MEANING AND NATURE OF SELF

The term "self" is defined in many ways:

1. Self is a unified being and is essentially connected to consciousness awareness, and agency or with the faculty
of rational choice.
2. Self is the condition of identity that makes one subject of experience distinct from all others.
3. Self is exhibited and inferred in the conduct and discourse that emanate from the individual alone.
4. Self is the person regarded as an individual apart from all others.
5. Self is one's identity
6. Self is expressed in the first person.
7. Self is a dynamic responsive process that structures neural pathways according to past adolescent
environment (Self, Culture, and Society Class, 2015)

There are many explanations with respect to the nature of the self.

1. The self is independent of the senses. It has no sensory contact with its own body. It is not
logically dependent on any physical being – Avicenna in his famous essay, “The Floating
Man”

2. The self may have changed in many respects but the same self appears present as was present
then. Thus, the self is a bundle or collection of different perspectives which succeed one another
with an inconceivable and are in perpetual flux and movement – David Hume

3. The self is a narrative center of gravity, not physically detestable but a kind of convenient fiction
that does not correspond to anything tangible. “People Constantly tell themselves stories to
make sense of their world, and they feature in the stories as a character and that convenient but
fictional character is the self- Daniel Dennett

4. The self is both legal and moral person. It is legal in the sense that he is free and equal to other
selves, moral because he may have a unique identity different from other selves. Joshua Knobe

5. The self is an inter subjective being, a unique being who is never alone on its existence in the
world. Since the self is an inter subjective being, the self establishes relationship with “T” and
“thou” (you) – Rick Warren in his “Purpose Driven Life”.

6. According to Swami Vivekananda, the self is conditioned by three factors: (1) the senses are
unreliable, (2) the mind is conditioned by space-time; (3) the mind is conditioned by logical
limitations
THE SELF OVERCOMES ALL CONDITIONING

The self can rise above all conditionings, according to Krishnananda. Man knows one’s own self in way that Logic and
Mathematics cannot explained. Every person knows that he exists. The phrase “I exist” need not be known by seeing
with the eyes. Even if the eyes are closed and other senses are not used, one can know that one exists. This knowledge
that “I exist” cannot be explained in terms of logic The only infallible knowledge that can be finally survive all tests
and conclusions is knowledge of the self. All other knowledge are liable to amendment. What today is infallible truth-
science become tomorrow an outgrown, outmoded knowledge. What was truth yesterday is not necessarily so today.
Science has not yet come to a conclusion as to what the ultimate truth is.

WHY SELF IS IMPORTANT?

Philosophers look at self as very important in several ways.

1. According to Kant by knowing ourselves, that we are free and that our actions and choices matter, we can
make good on these commitments without fear of being contradicted by theory. In other words, we can be
responsible to ourselves.

2. By knowing the self, we are able to examine what type of object the self is and how it is constituted.

3. According to Thorin Klosowski, by knowing the self, we are able to develop self-awareness and introspection
which are the starting point to every improvement. This improvement relates to understanding your own needs,
desires and failings, habits and everything else. The more you know about yourself, the better you are at
adopting life changes.
4.
5. Understanding the self is a very important basis of quantified self movement which means that if a person
collects data about himself, he can make improvements based on that data (New York Times report)

6. Knowing the self requires more than intellectual self-examination for it demands knowing something about
your feelings and emotions. The more you pay attention to your feelings and emotions and how you work on
them, the better you will understand why you do the things you do. Ultimately, the more you know about your
habits, the easier it is to improve those ha
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SELF
The self is an automatic part of every human being which enables people to relate to others. The self is
constituted or made up of three (3) main parts that, incorporated, allow for the self to maintain its functions. These
parts are: self-knowledge, interpersonal self, and the agent self.

1. SELF-KNOWLEDGE - This is sometimes referred to as self-concept. Self-knowledge allows for

people to gather information and beliefs about themselves. Self-awareness, self-esteem, and self- deception
belongs to the self-knowledge part of the self. We can learn about ourselves in four (4) ways: looking
glass self of Charles Cooley, introspection, social comparisons, and self-perception. (Baumeister
and others, 2011)

a) Introspection is a manner in which a person gathers information about himself through the use of mental
functions and emotions.

b) Social Comparison is the manner in which we compare ourselves to other people around us.

c) Self-perception aspect of self-knowledge is a process of which a person infers about himself

through his behavior.

The "looking glass self" is a theory that people learn about themselves through other people. In
the looking-glass self proposal, a person visualizes how he appears to others, the person imagines
how other people will judge him, and he then develops a response to the judgment he received from
other people. The response will likely be something viewed as pride or shame about themselves. The
looking-glass self has proven to be partially accurate and inaccurate. A person's self-concept does not
solely depend on how others view him. A person can view himself as friendly, however, he may appear
to be quiet and uptight to another person who may not know him very well. (Baumeister and others.
2015)

SELF-KNOWLEDGE is a desire for the majority of human beings In knowing about themselves, we are more
capable of knowing how to be socially acceptable and desirable. We seek out self- knowledge due to the
appraisal motive, self enhancement motive, and consistency motive. The appraisal motive describes the
desire to learn the truth about oneself in general. The self- enhancement motive is the desire to learn about
one's good qualities only. The consistency motive is the desire to receive reinforcement of those
preconceived notions that a person has about himself. The feedback will verify the thoughts and beliefs they
already had relating to him self. (Watts, 2009)

SELF-AWARENESS is divided into two categories: private self-awareness and public self-awareness,

1. Private self-awareness is defined as the self looking inward at oneself, including emotions,
thoughts, beliefs, and feelings All of these cannot be discovered by anyone else.

2. Public self-awareness is defined by gathering information about your self through the
perception of others.
SELF-ESTEEM examines how a person evaluates himself positively or negatively. Four factors that contribute
to self-esteem are the reactions we get from people, how we compare people to ourselves, social roles, and
our identification. Our social roles can sometimes be conceived as higher or ability such as an Olympic
athlete or Biotechnologist. Other social roles might be stigmatized as being negative, such as a criminal or
homeless person. People with high self- esteem tend to be confident, gain self-acceptance, do not worry as
much about what others think about them, and think more optimistically. In contrast, people with low self-
esteem view their selves as containing negative traits. It is rare for a person to rate his overall self as being
terrible.

People with low self-esteem typically:

 are less successful in their work

 are less confident in their success rate
 have confused and diverged notions about their self (self-concept confusion)
 focus on self-protection more than self-enhancement
 are more prone to emotional imbalances
 are less confident about their success than high self-esteemed people
 worry what others think about them consistently
 have more pessimistic thinking
 desire to resemble others more than high self-esteemed people (Sedikides, 2007)

Our self-concept entails the thoughts, feelings and beliefs that each of us uniquely foster. However, many
psychologists have questioned whether our self concept is more realistic or filled with illusions about ourselves and
the world around us. Clinical psychologists have studied depressed people with perceived low self-esteem in order
to observe if their perceptions were fabricated or not. Contrary to their hypothesis, they found that depressed people
have a more realistic view of the world, the qualities they obtain, and the control they have over situations in their
life. It was proposed by psychologists Shelley Taylor and Jonathan Brown that the majority of the people in normal-
functioning mental states display are instilled with positive illusions including: (Sedikides, 2007)

 overestimating their own good qualities

 their control over happenings in their life
 an unrealistic portrayal of optimism

Positive illusions remain constant for the majority of one's life due to self- deception. Self- deception
strategies are mental tricks of a person's mind that hide the truth and constitute false beliefs. Due to self-deception,
people are able to obtain resiliency upon negative events that might occur throughout life. This also can reinforce
different ideas or thoughts that the person wishes and hopes for. The self-serving bias is a strategy in which a person
titles acknowledgment for success and rejects blame for failure.
2. INTERPERSONAL SELF - can be referred to as your public self. This feature allows for social connection
to others. With the interpersonal self, a person is able to display himself to others around him. Interpersonal
self is apparent in situations of self-presentation, being a group member or partner in a relationship, a person's
social roles and his reputation.

Social roles are defined as the parts that a person plays in different situations and with other people.
Our roles change in order to fit the "expected" behaviors in various scenarios. For example, a person may
be a mother, a doctor, a wife, and a daughter. Her behavior would most likely charge in her transition
from being a doctor in coming home to her daughter.

Social norms constitute the "unwritten rules that we have about how to act in certain scenarios and with
various people in our lives. For example, when a person is in a classroom, he is more likely to be quiet
and attentive; whereas at a party, he is more likely to be socially engaged and standing. Norms act as
guidelines that shape our behavior. Without them, there would not be any order, as well as lack of
understanding in situations in society. (Baumaister and others, 2001)

3. THE AGENT SELF is known as the executive function that allows for actions. This is how we, as
individuals, make choices and utilize our control in situations and actions. The agent self resides over
everything that involves decision making, self-control, taking charge in situations and actively responding. A
person might desire to eat unhealthy foods, however, it is his agent self that allows that person to choose to
avoid eating them and make a healthier food choice.

The Constitution of the Self according to Aquinas and Aristotle

THE SELF IS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT
For St. Thomas Aquinas:

The self is by nature a finite embodied spirit in search of the Infinite, in social solidarity with its fellow
human beings, on a historical journey through this material cosmos towards its final trans-wordly goal - a loving
union with the Gods as the infinite fullness of all goodness (Ariola, 2016)

For Aristotle

The self is an embodied spirit - one in which it is expressed fully, shining for all the world to see. It is the
right and responsibility of the self to give the Spirit its fullest expression in this body. The opportunity to become
embodied and whole begins at birth and continues throughout life (Ariola, 2016)

THE FILIPINO CONCEPT OF SELF

The concept of self varies within a culture. This is explained in a study of Edman and Kameoka as cited by
Andres (1987) comparing educated and less educated women. The study found that:

1. educated Filipino women characterized themselves as more individualistic than less educated Filipino
women, while the less educated characterized themselves as more collectivistic.
 2. in terms of soció-economic status, middle class Filipino women rated themselves as more competitive
than those in the lower socio-economic group while lower class Filipino women rated themselves
collectivistic including being conforming obedient to elders, devoted to family and friendly.

According to Baumeister (1987) increase in individualism within a country is due to increase social
mobility that allows a person to become detached from his/her social position. The concept of self within
the community of women is a function of socio-economic changes and increased educational
opportunities. The study may also be true between educated Filipino men and less educated Filipino
men.

THE EASTERN CONCEPT OF SELF

The two (2) major religions of the Asian countries delve on the existence and nature of the self.
These major religions are Hinduism and Buddhism.

Hinduism

In all the branches of Hinduism, there are two (2) important concepts that will help the students understand
the Hindu view of the self: the Brahman and Atman.

According to Hinduism, the self is just part of a larger whole, the Brahman (universe), which encompasses
everything. The self (Atman) is tied to everything. A sacred Hindu text says, "Thou art thou." To explain this
concept more, here is a narrative saying "Think of a single drop of water in a cloud way up in the sky. It comes
down with other drops in the form of rain and makes its way to river where it blends with other drops. Eventually,
this single drop of water flow out to the ocean where it is indistinguishable from other drops. Finally, it evaporates
and make its way to the atmosphere, where it becomes part of a cloud again."

To the Hindus, this drop of water is the Atman, and the cycle that it goes through of like reincarnation or the
belief that people die and are reborn over and over again. Each time a person dies and is reborn it comes closer to
Brahman. Eventually, the person will complete the cycle of reincarnation when he had developed enough. When
this happens, he stops being reborn and are fully reunited with the Brahman. Its like the drop of water that stopped
collecting in a cloud, raining down, and evaporating and instead simply dissolves into everything the air, the earth
and the water.

To summarize the above concept:

Atman ('atman/) is a Sanskrit word that means inner self or soul. In Hindu philosophy, especially in the
Vedanta School of Hinduism, Atman is the first principle the true self of an individual beyond identification with
phenomena, the essence of an individual. In order to attain liberation (moksha) a human being must acquire self-
knowledge (atmajnana), which is to realize that one's true self (Atman) is identical with the transcendent self
Brahman.

The six orthodox schools of Hinduism believe that there is Ātman (soul, self) in every being, a major point
of difference with Buddhism, which does not believe that every soul or self.
WESTERN CONCEPT OF THE SELF
The concept of self in Western countries differ from the concept of self in the eastern countries.

Here is a summary of the Western concept of the self:

1. The self is formed by the individual's duty to use his judgment to determine who and what he is.

2. The self is free to accept and to deny the will. The self can decide for and against; it is free to judge and to act,
even against better reasons. In acting, the self makes himself independent of the world.

3. Reason is passion and passion is not a contradiction to reason. Reason contradicts desire and greed, but not
passion.

4. The goal of self-assertion and the exercise of one's own capacities are directed toward excellence and
immortality.

5. The basic premise of Western philosophy of self is to build and strengthen the self to improve overall
functioning of the body.

6. Perfectionism, anxiety, compulsiveness, self-destructive behavior, rigid beliefs are manifestations of an

underdeveloped self.

7. At the center of the conscious realm of the self lies ego. The ego serves many purpose and is vital to healthy
and adaptive functioning.

8. The true self consists of both the conscious and the unconscious. To experience the true self, a person must
integrate his conscious and unconscious minds. This requires becoming aware of the material hidden in the
unconscious mind. This material is often difficult, and anxiety-provoking (which is why the ego has not
allowed it into conscious awareness).

Despite its many necessary functions, the ego can hinder one's quest to experience his true self.
Recall that one of the roles of the ego is to act as a gatekeeper between consciousness and
unconsciousness. Thus, the ego can, at times, interfere with efforts to know the true self by preventing
unconscious material from entering conscious awareness, (Ruth Hasenauer, University of Paderborn,
Germany)

Mind, Self and Society from the Standpoint of Social Behaviorists

The book, titled “Mind, Self, and Society”, based on Mead’s lectures and notes, edited by his students after he died in
1931. Explains that Mead argues that mind and self are emergent from social interactions, and that they are expressed
through gestures and symbols that have meaning for both the speaker and the listener.
Describes how Mead distinguishes between the “I” and the “me” as two aspects of the self: the “I” is the spontaneous,
creative, and unpredictable part, while the “me” is the socialized, reflective, and conforming part.

Discusses how Mead analyzes how society influences and is influ enced by the individual, and how sympathy and self-
realization are important for social harmony and personal growth.

Praises Mead’s dialectical approach to mind and society, but questions whether it is empirically adequate for
psychology.
The "I" and "Me" of Mead
The “me” self is formed by the people that one interacts with as well as their internalized behaviors. It
involves both awareness of the surrounding and a feeling of identity. The self also controls individuals on the basis
of community norms. –

The I on the other hand, respond to the social situation in an imaginative and spontaneous way. It creates
individuality and agency. Additionally, these actions lead into modification of oneself and society

These two components are interdependent but complimentary in Mead’s theory about the self. They
constitute a person’s personality hence making them participate socially.

FUSIONS

Mead explored what he called ‘the fusion of the “I: and the “me” in the attitudes of religion, patriotism, and
team work, noting what he called the “peculiar sense of exaltation” that belongs to them. He also considered that the
idea of the fusion of the “I” and the “me” gives a very adequate explanation of this exaltation…in the aesthetic
experience. In everyday life, however, a complete fusion of the “I” and the “me” may not be a good thing…it is a
dynamic sort of balance in between the “I” and the “me” that is required.