UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Lesson 1: Philosophical Perspective of the Self

DEFINITION OF THE SELF: PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNEY
what is philosophy?
Finding answers to serious questions about ourselves and about the world we live in: What is
morally right and wrong? And why? What is a good life? Does God exist? What is the mind? And
much, much more Questioning existing knowledge and intuitions to get closer to the truth.
What will you get out of philosophy?
The skills are critical thinking skills, argument skills, communication, reasoning, problem solving,
analysis and much more. You can justify your opinion and spot a bad argument whatever the topic
is. You can explain to people why you are right and they are wrong. Lastly, philosophy basically
teaches you to think.
PHILOSOPHY
PHILIA – love SOPHIA- wisdom = philosophy
PYTHAGORA OF SAMOS - An Ionian Greek PHILOSOPHER The first to use the word “Philosopy”
The origin of philosophy and logic
The people tend to search for truth Search is to look for something Search for meaning, Search for
answers, Search for importance Search for significance, Search for value, Search for relevance,
Philosophy tends to ask a lot of questions
PHILOSOPHY AND THE SELF
HYPATIA OF ALEXANDRIA - Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician and astronomer
SOCRATES
- “KNOW THYSELF” “AN UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING” Philosophers agree that
self-knowledge is a prerequisite to a happy and meaningful life.
- EVERY MAN IS DUALISTIC WE ARE COMPOSED OF BODY AND A SOUL THERE ARE TWO
IMPORTANT ASPECT OF PERSONHOOD: THE BODY WHICH IS IMPERFECT AND
IMPERMANENT AND THE SOUL, PERFECT AND PERMANENT
- SOCRATES’ TWO DICHOTOMOUS REALMS: The Physical Realm Changeable, transient and
imperfect The body belongs to this realm The Ideal realm Unchanging, eternal and
immortal The soul belong to this realm
- Socrates was the first thinker to focus on the full power of reason on the human self
- WHO WE ARE, WHO WE SHOULD BE, AND WHO WE WILL BECOME.
- The soul strives for wisdom and perfection, and reason is the soul’s tool to achieve an
exalted state of life.
- Our preoccupation with bodily needs such as food, drink, sex, pleasure, material
possessions, and wealth keep us from attaining wisdom.
- A person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the
value of himself that can be achieve through constant soul-searching.
- For him, this is best achieved when one tries to separate the body from the soul as much
possible.
PLATO: the human soul is immortal
He is a student of Socrates. The philosophy of the self can be explained as a process of self-
knowledge and purification of the soul. He believed that in the existence of the mind and soul .Mind
and soul is given in perfection with God.
Plato: the human soul has 3 parts
1. Rational Soul reason and intellect divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make
wise choices, and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths
2. Spirited Soul emotion and passion basic emotions such as love, anger ambition, empathy,
and aggressiveness.
3. Appetitive Soul basic needs includes our basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and
sexual desire.
- These three elements of ourselves are in a dynamic relationship with one another,
sometimes in conflict. When conflict occurs, Plato believes that it is the responsibility of our
reason to sort things out and exert control, restoring a harmonious relationship among the
three elements of ourselves.
- Plato believes that genuine happiness can only be achieved by people who consistently
make sure that their reason is in control of their spirits and appetites.
ARISTOTLE: the soul is the essence of the self
A student of Plato. The body and soul are not two separate elements but are one thing. The soul is
simply the form of the body and is not capable of existing without the body.
The soul is that which makes a person a person. The soul is the essence of the self. Aristotle suggest
that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good, flourishing, and fulfilling life. Without the body,
the soul cannot exist, the soul dies along with the body.
The soul and the body, I suggest react sympathetically upon each other. A change in the state of the
soul produces a change in the shape of the body and conversely, a change in the shape of the body
produces a change in the state of the soul.
Aristotle suggested that anything with life has soul. His discussion about the self centers on the
kinds of soul possessed by a man. He introduced the three kinds of soul.
Aristotle: the three kinds of soul
1.Vegetative Soul includes the physical body that can grow
2. Sentient Soul includes the sensual desires, feelings, and emotions.
3. Rational Soul is what makes a man human. It includes the intellect that makes man know and
understand things
1. Vegetative Soul is for plant reproduction and growth
2. Sensitive Soul is for animals mobility and sensation
3. Rational Soul is for humans thought and reflection
ST. AUGUSTINE: I am doubting, therefore I am
Integrate the ideas of Plato and Christianity. Augustine’s view of the human person reflects the
entire spirit of the medieval world. The soul is united with the body so that man may be entire and
complete Believed humankind is created in the image and likeness of God.
Therefore, the human person being a creation of God is always geared towards the good. The self is
known only through knowing God Self-knowledge is a consequence of knowledge of God.
“Knowledge can only come by seeing the truth that dwells within us”
RENE DESCARTES: I think therefore, I am
Cogito ergo sum “the act of thinking about self – of being self-conscious is in itself proof that there
is self”
RENE DESCARTES’ two distinct entities
1. COGITO – The thing that thinks the mind 2. EXTENZA – The extension the body
JOHN LOCKE: THE SELF IS CONSCIOUSNESS
The human mind at birth is tabula rasa or blank slate, his theory of knowledge. He felt that the self
is constructed primarily from sense experience.
Locke theorized that when a person is born, the baby knows absolutely nothing. In essence, he
argued that the inside of a baby’s brain was empty and ready to learn everything through
experience.
CONSCIOUSNESS- Necessary to have a coherent personal identity or knowledge of the self as a
person. What makes possible our belief that we are the same identity in different situations.
DAVID HUME: THERE IS NO SELF
Self is simply a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an
inconceivable rapidly are in a perpetual flux and movement. The idea of personal identity is a result
of imagination There is no self.
SIGMUND FREUD: The ego is not master in its own house
The ego is not master in its own house. Man is governed by 2 drives: Eros and Thanatos. Three
provinces of the mind: Id, ego and superego
IMMANUEL KANT: We construct the self
Self is not just what gives one his personality but also the seat of knowledge acquisition for all
human persons. The self construct its own reality creating a world that is familiar and predictable.
Through our rationality, the self transcends sense experience.
GILBERT RYLE: THE SELF IS THE WAY PEOPLE BEHAVE
Self is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient name that people use to
refer to all the behaviors that people make. “I act therefore, I am”, in short, the self is the same as
bodily behavior. The self is the way people.
PAUL CHURCHLAND: the self is the brain
Self is inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the body. All we have is the brain and so, if
the brain is gone, there is no self. The physical brain and not the imaginary mind, gives us our sense
of self. The self is the brain.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty: The self is embodied subjectivity
The mind-body bifurcation that has been going on for a long time is a futile endeavor and an invalid
problem. All knowledge of ourselves and our world is based on subjective experience. The self can
never truly objectified or known in a completely objective sort of way.
Lesson 2: The Self in Sociological Perspective
Sociology - the study of human behavior. Sociology refers to social behavior, society, patterns of
social relationships, social interaction, and culture that surrounds everyday life.
One of the pioneering contributors to sociological perspectives was Charles Cooley (1864–1929).
He asserted that people’s self understanding is constructed, in part, by their perception of how
others view them—a process termed “the looking glass self” (Cooley 1902).
The looking glass self (Cooley)
1. We imagine how we appear to others
2. We interpret how others judge that appearance and then respond to that interpretation
through behavior
3. We experience feelings of pride or shame based in this imagined appearance and
judgement by others
4. We respond based on our interpretation
THEORY OF THE SOCIAL SELF ( George Herbert Mead, 1863-1931)
Self—from experience as we learn to interpret situations by “taking on the role of the other”
Children learn to do that in: imitation(gestures, words) play(specific roles) games(multiple roles)
generalized other role(role of the group)
The social aspect of self is an important distinction because other sociologists and psychologists felt
that the self was based on biological factors and inherited traits. According to Mead, the self is not
there from birth, but it is developed over time from social experiences and activities.
Development of Self
According to Mead, three activities develop the self: Language develops self by allowing individuals
to respond to each other through symbols, gestures, words, and sounds.
According to Mead, three activities develop the self: Play develops self by allowing individuals to
take on different roles, pretend, and express expectations of others. It develops one's self-
consciousness through role-playing.
According to Mead, three activities develop the self: Games develop self by allowing individuals to
understand and adhere to the rules of the activity. Self is developed by understanding that there are
rules in which one must abide by in order to win the game or be successful at an activity.
Two Sides of Self: Me & I
According to Mead's theory, the self has two sides or phases: 'me' and 'I‘ The 'me' is considered the
socialized aspect of the individual. The 'me' represents learned behaviors, attitudes, and
expectations of others and the society.
According to Mead's theory, the self has two sides or phases: 'me' and 'I‘ The 'I', therefore, can be
considered the present and future phase of the self. The 'I' represents the individual's identity
based on response to the 'me'.
The Socialization Process
Agents of Socialization
- Family The primary function of the family is to reproduce society, both biologically through
procreation and socially through socialization. Given these functions, the individual’s
experience of his or her family shifts over time.
- Mass Media The mass media function as socialization agents for children and adults in
several ways: internet, newspaper, infographics, television, radio, tv news
- Peer Group The influence of the peer group typically peaks during adolescence. Peer group
generally only affect short term interests unlike the family, which has long term influence.
- Religion Children tend to develop the same religious beliefs as their parents.
- Sports
- School In school, teachers and other students are the source of expectations that encourage
children to think and behave in particular ways.
Lesson 3: The Anthropological Conceptualization of the Self: The Self as Embedded in Culture
Anthropology is the study of humans, human behaviour and societies in the past and present
– holds a holistic view of human nature. It is concerned with how cultural and biological processes
interact to shape the self.
– Considers human experience as an interplay of “nature” referring to genetic inheritance which
sets the individual's potentials and “nuture” which refers to sociocultural environment.
Two ways in which the concept of self viewed in different societies:
 - Egocentric- suggest that each person is defined as replica of all humanity but capable of
acting independently from others - the self is viewed as autonomous and distinct individual
with inherent characteristics
- Sociocentric- the self is viewed as dependent on the situation of social setting - The
membership of a person in a particular group defines the boundaries of self
From the similarities and differences in characteristics among individuals, people construct thieir
social identities.
• the identity may refers to the “features of the person's identity that he or she chooses to
emphasize in constructing a social self”
• Self identification may be attained by: kinship, family membership, gender, age, language, religion,
ethnicity, personal appearance, and socioeconomic status.
Some characteristics such as kinship, gender, and age are almost universally used to different
people
• other characteristics such as ethnicity, personal appearance, and socioeconomic status are not
always used in every society
• Family membership could be the most significant ture to determine the person's social identify.
• language is another important identity, It is essential for maintenance of a group identity.
• In other societies, religious affiliation is an important marker of the group identity.
• Personal naming, a universal practice with numerous cross-cultural variations establishes a
child's birthright and social identity. A name is an important device to individualize a person and to
have an identity
• One's identity is not inborn. It is something people continiously develop in life.
• Changes in one's Identity usually involve rites of passage that prepares individuals for new roles
from one one stage to life to another.
Changes in one's status and identity are marked by a three-phased rite of passage.
- Separation Phase – person transitions from one identity to another.
- Liminality Phase- a person transitions from one Identity to another
- Incorporation Phase – the change in one's status is officially incorporated
Clifford Geertz (1926-2006)- American anthropologist, aim of most of his work is to provide an
understanding and acknowledgement of “thick description” that exists between cultures;
understanding other people’s understanding of things.
Culture is considered a central concept in anthropology, it is described as the way of life of a
particular people living in one place.
“Culture is also not a force or causal agent in the world, but a context in which people live out their
lives.”
CULTURE DEFINED
• Culture is a group which shapes a person's values and identity. Cultural identities can stem from
the following differences: race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, country of origin, and geographic
region.
CULTURAL CONFLICTS
• Cultural conflicts arise because of the differences in values and norms of behavior of people from
different cultures. A person acts according to the values and norms of his or her culture; another
person holding a different world view might interpret his or her behavior from an opposite
standpoint. This situation creates misunderstanding and can lead to conflict.
CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
• We communicate the way we do because we are raised in a particular culture and learn its
language, rules, and norms. Different cultures (and subcultures)may have different rules and
norms. Understanding the other's culture facilitates cross-cultural communication.
How Do I Manage Cultural Diversity?
• Since everyone is the product of their own culture, we need to increase both self-awareness and
cross-cultural awareness. There is no book of instructions to deal with cultural diversity, no recipe
to follow. But certain attitudes help to bridge cultures.
 Admit that you don’t know
• Knowing that we don’t know everything, that a situation does not make sense, that
our assumptions may be wrong is part of the process of becoming culturally aware.
Assume differences, not similarities.
 Suspend judgments
• Collect as much information as possible so you can describe the situation accurately
before evaluating it.
 Empathy
• In order to understand another person, we need to try standing in his/her shoes.
Through empathy we learn of how other people would like to be treated by us.
 Systematically check your assumptions.
 Ask your colleagues for feedback and constantly check your assumptions to make sure that
you clearly understand the situation.
 Become comfortable with ambiguity
 The more complicated and uncertain life is, the more we tend to seek control. Assume that
other people are as resourceful as we are and that their way will add to what we know. “If
we always do, what we’ve always done, we will always get, what we always got.”
 Celebrate diversity
 As a company find ways of sharing the cultures of your diverse workforce, i.e., in 2002
Deutsche Bank carried out multiple initiatives around the theme of “tolerance: diversity,
identity, recognition” which they called “Initiative Plus 2002.” They encouraged employee
projects and organized an annual colloquium of global experts.
What is Cultural Awareness, anyway? How do I build it?
“A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it. Our own culture is like water for
the fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe through it.”
Cultural Awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability of standing back
from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we do
things in that way? How do we see the world? Why do we react in that particular way?
Cultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact with people from other cultures.
People see, interpret and evaluate things in a different ways. What is considered an appropriate
behavior in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one. Misunderstandings arise when I
use my meanings to make sense of your reality.
Degrees of Cultural Awareness
 My way is the only way - At the first level, people are aware of their way of doing things,
and their way is the only way. At this stage, they ignore the impact of cultural differences.
(Parochial stage)
 I know their way, but my way is better - At the second level, people are aware of other
ways of doing things, but still consider their way as the best one. In this stage, cultural
differences are perceived as source of problems and people tend to ignore them or reduce
their significance. (Ethnocentric stage)
 My Way and Their Way - At this level people are aware of their own way of doing things
and others’ ways of doing things, and they chose the best way according to the situation. At
this stage people realize that cultural differences can lead both to problems and benefits
 and are willing to use cultural diversity to create new solutions and alternatives.
(Synergistic stage)
 Our Way - This fourth and final stage brings people from different cultural background
together for the creation of a culture of shared meanings. People dialogue repeatedly with
others, create new meanings, new rules to meet the needs of a particular situation.
(Participatory Third culture stage)
Cultural Relativism

Perspective holds Judgements about

that there are no abnormality vary
universal standards from society to
or rules for labeling society
a behavior as
abnormal

ETHNOCENTRISM Having an idea that you own race/group/culture is better or more important
than the others. It is the standard by which all other cultures should be measured. That is the root
of racism.
COLONIAL MENTALITY Because we are colonized by other cultures, we somehow believe that
these cultures/groups are superior or powerful than us and we somewhat prefer them than our
own indigenous culture/products.
In becoming culturally aware, people realize that:
 We are not all the same
 Similarities and differences are both important
 There are multiple ways to reach the same goal and to live life
 The best way depends on the cultural contingency. Each situation is different and may re-
quire a different solution.

Lesson 4: The Western and Eastern Concepts of Self

Asian and Western Views on the Self
Film Viewing Guide: List down the characteristics/attitudes manifested by the two main characters,
Jackie Chan (Asian) and Chris Tucker(Western).
“One of the most effective ways to learn about oneself is by taking seriously the cultures of
others. I t forces you to pay attention to those details of life which differentiate them from
you” – Edward Hall
The Self in Eastern thought
Individualism - Collectivism
Individualistic Self
The individual identifies primarily with self, with the needs of the individual being satisfied before
those of the group. Looking after and taking care of one self, being self-sufficient, guarantees the
well-being of the group.
Independence and self- reliance are greatly stressed and valued.
• In general, people tend to distance themselves psychologically and emotionally from each other.
One may choose to join groups, but group membership is not essential to one’s identity or success.
• Individualistic doers are self-assured and very independent people. They are quiet and realistic,
very rational, extremely matter of fact people.
 • They strongly cultivate their individualism and enjoy applying their abilities to new tasks. But
they are also very spontaneous and impulsive persons who like to follow their sudden inspirations.

Traits of Individualism
• "I" identity.
• Promotes individual goals, initiative and achievement.
• Individual rights are seen as being the most important. Rules attempt to ensure self-importance
and individualism.
• Independence is valued; there is much less of a drive to help other citizens or communities than in
collectivism.
• Relying or being dependent on others is frequently seen as shameful.
The Collective Self
• Collectivism views the group as the primary entity, with the individuals lost along the way.
• The survival and success of the group ensures the well-being of the individual, so that by
considering the needs and feelings of others, one protects oneself.
• Both collectivist and individualistic cultures have their failings. People in individualist cultures
are susceptible to loneliness, and people in collectivist cultures can have a strong fear of rejection.
Traits of Collectivism
• Each person is encouraged to be an active player in society, to do what is best for society as a
whole rather than themselves.
• The rights of families, communities, and the collective supersede those of the individual.
• Rules promote unity, brotherhood, and selflessness.
• Working with others and cooperating is the norm; everyone supports each other.
• as a community, family or nation more than as an individual
LIVING TOGETHER VS GOING IT ALONE
Most Westerners, or at any rate most Americans, are confident that the following generalizations
apply to pretty much everyone
• Each individual has a set of characteristic, distinctive attributes. Moreover, people want to be
distinctive—different from other individuals in important ways.
• People are largely in control of their own behavior; they feel better when they are in situations in
which choice and personal preference determine outcomes.
• People are oriented toward personal goals of success and achievement; they find that relation-
ships and group memberships sometimes get in the way of attaining these goals.
• People strive to feel good about themselves; personal successes and assurances that they have
positive qualities are important to their sense of well-being.
• People prefer equality in personal relations or, when relationships are hierarchical, they prefer a
superior position.
• People believe the same rules should apply to everyone—individuals should not be singled out for
special treatment because of their personal
• attributes or connections to important people. Justice should be blind.
The Non- Western SELF
• There is an Asian expression that reflects a cultural prejudice against individuality: "The peg that
stands out is pounded own. "In general, East Asians are supposed to be less concerned with
personal goals or self-aggrandizement than are Westerners. Group goals and coordinated action are
more often the concerns.
• Maintaining harmonious social relations is likely to take precedence overachieving personal
success. Success is often sought as a group goal
• rather than as a personal badge of merit. Individual distinctiveness is not particularly desirable.
• For Asians, feeling good about themselves is likely to betide to the sense that they are in harmony
with the wishes of the groups to which they belong and are meeting the group's expectations.
Equality of treatment is not assumed nor is it necessarily regarded as desirable
• Easterners feel embedded in their in-groups and distant from their out-groups. They tend to feel
they are very similar to in-group members and they are much more trusting of them than of out-
group members. Westerners feel relatively detached from their in groups and tend not to make as
great distinctions between in-group and out-group.
Lesson 5: Psychological Perspective of the Self
Psychoanalytic Theory by Sigmund Freud
Three levels of awareness:
Conscious mind: includes everything that we area ware of. This is the aspect of our mental
processing that we can think and talk about rationally
Unconscious mind: is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our
conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such
as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict
Preconscious mind: is part of the conscious mind and includes our memory. These memories are
not conscious, but we can retrieve them to conscious awareness at any time. The word
preconscious is applied to thoughts which are unconscious at the particular moment in question,
but which are not repressed and are therefore available for recall and easily capable of becoming
conscious.
STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY
ID: Operates according the pleasure principle -Primitive and unconscious part of the personality
Ego: Operates according to the reality principle -Mediates between id and superego
Superego: Moral ideas and conscience
Defense Mechanism
• ways to cope with the stress
• ways deceiving oneself about the causes of stressful situations so that pressure, frustration,
conflict and anxiety educed
v DENIAL Denial is the refusal to accept reality or fact, acting as if a painful event, thought or feeling
did not exist.
v REGRESSION Regression is the reversion to an earlier stage of development in the face of
unacceptable thoughts or impulses.
v PROJECTION Projection is the misattribution of a person’s undesired thoughts, feelings, or
impulses onto another person.
v REACTION FORMATION Reaction Formation is the converting of unwanted or dangerous
thoughts, feelings or impulses into their opposites.
v REPRESSION Repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings and
impulses. “Repressed memories” are memories that have been unconsciously blocked from
accessor view.
v DISPLACEMENT Displacement is the redirecting of thoughts feelings and impulses directed at
one person or object, but taken out upon another person or object.
v INTELLECTUALIZATION When a person intellectualizes, they shut down all of their emotions
and approach a situation solely from a rational standpoint —especially when the expression of
emotions would be appropriate.
v RATIONALIZATION Rationalization is putting something into a different light or offering a
different explanation for one’s perceptions or behaviors in the face of a changing reality.
v UNDOING Undoing is the attempt to take back an unconscious behavior or thought that is
unacceptable or hurtful.
v SUBLIMATION Sublimation is simply the channeling of unacceptable impulses, thoughts and
emotions into more acceptable ones.
v FANTASY Fantasy when used as a defense mechanism, is the channeling of unacceptable or
unattainable desires into imagination.
v COMPENSATION Compensation is a process of psychologically counter balancing perceived
weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas.
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development
ORAL ( 0-2) – infant achieves gratification through oral activities such as feeding, thumb sucking
and blabbing.
ANAL ( 3-3) – the child learns to respond to some of the demands of society (such as bowel and
bladder control)
PHALLIC ( 3-7) – the child learns to realize the differences between males and females and
becomes aware of sexuality.
LATENCY ( 7-11) – the child continues his or her development but sexual urges are relatively quiet.
GENITAL ( 11- adult) – the growing adolescent shakes off old dependencies and learns to deal
maturely with the opposite sex.
Safeguarding Tendencies
Alfred Adler (1870-1937) believed that people create patterns of behavior to protect their
exaggerated sense of self-esteem against public disgrace. These protective devices enable people to
hide their inflated self-image and to maintain their current style of life.
Alfred Adler believed that people create patterns of behavior to protect their exaggerated sense of
self-esteem against public disgrace. These protective devices enable people to hide their inflated
self-image and to maintain their current style of life.
Individual psychology is the psychological method or science founded by the Viennese
psychiatrist Alfred Adler
Birth Order and sibling relationship
The first-born Child for a time, first-borns may become stubborn, ill behaved, and destructive and
may refuse to eat or go to bed or strike out in anger when first-borns are punished for their trouble
some behavior, they may interpret the punishment as additional evidence of their fall and may
come to hate the second child, who is, after all, the cause of the problem. found that first-borns are
often oriented toward the past first-born often plays the role of teacher, tutor, leader, and
disciplinarian, expected by parents to help care for younger siblings; these experiences often enable
the first-born to mature intellectually to a higher degree than the younger children. first-borns also
take an unusual interest in maintaining order and authority; they become good organizers,
conscientious and scrupulous about detail, authoritarian and conservative in attitude first-borns
may also grow up to feel insecure and hostile toward others
The second-born Child Second-born children, the ones who caused such up he aval in the lives of
first-borns, are also in a unique situation. They never experience the powerful position once
occupied by the first-borns. A second baby is not the novelty the first was. Not having experienced
power, second-borns are not as concerned with it. They are more optimistic about the future and
are likely to be competitive and ambitious. Other less beneficial outcomes may arise from the
relationship between first-borns and second-borns. Competition with the first-born may serve to
motivate the second-born, who may strive to catch up to and surpass the older sibling, a goal that
spurs language and motor development in the second-born. In some cases, competitiveness would
not become part of the second-born’s style of life, and he or she may become an underachiever,
performing below his or her abilities in many facets of life.
The youngest Child often become the pet of the family, particularly if the siblings are more than a
few years older driven by the need to surpass older siblings, youngest children often develop at a
remarkably fast rate last-borns are often high achievers in whatever work they undertake as adults.
the opposite can occur, however, if the youngest children are excessively pampered and come to
believe they needn’t learn to do anything for themselves. As they grow older, such children may
retain the helplessness and dependency of childhood. Unaccustomed to striving and struggling,
used to being cared for, these people find it difficult to adjust to adulthood.
The only Child only children never lose the position of primacy and power they hold in the family
they remain the focus and center of attention spending more time in the company of adults than a
child with siblings, thus only children often mature early and manifest adult behaviors and
attitudes only children are likely to experience difficulties when they find that in areas of life
outside the home, such as school, they are not the center of attention. only children have learned
neither to share nor to compete
Humanistic Psychologist
Carl Rogers (1902- 1987) who agreed with the main assumptions of Abraham Maslow, but added
that for a person to "grow", they need an environment that provides them with genuineness
(openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard),and
empathy (being listened to and understood).
Conditions of worth–the conditions a person must meet in order to regard himself or herself
positively Ex. Parents, teachers, and others, only give us what we need when we show we are
worthy and not just because we need it.
Humanistic Personality Theory
 Rejects determinism (your actions are dictated by your past).
 Humans have free will (ability to choose their own destiny).
 Humans are innately good as long as their self-esteem and self-concept are positive, they
will be happy.
Stages of Theory
Self -Actualization Tendency- is the built-in tendency to develop in a positive way. Those who
have self-actualized have achieved autonomy, self-sufficiency, and personal growth.
The person centered assumes that each person has a need for Unconditional Positive Regard-
acceptance, respect, sympathy, and love regardless of performance.
Most people receive Conditional Positive Regard- is acceptance only for doing what parents or
society insists upon; the person is valued for what he/she does, not for who he/she is.
Individuals may lose sight of their true worth by receiving Conditional Positive Regard- they will
leave the path of self-actualization and look to others for positive regard.
Threat- occurs when we perceive incongruity between our experiences and our self-concept; when
we no longer regard ourselves as a consistent whole as fragmented and false.
When expecting a threatening situation, we feel Anxiety. Anxiety is a signal indicating that there is
trouble ahead, avoid the situation. We avoid the situation by using Defenses.
Two defenses: Denial- blocking out the threatening situation altogether; Perceptual Distortion-
reinterpreting the situation so that it appears less threatening.
Roger's view of self
Self-worth (or self-esteem) comprises what we think about ourselves. Rogers believed feelings of
self-worth developed in early childhood and were formed from the interaction of the child with the
mother and father.
Self-image How we see ourselves, which is important to good psychological health. Self-image
includes the influence of our body image on inner personality. At a simple level, we might perceive
ourselves as a good or bad person, beautiful or ugly. Self-image affects how a person thinks, feels
and behaves in the world.
Ideal-self This is the person who we would like to be. It consists of our goals and ambitions in life,
and is dynamic – i.e., forever changing. The ideal self in childhood is not the ideal self in our teens or
late twenties etc.
Unconditional Positive Regard is where parents, significant others(and the humanist therapist)
accepts and loves the person for what he or she is. Positive regard is not withdrawn if the person
does something wrong or makes a mistake. The consequences of unconditional positive regard are
that the person feels free to try things out and make mistakes, even though this may lead to getting
it worse at times. People who are able to self-actualize are more likely to have received
unconditional positive regard from others, especially their parents in childhood.
Conditional Positive Regard is where positive regard, praise, and approval, depend upon the
child, for example, behaving in ways that the parents think correct. Hence the child is not loved for
the person he or she is, but on condition that he or she behaves only in ways approved by the
parent(s). At the extreme, a person who constantly seeks approval from other people is likely only
to have experienced conditional positive regard as a child

INCONGRUENT CONGRUENT
 the self-image is  the self-image is similar
different to the ideal to the ideal self
self  there is more overlap
 there is only a little  this person can self-
overlap actualize
 here self-actualization
will be difficult

Characteristics of Fully Functioning Persons

• Awareness of all experience; open to positive as well as negative feelings
• Freshness of appreciation for all experiences
• Trust in one’s own behavior and feelings
• Freedom of choice, without inhibitions
• Creativity and spontaneity
• Continual need to grow, to strive to maximize one’s potential
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
Hierarchy of needs
 Self-actualization (desire to become the most that one can be)
 Esteem (respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom)
 Love and belonging (friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection)
 Safety needs (personal security, employment, resources, health, property)
 Physiological needs (air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing, reproduction)