Understanding The Self
Understanding The Self
Understanding The Self
• The Western thoughts conducted scientific investigations in the effort to understand the self and have
developed theories and concepts to account for the similarities and differences among them.
• They emphasized the importance of scientific methods of investigation to provide satisfactory
answers to understanding the self.
• In the Western thought, the emphasis is individualistic rather than relational.
• Many movements of Eastern thoughts raise questions about the ultimate meaning of human life and
have developed theories of self insofar as they have investigated what it means to be a human being.
• Eastern thoughts aim at transformations in consciousness, feelings, emotions, and one’s relation to other
people and the world.
• In the Eastern thought, the emphasis is relational rather than individual. The self is considered not in
isolation but in relation to others, society, and the universe.
• Eastern theories are highly practical.
• They offer a variety of techniques for cultivating a deeper understanding of the self. They do not
utilize the scientific techniques of investigation.
Buddhism
• The core of Confucian thought is the Golden Rule or the principle of reciprocity: Do not do to others
what you would not want others to do to you.
• Another important feature in Confucian thought is the individual’s greatest mission of attaining self-
realization wherein self-cultivation is instrumental.
• Self-cultivation could be accomplished by knowing one’s role in the society and act accordingly.
• Moral character is perfected through continuously taking every opportunity to improve oneself in
thought and action.
Ren (Altruism)
• It focuses on the genuine concern for others, this starts to the immediate family.
• How can you do good things to others without doing it first to your own family?
Taoism
Philosophy
Notable Philosophers:
1. Socrates
2. Plato
3. Aristotle
4. St. Augustine
5. Rene Descartes
6. John Locke
7. David Hume
8. Immanuel Kant
9. Gilbert Ryle
10. Paul Churchland
11. Maurice Merleau-ponty
According to Kant, it is the self that makes experiencing an intelligible world possible because it is the
self that is actively organizing and synthesizing all of our thoughts and perceptions.
In other words, the self constructs its own reality creating a world that is familiar and predictable.
Through our rationality, the self transcends sense experience.
A priori and a posteriori knowledge of the self
Categorical Imperative - “Act always on the maxim of such a will in us as can at the same time look
upon itself as making universal law.”
o Act as you would want all other people to act towards other people.
The self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition for a person to behave in
a certain way in certain circumstances.
Ryle’s concept of the human self thus provided the philosophical principle, “I act; therefore, I am.”
In short, the self is the same bodily behavior.
The 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.
For Churchland, the physical brain and not the imaginary mind, gives us our sense of self.
The mind does not really exist.
It is the brain and not the imaginary mind that gives us our sense of self.
The self is the brain.
The science of society, social institutions, and social relationships; specifically: the systematic study of
the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings
The scientific analysis of a social institution as a functioning whole and as it relates to the rest of the
society
socius (Lat.) – companion, associate, neighbor
Sociologists:
The self is not present at birth. It develops only with social experience wherein language, gestures, and
objects are used to communicate meaningfully.
The sociological perspective of the self is based on the assumption that human behavior is influenced by
group life.
A particular view of oneself is formed through interactions with other people, groups, or social
institutions.
For sociologists like George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley, the self is not dependent on
biological predispositions; rather, it is a product of social interaction.
o Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley introduced the looking-glass self to highlight that the people
whom a person interacts become a mirror in which he views himself.
o Since these perceptions are subjective, there might have wrong interpretations of how other
people evaluate him.
o It would be critical if he thinks others judge him unfavorably because he could develop negative
self-image.
o George Herbert Mead’s theory of the social self, explained that the self has two divisions: the “I”
and the “me”.
o The “I” is the subjective element and the active side of the self.
o It represents the spontaneous, and unique traits of the individual.
o The "I" is the response of the individual to the “Me”
The “Me” is the objective element of the self. It represents the “internalized” attitudes, expectations, and
demands of other people.
The "Me" is what is learned in interaction with others and with the environment.
The full development of the self is attained when the “I” and the “me” are united.
According to Gerry Lanuza, in modern societies the attainment and stability of self-identity is freely
chosen. It is no longer restricted by customs and traditions.
In postmodern societies, self-identity continuously change due to the demands of multitude of social
contexts, new information technologies, and globalization.
o These freedom and changes offer opportunities for self-cultivation but problems may also arise
(e.g., alienation and dehumanization).
For instance, it limits the face to face, close relationships with others especially among family members.
It limits close contact and communication with others.
According to Sociologist Jean Baudrillard, in postmodern societies, 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 to give them a feeling of goodness and power when compared
with others.
The postmodern person has become an insatiable consumer and may never be satisfied in his life.
Thus, the self may be a never-ending search for prestige in the postmodern society.
Anthropological Self
Anthropology holds a holistic view of human nature. It is concerned with how cultural and biological
processes interact to shape the self.
Anthropology considers human experience as an interplay of “nature” referring to genetic inheritance
which sets the individual’s potentials and “nurture” which refers to sociocultural environment .
Both biological and cultural factors have significant influence in the development of self.
In the Anthropological perspective, there are two ways in which the concept of self is viewed in different
societies: egocentric and sociocentric.
The egocentric concept of the self suggests that each person is defined as a replica of all humanity but
capable of acting independently from others.
In the sociocentric concept of the self, the self is viewed as dependent on the situation or social setting.
For example, the Japanese possess a sociocentric view of the self, wherein the membership of a person
in a particular social group defines the boundaries of the self.
The Chinese prioritize kin ties and cooperation. They put importance to compliance and subordination of
one’s will to the authority figures in the family.
In egocentric view, the self is viewed as autonomous and distinct individual with inherent
characteristics.
The Americans are egocentric. They believe that they should be assertive and independent.
From the similarities and differences in characteristics among individuals, people construct their social
identities.
The identity toolbox refers to the “features of a 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 differentiate 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 feature to determine the person’s social identity.
Another important identity determinant that is often viewed as essential for the maintenance of a group
identity is language.
In other societies, religious affiliation is an important marker of group identity.
In Mindanao, being a Christian or a Muslim is possibly the most important defining feature of social
identity.