Knowing OneSelf

Knowing OneSelf
Concept Digest
Defining the “Self”
Have you ever asked yourself this question: Who am I? If you

have, you are not alone. Adolescence is the time when young
people start to ask question about themselves, about their
future, and even about their religious and political beliefs.
During the adolescent stage of development, the young person
grapples with his or her identity. This may seem very
philosophical to some, but to know oneself is the first step
in personal development.
For Socrates, the most important thing to pursue was self-

knowledge, and admitting one’s ignorance is the beginning of
true knowledge.
For Plato, one of Socrates’ students, the beginning of

knowledge is self-knowledge. Other ancient’s philosophers from
other cultures saw the wisdom in knowing oneself.
In philosophical terms, it is being, which is the source of

person consciousness. It is the agent responsible for an
individual’s thoughts and actions. Based on this definition,
the “Self” is an intangible entity that directs a person
thoughts and actions.
The “Self” is identified in various context, such as in

psychology, sociology, or religion. The “Self” is the essence
of a person: his thoughts, feeling, and action, experience,
beliefs, values, principle, and relationship. The “self”
included a person life purpose, meaning, and aspirations
In Psychology, the term personality is referred to as the set

of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motive that identifies
an individual. Personality is the essence of who we are and is
the embodiment of one’ physical, psychological, cognitive,
affective, and spiritual self. Therefore, when we speak of the
“Self”, we will describe it in personality
Personality
There is an abundant definition of what personality is. In

Chapter 1, we defined based on a common definition provided by
dictionary. This time, we will define personality in the same
was psychologist define it.
Personality psychologist have different viewpoints. One

definitions states, “personality refers to the unique and
relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and
motive that characterize an individual” (Feist and Rosenberg
1
2012). Tw key components of personality are highlighted in
this definition: the uniqueness of an individual thoughts,
feelings, and behavior; and their being relatively enduring,
or being consistent, over different situations and overtime.
For example: a person who is considered as “friendly” would at

any given situation, be outgoing and easily liked by others or
is someone who is not perceived as threatening or aggressive.
This person’s uniqueness is manifested in his own brand of
showing friendliness; a sunny disposition, a readiness to give
advice when needed, and generosity to those in need. The
uniqueness is shown by how a person’s physical and behavioral
traits are combined to depict friendliness. I terms of being
consistent, as an adolescent, this friendly individual
develops friendship among his peers. Upon entering adulthood,
this same friendly individual is perceived by co-workers and
peers to still be his old friendly self as when he was in high
school. This consistency through time and the unique manner by
which thoughts, feeling, and behavior are expressed, defines
personality. However, there will always be exception to these
two components. Consistency is more likely to mean most of the
time but not all time. A friendly person can get nasty or
aggressive when provoked or concerned. Sickness can oftentimes
change the consistency of an individual’s personality. An
example of this is Alzheimer’s disease changes three of the
Big Five dimensions of personality (anxiety, extraversion, and
openness) (Costa and McRae 1992).
Gordon Allport defines personality as “a pattern of habits,

attitudes, and traits that determine an individual’s
characteristics, behaviors, and traits” (Sanchez, Abad, and
Jao 2012). This definition does not emphasize uniqueness and
consistency, but nevertheless still captures aspect of
personality.

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Knowing OneSelf

Defining the “Self”

Have you ever asked yourself this question: Who am I? If you

For Socrates, the most important thing to pursue was self-

For Plato, one of Socrates’ students, the beginning of

In philosophical terms, it is being, which is the source of

The “Self” is identified in various context, such as in

In Psychology, the term personality is referred to as the set

There is an abundant definition of what personality is. In

Personality psychologist have different viewpoints. One

For example: a person who is considered as “friendly” would at

Gordon Allport defines personality as “a pattern of habits,

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