UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

CHAPTER 1

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

- This chapter deals with the fundamental concepts, theories,
and principles relative to the self and identity.

PHILOSOPHERS

1. SOCRATES
 The wisest among the philosophers
 To know thyself is first an imperative and then a
requirement.
 Quoted the “I know that I do not know”.

IMPERATIVE - REQUIREMENT

LIMITATIONS SELF-CONTROL

2. PLATO
 For Plato, Psyche is composed of 3 Elements:
Appetitive Element, Spirited Element, & Mind Element
 Appetitive Element – one’s desires, pleasures,
physical satisfaction, comforts, etc.
 Spirited Element – excited when given challenges, or
fights back when agitated, or fights for justice when
unjust practices are evident; motivator.
 Mind Element – most superior of all the elements; the
superpower that controls the affairs of the self;
decision maker.

3. ST. AUGUSTINE
 Development of the self is achieved through self-
realization.
 Not afraid to accept to himself and tell the people
about his sinfulness.
 Only God can man attain their eternal happiness

4. RENE DESCARTES
 Father of Modern Philosophy
 Believed in Human Rationality; that everything has a
reason
 Our senses can deceived us

5. JOHN LOCKE
 Self is comparable to an empty space
 We can understand or know ourselves through experience

6. DAVID HUME
 All ideas are derived from impressions
 Impressions are subjective or temporary; cannot be
persistent.
 Claimed that there is no self
 All we know about ourselves are just bundles of
impressions
7. SIGMUND FREUD
 Father of Psychoanalysis
 According to him, there are two basic drives: Sex &
Aggression
 Sex means procreation; assuring the continuation of our
bloodline
 Aggression is our way to protect ourselves from harm;
our death instinct
 These two drives (Sex & Aggression) are not merely
sexual activity & aggressive acts, these are the drives
to stay alive, procreate & prevent others from stopping
or reducing these needs
 There are two complexes, Oedipus Complex that is only
applied on men who are overly protective to their mother;
and Electra Complex that is only applied on women who
are overly protective to their father; these could be
misinterpretations of their own feelings towards to
their parents
 He felt too much jealousy towards to his brother:

Jealousy Guilty Anxiety Denial

Defense Mechanism Repression

 Please be reminded that Denial &

Repression are part of Freud’s Defense
Mechanism; also please be reminded to
recall Freud’s brief background story to
know or to understand more about his
theory.

 Structural Model: Id, Ego, Super-ego

Id – wants whatever feels good at the time with
no consideration for the reality of the
situation; our desires or pleasures; the other
term of Id is Devil
Ego – based on reality & principles;
understands that other have people needs &
desires; Ego’s job is to meet Id’s need while
taking consideration the reality of the
situation
Super-ego – this is our conscience as it
dictates our belief of what right & wrong; the
moral part of us develops due the moral &
ethical restraints placed on us by our
caregivers
 The different kinds of Freud’s Defense Mechanism are
listed below:

1. Denial – is the refusal to accept reality or fact,

acting as if a painful event, thought or
feeling did not exist.

2. Regression – is the reversion to an earlier stage of

development in the face of unacceptable
thoughts or impulses.

3. Acting Out – performing an extreme behavior in order

to express thoughts or feelings the person
feels incapable of otherwise expressing;
expressing in physical pain what one cannot
stand to feel emotionally; self-harm
4. Dissociation – is when a person loses track of time
and/or person, and instead finds another
representation of their self in order to
continue in the moment.

5. Compartmentalization – is a lesser form of

dissociation, wherein parts of oneself are
separated from awareness of other parts and
behaving as if one had separate sets of values;
isolation.

6. Projection – is when you put your feelings or

thoughts onto another person, as though they
were that person’s feelings and thoughts.

7. Reaction Formation – is the converting of unwanted or

dangerous thoughts, feelings or impulses into
their opposites.

8. Repression – is the unconscious blocking of

unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses.

9. Displacement – is the redirecting of thoughts,

feeling and impulses directed at one person or
object, but taken out upon another person or
object.

10. Intellectualization – is the overemphasis on

thinking when confronted with an unacceptable
impulse, situation, or behavior without
employing and emotions whatsoever to help
mediate and place the thoughts into an
emotional human context.

11. Rationalization – is putting something into a

different light or offering a different
explanation for one’s perceptions or behaviors
in the face of changing reality.

12. Undoing (Undo) – is the attempt to take back an

unconscious behavior or thought that is
unacceptable or hurtful.

13. Sublimation – is simply the channeling of

unacceptable impulses, thoughts and emotions
into more acceptable ones.

14. Compensation – is a process of psychologically

counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by
emphasizing strength in other arenas.

15. Assertiveness – is the emphasis of a person’s needs

or thoughts in a manner that is
respectful, direct and firm.
 SOCIOLOGY
- The social aspect of the self is explored in many ways, in which
social situations influence one’s view of self. The self is not
created in isolation, and people are not born with perception of
oneself as good in sports, makes artistry, dancing, or business.

Sociological Views of the Self

1. The Self as Product of Modern Society among others

 With modernization, the self becomes a “delocalized” self which is free

to seek its own.
 Delocalized means to do/behave response to life that
deviates to what is “usual”.
 Karl Marx (Communism) - is an ideology of economic equality through the
elimination of private property.
 Democracy was more appreciated and respected by different
nations in this world.

1.2 Self as Necessary Fiction

 Friedrich Nietzsche – self is nothing more than a metaphor, a

representation of something abstract; symbolic.
 What is fiction? - describes imaginary events and people;
our imagination (stories, novels, bible, comics, heroes and
etc.)

1.3 Rewriting the Self as an Artistic Creation

 Friedrich Nietzsche – also states that the unity of the self is not
pre-given but accomplished through conscious effort – transform self
through beautiful work of art
 Individuals must fashion, care and cultivate themselves; we
can recreate ourselves to get hold of the present, forgive
the past and plan the future.

2. Mead’s Theory of Self

 George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) – is an American sociologist best known

as a founder of American pragmatism, and as one of the founders of
social psychology.
 According to Mead, self is made of two components: “I” and
the “Me”.
 I – is the response of an individual to the attitudes of
the others; “I” is self as subject.
 Me – represents the expectations and attitudes of others
organized into a social self; “Me” is self as object.

2.1 Mead’s Three Stages of Development of Self

 Stage 1: The Preparatory Stage – starts from the time we are born until
we are about age two (0-2 years old).
 In this stage, children mimic those around them, learning
through observation, copying the personality of others, and
imitating based on what they see.
 Stage 2: The Play Stage – from about age two to six, children are in
the play stage (2-6 years old)
 During the play stage, children play pretend and do not
adhere to the rules in organized games; playing games or
taking an action based on their observations but without
interpretation.
 Stage 3: The Game Stage – from about age seven onwards (7 yrs old & up)
 In this stage, children can begin to understand and adhere
the rules of games; playing games with understanding and
interpretation.
2.2 The Looking-Glass Self

 The concept of Looking-Glass Self states that part of how we see

ourselves comes from our perception of how others see us.
 According to the American Sociologist, Charles Horton Cooley (1864-
1929), the degree of personal insecurity you display in social
situations determined by what you believe in other think of you.
 Labeling Bias – occurs when we are labeled, and others’
view and expectations of us are affected by that labeling;
our behavior is based on others’ judgment.
 Internalized Prejudice – occurs when individuals turn
prejudice directed toward them by others onto themselves;
it has also been found to predict more negative self-
concept and poorer psychological adjustment in members of
various groups.

2.3 Social Comparison Theory

 According to Leon Festinger, a social psychologist, Social Comparison

Theory is the process people go through in order to know themselves in
comparison to other people.
 Social Comparison also occurs when we learn about our
abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and
validity of our opinions, and about our relative social
status by comparing our own attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors with those of others.
 We also use Social Comparison to help us determine our
skills and abilities.

ANTHROPOLOGY
- The study of all aspects of human condition, it also includes human
history, the present human condition, and even the future
possibilities.

 Culture – traditionally defined as systems of human behavior and

thoughts
 In other words, cultures are those complex structures of
knowledge, beliefs, arts, religions, morals, law, language,
traditional practices and all other aspects needed by
humans to function in society.
 Symbolic Culture – our ancestors learned to use tools and symbols to
originate meaning of significant events in life and in society.
 Some natural phenomena, like burial sites, ancestral homes,
landmarks of significant and historical events, the rituals,
and customary actions are part of one’s culture.
 Therefore, culture is learned and is very much integrated
in one’s customs and beliefs.
 Enculturation – is the transmission of culture from one generation to
the next; it is done through observation, use of language, adaptation
to environment, rituals, and formal and informal education.

 The self is living animal but superior to other animals due to certain
factors: Physical Aspects & Social Aspects.
 Physical Aspects – self as the only animal with a larger
brain capacity making him/her a rational animal; the only
animal that can stand straight allowing him/her to have
better mobility in doing things, etc.
 Social Aspects – self uses language and symbol in dynamic,
complicated and yet systematic manner allowing him/her to
communicate, and preserve history, knowledge, culture, ect.;
can cooperate with others in a systematic manner in larger
cooperation; and invents new things for survival.
 Self-Awareness – that which permits one to assume responsibility for
one’s own conduct; to learn how to react to others, and to assume a
variety of roles.

 Self & Behavioral Environment – in order to strengthen the identity of

the self, one must be able to grasp the different behavioral
orientations.
 There are 4 Environmental Orientations:
1. Object Orientation – positions the self in relation to the
surrounding objects.
2. Spatial Orientation – provides the self with personal space in
relation to other people or things.
3. Temporal Orientation – endows the self with the sense of time.
4. Normative Orientation – provides the self with the grasp of
accepted norms in the community.

 The Self Embedded in Culture – when the self is able to distinguish

what is acceptable behavior and what is not; it only follows that the
self is already able to recognize the differences of one’s self and the
other.
 Culture Degradation - the loss of a particular culture
through assimilation, lack of interest, or vanishing of a
language or patois.

PSYCHOLOGY