SOC SCI 101: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

LESSO
N THE SELF FROM THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
1

According to Stevens (1996), The self is o Body – corruptible and susceptible

separate, self-contained, independent, consistent, to change
unitary and private. o Soul – unchanging
 Theory of Tripartite Soul
THE SELF IN GREEK PHILOSOPHY
o Element of reason - head
SOCRATES o Spirited elements - heart
o Bodily appetite – desire
 ‘’An unexamined life is not worth living.’’
 Distinct type of personality and goal in
 Dualistic View of the Self:
life
o Physical Body – Material
o Reason – pursuit of knowledge
Component
and truth
o Soul – Immaterial/Immortal
o Spirit – live and strive for success
Component
and public acclaim
 Dichotomous Realms
o Bodily appetites – money and
o Physical Realm – changeable,
material gains
transient, imperfect.
 Conflict of the Self – These
o Ideal Realm – unchanging,
three elements of
eternal, and immortal.
ourselves are in a
 HOW TO BE HUMAN?
dynamic relationship with
o Full power of reason on the human
each other, sometimes in
self.
conflict.
o Our preoccupation with the bodily
 Primary goal – attaining a sense of well-
needs such as food, drink, sex,
being.
pleasure, material possessions, and
wealth keep us from attaining ARISTOTLE
wisdom.
 The soul and the body are not two separate
o Goodness or beauty is the most
but one thing.
important of all.
 The Soul is simply the Form of the body and
o Socratic method- the so-called
is not capable of existing without the body.
introspection, is a method of
 ARISTOTLE- On the Soul
carefully examining our thoughts
o Aristotle suggested that anything
and emotions- to gain self-
with life has a soul.
knowledge.
o Three Kinds of Soul:
PLATO  Vegetative - the physical
body; allows things to
 Two composites of human being: body and
grow.
soul.
  Sentient - sensual JOHN LOCKE
desires, feelings, and
 ‘’Mind is like blank sheet of paper (Tabula
emotions.
Rasa) at birth.’’
 Rational - what makes us
 Test of sensory experience – source of
human, includes intellect
authentic knowledge
that makes man know and
 Existence of the self – consciousness of
understand things
our own experiences and knowledge.
THE SELF IN THE MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY  Every aspect of our physical body is
integrated into our personal self.
ST. AUGUSTINE
 Physical body may undergo change, but the

 Two worlds – real and temporary personal self remains the same.

 Temporary home – pain and evil  He introduced the ‘’Memory Theory’’ –

 He believed that after death, the soul finds person is the same person as he is in the

its ultimate fulfillment in union with the past provided, he recalls the events in the

eternal, transcendent realm. past.

 God and faith in Him – primary  The self then exists not in the present, but

 The self – secondary the present existence is basically connected

 Man is created by God according to His with the past, so as long as the self

Image (Imago Dei) and likeness to know, to remembers.

love, and to fulfill His purpose and to share

DAVID HUME
his everlasting glory.
 Tripartite Being:  There is NO self.
o Reason (mind) – man can discern  Human beings acquire knowledge through
the difference between right and the sense perception.
wrong.  Content of the minds – product of one’s
o Eternal Law – God Himself – experience in the world.
Conscience or internal voice  The idea of personal identity is a result of
imagination.
THE SELF IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY
IMMANUEL KANT
RENE DESCARTES
 We construct the self
 ‘’Cognito Ergo Sum’’
 Internal world - thoughts, feelings
 (I doubt, therefore I am)
 External world - events, situations,
 For him, the act of thinking about the self- of
happenings outside our control
being self-conscious is in itself proof that
 We synthesize both to create the self.
there is a self.
 Two aspects of self:
 Mind-Body Dichotomy
o Inner self – psychological state
o Thinking Self is the nonmaterial,
and rational intellect
immortal, conscious being, and
o Outer self – sense and the
independent of the physical laws of
physical world
the universe.
 Human knowledge:
o Physical body is the material,
o Sensory component – knowledge
mortal, non-thinking entity, fully
governed by the physical laws of
nature.
 o Rational component (prori) - MAURICE MARLEAU-PONTY
mind itself & independent of
 The Self is embodied subjectivity.
sensation
 The self can never be truly objectified or
 Two kinds of self:
known in a completely objective sort of way.
o Empirical self – make the self
unique
o Transcendental self – interprets,
constructs and gives meaning to
collections of data.

SIGMUND FREUD

 Three structure of personality:

o Id – impulses and desires
o Superego – moral standards
o Ego – realistic part

 Mind has three levels:

o Conscious – information that we
have immediate access
o Preconscious – exert effort to
recall
o Unconscious – basic instinctual

drives

GILBERT RYLE

 The way we do things, defines the self.

 I act, therefore I am

PAUL CHURCHLAND

 The self is the brain.

 Brain – affects the mood, emotions,
consciousness of human person.
 The physical brain and not the imaginary
mind, gives us our sense of self.
 LESSO
N THE SELF FROM THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
2

THE SELF IS NOT PRESENT AT BIRTH  When in the

court, he can be
NATURE vs. NURTURE
defensive

NATURE NURTURE  As a husband,

intimate and
Is influenced by genetic Generally taken as the
sweet
inheritance and other influence of external
 As a father, strict
biological factors. factors after
but loving
conception, e.g., the
product of exposure,
life experiences and
learning on an
individual.
The CULTURE

 Refers to the cumulative deposit of

THE SELF AND THE CULTURE knowledge, experience, beliefs, values,
attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion,
MARCEL MAUSS
notions of time, roles, spatial relations,
 The self has two faces: concepts of the universe.
o Moi which refers to a person’s  “That of a complex whole which includes
sense of who he is, his body, and knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws,
his basic identity as well as his customs, and any other capabilities and
biological givenness. habits acquired by [humans] as a member
 Examples: of the society”
 “ I am…”  Culture is the meeting point of Sociology
 A lawyer and Anthropology in terms of self
 A husband understanding.
 A father o Sociology: is defined as the
o Personne which is composed of the “scientific study of human life,
social concepts of what it means to social groups, whole societies and
be who he is. human world whose subject matter
 Examples: is our own behavior as social
 beings in relationship with many  The “I” is the subjective element and the
other people” active side of the self.
o Anthropology: “is the inclusive o The “I” is the response of the
study of the human race, its individual to the “Me”.
culture, and society and its  The “Me” is the objective element of the
physical development” self.
 Culture can influence how you, your o It represents the “internalized”
coworkers, and the families you serve view: attitudes, expectations, and
o Relationships: Culture influences demands of other people.
how you enter into and maintain  The full development of the self is attained
relationships. when the “I” and the “ME” are united.
o Personality traits: Culture  Mead’s Development Stages of the Self the
influences whether and how you self is developed with the presence of
value traits like humility, self- individuals and by learning to interpret
esteem, politeness, and situations by “taking on the role of the
assertiveness. other.”
o Achievement: Culture influences  This is done through stages:
how you define success and o Imitation (gestures, words)
whether you value certain types of o Play (specific roles)
individual and group achievements. o Games (multiple roles)
o Expressing emotions: Culture o Generalized other (role of the
influences how and whether you group)
consider feelings public or private.

TYPES OF CULTURE

1. MATERIAL CULTURE

 Refers to the physical objects, resources,

and spaces that people use to define their
culture.

2. NON-MATERIAL CULTURE

 Refers to the nonphysical ideas that people LEV VYGOTSKY

have about their culture.
 Believed that social interaction plays a
THE SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE critical role in children's learning.
SOCIAL WORLD  His theory talks about development, social
interaction, language and culture.
CHARLES HORTON COOLEY
 The Zone of Proximal Development.

 The LOOKING GLASS SELF o “Is the distance between the actual

 The people whom a person interacts with development level as determined

become a mirror in which he views himself. by independent problem solving

and the level of potential
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD development as determined
through problem solving under
 I and ME
 adult guidance or in collaboration GENDER
with more capable peers.”
 Gender is a term that refers to social or
cultural distinctions associated with
being woman, man, or neither that may or
may NOT correspond to one’s biological
sex.

SELF and GENDER

 For example, in the Philippine Setting:

o Husbands are expected to provide
for the family; and wives are
expected to take care of the kids
and do household chores.
o Color blue is for boys and color
pink is for girls.

THE SELF FROM THE EASTERN AND WESTERN

THOUGHTS

 Self-construction is a form of cultural

activity (Raeff (2006) as cited by Palean et.
GERRY LANUZA
al, 2018).
 In modern societies the attainment and  As a cultural activity, it is important to
stability of self-identity is freely chosen. understand about the concept of cultural
relativism
JEAN BAUDRILLAD
 Cultural relativism refers to not judging a

 Individuals achieve self-identity through culture to our own standards of what is right

prestige symbols that they consume. or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we

should try to understand cultural practices
THE SELF AND THE FAMILY of other groups in its own cultural context.

THE FAMILY KEY DIFFERENCES OF EASTERN AND WESTERN

THOUGHTS
 The Family played a very significant role in
the early stage of socialization.  The Western culture is that of individualism.
 They instilled in us the ideas of “ought and  The Eastern culture is more of the
ought nots” in our limited minds as children collectivism.
which in turn would affect our behavior as
well as our decision making later in life.
 The impact of family, for instance, is still
deemed as a given in understanding the
self.
 In becoming a fully realized human being,
one enters system of relationships and first
of which is the Family.

The SELF and the GENDER

 LESSO
N PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
3

WILLIAM JAMES  Self-concept refers to the image of

oneself.
CONCEPT OF SELF: THE ME-SELF AND THE I-
 Defined the self as a flexible and
SELF
changing perception of personal identity.

 The self is divided into two categories: the  The self develops from interactions with

"I-Self" and the "Me-Self". significant people and self-awareness.

 The "I-Self" refers to the self that knows  Human beings are always striving for self-

who he or she is. fulfillment, or self-actualization.

 James believed that the "I-Self" is the  Rogers suggest that there are two

thinking self. components of self-concept: real self and

 The “I-Self” reflects the soul of a person or ideal self.

what is now thought of as the mind and is  Real self consists of all the ideas, including

called the pure ego. the awareness of ‘what I am’ and ‘what I

 The "Me-Self" is the empirical self. It refers can do’.

to describing the person’s personal  The ideal self is the person’s conception of

experiences and further divided into sub- what one should be or wanted to be that

categories: material self, social self, and includes one’s goals and ambitions in life.

spiritual self.  The closer (congruent) the ideal self is to

 James believed that the path to the real self, the fulfilled and happy the

understanding the spiritual self is through individual becomes. The farther

introspection. (incongruent) the ideal self is to the real

self leads to unhappy and dissatisfied
CARL ROGER person.

SELF THEORY: REAL AND IDEAL SELF

 Another aspect of self-understanding is self

concept.
  Most important aim: ‘’best of what one can
be’’ (self-actualization)
 The self is compared only to the self, not
with others

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

PHSALOBESA

RITA CARTER Self-Actualisation

Desire to become the most that one can
be
 Self-understanding in adolescents also
includes conceptualizing the self as Esteem
Respect, self-esteem, status,
multiple or unified and true or false. recognition, strength, freedom
 The construction of multiple selves varies
across different roles and relationships. Love & Belonging
Friendship, intimacy, family, sense of
 Coping with different selves constitutes a connection

formidable task among adolescents.

 These challenges contribute heavily to the Safety Needs
Personal security, employment,
young person’s struggle for a unified self. resources, health, property

DONALD WINNICOTT Physiological Needs

Air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing,
reproduction
 Winnicott suggests that the self is
composed of the true self and the false
self.
 The function of the false self is to hide and
protect the true self. OTHER NEEDS
 People tend to display a false self to
impress others.  Aesthetic Needs

 The self can change depending on  Cognitive Needs

situations.  Neurotic Needs

ABRAHAM MASLOW

 (APRIL 1, 1908 – JUNE 8, 1970) PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE

HOLISTIC-DYNAMIC THEORY SIGMUND FREUD

 The self is mainly concerned with satisfying  (MAY 6, 1856 – SEPTEMBER 23, 1939)

its needs.  Freud – founder of psychoanalysis he

 Basic needs should be satisfied first before believed that personality is shaped by early

the self can hope to satisfy the higher order experiences in life.

needs
  He developed psychosexual theory of EROGENOUS
Penis
development which indicates that ZONE
individuals go through series of stages of Gratification is centered in the
CHARACTERIST
personality development manipulation of genitals.
ICS
 Erogenous zones – sex or pleasure in one Oedipus Complex is developed
part of our body
People fixated at the Oedipus
 Fixation – result of non-resolution of the
stage may never marry. Heavy
conflicts FIXATION
reliance on masturbation,

STAGES OF PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT flirtatiousness.

OAPHALAGE
LATENCY STAGE
ORAL STAGE
APPROXIMATE
APPROXIMATE 7 to 12 Years old
Birth to 1 year old PERIOD IN LIFE
PERIOD IN LIFE
EROGENOUS
EROGENOUS
Mouth ZONE
ZONE
Psychosexual development is
Chewing, biting and sucking is
CHARACTERIST dormant in this stage. It is
CHARACTERIST the child’s main source of
ICS considered an intermission
ICS pleasure that decreases
stage. ‘’Barkada’’
tension in the infant
FIXATION
Smoking, chewing gums or
FIXATION
biting on a pencil
GENITALS

APPROXIMATE
ANAL STAGE Adolescences to adulthood
PERIOD IN LIFE
APPROXIMATE
1 to 3 years old EROGENOUS
PERIOD IN LIFE Genitals
ZONE
EROGENOUS
Anus CHARACTERIST The stage of sexual
ZONE
ICS resurgence where the
Toilet training Child’s utmost
CHARACTERIST individual is now interested to
desires are in the excretory
ICS the opposite sex.
function
Sexual dysfunctions,
1. Anal retentive
FIXATION FIXATION emotional problems, and
2. Anal expulsive
sexual perversions.

ERIK ERICKSON

 (JUNE 15, 1902 – MAY 12, 1994)

 Erikson based his theory on freud and
adapted the concept of the ego.
PHALLIC STAGE  Erikson believed that the self is largely
APPROXIMATE shaped by society.
3 to 6 years old
PERIOD IN LIFE
  In his theory of psychosocial development,
each stage has a conflict or psychosocial
crisis.
 It helps shape the development of the ego SCHOOL AGE (6 TO 11 YEARS OLD)
or self identity of a child. BASIC
CONFLIC Industry Vs. Inferiority
STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TS
IMPORTA
NT School/ Activities
INFANCY (0 TO 18 MONTHS)
EVENTS
BASIC KEY
QUESTIO How can i be good?
CONFLIC Trust Vs. Mistrust NS
TS VIRTUE Competence

IMPORTA
NT Feeding/ Comfort
ADOLESCENCE (12 TO 18 YEARS OLD)
EVENTS
BASIC
KEY
CONFLIC Identity Versus Role Confusion
QUESTIO Is my world safe?
TS
NS
IMPORTA
VIRTUE Hope
NT Social Relationships/ Identity
EVENTS

EARLY CHILDHOOD (2 TO 3 YEARS OLD) KEY

BASIC QUESTIO Who am I and where am I going?

CONFLIC Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt NS

TS VIRTUE Fidelity

IMPORTA
NT Toilet Training /Dressing
YOUNG ADULT (19 – 40 YEARS OLD)
EVENTS
BASIC
KEY
Can i do things by myself or need i CONFLIC Intimacy Vs. Isolation
QUESTIO
always rely on others? TS
NS
IMPORTA Intimate Relationship
VIRTUE Will
NT
EVENTS

PRESCHOOL (3 TO 5 YEARS OLD) KEY

BASIC QUESTIO Am I loved and wanted?

CONFLIC Initiative Vs. Guilt NS

TS VIRTUE Love

IMPORTA
NT Exploration/ Play
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (40 TO 65 YEARS OLD)
EVENTS
BASIC
KEY
CONFLIC Generativity Vs. Stagnation
QUESTIO Am i good or bad?
TS
NS
IMPORTA Work And Parenthood
VIRTUE Purpose
 NT LIFE NT
EVENTS Object
Birth to 2
KEY Sensorimotor Permanence
Will I provide something of real years old
QUESTIO Reflexive
value?
NS Symbolic
VIRTUE Care Function
2 to 7 years Egocentrism
Preoperational
old Animism
MATURITY (65 TO DEATH) Concentration
BASIC Irreversibility
CONFLIC Ego Identity Vs. Despair Seriation
TS Classification
Concrete 7 to 12 years
IMPORTA Decentration
Operational old
NT Ego Identity Vs. Despair Reversibility
EVENTS Decentration
KEY Abstract
QUESTIO Have I lived a full life? Logical
Formal 12 years old to
NS Hypothesis
Operational adulthood
VIRTUE Wisdom Scientific
Reasoning

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

JEAN PIAGET
MORAL PERSPECTIVE
 (AUGUST 6, 1896 – SEPTEMBER 16, 1980)
 Children actively construct knowledge as LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
they explore and manipulate the world
 (OCTOBER 25, 1997 – JANUARY, 1987)
around them.
 He focused on the moral aspect of the self.
 As a child develops, he or she forms
 ‘’Theory of Moral Development’’
schemas (schemes) or mental concepts that
 Famous story: ‘’Heinz Steals the Drug’’
reflect his or her outer experiences.
‘’Heinz Dilemma’’
 Schemas – building blocks of knowledge,
 Responses of the children – Theory of Moral
formed through the process of assimilation
Development
or accommodation
 It helps shape the development of the ego KOHLBERG’S LEVELS AND STAGES OF
or self identity of a child MORALITY

STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OPO SO SOLO SO U

STAGE APPROXIMAT COGNITIVE PRE-CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

E PERIOD IN DEVELOPME STAGE 1 Obedience Or Obeying the
 Punishment rules is
Orientation important to
avoid
punishment.

STAGE 2 Self-Interest Equal

Orientation exchange. If
one is good to
others, then
other will be
good to you.

CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

STAGE 3 Social ‘’Good Boys’’

Conformity ‘’Nice Girls’’
Orientation Social
Approval

STAGE 4 Law And Order Following rules

Orientation in the society,
respecting
authority and
doing one’s
duty

POST - CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

STAGE 5 Social Contract Argue for

Orientation certain laws to
be changed if
they are no
longer working

STAGE 6 Social Contract Principled

Orientation conscience
Follow
universal
ethical
principles