UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF

Prepared by:
Joed Saycon Letigio
Create your own autobiography by
providing the following information:
 Your name
 Your positive attribute or characteristic that begins
with the first letter of your surname.
 The school where you came from
 Your reason for studying in this institution
 Your feeling to be in this class
Concept and
Nature of Self
Three Major Lenses
PhilosophicalView of Self
The Christian or Biblical View of
Self
The Psychological View Of Self
Philosophical
View of Self
SOCRATES: Know Yourself
 As what I have understood, each one of us should
be conscious of what is good to be able to have a
good life. Don’t let ignorance overcome you. If
you don’t know such thing, never hesitate to ask
for the help of others for you to learn something
new. Our soul strives for wisdom and perfection to
achieve this exalted state. For example, if you
didn’t totally understand the discussion of your
professor don’t be afraid to go to his/her
consultation hours. A very good friend of mine
always reminds me that if you will not try, then
you’re a failure. There’s nothing wrong in asking
somebody’s help if you’ll be the one who will
benefit from it.
PLATO: The Ideal Self, The Perfect Self
 There are three part soul which are the
following: Reason, physical appetite, and spirit
or passion. These three basically allow man to
live in accordance to his nature, then he is
giving justice in his existence therefore
everyone in this world has a purpose for each
one of us should do our part. Always remember
that good is above God. A task is a task. No
matter what happens, you should meet the
deadlines that are given to you. Practice yourself
in doing what you can do now for time runs so
fast wherein you won’t notice it and this will
definitely help you in   your future work.
IMMANUEL KANT:
Respect for Self
 It is the self that is constructing and
organizing principles of experiences
which creates a world that is familiar,
predictable and significantly be
called as mine. For example, I myself
is the one who’s discovering the
world for I am the driver of my life.
Nobody will do it for me for it
transcends the experience in my mind
as well as the senses of mine.
RENE DESCARTES: I THINK THEREFORE I AM
 Man is a thinking man that has an entity
to doubt, understand, analyze, question,
and the most important thing is to reason
out that can exist independently in the
physical body. This Latin phrase Corgito
ergo sum is the concept of self by
Descartes. For example, I can complain
what I have read in the social media posts
of my friends if they are spreading fake
news for I myself know what is right
from bad. I have the free will to reason
out what I wanted to say.
JOHN LOCKE:
Personal Identity
 For him our human mind is a Tabula
Rasa or also known as a mind self at
birth is a blank state. Conscious
awareness and memory of previous
experiences are the keys in
understanding the self. For example,
while we are communicating with other
people in different environment, we can
carefully observe our experiences with
them that lead us to learnings or being
knowledgeable.
DAVID HUME:
The self is the bundle theory of Mind
 Man is a bundle of all sensation and
perception. When people will examine their
content of experience what they can see are
just impressions and ideas that results to
imagination. For example, our first
impression towards our new classmate
from other country is quiet for he doesn’t
speak to us. Well, we cannot totally define
who is he if he will not talk or engage with
us for our imagination is moving that
defines the personal identity of a certain
person
The Christian or
Biblical view of
Self
 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the
livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each
according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to
their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move
along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
 26 
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they
may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all
the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
 27 
So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.
 28 
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the
earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over
every living creature that moves on the ground.”
St. Augustine: Love and Justice as the
foundation of the Individual
 St. Self. that a
Augustine believes virtues
life is dynamism of love. It is a
constant following of and turning
towards love while a wicked life is a
constant turning away from love.
Loving God means loving one’s
fellowmen; and loving one’s
fellowmen denotes never doing any
harm to another or, as the golden
principle of justice states, doing unto
others as you would have them unto
you.
The Psychological
View Of Self
 ID
The id, the most primitive part of the three structures, refers
to the irrational needs and demands of a person. In no way
does it take into account the current situation, but rather
focuses on immediate satisfaction and fulfilment of physical
basic needs and drives.
If a car-lover sees a beautiful car drive by, the id would
immediately desire to own it. It doesn’t take into account that
it would be illegal to simply take this car, it’s only concerned
about the fact that the person wants this car.
A practical and beautiful side of the id is that a baby starts to
cry when it’s hungry. When the baby is fed, the id’s demand
is fulfilled, and the baby stops crying.
 Ego

Contrary to the instinctive id, the ego is the rational and pragmatic
part of our personality. It’s less primitive than the id and is both partly
conscious and unconscious. The ego develops and becomes active
when individuals come into contact with other people. According to
the Sigmund Freud Theory, the ego helps to fulfil the id, taking into
account the reality of the situation.
When the same person sees a beautiful car drive by, the ego mediates
between the id and the super ego and decides to save up to buy the
car rather than take it.
If that means this person must save up for another ten years, that’s the
sacrifice that must be made to fulfil the desire. The ego itself doesn’t
have any realization of right or wrong; it’s simply about the desire
being fulfilled without the id or the ego itself suffering from this.
Super Ego
 The super ego, that begins to develop from the age of five, is often
the third phase that encompasses the moral limitations. These moral
limitations are often imposed by parents or caregivers and are known
as the ‘conscience’ or ‘moral compass’.
 If the id were stronger than the super ego, the person in our example
would steal the beautiful car without any scruples. Afterwards,
however, the super ego would make the person experience shame and
cause them to feel guilty about the action.
 The super ego functions to perfect and civilize human behavior. If
properly developed, it ensures that unacceptable impulses of the id
are suppressed. The super ego is present in the conscious mind,
unconscious mind, pre-conscious and subconscious parts of the mind.
Freud's 5 Stages
of Psychosexual
Development
Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year)

 In the first stage of psychosexual development, the libido

is centered in a baby's mouth. During the oral stages, the
baby gets much satisfaction from putting all sorts of things
in its mouth to satisfy the libido, and thus its id demands. 
Which at this stage in life are oral, or mouth orientated,
such as sucking, biting, and breastfeeding. 
 Freud said oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in
later life.  We see oral personalities all around us such as
smokers, nail-biters, finger-chewers, and thumb suckers. 
Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviors,
particularly when under stress.
 Anal Stage (2 to 3 years)

 During the anal stage of psychosexual development the libido

becomes focused on the anus, and the child derives great
pleasure from defecating.  The child is now fully aware that
they are a person in their own right and that their wishes can
bring them into conflict with the demands of the outside world
(i.e., their ego has developed). 
 Freud believed that this type of conflict tends to come to a head
in potty training, in which adults impose restrictions on when
and where the child can defecate.  The nature of this first
conflict with authority can determine the child's future
relationship with all forms of authority.
Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years)

 The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual

development, spanning the ages of three to six years,
wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their
genitalia as the erogenous zone.
 The child becomes aware of anatomical sex
differences, which sets in motion the conflict
between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry,
jealousy and fear which Freud called the Oedipus
complex (in boys) and the Electra complex (in
girls).
Latency Stage (6 years to puberty)
 The latency stage is the forth stage of psychosexual
development, spanning the period of six years to puberty.
During this stage the libido is dormant and no further
psychosexual development takes place (latent means hidden). 
 Freud thought that most sexual impulses are repressed during
the latent stage, and sexual energy can be sublimated towards
school work, hobbies, and friendships. 
 Much of the child's energy is channeled into developing new
skills and acquiring new knowledge, and play becomes
largely confined to other children of the same gender
 Genital Stage (puberty to adult)
 The genital stage is the last stage of Freud's psychosexual theory of
personality development, and begins in puberty.  It is a time of adolescent
sexual experimentation, the successful resolution of which is settling
down in a loving one-to-one relationship with another person in our 20's.
 Sexual instinct is directed to heterosexual pleasure, rather than self-
pleasure like during the phallic stage. 
 For Freud, the proper outlet of the sexual instinct in adults was through
heterosexual intercourse.  Fixation and conflict may prevent this with the
consequence that sexual perversions may develop. 
 For example, fixation at the oral stage may result in a person gaining
sexual pleasure primarily from kissing and oral sex, rather than sexual
intercourse
Erikson's Stages
of Development
 Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust
(Infancy from birth to 18 months
The trust versus mistrust stage is the first stage of
psychologist Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial
development. This stage begins at birth and lasts until
your child is around 18 months old. According to
Erikson, it is the most important period of your
child's life, as it shapes their view of the world as
well as their overall personality
Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Toddler
years from 18 months to three years)
Autonomy versus shame and doubt is the
second stage of Erik Erikson’s stages of
psychosocial development. This stage occurs
between the ages of 18 months to around age
2 or 3 years. According to Erikson, children at
this stage are focused on developing a greater
sense of self-control.
Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool years from three to
five)
Initiative versus guilt is the third stage of 
Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
This stage occurs during the preschool years,
between the ages of 3 and 5. During the initiative
versus guilt stage, children begin to assert their
power and control over the world through directing
play and other social interaction.
Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority (Middle
school years from six to 11)