CHAPTER 1- PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF  The essence of the self (the soul) is the

immortal entity
Philosophy
 The soul strives for wisdom and perfection, and
 Philosophy employs the inquisitive mind to reason is the soul’s tool to achieve this exalted
discover the ultimate causes, reasons, and state
principles of everything  As long as the soul is tied to the body, the quest
 It goes beyond scientific investigation by for wisdom is inhibited by the imperfection of
exploring all areas of knowledge such as the physical realm, where it wanders and is
religion, psychology, politics, physics, and even confused.
medicine  He suggests that man must live an examined life
 Etymological definition of philosophy: “love of and a life of purpose and value.
wisdom” could pertain to the desire for truth by  For him, an unexamined life is not worth living.
formulating never ending questions to provide The individual person can have a meaningful
answers to every inquiry about the nature of and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and
human existence knows the value of himself that can be achieved
through incessant soul-searching.
Philosophic framework for understanding the self
 He must begin at the source of all knowledge
 First introduced by ancient great Greek and significance-the self.
philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.  Introspection: method of carefully examining
 Socrates suggests “Know Thyself” one’s thoughts and emotions- to gain self
 The different views of prominent philosophers knowledge
regarding the nature of the self are discussed
and while there are disagreements ij how
philosophers view self, most of them agree that PLATO: The self is an immortal soul
self-knowledge is a prerequisite to a happy and
 Like Socrates, Plato believes that the self is
meaningful life.
synonymous with the soul.
 His philosophy can be explained as a process of
self-knowledge and purification of the soul.
SOCRATES: An unexamined Life is not worth living
 Indroduces the idea of a three-part soul/self:
 Self is synonymous with the soul reason, physical appetite, and spirit or passion.
 Every human possesses an immortal soul that o Reason: divine essence that enables us to
survives the physical body. think deeply, make wise choices, and
 Fist to focus on the full power of reason on the achieve a trus understanding of eternal
human self: who are we, who we should be, truths
and who we will become. o Physical appetite: includes our basic
 Reality consists of two dichotomous realms: biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and
physical and ideal realms. sexual desire
o Physical realm o Spirit or Passion: includes basic emotions
 changeable, transient, and imperfect such an love, anger, ambition,
 physical world where man lives aggressiveness, and empathy
 where the body belongs  When conflict occurs, Plato believes it is the
o Ideal realm responsibility of Reason to sort things out and
 unchanging, eternal, and immortal exert control, resorting a harmonious
 include the intellectual essences of the relationship among the elements
universe  He believes that genuine happiness can only be
 concepts such as truth, goodness, and achieved by people who consistently make sure
beauty that there reason is in control of their spirits
 where the soul belongs and appetites.
  If a man lives in accordance to his nature, then soul is characterized by moral virtues such as
he is giving justice to his existence justice and courage
 Theory of Forms
o Two worlds: the world of forms (non-
physical ideas) and the world of sense ST. AUGUSTINE: the self has an immortal soul
(reality)
 African Philosopher (St. Augustine of Hippo)
o World of forms
 Believes that the physical body is radically
 Real and permanents
different from and inferior to its inhabitant, the
o World of sense
immortal soul.
 Temporary and only a replica of the
 Came to view the body as “spouse” of the soul,
ideal world
both attached to one another by a “natural
 Dependent on the ideal world where
appetite”
the concept of the soul belongs
 He believes that the body is united with the
 Since the soul is regarded as something
soul, so that man may be entire and complete
permanent, man should give more importance
 The soul is what governs and defines man
to it than the physical body which resides in the
 In hi work, Confessions, He describes that
world of sense.
human kind is created in the image and likeness
of God. Everything created by God who is all
good is good. Therefore, human creation is
ARISTOTLE: The soul is the essence of the self
always geared towards the good.
 The soul is merely a set of defining features and  The self is known only through knowing God
does not consider the body and the soul as  Self-knowledge is a consequence of knowledge
separate entities. of God
 Suggests that anything with life has a soul  Espouses the significance of reflection as well as
 The soul is the essence of all living things. Thus, the importance of prayers and confessions to
the soul is the essence of the self arrive at a justification for the existence of God
 Humans differ from other living things because  Fort him,” knowledge can only come by seeing
of their capacity for rational thinking. His the truth that dwells within us”. The truth refers
discussion about the self centers on the kinds of to the truth of knowing God
soul possessed by man  God is transcendent and the self seeks to be
 Three kind of soul united with God through faith and reason
o Vegetative  “I am doubting, therefore I am”
 Includes the physical body that can
grow
o Sentient soul RENE DESCARTES: I think therefore I am
 Includes sensual desires, feelings, and
 French philosopher, father of modern
emotions
philosophy
o Rational soul
 Wants to penetrate the nature of reasoning
 What makes man human
process and understand its relationship to the
 Includes the intellect that allows man
human self
to know and understand things
 Latin phrase Cogito ergo sum- “I think therefore
 The rational nature of the self is to lead
I am” is the keystone of Descartes’ concept of
a good, flourishing, and fulfilling life
self
(self-actualization)
 The act of thinking about the self- of being self-
 The pursuit of happiness is a search for a good
conscious- is in itself proof that there is a self
life that includes doing virtuous actions. In
saying this, he posits that part of the rational
  This is the essence of the human self- a thinking  Reason plays an important role in helping to
entity that doubts, understands, analyzes, figure out the significance of sense experience
questions, and reasons and to reach intelligent conclusions
 2 dimensions of the human self  Thus, using the power of reasons and
o The self as a thinking entity (soul) introspection enables one to understand and
 Non-material, immortal, conscious achieve accurate conclusions about the self (or
being, and independent of the physical personal identity)
laws of the universe
o The self as a physical body
 Material, mortal, non-thinking entity, DAVID HUME: There is no self
fully governed by the physical laws of
 Scottich philosopher
nature.
 Suggest that if people carefully examine their
 The soul and the body are independent of one
sense experience through the process of
another, and each can exist and function
introspection, they will discover that there is no
without the other
self. What people experience is just a bundle or
 The essential self: the self as a thinking entity is
collection of different perceptions
distinct from the self as a physical body
 There are only distinct entities: impression and
ideas
o Impression
JOHN LOCKE: the self is consciousness
 Basic sensation of peoples experience
 English philosopher such as hate, love, joy, grief, pain, cold,
 The human mind at birth is tabula rasa or a and heat.
blank state  Vivid perceptions and are strong and
 The self or personal isdentity, is constructed lively
primarily from sense of experience or more o Ideas
specifically, what people see, hear, smell, taste  Thoughts and images from impressions
and feel. These shape and mold the self so they are less lively and vivid
throughout a person’s life  Different sensations are a constant continuum
 Conscious awareness and memory of previous that is invariable and not constant
experiences are the keys to understanding the  It cannot be from any of these impressions that
self. the idea is derived and consequently, there is
 Believes that the essence of the self is its no self.
conscious awareness of itself as a thinking,  People have no experience of a simple and
reasoning, and reflecting identity individual impression that they can call the self
 He contends that consciousness accompanies where the self is the totality of a person’s
thinking and makes possible the concept people conscious life
have of a self.  Idea of personal identity is a result of
 Self-conscious ness in necessary to have a imagination
coherent personal (self) identity or knowledge
of the self as a person.
 Consciousness is what makes identity of a IMMANUEL KANT: we construct the self
person similar in different situations
 German philosopher
 People could use the power of reason to gain
 It is the self that makes the experiencing an
knowledge and consequently use this
intelligible world possible because it is the self
knowledge to understand experiences.
that is actively organizing and synthesizing all of
 Knowledge is based on careful observation of
our thoughts and perceptions
experiences
 The self in the form of consci0ousness, utilizes
conceptual categories which he calls
 transcendental deduction of categories, to functioning which is governed by the
construct an orderly and objective world that is :pleasure principle
stable and can be investigated scientifically.  Much of the self is governed by the
 Kant believes that the self is an organizing unconscious
principle that makes a unified an intelligible o Preconscious self
experience possible.  Contains material that is not
 It is metaphorically above or behind sense threatening and is easily brought to
experience, and it uses the categories of our mind
mind to filter, order, relate, organize, and  Located between the conscious and
synthesize sensations into a unified whole the unconscious part of the self
 The self constructs its own reality, actively
creating a world that is familiar, predictable,
and most significantly, mine. GILBERT RYLE: the self is the way people behave
 The self is a product of reason, regulative
principle, because the self regulate experience  British Philosopher
by making unified experiences possible.  Self is understood a s a pattern of behavior, the
 The self transcends experience because the tendency or disposition of a person to behave in
mind can grasp aspects or reality which are are a certain way in certain circumstances
not limited to the senses. Through rationality,  “I act therefore I am”
people are able to understand certain abstract  Considers the mind and body to be intrinsically
ideas that have no corresponding physical linked in complex and intimate ways
object or sensory experience  The self is the same as bodily behaniour
 Concludes that the mind is the totality of
human dispositions that is known through the
SIGMUND FREUD: the self is multilayered way people behave.
 The mind expresses the entire system of
 Austrian psychoanalyst thoughts , emotions, and actions that make up
 Self consist of Three layers the human self
o Conscious self
 Governed by “reality principle”
 Organized in ways that are rational, PAUL CHURCHLAND: the self is the brain
practical, and appropriate to the
environment  Cnadian philosopher
 Takes into account the realistic  Eliminative materialism or the idea that the self
demands of the situation, the is inseparable from the brain and the physiology
consequences of various actions, and of the body
the overriding need to preserve the  All a person has is the brain, and so if the brain
equilibrium of the entire is gone, there is no self.
psychodynamic system of the self  The physical brain and not the imaginary mind,
o Unconscious gives people the sense of self
 Basic instinctual drives including  The mind does not really exist because it cannot
sexuality, aggressiveness, and self- be experienced by the senses
destruction; traumatic memories;
unfulfilled wishes and childhood
fantasies; and thoughts and feelings MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY: the self is embodied
that would be considered socially subjectivity
taboo.
 French philosopher
 Characterized by most primitive level
 All knowledge about the self is based on the
of human motivation and human
“phenomena “of experience
  The “I” is a single integrated core identity, a society, the post-modern individual tries to
combination of the mental, physical, and avoid fixation and keeps the options open for
emotional structures around a core identity of self-improvement
the self  Jean Baudrillard posits that in the postmodern
 When people examine the self at the society, the self is found in the prestige symbols
fundamental level of direct human experience, of goods consumed by people
people will discover that the mind and body are  The post-modern person has become an
unified, not separate. insatiable consumer
 In his book, Phenomenology of Perception,  Therefore, if people desire to be satisfies with
everything that people are aware of is things in life, they should not be persuaded by
contained within the consciousness. the p[postmodern culture of advertisement and
 Consciousness is a dynamic form responsible for mass media which suggest false needs
actively structuring conscious ideas and physical
Sociology
behavior.
 He is convinced that consciousness, the world,  Scientific study of social groups and human
and the human body are intricately intertwined relationships generates new insights into the
in perceiving the world interconnectedness between the self and other
 Perception is not merely a consequence of people.
sensory experience; rather, it is a conscious  Sociologists offer theories to explain how the
experience. Thus, the self is embodied self emerges as a product of social experience
subjectivity  The looking glass self by Charles Horton Cooley
and the theory of the social self by George
Herbert Mead are helpful in understanding how
CHAPTER 2 a person views himself or herself as he or she
interacts with the social environment that
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: THE SELF AS A PRODUCT
includes family, school, peer groups, and mass
OF SOCIETY
media
“Understanding of the self only arises in relationship, in
Charles Horton Cooley (1902)
watching yourself in relationship to people, ideas, and
things; to trees, the earth, and the world around you…”  Introduced the looking-glass self to highlight
that the people whom a person interacts with
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
become a mirror in which he or she views
himself or herself
 Self-identity or self-image is achieved through a
 Sociological perspective of the self is based on threefold event which begins by conceiving an
the assumption that human behavior is idea of how others perceive him or her, and
influenced by group life. how he or she creates an image of himself or
 A particular view of oneself is formed through herself
interactions with other people, groups, or social  Since these perceptions are subjective, a person
institutions might have wrong interpretations of how other
 Provides a pathway to self-understanding of people evaluate him or her
“who you are” and “what you are” in
contemporary society
 Mead and Cooley, the self does not depend on
biological predisposition; rather it is a product
of social interaction
 The sense of self emerges as the individual
George Herbert Mead
partakes in the society. While the individual
seeks for solid and stable self identity in modern
 Theory of the social self explained that the self  Role taking is exhibited; however,
has two dimensions children do not perceive role taking an
o “I” something expected of them
 Subjective element and the active side  The self emerges as children pretend to
of the self take the roles of specific people or
 It represents the spontaneous and significant others, those individuals
unique traits of the individual who are important agents of
o “Me” socialization
 Is the objective element of the self that  At this stage, the self is developing
represents the internalized attitudes o Game Stage (begins early school years; 8 or
and demands of other people and the 9 y.o)
awareness of those demands  Children understand not only their own
 The full development of the self is attained social position bt also those of others
when the “I” and the “Me” are united. around them
 According to Mead, the self is not present at  Children=n become concerned about
birth. It develops only with social experience in and take into account in their behavior
which language, gestures, and objects are used the generalized others which refer to
to communicate meaningfully. the attitudes, viewpoint, demands and
 Role taking: When a person infers people’s expectations of the society which
intention or direction of action, which may lead include cultural norms and values that
him or her to understand the world from serves as references in evaluating
other’s point of view. oneself
o He or she then creates his or her own role  They can have a more sophisticated
and anticipates how others will respond look of people and an ability to
o When he or she perform his or her respond to numerous members of the
particular role, he or she becomes self- social environment
aware  During this stage, the self is now
 The self continuous to change along with his or present
her social experience
o No matter how much the world shapes a
person, he or she will always remain a The Self as a Product of Modern and Postmodern
creative being, and be able to react to the Societies
world around him or her
 Gerry Lanuza’s article “ The constitution of the
 Three-stage process: Self,” discusses the relationship between
o Preparatory stage (0-3 y.o) society and the individual.
 Children imitate the people around o According to him, in modern societies tha
them, especially family members with attainment and stability of self-identity are
whom they have daily interactions. But freely chosen. It is no longer restricted by
they copy behavior without customs and traditions
understanding underlying intentions, o There is a need to discover the “authentic
and so at this stage, they have no sense
core” of the self for the individual to freely
of self. During this stage children are
work towards self-realization
just preparing for role-taking
o In postmodern societies, the self0identity
o Play stage (3-5 y.o)
continuously changes due to the demnds of
 Start to view themselves in relation to
multitude of social context, new
others as they learn to communicate
information technologies, and globalization
through language and other symbols
Jean Baudrillard

 Consumption structures the postmodern

society
 The postmodern individuals achieve self-
identity through prestige symbols that they
consume
 The cultural practices of advertising and mass
media greatly influence individuals to consume
goods not for their primary value and utility but
for the feeling of goodness and power when
compared with others. Hence, the postmodern
person has become insatiable consumer and
may never be satisfied with his or her life
 Ex. A person buys a phone when he or she
learns that a new model has come out in the
market or when he or she discovers that other
people are using more expensive phones
 Therefore, the self may be in a never-ending
search for prestige in the postmodern society.