UTS

L1: The Self from Various Philosophical  Plato was Socrates’ student and agreed with him about
the body and soul.
Perspectives
 He added that the soul has three parts:
Socrates and Plato
1. Rational soul – The thinking, logical part
A long time ago, before Socrates, there were Greek thinkers who
(must be in control).
tried to understand what everything in the world is made of. They
wondered why things change and why some things stay the 2. Spirited soul – The emotional and
same. They didn’t want to believe only in stories or myths, so they courageous part.
searched for logical explanations.
3. Appetitive soul – The part that desires food,
Then came Socrates, a man who asked a different question: pleasure, and comfort.
"Who am I?" Instead of thinking about the world, he focused on
people and their minds. He believed that the most important thing  In his (magnum opus) The Republic, Plato said that for
in life was to know yourself. He also said that if you don’t think a person to be just and happy, these three parts must
about your life and ask questions, it’s like being alive but not really work in harmony with the rational soul leading.
living.
Key Takeaways
Pre-Socratic Thinkers
 Pre-Socratics: Focused on nature and change.
 Before Socrates, Greek thinkers (called Pre-Socratics)
 Socrates: Focused on self-knowledge and questioning
focused on what the world is made of and why things
life.
change.
 Plato: Explained the soul’s three parts and the
 Philosophers like Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides,
importance of balance.
Heraclitus, and Empedocles searched for logical
explanations rather than relying on myths.

Socrates’ Philosophy Augustine and Thomas Aquinas

 Socrates shifted the focus from the world to the self. Augustine’s View on the Human Person

 His main idea: "The true task of a philosopher is to  Augustine’s View on the Human Person reflects the
know oneself." entire spirit of the medieval world when it comes to
man.
 He believed that the unexamined life is not worth  Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature.
living, people should question their beliefs and seek
wisdom.  Augustine combined Plato’s ideas with Christian
beliefs.
 He compared himself to a gadfly (a small insect that
annoys horses), disturbing people’s comfortable  He said that humans have two parts:
ignorance to help them seek truth. 1. Body – Lives in the physical world, is
imperfect, and will die.
Socrates on the Human Person
2. Soul – Desires to be with God and can
 Every human is made of body and soul.
achieve immortality (eternal life).
 The body is imperfect and temporary.
 The goal of human life is to achieve communion with
 The soul is perfect and permanent. God through virtue (living a good life).

 He believed people should focus on their soul’s virtue  After death, the soul could experience eternal
and wisdom to prepare for the afterlife. happiness with God if the person lived righteously.

Thomas Aquinas’ View on the Human Person

 Aquinas, influenced by Aristotle, expanded Augustine’s
Plato’s Contribution ideas.

 He said every person is made of two essential parts:

 UTS
1. Matter (Hyle) – The physical substance (the 2. Body (Extenza) – The physical part, which is
body) that makes up everything in the just a machine controlled by the mind.
universe.
 He argued that the mind is the real "self", while the
2. Form (Morphe) – The essence or soul, body is separate and less important.
which gives something its true identity.
4. The Mind as the True Essence of a Person
 The body is similar to animals, but the soul is what
makes humans special.  Descartes described a person as "a thinking thing".

 The soul gives life to the body and is what makes a  He said a thinking thing can:
person truly human. o Doubt
Main Takeaways o Understand
 Augustine: Humans have a body and a soul, and the
o Affirm or deny
soul seeks to be with God.
o Will (decide)
 Aquinas: Humans are made of matter (body) and
form (soul), and the soul is what makes a person truly o Refuse
human.
o Imagine and perceive
 Both believed that the soul is eternal, while the body
is temporary. Main Takeaways
 Thinking is proof of existence (cogito ergo sum).

 The mind is more important than the body.

Descartes
 The body is like a machine, while the mind is the
1. Doubt and Certainty true self.
 René Descartes, the Father of Modern Philosophy,
in hi famous treatise, “The Meditations of First
Philosophy” believed we should doubt everything Hume
because our beliefs could be wrong.
1. Empiricism – Hume believed that knowledge comes
 He wanted to find something 100% true that could not only from what we sense and experience. We can’t
be doubted. know something unless we see, hear, touch, or feel it.
2. "I Think, Therefore I Am" (Cogito, Ergo Sum) 2. No Permanent Self – Unlike other philosophers, Hume
argued that the self is not a single, unchanging thing
 Descartes realized that even if he doubted everything,
like a soul or mind. Instead, it’s just a collection of
he could not doubt that he was thinking.
experiences and perceptions that are always
 Since thinking proves that someone exists, he changing.
concluded:
3. Bundle Theory of the Self – He described the self as a
“I think, therefore I am.”
"bundle of impressions", meaning that we are made
 This means the fact that we can think is proof that we up of all our different thoughts, feelings, and
exist. experiences, but there is no core self beyond them.

3. The Two Parts of a Human (Mind-Body Dualism) 4. Two Types of Mental Content:

 Descartes believed humans are made of two distinct o Impressions – The strong, direct
parts: experiences we get through our senses (e.g.,
feeling cold when touching ice).
1. Mind (Cogito) – The part that thinks,
imagines, doubts, and decides. o Ideas – The weaker, less vivid copies of
impressions (e.g., remembering how ice feels
cold).
 UTS
5. No Unchanging Identity – What we think of as our o Kant argued that the self is the seat of
"self" is actually just a collection of experiences knowledge acquisition—meaning it helps
happening one after another, rather than a fixed, people learn and grow.
unchanging thing.
o Without the self, humans would not be able to
Hume’s Big Conclusion: make sense of experiences, learn new things,
or develop personal identity.
The self is not one solid thing, but rather a flow of different
experiences. Just like a river is always moving and changing, our Conclusion: Kant’s theory suggests that the self is not just a
thoughts and feelings are constantly shifting, so we never stay bundle of experiences (like Hume thought), but a thinking,
exactly the same person. organizing force that helps us understand the world and form
our identity.

Kant
1. Kant’s Disagreement with Hume
Gilbert Ryle
o Hume believed that the self is just a collection 1. Mind-Body Dichotomy – Ryle challenges the long-
of random experiences and impressions standing idea that the mind (self) is separate from the
from the world. body.

o Kant disagreed and said that the mind is not 2. Denial of the Internal Self – He rejects the idea of a
just a passive receiver of experiences but an hidden, non-physical self.
active organizer that makes sense of them. 3. Focus on Behavior – According to Ryle, what truly
2. The Mind as an Organizer matters is a person’s behavior in daily life, not an inner
"self."
o Kant believed that the human mind
structures and arranges experiences, rather 4. University Analogy –
than just absorbing them randomly. o Looking for the "self" is like searching for a
o Concepts like time and space are not university as if it were a separate object.
learned from experience but are built into o You can visit buildings, meet people, and
our minds to help us make sense of the explore the campus, but there is no single
world. "university" apart from these things.
3. The Apparatuses of the Mind o Likewise, the "self" isn’t a separate thing—it is
o Kant called the tools that help us organize just the sum of all a person’s behaviors.
experiences the "apparatuses of the mind." 5. The Self is Not a Thing – Instead of being an entity
o These mental tools allow us to understand that can be located or studied, the "self" is just a
relationships between different convenient name for all the actions and behaviors a
experiences and create a structured view of person exhibits.
reality.
Merleau-Ponty:
4. The Self as an Active Intelligence
 Mind and Body Are One: Unlike some philosophers
o According to Kant, the self is not just a who separate the mind and body, Merleau-Ponty
collection of experiences but an actively argues that they are deeply connected and cannot be
engaged intelligence that connects separated.
knowledge and experience to form
understanding.  Experience is Embodied: Every experience we
have is connected to our body. We interact with the
o The self is responsible for organizing world through our physical being.
perceptions and shaping personal identity.
 Body as a Gateway to the World: The body is how
5. The Self and Learning we engage with the world and express our existence.
UTS
 Criticism of Cartesian Dualism: He rejects the
idea (from Descartes) that the mind and body are
separate things, calling it a misunderstanding.

 Everything is Connected: Thoughts, emotions, and

physical experiences are not separate—they all form
one unified existence.

L2: The Self, Society, and Culture

Introduction:
o Philosophers have debated the nature of the
self for a long time.

o Over time, the focus shifted from body-soul

debates to how society and external factors
shape the self.

o The self is deeply influenced by external

reality, as illustrated by the story of Tarzan.

o Tarzan, raised by apes, behaved like an

animal, proving that without human
interaction, people do not develop fully as
human persons.

o This challenges the idea that humans are

special just because of their souls; rather, our
development is shaped by our
environment.

Essential Questions:
o How much of our identity is shaped by
society?
 UTS
o Would we be the same person if we were o Social constructivists argue that the self is not
raised in a different environment? static; it is shaped by interactions with
society.

o The self is a participant in social life and

What Is the Self? changes based on roles and situations.

1. Characteristics of the Self 3. Jon’s Example

o The self is separate, self-contained, o Jon, a math professor, behaves differently in

independent, consistent, unitary, and various roles:
private (Stevens, 1996).
 As a professor – serious and
o SELF BY SEPARATE respected.
It is meant that the self is distinct from other  As a father – strict and sometimes
selves. The self is always uniques and has its feared.
own identity.  As a church worker – kind and
helpful.
o SELF BY SELF-CONTAINED AND
INDEPENDENT o This shows that the self adapts to different
It is self-contained and independent because
contexts but retains a core identity.
in itself it can exist. Its distinctness allows it to
be self-contained with its own thoughts,
characteristics, and volition.
The Self and Culture
o SELF BY CONSISTENT Remaining the same person and turning
It has a personality that is enduring and chameleon by adapting to one’s context seems
therefore can be expected to persist for quite paradoxical. However, the French Anthropologist
some time. Its consistency allows it to be Marcel Mauss has an explanation for this
studied, described, and measured.
Consistency also means that a particular
phenomenon. According to Mauss, every self has
self’s traits, characteristics, tendencies, and two faces: personne and moi. Moi refers to a
potentialities are more or less the same. person’s sense of who he is, his body, and his
o SELF BY UNITARY
basic identity, his biological givenness. Moi is a
It is the center of all experiences and thought person’s basic identity.
that run through a certain person. It is like the
Personne, on the other hand, is composed of the
chief command post in an individual where
processes, emotions, and thoughts converge. social concepts of what it means to be who he is.
Personne has much to do with what it means to
o SELF BY PRIVATE
live in a particular institution, family, religion,
Each person sorts out information, feelings
and emotions, and thought processes within
nationality, and how to behave given expectations
the self. This whole process is never and influences from others.
accessible to anyone but the self.

2. Social Constructionist Perspective on the Self

1. Marcel Mauss’ Concept of the Self
o The self is influenced by external realities
and social contexts. o Every self has two aspects:

o “Social constructionists argue for a merged  Moi – a person's basic identity,

view of the person and their social context biological givenness.
where boundaries of one cannot easily be  Personne – shaped by social
separated from boundaries of the other”
expectations, culture, and roles.
(Stevens 1996).
UTS
o Example: Jon shifts his personne based on Main Takeaways
his social setting while maintaining his moi.
 The self is both constant and flexible, balancing
2. Cross-Cultural Differences in the Self internal identity (moi) with social roles (personne).

o A Filipino overseas worker (OFW) follows  Cultural and social influences shape behaviors and
strict traffic rules abroad but ignores them in perceptions of self.
the Philippines.
 Language, environment, and cultural values
o The self adapts to different cultural contribute to how the self is understood and expressed.
contexts and changes behavior accordingly.

The Self and the Development of the Social

World
1. How Do People Become Social Beings?
3. Language and the Self
o The passage explores how children grow up
o Filipinos associate personal space with and develop their sense of self.
identity (e.g., "Tapat ko, linis ko" – "My
o It questions whether people are born with a
space, my responsibility").
fixed personality or if they change through
o Expressions of love differ across experiences.
languages:
2. Nature vs. Social Influence
 The Filipino phrase "Mahal kita"
does not specify a subject and o Some believe personality traits (e.g., shyness)
object, unlike the English "I love are inborn.
you."
o Others argue that individuals are active
 The word "mahal" means both love participants in shaping their own identity
and expensive, showing that love through social interactions.
is valued.
3. The Role of Social Interaction
o Filipino is gender-neutral—the pronoun
"siya" can mean both "he" and "she," unlike o People are not just passive beings; they
English or Spanish. actively shape who they become.

4. Cultural Influence on the Self o Men and women develop through ongoing
engagement with others.
o Different cultures shape how the self
expresses individuality: 4. Language as a Key Factor
 North Americans value o Language is important in developing the self.
uniqueness.
o It connects private thoughts with the social
 Japanese and Chinese cultures world.
emphasize modesty and fitting in.
o Through language, individuals express
o The self adjusts based on cultural themselves and change over time.
exposure and is influenced by social
expectations. 5. The Self is Always Changing
 UTS
o The self is not fixed but is continuously  Vygotsky: A child remembers real-life conversations
shaped by both personal experiences and with family, friends, and caregivers and uses them to
society. think and solve problems later.

o Social interactions influence how people grow 4. Children Easily Adapt to What They See
and see themselves.
 Children absorb ideas from their surroundings, including
6. Reference to Scholars media, culture, and social interactions.

o “Language as both a publicly shared and  Example: Kids can start acting like cartoon
privately utilized symbol system is the site characters after watching them often.
where individual and the social make and
 This shows how society influences how children
remake each other” (Schwartz, White, and
develop and behave.
Lutz 1993).

This passage emphasizes that identity is formed through both

Conclusion
personal traits and social interactions, making it a dynamic  Both social interaction (talking with others) and
and evolving process. internal thinking (self-dialogue) help shape a
person’s identity.

 Through language, role-playing, and learning from

Mead and Vygotsky others, children develop their own personality and
decision-making skills.
1. Language and Interaction Shape Human
Development
 Mead and Vygotsky believe that people develop Self in Families
through language acquisition (learning to talk) and
social interaction (talking and engaging with others). “Apart from the anthropological and psychological
 The way we process information happens as an
basis for the relationship between the self and the
internal dialogue (thinking inside our heads). social world, the sociological likewise struggled to
understand the real connection between the two
 When people face moral dilemmas (tough decisions), concepts. In doing so, sociologists focus on the
they have internal conversations like: different institutions and powers at play in the
o “Should I do this or that?” society. Among these, the most prominent is the
family.”
o “What if I choose this option?”
1. The Family Shapes Who We Are
2. A Child Learns by Copying Society
 Sociologists study how families affect a person’s
 A child imitates what happens in the outside world. identity and role in society.
 Both Mead and Vygotsky see the human mind as  The family is the most important institution in shaping
something built through language and experiences. a child’s personality, values, and future.
 Children learn social norms, values, and beliefs by 2. A Child is Born with Some Natural Traits, But
talking with others. Family Plays a Bigger Role
3. Role-Playing Helps Shape Identity  Every baby is born with some natural characteristics
 Mead: A child develops a sense of self by pretending (like being quiet or active).
and role-playing.  However, family background (economic, social,
o Example: When children pretend to be spiritual) greatly influences the child's development.
teachers, doctors, or superheroes, they 3. Family Teaches Culture and Behavior
learn social roles and how people behave.
 UTS
 Children learn the language, manners, traditions, and  Society plays a major role in shaping how people
values of their family. express their gender.

 This learning happens through imitation (copying  Many people have fought for the right to express,
parents and siblings). validate, and assert their gender identity.

 Example: Babies learn to talk by listening to their  Some conservative views insist on biological definitions
parents. of gender, while social sciences recognize that gender
is influenced by social and cultural factors.
4. Internalizing Social Rules
 Gender should be personally discovered and not
 Children absorb behaviors from their surroundings, dictated by culture or society.
often without realizing it.
 The way gender is taught can limit personal growth and
 Families teach what is acceptable or unacceptable
self-determination, making it harder for individuals to
using rewards and punishments.
find their true selves.
 Example:
How Society Shapes Gender Roles
o If a child speaks politely, parents praise
them.  From an early age, children are taught specific roles
based on gender.
o If a child is rude, they might get corrected.
 In many societies, girls are expected to take care of
5. The Role of Family in Survival others, while boys are taught to be strong and
dominant.
 A human baby is helpless for a long time, so it relies
on family for survival.  Mothers tend to raise daughters to imitate their
caregiving roles, reinforcing traditional gender
 Without a family, a person may struggle to learn social expectations.
skills and behaviors.
 Girls are encouraged to be "ladylike," while boys are
 Example: The story of Tarzan—without human contact, pushed toward toughness and masculinity.
he didn’t learn normal human behavior.
 Schools and social institutions reinforce these gender
6. Family Prepares a Child for Society expectations.

 The family introduces a child to the world and Patriarchy and Feminism
teaches how to interact with others.
 Patriarchy, the system where men hold most power,
 The child later applies these lessons at school, work, influences gender roles.
and in the community.
 Feminism challenges these roles and promotes gender
equality.

 LGBTQ+ movements advocate for the freedom to

express different gender identities.
Conclusion
 Family shapes a person’s identity, behavior, and
ability to live in society. Masculinity and Cultural Practices
 Without a family, a person may struggle to learn basic  In some cultures, boys undergo rituals (e.g.,
human behaviors. circumcision) as a sign of becoming a man.

 Masculinity is often associated with toughness, hard

labor, and physical strength.
Gender and the Self  These gender norms shape people's identities and roles
in society.
 Gender is a significant part of a person's identity and
can change over time.
UTS
Introduction
 Different fields of social science study and define the
concept of "self" and identity in various ways.

 Research on self and identity is vast, with thousands of

studies exploring these concepts.

 The study of "self" generally moves from broad societal

influences (culture and society) to an individual's
personal experience.

 Modern research acknowledges that both nature

(biological/psychological) and nurture
(social/cultural) contribute to shaping the self.

 Psychology focuses on the brain and cognitive functions

but also considers external factors that influence an
individual.

 Learning about the "self" in psychology involves

studying theories, development, and different
perspectives, which may take an entire semester to
explore fully.

 This lesson provides an overview of the psychological

themes related to the "self."

Abstraction
 The phrase "I am who I am" raises deeper questions: If
you are who you are, then what makes you who you
are?

 Definition of "Self": "Self" is the sense of personal

identity and who we are as individuals (Jhangiani &
Tarry, 2014).

 William James (1890) defined self in two aspects:

o "I": The thinking, acting, and feeling self.

o "Me": The physical and psychological

attributes that define a person.

 Carl Rogers (1959) built on this idea:

o "I": The active self, making decisions and

taking action.

o "Me": The perception of oneself based on

experiences.

Self, Identity, and Self-Concept

L3:The Self as a Cognitive Construct
 UTS
 Identity & Self-Concept: These include personal  Three reasons why self & identity are social
characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities products (Oyserman, Elmore, & Smith, 2012):
(Oyserman, Elmore, & Smith, 2012).
1. Society influences our identity – Even if we
 Self-affiliations define us and shape our self-concept. make choices, we operate within a social and
historical context.
 Self is fluid, changing over time:
2. Cultural transfer of identity – People may
o Example: A person may identify as a former adopt, change, or transfer their identity when
varsity player (past), a college student moving between cultures.
(present), and a future politician (future).
3. Social validation of the self – Our sense of
o The self is adaptable, like malleable metal or self is often reinforced through interactions
water taking the shape of its container. with others.

 Carl Rogers’ "Self-Schema": Our knowledge system

of who we are, organized in different categories like
family, hobbies, nationality, and religion. The Gendered Self
 Self is shaped by culture and society.

 Dangers of a "taught" self: A self-concept that is

The Self and External Influences forced to conform to societal norms can be harmful to
 Schemas evolve over time, shaped by experiences, personal growth.
interests, name, age, work, and physical traits.  Self-determination: Gender and identity should be
 Attention to Self: If someone calls your name, you personally discovered rather than dictated by external
react. If a topic relevant to you is mentioned, you notice expectations.
it more.

 Memory & Self: Psychological theories suggest self

and identity are constructed and stored in memory. Key Takeaways
 Brain & Self: Research links self-awareness to the 1. The self is complex and multi-dimensional,
frontal lobe of the brain influenced by both psychological and social factors.

2. Different theorists (William James, Carl Rogers,

Sigmund Freud, G.H. Mead) have contributed varying
Freud’s Theory of the Self perspectives on self-identity.

 Sigmund Freud saw the self as a result of the 3. The self evolves over time, shaped by experiences,
interaction between: memory, and social interactions.

1. Id (instincts and desires) 4. Culture and society play a crucial role in shaping the
self, but personal self-discovery is also vital.
2. Ego (rational self)
5. The self is not fixed, and individuals continually
3. Superego (moral conscience) reconstruct their identity based on life experiences.

Understanding the Self

1. Definition of Self and Identity
Nature and Nurture in Self-Formation  The self consists of personal characteristics, social
 The environment and society play a major role in roles, and responsibilities.
shaping the self.  Self-concept is how one perceives oneself, including
 G.H. Mead (1934): Self is developed through social values, beliefs, and experiences.
interaction.
 UTS
2. The Self as Malleable and Evolving 8. Impact of Self-Awareness
 The self changes over time, adapting to different life  Can encourage responsible behavior but also lead to
situations. social anxiety.

 It is similar to metal that can be reshaped or water that 9. Social Comparison and Self-Esteem
takes the shape of its container.
 Upward comparison: Comparing with those better off
3. Carl Rogers’ Self-Schema (motivating or discouraging).

 A self-schema is a collection of knowledge about  Downward comparison: Comparing with those worse
oneself. off (boosts self-esteem).

 Includes aspects such as hobbies, family, nationality, 10. Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory
and religion.
(Tesser, 1988)
4. Psychological Theories of the Self  When others outperform us, we may:
 The self is a mental construct shaped by experiences. o Distance ourselves.
 Freud’s Theory of Self-Development:
o Re-evaluate the activity’s importance.
o Id: Instinctual desires.
o Work harder to improve.
o Ego: Balances desires and reality.
11. Narcissism and Self-Esteem
o Superego: Moral compass.
 Narcissism involves excessive self-admiration.
5. Symbolic Interactionism (G.H. Mead,  High self-esteem can have both positive and negative
1934) effects.

 Self is developed through social interactions. 12. Correlation Between Self-Esteem and
 Society and culture play a key role in shaping identity. Behavior
6. Social Influence on Self-Concept  High self-esteem is linked to confidence and
adaptability.
 Society influences how we see ourselves.
 Some may engage in negative behaviors to maintain a
 Social media can reinforce or challenge our self- positive self-image.
perception.

7. Self-Awareness and Social Comparison

 Carver and Scheier (1981) distinguish:

o Private self: Thoughts and emotions.

o Public self: How one presents oneself to

others.

 Higgins’ Self-Discrepancy Theory:

o Actual self – Who we are.

o Ideal self – Who we aspire to be.

o Ought self – Who we think we should be.