1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After the completion of the chapter, students should be able to:

 Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the
self from various disciplinal perspective.
 Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape the
self.
 Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across the
different disciplines and perspectives.
 Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the
development of one’s self and identity by developing a theory of the
self.
FROM
VARIOUS
PERSPECTIVE
S
3 SELF
▹ the individual’s active awareness of
existence in the midst of society
▹ Source of a person’s thoughts,
actions, and emotions
▹ the known or me
▹ product of social experiences
▹ unique lasting identity
 Philosophy – nature of human
4 being
Sociology – social impact
Psychology – human behavior
Anthropology – culture

▹ PHILOSOPHY
▹ Question: Who are you?
▹ Possible answers based from:
5 Socrates:
▹ The unexamined life is
not worth living.
▹ True self is not the body
but the soul.
▹ Real understanding
comes from within the
person.
6 Plato:
People are intrinsically good.
▹ Theory of form (what is real)
▹ The forms are ageless and
therefore are eternal.
▹ The forms are unchanging and
therefore permanent.
▹ The forms are unmoving and
indivisible.
7 St. Augustine:
▹ God is the source of all
reality and truth.

▹ The sinfulness of man

 Rene Descartes:
8
▹ Powers of human mind
▹ Intuition – the ability to apprehend
direction of certain truths.
▹ Deduction – the power to discover
what is not known by progressing in
an orderly way from what is already
known.
▹ The cognitive aspect of human
nature is his basis for the existence
of the self.
9 John Locke:
▹ Nothing exists in the
mind that’s not first in the
senses.
▹ Tabula rasa – ideas are
not innate but rather the
mind at birth.
10 David Hume:
▹ Self is a product of imagination
▹ Cause and effect relationship

Two types of Perception

- Impressions – immediate
sensations of external reality.
- Ideas – recollections of
impressions.
11 Immanuel Kant
Transcendental apperception:
▹ All objects of knowledge,
which include the self is
phenomenal.
12 Gilbert Ryle
▹ Free will involves a moral
responsibility; that man’s
actions must be moral for it
to be free.
13 Patricia & Paul Churchland
▹ Human nature is
complicated.

Maurice Merleau Ponty

▹ Body – subject concept;
perceptions occur
existentially.
 SOCIOLOGY
14
Question: How did your social environment affect
your development?

George Herbert Mead:

* Social behaviourism – the power of the

environment in shaping human behavior.

* The self is not present at birth.

 Stage of Social Development
Preparatory stage – imitation
Play stage – role play / role taking
Game stage – several tasks/ generalized other

*Self is composed of two parts:

“I” self – the self functions as a subject.

“Me” self - the self functions as the object.
16 Charles Horton Cooley :
Looking-glass self – self as a product
of social interaction.

Erving Goffman
▹ Impression Management –
process of altering how the person
presents himself to other.
▹ Dramaturgical approach – saving
one’s face.
 Psychology
17
Question: Why do I behave the way I do?
Viewpoints:

Sigmund Freud
Psychodynamic Theory states that one’s
mental life impacts strongly on the body
resulting in either emotional stability or
psychological dysfunctions.
Structures of the Mind:
1. Id – The structure that is primarily based on the pleasure
principle. It demands immediate satisfaction and is not
hindered by societal expectations.
2. Ego – The structure that is based on the reality principles.
This structure mediates between the impulses of the Id and
the restraints of the superego.
3. Superego – The last structure to develop and is primarily
dependent on learning the difference between right and
wrong. Morality of actions is largely dependent on childhood
upbringing particularly on rewards and punishments.
 William James
▹ Differentiated the “I” self to the
19
“ME” self. “I” is the pure ego or
the thinking self. “ME” is the
empirical self which is divided
into three components.

1. Material self - consist of the things or objects that belong to the person or entities that a
person belongs to. Examples of these are the person’s body, his family, clothes, books and
even his money. The body is the core of the material self and everything that is attached or
associated to it identifies the person. For instance, you can identify the person by the style of
clothes he wears, the type of books he reads, the culture of his family and the amount of
money that he has. The more attached and identified the person is to his material things, the
more he will be affected if any of them changes. For example, a death in the family or being
victim of fire would cause changes in material self .
 2. Social self – refers to who the person is in particular social situation.
Changes in behavior usually result from the different social situations the
person finds himself in. James believed that people have many social selves
because of the many social situations they find themselves in. For example the
person changes how he presents himself when he is at home, in school or with
his friends. The person chooses the self that would smoothly adapt to the social
situation in order for him to fit in.

3. Spiritual self – refers to the self that is more concrete or permanent when
compared to the material and social selves. This self is the most subjective and
intimate part of the self. It includes aspects like the individual’s personality,
values, and morals that are usually stable and constant. The spiritual self is
always engaging in the process on introspection (self-observation). This is a
method that includes reflecting or looking inward to study and understand the
how and why of the self. If there is conflict in the spiritual self then it will be
difficult for the person to have peace of mind.
21 Carl Rogers
▹ He proposed the Person-
Centered Theory of personality.
He stated that self concept
refers to how a person thinks
about or perceives himself
which can be real or ideal.
▹ Real Self – “Who am I?”
▹ Ideal Self – “Who do I want to
be?”
 Albert Bandura
▹ Social Cognitive Theory: Human learning is
22 through observation. The person can be
proactive and agentic which means that he has
the capacity to exercise control over his life.
▹ Theory of Reciprocal Causation: Human beings
are affected by the interaction among
environmental events, behavior and personal
factors.

Self –regulation
The person engages in self-regulated behavior when he reactively attempts to minimize the
discrepancies between what he has already accomplished and what he still wants to
achieve. After seeing that he is at the right track in achieving his goal he will also proactively
set new and higher goals for himself.
Self-regulation allows the person to set goals that are better and higher than the former,
challenging his capabilities and making him wiser and self-actualized individual.
23 ANTHROPOLOGY
Question: Why is it important to know the
similarities and differences that exist among
individuals?
Fields:
1. Archeology – study of the past and how it may have contributed to the present
ways of how people conduct their daily ives.

2. Biological Anthropology – the focus is on how the human body adapts to the
different earth environment.

3. Linguistic Anthropology – study on the significance of language as a means to

discuss a group’s manner of social interaction and his worldview and how it change
over time.
* Language identifies a group of people.

4. Cultural Anthropology – the focus is in knowing what makes one group’s manner of
living particular to the group and forms an essential part of the members’ personal
and social identity.
* Man is a product of his culture.
 WAYS IN WHICH CULTURE ARE MANIFESTED

1. Symbols – words, gestures, picture, objects that can be shaped

or copied across cultures.

2. Heroes – may be real or fictitious that are models for behavior.

3. Rituals – essential religious or social activities participated in by a

group of people for the fulfillment of the desired objectives.

4. Values – core of every culture which involves human tendencies

or references towards good or bad, right or wrong.