principles
 These are based upon sentiment or feeling and, as such, cannot
be defended by argument
 The self is a fiction. When we are self-conscious we are aware of
only fleeting thoughts, feelings, and perceptions; we do not have
an impression of the self or a thinking substance
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
“Respect for Self”
 Life is the subjective condition of all our possible experience;
consequently we can only infer the permanence of the soul in life,
for the death of a man is the end of all experience
 German philosopher, probably the greatest philosopher since
Plato and Aristotle, who lived in a small town in East Prussia
(Konigsburg)
 He said that human knowledge is composed of sensory
component ad rational component (prori –comes the mind itself
and is dependent of sensation
 Two kinds of self:
o Empirical self – pertains to a particular aspect of self
that makes the self unique
o Transcendental self – the self is in activity or organizing
principle that actively interpret, constructs and gives
meaning to collections of sensory data
 For him, man is the only creature who governs and directs
himself and his actions, who set up ends for himself and his
purpose and who freely orders mean the attainment of his aims
 “Respect others as you respect yourself”
 All men are persons gifted with the basic rights and should treat
each other as equal
St. Augustine (354-430AD)
 One of the two great thinkers of the medieval period whose
works to some extent were influenced by Plato’s philosophy
 He contemplated that the self is a tripartite being.
 According to him, self is composed of body, soul and spirit.
o Body – the outer part of the self through which the self
can come in contact with the world
o Soul – the inner part which is composed of the mind, the
emotions and will
o Spirit – the innermost part or the core self
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
 Advocated effort to uncover the hidden nature of self
 The self is composed of the unconscious self or id, the conscious
self or ego, and the ideal self or superego
 He wanted to restore a harmonious balance among parts of mind
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976
 He claimed that Descartes’ body-mind dualism created a
category mistake which occurs when one category of something
is presented as belonging to another category
 The category mistake takes place when the self is thought to be a
pure mental entity that exists apart from certain observable
behavior
 The self must be comprehended as a pattern of behaviour or the
tendency of an individual to behave in a certain way in particular
situations
Patricia and Paul Churchland
 They disagreed with the behaviorism concept of the self as
postulated by Gilbert Ryle
 According to them, self is the brain where the mental state of
mind can impact the physical conditions of the self
 The brain is instrumental in making us human and special
Maurice Merlaeu-Ponty (1908-1961)
 According to him, there is an intimate and inseparable unity
between the self and the body.
 The self is the body, and the body is the self itself
 The self for him is an embodied subjectivity or the body-subject.
 The body plays a vital role in perception, knowledge and
meaning
The Psychological View of Self
Psychology
• Came from Greek words “psyche” and “logos”, which literally
means “soul” and “mind study.”
• Scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
• As a science, it is concerned with how we develop our sense of self
over the course of its development.
Me-Self- and I-self
• The sum total of all that he/she can call his/her, not only his /her
body and his/her psychic power, but his/her clothes, his/her
house, his/her spouse and children, etc
• The self is a construct which encompasses all aspects of the
person – both tangible and observable and even the internal and
more private aspects of the self
Three Constituents of the Me-Self
1. Material Self – this consists of one’s body, clothes, family,
home and the other possessions that one values and regards
s one’s own
2. Social Self – this includes how we think other people think
about us – our reputation is society
3. Spiritual Self – this includes our psychological faculties and
dispositions as well as thoughts, beliefs, and feelings which
are considered the most enduring and intimate art of the self
I-self ( the Self owner)
 Also called pure ego
 The processor of information or the thinker, which allows one to
be aware of the environment and one’s existence within the
environment.
Me-self (the self as known)
 Also called the empirical self
 Further divided into three constituents: a. the material self, b. the
social self, c. the spiritual self
The Differentiated Self
1. Dr. Murray Bowe (1913-1990) – an American psychiatrist who
was one of the pioneers of family therapy
2. Differentiation of Selves – refers to the degree to which one is
able to balance
a. emotional and intellectual functioning
b. intimacy and autonomy in relationship
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

3. It involves the ability to make clear boundaries between our Two Kinds of Selves
thoughts and feelings and to choose which of the two will guide
1. Real self – the image or picture of the self based on a
our behavior
person’s actual experiences and represents how he/she
Highly Differentiated Self really or actually sees himself/herself
2. Ideal self – is based on one’s hopes and wishes which
• Individuals are able to balance autonomy and intimacy in their
reflects to see himself/herself.
relationship
• This means that one is able to establish connection with others Real self and Ideal self
without losing one’s self in the process
• Individuals may engage in fusion in their relationships.
Poorly Differentiated Self • This means that they become very attached to roles they paly in a
relationship, they have few firmly held beliefs, they are more
• Individuals may engage in fusion in their relationships
likely to be compliant and seek approval before making
• This means that they become very attached to roles they play in a
necessary decisions
relationship, they have few firmly held beliefs, they are more
likely to be compliant and seek approval before making PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW OF SELF
necessary decisions
 Formulated by Sigmund Freud
Constituents of the Self feeling Self-seeking  Psychoanalysis: Freud’s Theory of Personality
“Me” self  Freud’s theory suggest that personality is composed of the id the
id, the ego the ego, and the superego the superego.
Material The feelings and The individual effort 1. ID: the unorganized, inborn part of personality whose purpose
emotions that are to preserve and is to immediately reduce tensions relating to hunger, sex,
Social
aroused in he better one’s self aggression, and other primitive impulses.
Spiritual individual by one’s knowledge and the
knowledge and resulting self-feeling 2. EGO: restrains instinctual energy in order to maintain the safety
appraisal of one’s of the individual and to help the person to be a member of
empirical existence in society.
the world 3. SUPEREGO: the rights and wrongs of society and consists of the
conscience and the ego-ideal.
Concepts related to self
Oral stage ( 0-1 year)
• Carl Rogers – a psychologist who is the proponent of Self theory
• Self – is made up of many self-perceptions,abilities and 1. Oral region (erogenous zone)
personality characteristics that are organized and consistent 2. Infants derive much pleasure in sucking activities such as
with one another sucking fingers,toes and nipples
• Self-concept or self identity - refers to the global 3. If not satisfied with this stage, needs may continue to resurface at
understanding a thinking being has of him or herself. a later period in life in such forms as eating or smoking
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Anal stage (2-3 years) • According to him, for each stage of development, some kind of
psychosocial crisis is likely to occur
1. Emphasis on toilet trainings
2. Over attention or lack of attention to children’s toilet training • First five stages occur during childhood and adolescent years
may cause problems associated with fixation of development at while the last three stages occur during adulthood
this stage: Compulsive need to be clean and orderly, Frugality and
Stage 1 (0-2 years) – Trust vs. Mistrust
Greed
3. Obstinate insistence on doing things at one’s own rate even at the • Child learns either trust or mistrust
expense of one’s patience, time, excessive massiveness and • If mother or the substitute mother is consistently affectionate
disorderly habits and loving, the infant develops feeling of security and trust. Child
becomes open to new experiences
Phallic Stage (4-6 years)
• If the mother is cold, inattentive and rejecting, abusive or
1. Genital region (erogenous zone)
inconsistent in discipline, the infant becomes insecure
2. Derive pleasure from activities associated with striking and
and distrustful. Child becomes close to new experience
manipulating their sex organs
3. Oedipus complex – boys experience rivalry with their father for Stage 2 (2-3 years) – Autonomy vs. Doubt
their mothers attention and affection
4. Electra complex – girls experience a similar crisis at this time of • Child learns to walk, talk and use his hands
life. Girl sees her mother as rival for her father’s attention but • Child begins to make choices and express his will
fear for mother is less • If encouraged, he develops a sense of autonomy and
independence
Latency Stage (6-12 years) • If unwanted, child may develop a sense of doubt and shame
manifested in feelings of worthlessness and incompetence
1. Calm and stable period
feeling
2. Disturbing and conflicting feelings of children are buried in the
subconscious mind Stage 3 (3-6 years) – Initiative vs. guilt
3. Energies are absorbed by school learning, peer relations, sports
and other recreational activities. • Child begin to explore his social and physical worlds discovering
what he can accomplish
Genital stage (13 years onwards) • Child begins to identify with appropriate adult sex role and
imitate aspects of the adult’s behavior
1. Starts with onset of puberty
• However, if punished for attempts to establish initiative behavior,
2. Oedipal feelings are reactivated and directed toward other
he may develop a sense of guilt. He may adopt a passive pattern
persons of the opposite sex
of behavior that will guide his future behavior
PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT
Stage 4 (6-12 years) Industry vs. Inferiority
Formulated by Erik Erickson
 Technical skills are learned and feelings of competence enlarged
 Child enters the new world of neighborhood and the school
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Striving to master great number of activities in order to win Psychosocial Stages: A Summary Chart
acceptance and prestige in their peer group Age Conflict Important
 If children come to believe that they cannot achieve according to Events
their expectations or to the expectations of their school, family or Infancy (birth to 18 Trust vs. Mistrust Feeding
peers, their sense of mastery will give way to personal inferiority months)
Stage 5 (13-19 years) Identity vs. identity confusion Early Childhood (2 to Autonomy vs. Toilet Training
3 years) Shame and Doubt
• Identity-formation crisis
Preschool (3 to 5 Initiative vs. Guilt Exploration
• “who I am and what can I do when I become adult?”
years)
• When it becomes too difficult for adolescent to establish a clear
picture of his self-identity, a sense of role confusion results
School Age (6 to 11 Industry vs. School
• Establishment of their ideal of who he is and what he can be as
years) Inferiority
an adult, becomes prepared to move on to the 6th stage Adolescence (12 to 18 Identity vs. Role Social
years) Confusion Relationships
Stage 6 (20-39 years) Intimacy vs. Isolation Young Adulthood (19 Intimacy vs. Relationships
 Age of intimacy to 40 years) Isolation
 Individual develop warm intimate relationship with another Middle Adulthood (40 Generativity vs. Work and
person to 65 years) Stagnation Parenthood
 If sense of intimacy is not acquired during this time of life, a Maturity (65 to death) Ego Integrity vs. Reflection on
sense of isolation develops instead Despair Life

Stage 7 (40-65 years) – Generatively vs. Self-Absorption

 Productive years of adulthood

 Individual’s productivity is gauzed by his contributions to his
family and society
 Person who fails to develop this sense of generativity becomes
preoccupied with his personal needs and interest or both with
sense of self absorption
Stage 8 (66 onwards) – Integrity vs.Despair

 This is the fulfillment and culmination of psychosocial

development of the previous stages
 This is the achievement of a sense integrity resulting from
identification with mankind
 If a person develop an attitude of regret and fear of the end of
life, then sense of despair emerges