GEC 1 Understanding the

Self

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 Answer Sheet

Name: __________________________ Contact number: _____________________

Course & Section: _________________

Activity 1 Activity 2
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1. 6. Answer for: 6 pts .
2. 7. III.
3. 8. Application for : 4 pts
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Activity 9
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 Activity 10
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Paper Works
Direction: All paper works should be written in yellow pad.
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Activity 10
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5. 10. 15. 20.

CHAPTER 1: VMGO
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 VISION

A leading research university in the country and the ASEAN region.

MISSION

The Isabela State University is committed to develop globally competitive human,

technological resources and services through quality instruction,
innovative research, responsive community engagement and viable
resource management programs for inclusive growth and sustainable
development

INSTITUTIONAL OUTCOMES
ISU Expected Graduate Attributes

Communicator (Cm)
 Recognizes and values communication as a tool for conveying and interacting
with others and fostering their own learning.

Inquiry-focused and Knowledgeable (IFK)

 Creates new knowledgeable and understanding through the process of research
and inquiry.
 Demonstrates comprehensive theoretical and technical concepts related to
their field of specialization with relevant connections to industry, professional
and regional knowledge.

Competitive (Cp)
 Initiates and innovates better ways of doing things
 Promotes quality and productivity

Collaborative and Effective Leader (CEL)

 Works in collaboration with others and manages group functioning to meet
common goal.

Lifelong Learner (LL)

 Acquires new skills and adapts to rapid changes in professional and personal
environment.

Chapter 2 “The Self from Various Perspective”

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INTRODUCTION
How well do you know yourself? Are you aware of your talents? Skills?
Weaknesses? Strengths?
The persistent question, “Who am I?” is rooted in the human need to understand
the basis of the experiences of the “self”. When people are asked to explain their
understanding of the world, the usual answers are: “It’s who I am”. “It’s me, my
essence.” “It’s what makes me unique and different from everyone else.”
For a more meaningful understanding of the “self”, numerous studies have been
conducted and various approaches have been developed from concepts about it.
Important philosophers from ancient contemporary times sought to describe the
essential qualities that compose a person’s uniqueness. On the other hand, sociology
sees the “self” as a product of social interactions, developed over time through social
activities and experiences.
Anthropology views the “self” as a culturally shaped construct idea.
Anthropologists assert that it is an autonomous participant in the society as much as it
is submerged in the community. Meanwhile, rather than giving the definition,
psychology sees the “self” as having characteristics or properties that can be used to
describe it. Pioneer in the study pointed out that the “self” is related to its physical and
social environment, it is unique and it is necessary to its experiences.
Eastern and Western civilization have always sought to understand the “self”.
Their views, however, stand on different perspective. British philosopher Alan Watts
(known for his interpretations of Eastern philosophy and mythology) talked about the
great “myths” of the Self. However, it should be noted that the term “myth’ here is not
used to describe a false story, rather it is used as a means to interpret a reality.
According to Watts, the pervading myth in the West is that “the world is an
artefact” this means that there is a clear distinction from its external environment.
That even though the “self” functions in the world, the “self” is still its own. In the
East however, the myth is that “the world is a drama and all things are actors with
specific parts to play.” There is no distinction between the creator and the creation as
all that exists is immersed in one and the same existence. This perspective suggests
that the “self” in Eastern traditions is seen through the eyes of a community, rather
than a detached, single entity. However, Watts further clarified that his statements on
the two great myths of the “self” is only description of what it is “like” in that
civilization, and not a definition of what it “is.”
Learning the various fundamental concepts of the “self” is significant because
these ideas lay foundation that will foster in you, the learner, a deep reflection and
insight into the continuous pursuit of self-discovery.
OBJECTIVE:
At the end of the chapter students will be able demonstrate various ways of
understanding the self.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the different representations and conceptualization of the self from
various disciplinal perspective;
2. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across different
disciplines and perspectives;
3. Examine the different influences, factors, and forces that shape the self; and
4. Demonstrate critical are reflective thought in analyzing the development of
one’s self and identity by developing a theory of the self.

LEARNING CONTENT

CHAPTER II: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE

From Philosophical Perspective

1. Socrates
-Socrates was a Greek philosopher and one of the very few individuals who
shaped western thought. He was known for his method of inquiry in testing an
idea. This is called Socratic Method whereby an idea was tested by asking a
series of questions to determine underlying beliefs and the extent of
knowledge to guide the person toward better understanding. (Maxwell, 2015).
Some of Socrates’ ideas were:
• The soul is immortal
• The care of the soul is the task of Philosophy
• Virtue is necessary to attain happiness
 One of his most –quoted phrases is,
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
 According to Socrates, “self-knowledge” or the examination of one’s self, as
well as the question about how one ought to live one’s life are very important
concerns because only by knowing yourself can give you hope to improve
your life. (Rappe, 1995)
 Socrates said existence is of two kinds:

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 1. The visible existence (changes)
2. The invisible (remain constant)

Socrates once said about the body and the soul:

 “Every man is composed of body and soul.” This means that every human
person is dualistic.
 For Socrates, this means all individuals have an imperfect, impermanent
aspect, the body, while maintaining that there is also a soul that is perfect
and permanent.
• Socrates also believe that the goal of life is to be happy.
• How does one become happy? According to him: The virtuous man is a happy
man, and that virtue alone is the one and only supreme good that will secure
his/her happiness.
• Virtue is defined as moral excellence and an individual is considered virtues if
his or her life character is made up of moral qualities that are accepted as
virtues, courage, temperance, prudence and justice.

2 Plato
One of the famous quotation coming from Plato said “GOOD ACTIONS GIVE
STRENGTH TO OURSELVES AND INSPIRES GOOD ACTIONS IN
OTHERS.”
Plato was a student of Socrates before. He is best known for his “Theory of
Forms” that asserted the physical world is not really the real world because the
ultimate reality exists beyond the physical world.
• Plato is perhaps the single most important influence of the western concept of
the “self”. According to him, the soul is indeed the most divine aspect of the
human being. However, his concept of the divine is not a spiritual being but
rather one that has an intellectual connotation.
• Plato emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be attained if the
three parts are working harmoniously with one another.

Three parts of the Soul according to Plato:

 1. The Rational (reasoning)

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 - The element that forbids the person to enjoy the sensual experiences; the part
that loves truth, hence should rule over the other parts of the soul through the
use of reason.
(Forged by reason and intellect has to govern the affairs of human person)
2. The Spirited (feeling)
- The element that is inclined toward reason but understands the demands of
passion; the part that loves honor and victory. (in charge more on emotions)
3. The appetitive (sensual)
-in charge of base desires, like eating, drinking, sleeping and having sexual
intercourse, is controlled as well.
Note: When this ideal state is attained, the human person’s soul becomes just and
virtuous.

3. St. Augustine
His written works are among the foundations of medieval and modern
Christian thought. He is one of the Latin Fathers of the Church, one of the
doctors of the church and one of the most significant Christian thinkers.
St. Augustine was deeply influence by Plato’s ideas. - According to him:
“There is an aspect of man, which dwells in the world, that is imperfect and
continuously yearns to be with the divine while the other is capable of
reaching immortality.”
 He also believes: “That the body is bound to die on earth and the soul
is to anticipate living eternally in realm of spiritual bliss in communion
with God.
• According to St. Augustine spiritual bliss is our goal in this life, but in order to
attain that we must live virtuously here on earth.
• St. Augustine said that the soul held the truth and was capable of scientific
thinking.
• St. Augustine concept of the “self” was an inner, immaterial that has self-
knowledge and self-awareness.
• He believe that human being was both a soul and body, and the body
possessed senses, such as imagination, memory, reason, and mind through
which the soul experienced the world.
• He believe that human being has capacity to ascend and comprehend truths
through the mind.
According to him, “If we neglect to use our minds we will lose to reach the
real and lasting happiness.

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 4. Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician and scientist. He is
considered as the father of Modern Western Philosophy.
Descartes proposed that doubt was a principal tool of disciplined inquiry.
His method was called hyperbolical/metaphysical doubt. It is a systematic
process of being skeptical about the truth of one’s beliefs in order to
determine which beliefs could be ascertained as true.
• According to him; thinking is immaterial substance and thinking entity could
exist without the body.
• Immaterial substance is the self (self) possesses a body and is so intimately
bound/joined by it that the “self” form a union with its body. Despite the union
of the body and the soul, still Descartes reason out that this two is distinct
from each other.

THE SOUL THE BODY

*IT IS A CONCIOUS, THINGKING *IT IS A MATERIAL SUBSTANCE THAT

SUBSTANCE THAT IS UNAFFECTED CHANGES TROUGH TIME
BY TIME
*IT IS KNOWN ONLY TO ITSELF
*IT CAN BE DOUBTED; THE PUBLIC
(ONLY YOU KNOW YOUR OWN
CAN CORRECT CLAIMS ABOUT THE
MENTAL EVENT AND OTHERS
BODY
CANNOT CORRECT YOUR MENTAL
STATES
*IT IS NOT MADE UP OF PARTS. IT *IT IS MADE UP OF PHYSICAL,
VIEWS THE ENTIRELY OF ITSELF QUANTIFIABLE, DIVISIBLE PARTS.
WITH NO HIDDEN OR SEPARATE
COMPARTMENTS. IT IS BOTH
CONCIOUS AND AWARE OF ITSELF
AT THE SAME TIME

5. John Locke
John Locke was a philosopher and physician and was one of the most influential
enlightenment thinkers. The age of enlightenment or the age of reason was an intellect
and philosophical movement that dominated the ideas in Europe during 18th century.
If Descartes described the “self” as a thinking thing, Locke expanded this definition of
“self” to include the memories of that thinking thing.

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 This is also interpreted to mean that the “self” consists of the memory; that the
person existing now is the same yesterday because he or she remembers the thoughts,
experiences or actions of the earlier self (Natsoulas, 1994; Fuchs, 2017)
However, Locke insisted that a person could only be held accountable for
behaviors if he or she can remember. Locked believed that punishing someone for
behaviors he or she has no recollection of doing is equivalent to punishing him or her
for actions that was never performed.
He asserted that the state of a person who cannot remember his or her behavior is
the same as the state of the person who never committed the act, which meant the
person was ignorant.

6. David Hume 1711-1776

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, economist and historian during the age of
enlightenment.
He was opponent of Descartes in his idea of rationalism in which rationalism is
the theory that reason rather than experience.
On the other side, Hume firmly believes in the Empiricism idea that according to him
all origin of knowledge is came from experience. He also assumed that the “self” or a
person is the mind. He believes one can know only what comes from the senses and
experiences.
EMPIRICISM- knowledge can only be possible if we sense and experience things.
“Man can only attain knowledge by experiencing.

[Example]
Jack knows Jill that Jill is another person it is not because he sees her soul but
because he sees her, hears her and touches her. (Babor; 2007)
According to Hume: if one tries to examine his experiences, he finds that they can all
be categorize into two:
1. Impressions- when one touches an ice cube, the cold sensation is an
impression (because it is the product of our direct experience.
2. Ideas- Imagination and feelings of being in love for the first time is still an
idea (something that you imagine or picture in your mind)

7. Immanuel Kant

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 Philosopher Immanuel Kant is a central figure in modern philosophy. He
proposed that human mind creates the structure of human experience. On the
other hand, Kant’s view of the “self” is transcendental, which means the “self”
is related to a spiritual or non-physical realm. For Kant, the self is not in the
body. The self is outside the body, and it does not have the qualities of the
body.
• To Kant, there is necessary a mind that organizes the impressions that men get
from external world.
Example: Time and Space are ideas that cannot find in the world, but is built in our
minds.
According to Kant, we have 2 Components of the Self:
1. Inner self- The “self” by which you are aware of alterations in your own state. This
includes your rational intellect and your psychological state, such as moods, feelings,
and sensation, pleasure and pain.
2. Outer self- It includes your senses and the physical world. It is the common
boundary between the external world through the senses, which the inner self
interprets and coherently expresses.

8. Sigmund Freud
He is a philosopher, physiologist and psychologist. Sigmund Freud was one of
the most influential thinker of the 20th century.
His most important contribution, particularly in psychology was psychoanalysis,
a practice device to treat those who are mentally ill through dialogue.
In his earlier structural division of the psyche, Freud distinguished three levels
of consciousness
1. Conscious- which deals with awareness of present perceptions, feelings, thoughts,
memories, and fantasies at any particular moment;
2. Pre conscious/subconscious- which related to the data that can readily be brought
to consciousness; and
3. Unconscious- which refers to the data retained but not easily available to the
individual’s conscious awareness or scrutiny.
The analogy of the Iceberg: to described the 3 Levels of the Mind
1. Id- it operates on the pleasure principle
2. Ego- it operates the reality principle
3. Superego- it operates the morality principle
The superego consist of 2 systems:
*Conscience
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*Ideal Self

9. Gilbert Ryle
Philosopher and Professor, Gilbert Ryle produced a critique on Descartes Ideas,
that the mind is distinct from the body.
According to Ryle, rationalist view that mental acts is distinct and separated from
the physical world is misconception.
He explain that there is no hidden entity or ghost called “soul” inside a machine called
body.
He did not believe that mind has mental images, able to perceive, apprehend and
remember.
Our knowledge, memory, imagination, and any other abilities or dispositions do
not reside “within” the mind were a space in which these could be stored or located.
• Gilbert Ryle asked: Where do we get our sense of self? -he asserted that it is
from our behaviors and actions.
Example:
YOU THINK YOURSELF AS A KIND PERSON BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTS OF
KINDNESS. (Your actions define your own concept of “self” (who you are)
10. Paul Churchland
Philosopher and Professor Paul Churchland known for his studies in neuro
philosophy and the philosophy of the mind.
Churchland idea is called eliminative materialism or the claim that people’s
common-sense understanding of the mind is false, and certain classes of
mental states which is most people believe in do not exist. (Churchland, 1989;
Baker, 1995)
• According to him, there is nothing beyond sensory experience. In other words,
if something can be seen felt, heard, touched or tasted, then it exist.
• To prove his point, Churchland pointed out that in mental conditions, such as
depression, is technically wrong to say that the person is “out of his mind”
because neuroscientists have found that brain activity and even brain shape
appears to be associated with severe mood disorders. Moreover he pointed out
that if the mind is a separate entity, then the victim should have retained his or
her personality despite the damage to the brain. Thus, Churchland asserted the
sense of “self” originated from the sense itself, and that this “self” is a product
of electrochemical signals produced by the brain.

11. Maurice Merleau-Ponty

He was a philosopher and author.
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 He emphasize that body is the primary site of knowing the world.
His idea in the “self” is an embodied subjectivity.
Embodied- means to give a body
Subjectivity- is the state of being subject, this is something that possess
conscious experience, he also established the notion that the center of the
consciousness is the mind (Thompson, 2004)
By emphasizing the importance of the body in an experience, he also established the
notion that the center of consciousness is the mind. (Thompson, 2004).

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 1.
Name: ______________________________ Date: ____________
Course and Year: _____________________ Score: ____________
Direction: Identify what is being asked in each statement below. Write your answer
before each number.
_________________ 1. He believed that the most important thing in life is the
state of an individual’s soul.
_________________ 2. He believed that human being is both soul and body.
__________________3. He asserted that “self” does not exist; instead, he stressed
that perceptions are only active for as long as an individual is conscious.
__________________ 4. He proposed the existence of the unconscious.
__________________ 5. He believed that there are three parts of the soul,
namely, appetitive, rational, and spirited.
___________________ 6. He claimed that human knowledge is derived from
experience.
___________________ 7. He believed that the self is not in the body, and he
stressed that the body and its qualities are rooted to the self.
___________________ 8. He viewed that the immaterial soul does not exist
because it cannot be experienced by the senses.
___________________ 9. He believed that an individual’s actions define his/her
own concept of the “self”.
____________________ 10. He asserted that the soul is distinct from the body.

Activity 2.
Name: ________________________ Date: __________________
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Course and Year _________________ Score: ________________
Match the description/concepts in Letter A with the philosophers/ theorists in Letter
B. Options can be answered ONCE.
A.
______ 1. He is known for his Theory of Forms
______ 2. He claimed that the soul holds the truth, which is capable of scientific
thinking.
______ 3. He is famous for this phrase “I think therefore I am.”
______ 4. He proposed that human mind at birth is a “tabula rasa.”
______5. He asserted that rationalism is the foundation of all knowledge.
______ 6. He proposed that knowledge bridges the “self” and the material things
together.
______ 7. He practiced psychoanalysis in answering the question about the human
psyche.
______ 8. He was known for this phrase, “I act, Therefore I am.”
______ 9. He was famous for his idea on Eliminative materialism.
______ 10. He is known for his belief on embodied subjective.
B.
a. Augustine
b. Churchland
c. Descartes
d. Freud
e. Hume
f. Kant
g. Locke
h. Merleau-Ponty
i. Plato
j. Ryle
k. Socrates

Reflection Paper # 1
What is your own philosophy in life, since you are still a student? Write it in a
piece of paper. (Minimum of 200 words)
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RUBRIC
RELEVANCE 10pts.
ORIGINALITY 5pts.
CREATIVITY 5pts.
ORGANIZATION OF THOUGHTS 5pts.
TOTAL 25pts.

From Sociological Perspective

The self as a Product of Modern Society among Other Constructions

• How does society influence you?
• How do you effect society?
• More importantly, who are you as person in the community?

Modernization has significantly change the society, and this has affected how an
individual builds and develop his or her self-identity. On the other hand, people
behave according to social rules and traditions while the family and the immediate
environment provided supervision on how to get through the life.
Key Characteristics of Modernity (Giddens 1991)
1. Industrialism- the social relations implied in the extensive use of material,
power and machinery in all process of production;
2. Capitalism- a production system involving both competitive product
markets and the commodification (putting a price tag) of labor power.
3. Institutions or surveillance- the massive increase of power and reach by
institutions, especially in government, and
4. Dynamism- the most evident characteristics of a modern society.
Dynamism is characterized as having vigorous activity and progress. In a
modern society, life is not predetermined path with limited options based on
location, family, or gender, it is society full of possibilities. Everything is
subject to change, and changes happen much rapidly than ever before in
human history.

Social group and Social network

1. Social Group- having two or more people interacting with one another, sharing
similar characteristics and whose members identify themselves, as a part of the group

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[Example] Family, Circle of friends, Classmates etc.
2. Social Network- refers to the ties or connections that link you to your social group
[Example] the connection you have with your Family is your blood relation. On the
other hand, the connection you have with your Barkada is your friendship and lastly
the connection you have with your Classmates is the common interest to learn.

The Social Group is either of the two:

 ORGANIC
 OR RATIONAL
1. An organic group- is naturally occurring, and it is highly influenced by your
family. Sociologist George Simmel said that we are joining these group because your
family is also a part of it, in the first place he called it ORGANIC MOTIVATION.
Simmel noted that the positive effect of organic groups is the rootedness. This means
that the foundation of the social network runs deep, thus giving the person sense of
belongingness.
• The downside, however is that the organic groups imply less freedom and
greater social conformity.
(You are expected to act and behave according to your community’s standard (Allan,
2012).
2. Rational Groups- Occur in modern societies wherein modern societies are made up
of different kinds of people coming from different places.
 Rational groups are formed as a matter of self-shared interest. Moreover,
people join these groups out of their own free will. Simmel called it
RATIONAL MOTIVATION.
 The relationship between rational social networks is tenuous/thin and the
person feel no meaningful connection with the others. (Allan, 2012)

Mead and the Social Self

• Have you ever watched someone do something?
• Why do we do that? – It is how we learn.
We learn to do things, what’s safe and what is not. When we watch other people,
we learn about ourselves. Moreover, when we watch others, we also came to
understand people.
We understand why they behave the way they do; what identity they claim; and
what role they play in the society.
 How can you understand yourself?

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  Can you watch yourself as objectively as you do to others?
-Question from Sociologist Gene
Mead
• George Herbert Mead was a sociologist from the late 1800’s. He is well
known for his “Theory of the Social Self”
His theory is based on the perspective that the self is a product of social interaction
and internalizing the other people views along with one’s personal view about
oneself.
 Mead believes the “self” is not present at birth; rather it develop overtime
through social experiences and activities.

DEVELOPING THE SELF

• Mead develop a concept that proposed different stages of self-development.
These stages are the: language, play and game.
 According to Mead, Self-development is intimately tied to language.
1st stage is the Language- through shared understanding of symbols, gestures, and
sound, language gives the individual the capacity to express himself or herself while
at the same time comprehending what the other people are conveying. “Language sets
the stage for self-development.”
2nd stage for self-development is play. At this level, individuals’ role play or assume
the perspective of others.
Role playing enables the person to internalize some other people’s perspective;
hence, he or she develops an understanding of how other people feel about themselves
(and about others; too) in a variety of situations.
3rd stage is the game stage- the level where the individual not only internalizes to
other people’s perspective, he or she is also able to take into account societal rules and
adheres to it. According to Mead, the self is developed by understanding the rule and
one must abide by it to win the game or be successful at any activity.

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 3
Name: __________________________ Date: ________________

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Course and Year: __________________ Score”_______________

Choose your answer from the word bank below:

Capitalism Industrialism organic group
Dynamism language play
Game “me” rational group
“I” modernization social group

_______________ 1. This characteristics refers to social relations with the use of

machinery in production.
_______________ 2. This group is highly influenced by family.
_______________ 3. The individual at this stage internalizes some other people’s
perspectives by taking into account societal rules and adheres to these.
________________ 4. This part of the self is the product of what the person learns
while interacting with the others.
_______________ 5. This group implies freedom of movement
________________ 6. This is a characteristic that involves both competitive product
market and commodification of labor force.
_______________ 7. It is a grouped described as having two or more people
interacting with one another and sharing similar characteristics as part of the group.
________________ 8. At this stage, individuals role-play or assume that perspectives
of the group.
________________ 9. This part of the self presents impulses and drives, which also
expresses individualism and creativity.
_________________ 10. It is characterized as having vigorous activity and progress,
which is evident as a modern society.

The self and the Person in Contemporary Anthropology

• Anthropology- is the study of people, past and present. It focuses on
understanding the human condition in its cultural aspect. In general sense,
anthropology is concerned with understanding how humans evolved and how
they differ from one another.
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 A unit but unitary
• Anthropologist and professor, Katherine Ewing (1990), describe the self as
encompassing the “physical organism, possessing psychological functioning
and social attributes”. This definition portrays the “self” as implicitly and
explicitly existing in the mind comprised of psychological, biological and
cultural processes.
• Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux (2002) conceptualize the implicit and explicit
aspect of the self. (Kemp, 2012).
 Explicit- aspect of the self that you are consciously aware.

 Implicit- the one that is not immediately available to the consciousness.

(This concept can be traced to the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud’s
level of consciousness.
However, LaDoux’s view on how the self was developed asserted that it is
framed, maintained, and affected biologically, mentally and socially.
According to him, self is not static, it is added to and subtracted from by
genetic maturation, learning, forgetting, stress, ageing and disease.

Self as presentation
• Erwing (1989) asserted that a “self” is illusory. This means, that sometimes we
are replacing our self-representation when the context changes”.
• According to Ewing (1990), people from all cultures have been observed to be
able to rapidly project different self-representation depends on the situation.

THE SELF EMBEDDED IN CULTURE

• How individual see themselves, how they relate to other people and how they
relate to the environment are deeply defined by culture.
• Cultural anthropologist have argued that the self is culturally shaped and
infinitely variable.
• “Cultural traditions and social practices regulate, express and transform the
human psyche, resulting less in psychic unity for human kind than in ethic
divergences or differences in mind, self and emotion.
• The basic idea is that the principles of how the mind cannot be conceived as
universal, but that is as varied as the culture and traditions that people practice
all over the world.

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 Cultural psychologists distinguished 2 ways of how the self is constructed.
1. Independent
2. Interdependent constructs
 Independent- the independent construct is the characteristics of individualistic
culture such as in North America and Europe. This individualistic culture
represents the self as separate, distinct, with emphasis on internal attributes or
traits, skills and values.
 Interdependent construct-is typical in the collectivist culture in the East Asia
stressing the essential connection between the individual to other people.
On the other hand, Developmental Psychologist Catherine Raeff (2010), believe
that the culture can influence on how you view: relationships, personality traits,
achievement and expressing emotions.
 Relationships- culture influences how you enter into and maintain
relationships. For example, relationships may be seen as voluntary or as a duty
based. In western societies, it is essential for a person to choose whom to
marry while some Eastern societies still practice arranged marriage.
 Personality traits- culture influences whether (and how) you value certain
traits, like humility, self-esteem, politeness, assertiveness, and so on, as well
as how you perceive hardship or how you feel about relying on others.
 Achievement- culture influences how you define success and whether you
value certain types of individual and group achievements.
 Expressing emotions- culture influences what will affect you emotionally, as
well as how you express yourself, such as showing your feelings in public or
keeping it private.
(Filipino are resilient)

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 4
Choose your answers from the word bank below: write your answers on the
spaces provided before the number.
Anthropology individualistic Joseph LeDoux

22
 Catherine Raeff Sigmund Freud Collectivistic culture
Katherine Ewing

______________ 1. It is the study of people, past and present.

______________ 2. He is an anthropologist who described the self as the
“Physical organism…”
_______________ 3. This neuroscientist conceptualized the implicit and explicit
aspect of the self.
______________ 4. This Psychologist believed that the culture can influenced
how you view relationships.
_______________ 5. This culture represent aspects of self as separate and
distinct.

Psychological Perspective
Psychology is the scientific study of how people behave, think and feel. It
includes topics, such as how the brain works how our memory is organized, how
people interact with groups and how children learn about the world.
• Psychologist Jean Piaget was a Swiss clinical psychologist known for his
pioneering work in child development.
• He pioneered “THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT”, a
comprehensive theory about the development of human intelligence.
• He believes that children construct an understanding of the world around
them, experience, inconsistencies between what they already know and what
they discover in their environment and adjust their ideas accordingly. (Mcleod,
2009).

3 BASIC COMPONENTS TO PIAGET'S COGNITIVE THEORY

1. Schemas/ schemes- these are the building blocks of knowledge. Schemes
are mental organizations that individual use to understand their environments
and designate actions.
2. Adaptation- it involves the child learning process to meet situational
demands.
3. Stages of Cognitive Development- they reflect the increasing
sophistication of the child's thought process.
• Furthermore, Jean Piaget's describes the 2 processes used by the individual in
his/her attempt to adapt. This two processes are both used so that individual
will adjust to his or her environment.
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 1. Assimilation- this is the application of previous concepts to new concepts.
Example: A child who was just learned the word “fish”, shouts “fish”! Upon
seeing one.
2. Accommodation- happens when people encounter completely new
information or when existing ideas are challenged.
Example: A child knows dogs and cats. At school, he/she learns the word
“animals”. The child will then adjust his understanding that dogs and cats are
both animals.

STAGE AGE CHARACTERISTICS OF STAGE

Sensorimotor 0-2 The child learns by doing: looking, touching, and sucking. The
child also has a primitive understanding of cause-and-effect
relationships. Object permanence appears around 9 months.
Preoperational 2-7 The child uses language and symbols, including letters and
numbers. Egocentrism is also evident. Conservation marks the
end of the preoperational stage and the beginning of concrete
operations.
Concrete 7-11 The child demonstrates conservation, reversibility, serial
Operations ordering, and a mature understanding of cause-and-effect
relationship. Thinking at this stage is still concrete.
Formal 12+ The individual demonstrates abstract thinking at this stage is
Operations still concrete.

Harter's Self-Development Concept

William James and The Me-Self; I-self

• William James- Known as the father of American Psychology, a philosopher,
psychologist and university professor. William James gave one of the earliest
self-theory psychological analyses. According to James (1950), the self has
two elements: the I-self and the Me-Self
• I self is the pure ego. It is the subjective self that is aware of its own actions.
The I-self characteristically has four features. these are:
1. A sense of being the agent or initiator of behavior- I believe that my actions have
an impact; that I cause an effect in my environment.

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2. A sense of being unique- this is how I differ from everything in my environment; I
perceive there is only one Me.
3. A sense of continuity- I am the same person from day to day.
4. A sense of awareness about being aware- I understand what is going on in me and
around me; and I know I understand it.

“The Me-self”
-is the self that is object. It is the “self” that you can describe, such as your physical
characteristics, personalities, social role, or relationships, thoughts and feelings.
(Newman, 2017) James called it Empirical self which defined as “base on, concerned
with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic”

The dimensions of the Me-self include:

1. Material- physical appearance and extensions of it such as clothing, immediate
family, and home;
2. Social- social skills and significant interpersonal relationships; and
3. Spiritual- personality, character, defining values.

REAL AND IDEAL SELF-CONCEPTS

A SELF-ASSESTMENT FOR CONGRUENCE

-A self-assessment procedure for measuring congruence, a state of internal

consistency, which Carl Rogers saw as important to healthy personality growth.
Part A. Select 10 adjectives that best describes you. Arrange from most significant
aspects, to those least significant aspects that described your personality

25
 ANXIOUS ATTRACTIVE CARELESS DEPRESSED
DISHONEST ENRGETIC FUNNY HAPPY
HONEST INTELLIGENT KIND LAZY
OPTIMISTIC ORGANIZED OUT-GOING PLAIN
RELAXED SAD SERIOUS SHY
SLOPPY STRONG UNHELPFUL WEAK

Part B. Select again 10 terms to described you wish you were like-- (your ideal).
Arrange it from the most ideal or significant to least significant ideal self.

ANXIOUS ATTRACTIVE CARELESS DEPRESSED

DISHONEST ENRGETIC FUNNY HAPPY
HONEST INTELLIGENT KIND LAZY
OPTIMISTIC ORGANIZED OUT-GOING PLAIN
RELAXED SAD SERIOUS SHY
SLOPPY STRONG UNHELPFUL WEAK

Scoring
• The first term is equivalent to 10 points, second term is = to 9 points, the last
term will have the value of 1 point.
• For any terms which do not appear on both lists change it to zero, for terms
that appear on both list give the value assigned.
• sum of list A+sum of list B)/(1.1)=score
• The score is range from 0-100 presenting the perfect match of the self and
ideal self. The mead score is 50, in general, the lower the score, the less=
congruent the relationship between one's self and ideal self.

26
Carl Rogers based his theories of personality development on humanistic psychology
and theories of subjective experience. According to Rogers, all behavior is motivated
by self-actualizing tendencies and these tendencies drives you to reach your full
potential.
As we interact to our environment and the people around us, individual will form a
structure of the self-concept.
• If the person holds a positive concept, he or she would tend to feel good about
himself or herself and would see the world as a safe and positive place. If the
person holds a negative self-concept, then he or she may feel unhappy with
who he/she is. (Kirschenbaum&Henderson, 1989).

Ideal Self vs. Real Self

• Rogers further divided the self into two categories: the ideal self and the real
self.
• THE IDEAL SELF- is the person that you would like yourself to be; it is
your concept of the “best me” who is worthy of admiration.
Example: Your parents are medical doctors who are respected and admired in
your community. Observing your parents you conclude that to be happy, you need to
be smart and have a high paying job.
• The real self is the person you actually are. It is how you behave right at the
moment of situation. It is who you are in reality-how you think, feel or act at
present.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALIGNMENT

 Rogers accentuated the need to achieve consistency between the ideal self and
the real self. If the two is align together then a person will feel a sense of
mental well-being or peace of mind.
 In other words, when you’re real self and ideal self are very similar you
experience congruence.
 The higher the congruence leads to a greater sense of self-worth and a healthy
productive life. (Roger, C. 1950)
• On the other hand, if the person is experiencing great inconsistency between
your ideal and real selves because we are not aligned with what you want to
be, then we will experience incongruence which leads to maladjustment which
is the inability to react successfully and satisfactory to the demands of one's
environment. (Roger, C 1950).

27
 Allport's Personality Theory
• Psychologist Gordon Allport (1961) proposed his “personality trait” theory
asserting that every person possess “traits”.
• According to him; a “trait” is your essential characteristics that never ever
changes and sticks with you all your life.
• Moreover, these traits shape who you are (how you think, feel or behave,) etc.

THE EGO STATES

• In 1960, Psychiatrist Eric Berne began to develop his transactional analysis
model as basic for understanding behavior.
It is anchored on two notions
1. Every person has 3 parts called “ego states” in his or her personality.
2. People communicate with one another assuming roles of any of these ego
states.
• Berne presented the ego states as:
1. Parent ego state- the parent ego state is the voice of authority. It could be
“nurturing parent” voice that tells what you should or should do.
2. Adult ego state- is the rational person. It is the voice that speaks reasonably and
know how to assert himself/herself.
3. Child ego state- which divided into three.
The natural child, the little professor and adaptive child.
• Natural Child- who loves to play but is sensitive and vulnerable
• The little professor- the conscious child who wants to try everything
(exploring)
• Adaptive child- is the one who reacts to the world. He or she could be trying
to fit in or is rebelling against the authority.

TRUE VS THE FALSE SELVES

 In 1960, an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst, D.W. Winnicott
introduced his concept of “false self” and “true self.”
 FALSE SELF- the false self is the product of early experience. The false self
is also based on being completely obedient to the parents’ wishes. Winnicott
asserted that when the child is constantly expected to follow rules, a false self
develops.

28
 -the false self is a mask or persona. It is a form of defense that constantly
seek to anticipate others demands and complying with them, as a way of
protecting the true self from a world that is felt to be unsafe.
• Healthy false self- the person can still function both as an individual and in the
society. Person is still connected with the true self.
• Unhealthy false self- an individual who may seem happy and comfortable in
his or her environment but actually feels forced to fit in and constantly needs.

True Self
• Winicott described the true self as a sense of “self” based on “spontaneous
authentic experience”, we feel creative and real.
-it has a sense of integrity and connection with wholeness.
-the aliveness that we feel will lead us to be genuinely close to others and to be
creative.

Chapter 3
Defining the Self from the East: Personal and Developmental Perspective
on the self and Identity.

INTRODUCTION
Why is it essential to understand and later on accept one’s Self? This is a
question of self-identity. The name of a person, derived from the well acclaimed
celebrity, respected politicians or historical personality or even a saint can be best
influenced one to personify although it is hardly attained to become one.
But where does derive his name? In an answer to the question, name
represents who a person is. It has not been a custom to just randomly pick a
combination of letters and numbers or even symbols to denote one’s being. Human
being attached names are meaningful to birthed progenies because names are
supposed to designate us in the world. Thus, some people get baptized with name
such “precious”, “beauty”, or “lovely.” Likewise, when parents call their child’s
name, he was taught to respond to them because name represents who a person is. As
a student, one is told to always write his our name to papers, projects, or to any for
that matter. Names signify a person. Death cannot even stop this bond between the
person and his name are inscribed even into one’s into one’s gravestone.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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At the end of the lesson, students are expected to”
1. Explain the concept of self-according to Eastern thinkers’ philosophy;
2. Discussed the different concepts of self from the perspectives of various
oriental philosophers coming from China, India, and the Muslim country
across time and place; and
3. Identify qualities of the self that the eastern philosophies emphasize to develop
the self or identity of a human person.

 General Oriental Perspective on the Self

 The Chinese Perspective on the Self
 The Indian Perspective on the Self
 Muslim Perspective on the Self

Western Concept of Self

• Ancient Grecian philosophers see human as the bearers of irreplaceable
values.
• Thomas Aquinas a philosopher and saint, believe that the body constitutes
individuality.
• The osychiatrist and professor, Frank Johnson (1985) outlined for categories
on how the term “self” is used in contemporary western discussion.

According to Frank Johnson (1985)

• According to Frank Johnson (1985) - an osychiatrist and professor, he outlined
four categories on how the term “self” is used in contemporary western
discussion.
1. Analytical - “tendency to see reality as aggregate of parts.” the self is an
observer separate and distinct from external objects (Me versus Other)
2. Monotheism- involved the tendency toward the unitary explanations of
phenomena and a closed-system view of “self” as modeled after unitary,
omnipotent power (“man was created by God, in his image.)
3. Individualism- on the other hand, is a quality of western thinking where
self-expression and self-actualization are important ways of establishing who
one is, as well as finding the satisfaction in the world.
4. Materialistic/Rationalistic- western thinking tends to discredit explanations
that do not use analytic-deductive modes of thinking.

 EASTERN CONCEPT OF SELF

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 The Indian, Chinese and Muslim Philosophical Perspective on the
Concept of the Self.
The Oriental philosophy that is originated in the east has its own conception of man.
2 main origins of Oriental Philosophy are India and China.
India- Hinduism
China- Taoism and Confucianism
• Before the Greek overcome there is also philosophy in both India and China.
• According to Dr. Quito, the distinct character of the Eastern philosophy could
be summarized as follows:
1. It thinks of time in a cyclical manner- Nothing really ends; nothing really begins
absolutely. Once in existence, always in existence;
2. There is no dichotomy between a way of life and a way of thinking- As one thinks,
so one lives. Religion and Philosophy are one; and
3. It has propensity of mysticism- as its use of super-consciousness, existence of the
third eye, or the sixth sense.

Man in Hinduism
• Vedas - this is a sacred text, where in the religious and philosophical doctrines
of the Hindus can be found. These are the works of Aryan people, which are
the people of India.
• The term “veda” means knowledge in Sanskrit
• In Hinduism, the concept of the human is closely related to his or her
relationship with the whole of reality.
• Reality could be interpreted through the notions of Brahman and Atman.
• Brahman- everything of what ones sees or knows
• Atman- one does not really see or exactly know the totality of reality because
it is really beyond one's understanding.
• The human person is part of reality, which is called Brahman but also we are
part of individual reality which is called atman.
The ultimate goal of the self or the human person is to be Brahman and reach
Nirvana (lasting happiness)
In order to attain that, the human person must purify himself/herself and detach
oneself from the world.
If the person does not attain the Nirvana, they believe that we will be reincarnated
or born again. (The cycle of rebirth is called samsara)

31
Human actions is governed by a LAW which is “karma” the law of Karma states
that good actions results in a positive outcome; bad actions results in a bad
outcome.

BUDDHIST CONCEPTION OF MAN

• It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.
• Buddhism is the second oldest religion in India.
• The philosophy of Buddhism is intended to relieve all forms of human
suffering which includes suffering from old age, disease, death etc.
• They believe that therapy of human suffering must be a spiritual recourse. The
spiritual cure is acceptance of the real life, since life cannot be freed from
suffering.
• If a man wants to do away with suffering, man should cut off the radix of
suffering.
• According to Buddha, “The world is bad and it is the source of evil and
suffering of man”.
• Buddhism is both a religion and philosophy. Dharma refers to the teaching and
doctrines taught by Buddha. (Ethical teachings)
• The ethics of Buddha is centered on the truth about suffering and its
elimination.
• To block out the human suffering, Buddha teaches the four Noble Truths.
Intended also for understanding, peace of mind, wisdom and full of
enlightenment.

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

1. LIFE IS PERMEATED BY SUFFERING (DUKKHA)
2. THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING IS CRAVING (TANHA)
3. SUFFERING CAN BE ELIMINATED THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF
CRAVING; AND
4. THE ELIMINATION OF SUFFERING IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE
EIGHTFOLD PATH.

The eightfold path is the continuum of the four noble truths

1. The right Undestanding (samma-ditthi)
2. Right Thought (samma-sankappa)

32
 3. Right Speech (samma-vaca)
4. Right Action (samma-kammanta)
5. Right Livelihood (samma-vayama)
6. Right Effort (Samma-vayama
7. Right Mindfulness (samma-sati)
8. Right Concentration (samma-samadhi)

• In general, the Buddhist has two aspects of teaching:

 The Positive Aspect- requires one's self to nurture good attitude toward life
and whole reality.
 The Negative Aspect- posits the don’ts or avoidance of evil.
(do not kill, steal, lie etc.)
In sum, if wisdom means application of knowledge, then wisdom in Buddhism is
seen in its ethics.

MAN IN CONFUCIANISM
• The Confucian concept of the human person is centered on the proper conduct
of a person in society.
• Chinese philosopher Confucius wanted his disciples to be more than a literati
or ju, he wanted them to be well rounded men, men who are not only literate
but also useful to the state and the society.
• The most ideal type of a person is to become a sage and not everyone can be a
sage like Confucius. Hence, Confucius encouraged his followers to be a juntzu
for anyone can be a gentleman. The juntzu is second only to the sage.
1. Being Sage
2. Being Gentle
A juntzu is also obedience, being hardworking and does not engage in an empty
talk. (Aguas, 2017)

THE FOUR INNATE LAW OF NATURE IN CONFUCIANISM

1. Ren (human-heartedness) is a basic virtue that ought to be nurtured by every
person.
 Ren means love, benevolence or charity.

33
 It is not egoistic in nature but social because it is loving others.
 The capacity to love others is innate in man.
 Human-heartedness is also rooted in Golden Mean Rule: “Don't do to others
what you yourself do not desire”
2. Yi (Righteousness) - refers to the rightness of an action in a given situation.
 Doing what is “ought to be done” requires no compensation because a person
who does what is right is doing it for the sake of nothing.
 This means, that righteous action should be done for nothing in return.
3. Zhong (Conscientiousness) - Conscientiousness and altruism are two distinct
virtues considered as the two ways of practice in human heartedness. Thus, to
practice in ren should conscientious and altruistic.
4. Li (Propriety) correct social behavior - is concerned with the “rule of conduct
that reflects a person's good will”. It, therefore means doing things the right way.
 It is the ethics, manner, behavior and conduct ordered.
5. Xiao (Filial Piety) means respect, reverence and honor of one's parents, blood
relatives or the family members as a whole.
 It is an authentic concern for parent's welfare, both spiritual and emotional.
 Confucius indeed has developed and taught a high regard for parents, above
all.
Thru Xiao, it shows that Confucius gives much importance to the family.
According to Confucius, all moral teachings should be first practice to the family.
At last, a good description of the “perfect man” is one who “combines the
qualities of saint, scholar and gentleman.

MAN IN TAOISM
• Taoism's concept of man is based on its understanding of the whole of the
universe which follows certain universal and unchanging law.
• The way of the Tao is universal and since a person is part of this universe, he
she must follow the way of Tao.
• According to Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher, the universe was viewed
holistically to express harmony, purpose, order and calm power. (If we attempt
to separate things just to understand the part without understanding the whole
it will lead us to error, suffering and unhappiness. (Aguas, 2017).

34
 • According to Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) we have great principle and rule that is
unchanging, these laws are called invariables which came from the word
“ch'ang, which could be translated as eternal or abiding.
• The understanding and practice of the invariable law is called practicing
enlightenment.
AN ENLIGHTENED MAN FREES HIMSELF OR HERSELF FROM
SELFISHNESS AND DESIRE
AND APPRECIATES SIMPLICITY.(Aguas 2017)

ISLAMIC CONCEPTION OF MAN

• Islam is primarily a religion and secondarily a community. Its etymological
meaning is derived from Salam (Arabic Term) which means peace a surrender.
Literally, Islam means the perfect out of total surrender to Allah (God)
• Those who profess Islam are called Muslims;
• Muslims believes in angels, immortality of the soul and eternal immutable
commandments of God. In additions to this, the Muslims also believe in Mary,
Angel Gabriel and Prophets. They to believe that God spoke to Abraham,
Moses, King David, etc.
In Islam, there are three things to be preciously kept.
 First, the unquestioning faith to Allah.
 Second, the acceptance of Mohammed as the last and the greatest of
the prophets.
 Third, reverence and observance of the laws of Koran (Muslim Bible)

35
a. the obligation to profess faith
b. the obligation to pray
c. the obligation to give alms
d. the obligation to fast
e. the obligation to do pilgrimage
Islamic understanding of man revolves around his or her creation, attributes,
capacity to understand, capacity to do good and avoid evil.

36
 • According to Islamic teachings; we came into this world through our mothers
but the ultimate origin is Allah in which we should remove our arrogance and
humble ourselves to Allah.
• Allah is also expecting that a person must be in charge of all his creation
because we are privileged people, we are in charge of the whole creation but
according to him we should not bow down before any of these objects but to
Allah alone.
• We are given by Allah the capacity to distinguish and choose between good
and evil or differentiate good from evil and we have the freedom to choose
between good and evil.
We are privileged people. Thus, we are accountable for the consequences of our
deeds.
The Islamic philosophers were influenced by the Greek Philosopher Aristotle in
their interpretation of their Islamic Faith. Hence, while the Qur'an provides them with
their theological doctrines, in order to interpret these doctrines rationally or
philosophically, they relied on the philosophy of Aristotle. (Aguas, 2017)

CHAPTER IV
Defining the Self from Western World Perspectives: Personal and
Developmental Concept on Self and Identity

INTRODUCTION
The Philosophical conceptions of the human person from Western philosophy can
be traced through the development of philosophy in the West. In the Western
Philosophy the development of the conceptions about the human person is related to
the research for the truth and knowledge about the reality. Just like an eastern
conceptions, man or the human person is viewed as part of reality. But the east and
west have different interpretations of reality and therefore have different conceptions
of man. The east always considers reality as a whole even if there are different aspects
of the same reality. The eastern mind of the holistic and views everything as part of
one reality. The parts are harmoniously related. The Western mind views reality as
composed of different parts which are usually opposed to each other. There is for
example of dichotomy or distinction between the material and spiritual aspects of
reality. The development of philosophy in the West can be divided into several
periods, namely ancient, medieval modern and contemporary, and postmodern.

37
 The History of philosophy is replete with men and women who inquired into the
fundamental nature of the self. Along with the questions of the primary substratum
that defines the multiplicity of thing in the world, the inquiry of the self has
preoccupied the earliest thinkers in the history of philosophy: the Greeks. The Greeks
were the ones who seriously questioned myths and moved away from the attempting
to understand reality and respond to perennial questions of curiosity, including the
questions of the self. The different perspectives and views on the self can be best seen
and understood by revisiting its prime movers from the ancient times to contemporary
period.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the End of the lesson, students are expected to:
1. Define the western philosophers’ view on the concept of Self;
2. Explain the general perspectives of the Western philosophy of the Self;
3. Point out the concept of Self as propounded by the Greek and Medieval
philosophers;
4. Illustrate how the self is being regarded based from the understanding of
modern and contemporary perspectives of human person.
5. Define the Self as a complex being; and
6. Discuss the Self as Cognitive Construct.

Concept of the self from the West: Personal and Developmental Perspective on
Self and Identity.

 In Western philosophy, the development of the conceptions about the human

person is related to the research for the truth and knowledge about reality.
 The development of philosophy in the west can be into several periods, namely:
Ancient, Medieval, Modern Conception of Man and Contemporary conception of
Man.

A. Ancient Greek Conception- Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

B. Concept of Man in the Medieval Period- St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas
C. Modern Concept of Man- Rene Descartes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant
D. Contemporary Conception of Man- Gilbert Ryle, Marleau-Ponty

38
I. ANCIENT GREEK CONCEPTION OF MAN

 Ancient Philosophy is also known as ancient Greek Philosophy. It is generally

described as a Cosmo centric philosophy because the search for truth and
knowledge is centered on the nature of the universe- the “cosmos”.
 The three prominent philosophers of Ancient Greek Philosophy, Namely:
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

1. Socrates- is known as moralist, a philosopher who advocates moral transformation

among citizens of Athens. One of his famous teachings is self-knowledge--he
admonished his followers to “know thyself”
2. Plato- was a student and follower of Socrates. Plato believed that there are two
types of worlds, the ideal and the material. He wrote SOCRATIC DIALOGUE, the
so called conversational and question answer nature of his way of teaching.
According to Socrates- the Philosopher task is to stir the mind of his students and
make them think for themselves, they should think critically the situations and the
things that happen around them, instead following the dictates of thinking of others.
3. Aristotle- the student of Plato before and he followed the philosophy of his teacher.
According to Aristotle, man has two components: the body and the soul. According to
him, there is only one world and that is the physical world which we experience.
 According to Aristotle, the ideas are products of one’s own mind or thinking.
 Man is rational being, meaning he or she is capable of conceiving ideas.
 According to Aristotle every living being has a soul because it has life and he
defines soul as a principle of life.
Aristotle theorized that there are three kinds of souls corresponding to the living
beings:
 Vegetative- which is proper to the plants
 Sentient- which is proper to the animals
 Rational- which is the soul of man
 The rational or human soul has all the powers among all living beings.
 The body is the physical principle of man which enables the human being to
nourish, grow, reproduce, sense, feel and move.
 Whereas, the soul is the one that gives life to the body.
 It is through the body that the soul can fully operates and function, which
according to Aristotle body and soul are substantially united.

39
SOCRATES
 The ancient Greek philosophers were cosmologist. They were too busy looking
for the stuff or the basic and original stuff that makes the world.
 To them, man’s place in the cosmos is vital. In fact, they generally consider man
as microcosm (small version) (We are a design world).
 The sophist, (philosophers) preceded the three great Greek educational theorists.
 Protagoras is considered as the foremost sophist.
“Man is the greatest measure of all things”--- Protagoras
 Philosophers emphasize the individualism, because of its great emphasis, there
was a fear that men might be tempted in self-aggrandizement and personal glory.
(Self-increase.)
 Socrates was chiefly concerned to find a way to excellence in the individual and
integrity in state.
 According to him, the first requirement for individual happiness is to return to
one’s inner self and understand one’s essence.
 “Know yourself” he counsels. To live is not enough; one should be aware of his
life. That’s why he said: “Unexamined life is not worth living”.
 He said, “He who kindles others must himself glows.”
 For Socrates, every man is composed of body and soul. This means that every
human person is dualistic wherein we are composed of two important aspects of
person hood. For Socrates, this means all individual have an imperfect and
impermanent aspect, the (body) while maintaining that there is also a (soul) that
is perfect and permanent.
PLATO
 Plato is Socrates student before and his fervent admirer. Plato supported his
masters’ ideas that man is dual nature of body and soul.
 Plato’s theory of ideas was his most influential contribution in the field of
philosophy.
 He argued that the objects of the real world are merely shadows of eternal form of
ideas. According to him, the object of the true knowledge is changeless.
 Plato’s Theory of knowledge said that both material objects that is being perceive
and the individual perceiving them are constantly changing (individual is capable
of changing) but knowledge can be concerned only the unchangeable universal
objects.

ARISTOLE
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 If Plato has his academy, Aristotle has his Lyceum. Aristotle, gathered his
disciple to sit at his feet.
 Aristotle’s famous dictum of man: According to him, “Man is rational animal.”
(or capable of reasoning)
 According to Aristotle the body and the soul are in a state of unity.
 Soul- acts as the perfect or full of realization of the body
 Body- is a material entity which has a potentiality for life.
There is only a” life” when the body possess and united with the soul.

 The body lives because of the soul which is considered as the principle of life and
this is considered as the principle of life and this is undividable.
 The human being as a whole is composed of body and the soul.
 According to Aristotle, the human beings are the same as the soul of any others.
(We are animated by the same set of capacities) but we have different bodies.
 Aristotle proclaimed that man is rational animal. It is reason that makes man
resemble the supreme reason that rules and guides the destinies of individual and
nations that leads all things to their proper ends. (Montemayor, 1995).
The three hierarchical levels of living things: / 3 kinds of soul:
a) Vegetative Soul- possessed by plants and all living things which enables them
nutritive activity of growth, substance and production.
b) Sensitive Soul- bestow in animals that is capable of motion and sensation.
c) Rational Soul- which is the conscious and intellectual soul peculiar to human
beings. Man alone is capable of reason which makes him or her as the only
possessor of all three kinds. (Far over and above.)

II. CONCEPT OF MAN IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

 The medieval philosophy could be described as theocentric, meaning, the search
for truth is centered on God, the Supreme Being.
 Man and world are part of the Supreme Being’s creations.
 Although medieval thinkers were influenced by Greek philosophy they combined
it theological ideas and religious beliefs.
 St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas are the two main philosophers in the
medieval period. However, their notions of man are guided by their Christian
faith.
 The main ideas is that man is being created in the image of God and the ultimate
end of human life is salvation. (to be united with God)
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ST. AUGUSTINE
 For Augustine, God created man in a mortal body with an immortal soul and gave
man free will.
 Augustine accentuated the significance of the will, the ability to choose between
good and evil.
 If man accepts and follows their religious duties which is to have love and serve
God he will also choose the good and avoid evil. But man is continuously
attracted towards evil, (excessive satisfaction, desires for material things and
pleasure) are the cause.
 According to Augustine, due to the inherited original sin from man’s first parents
which is (Adam and Eve) we are attracted towards evil and man can only escape
from inherited sin fullness if he receives “GRACE” from God, earning that grace
is by doing good and the grace is available for man to do good and able to reason
correctly.
 Evil comes in the world not because it is part of God’s creation, but because of
men free will. (Babor, 2001).
 Man has always the possibility that he may choose to turn away from good and
cling to the goods of this earth.
 Men loss of Good is due to man’s bad choices and evil morality.
 Man’s will as created by God is free. Moral evils can be traced to the absence of
goodness in the will of man. Hence, evil is the act of itself of choosing the lesser
good. (evil is the absence of good)
 Augustine accepted Plato’s notion of a world of physical realities knowable by
the senses. He believed that human beings have ideas of eternal truth but to fully
arrive at these truths they need the illumination that comes from God.
 God is the source of light, he is perfect and eternal and human intellect operates
under the influence of God’s eternal ideas.
 Eternal truth for Augustine exist in the intellect of God. The pursuit of these
eternal truth must be the ultimate pursuit of man.
 In summary, according to St. Augustine man is created by God in His image and
God gives us absolute freedom and free will.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

 According to Aquinas, man is composite being; we are composed of both body
and soul.
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 The platonic view, man being a soul in a body while Aquinas view is it is the
body that is in the soul.
 According to Aquinas, the soul is the first principle of life in living things; it is
what makes a living thing alive.
 The body without the soul is not strictly a body at all.
 According to him, the human soul is created by God and does not exist prior to
the existence of body (Collinson, 1987)
 The soul is exist by itself; it is incorporeal (non-physical form) therefore
immaterial and spiritual.
 The soul possession is will intellect. The soul, however is united with the body
for its lower activity (i.e. sensation).
 It is necessary for the soul to unite itself with the body. The soul necessitates a
body, since sensation need bodily organs because the soul alone does not
represent the whole nature of man.
 The soul alone is not a complete being. A man is only a man when he cannot only
think, but sees, smell, taste, hear, touch, imagine and remember. These things are
not possible alone but it requires a body.
 The principle activity of the body is the soul because soul is united to the body
not only because of the perception but because it is form of the body (Pegis,
1945). The body can only moves through the soul because the soul is the
principle of life in the body.
 Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature (has branches) the imperfect
that yearns to be divine while the other one is capable of reaching immortality.
 Body is imperfect while the soul can stay even after death.
 The goal of human person is to attain communion and bliss with the divine by
living his or her life virtuously in earth.

III MODERN CONCEPTION OF MAN

 Rene Descartes-was a leading philosopher of the modern period, he is a French

philosopher.
 Descartes describes man as being composed of body and spirit or mind.
 The body and mind is separate substances or entities which has different
attributes and functions.
1. The mind does not depend on the body in order to exist or be understood. It has
conscious acts like doubting, thinking and willing, it is not made up of parts
which can’t be corrupted or destroyed.

43
2. The body is not conscious and is moved by mechanical forces acting on it. Body
is corruptible.
Therefore, they are two separate entities. They can only interact but cannot be united.
(Aguas 2017).

 The modern philosophy focuses on the rational and natural powers of human
person rather than on faith and salvation.
 The aim of human life is the satisfaction of the natural desires of the self.
 The conceptions of human person is focus on reason and source of experience.
 One can improve his or her natural powers through education and this will
ultimately lead to happiness.

RENE DESCATES
According to him, man is composed of 2 substances. The body and the mind.
 Body- refers to being that is extended in length, width and breath. The body is
located in time and space. It is material and subject to decay. It is not conscious.
It is publicly observable. It is divisible.
 Mind- refers to the conscious or thinking being which understands, capable of
imagination and has senses. It experiencing thoughts, feelings, senses and
imagines. This is private and non-observable. Mind is invisible and immaterial.
Motion by the body is caused by the mind.
Thus, the body and mind interact even though they are not the same in nature.

 According to Descartes, senses are misleading/deceptive, therefore one must first

doubt before they can be trusted. The technique is called “methodic doubt.”
 He believed that when a person doubts, he is thinking, for doubting is the starting
of thinking.
 Cogito- once person is already thinking, he could no longer doubt that he existed.
(Ariola, 2009). “I THINK THEREFORE I EXIST”
 A human would not be a human without reason, and only human possess the
ability to reason (Padilla, 2008).
 The only ideas that could be made perfectly clear and distinct originated in the
mind. Certain knowledge can be directed arrived not only by reading books but
through methodic application.
DAVID HUME
 Scottish philosopher, he has a very unique way of looking a man.

44
 As an empiricist who believes that one can only know because of its senses and
experiences.
 Empiricism- the knowledge can only be possible if it is sensed and experienced.
(Man can only attain knowledge through experience).
 Impression- are the basic objects of our experience or sensation. (product of
direct experience)
 What is self then? - Simply, according to Hume it is “bundle or collection of
different perception”.
 In reality, what one thinks is a unified self is simply combination of all
experiences.

IMMANUEL KANT
 To Kant, there is necessary a mind that organizes the impressions that men get
from external world. Time and space, for example. These ideas cannot be found
in the world, but it is built in our minds. This is called apparatuses of mind.
 Without the self, one cannot organized the different impression that one gets in
relation to his man that synthesizes all knowledge and experience.

IV. CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTION OF MAN

 Contemporary philosophers focus on the existential and practical aspect of human
existence.
 The existentialist thinkers instead regard the human person as a subject and
“embodied spirit” or as an incarnate subjectivity.
 Human Subjectivity- is not limited to reasons, it includes the affective and
emotional as well. The human person does only think; he/she also feels and
relates.
GILBERT RYLE
 A prominent philosopher who believes; what truly matters is the behavior that a
person manifest in his day to day life.
 Ryle- suggest that the “self” is not an entity. One can locate and analyze but
simply the convenient name people use to refer to all the behavior that people
make.
 Where do we get our sense of self? - It is from our actions and behaviors.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY

45
He is a phenomenologist. He said that mind and the body are intertwined that they
cannot be separated from one another. According to him, all experience is embodied.
 Because of our body we are in the world.
 The living body, our thoughts, emotions and experiences are all one.

Activity 4
Name: _____________________________ Score: _____________
Year/Course& Section: __________________

Directions: Answer the following questions succinctly and direct to the point.
1. Discuss briefly the Socratic view of the human person or the Self.
2. Briefly describe how Plato regard the human person or the self in
relation to Plato’s conception of the World.
3. Explain the self or the human person’s body-mind interaction
according to the doctrine of Cartesian Cogito of Rene Descartes.
4. Illustrate hoe medieval philosophers view man
5. Discuss the meaning of self as described by David Hume as a
“bundle or collection of Different perception.”
6. Explain how Kant conceptualizes the nature of man.

INTRODUCTION
History discloses that the nature of self has been debated, discussed, and
rationalized by the different western philosophers. With the advent of the social
sciences, it became possible for new ways and paradigms to re-examine the true
nature of the self. People put a halt on speculative debates on the relationship between
the body and soul, eventually renamed body and the mind. Thinkers just eventually
46
got tired of focusing on the long-standing debate since sixth century BC between the
relationship of those two components of the human person and whatever relationship
these two have is less important than the fact that there is a self. The debate shifted
into another locus of discussion. Given the new ways of knowing and the growth of
the Social Sciences, particularly Cultural Anthropology, digging out the cultural
understanding about man, it became possible for the new approaches to the
examination of the self to come to the fore. One of the loci, if not the most important
axis of analysis is the relationship between the self and the external world.
What is the relationship between external reality and the self? In the famous
Tarzan story, the little boy named Tarzan was left in the middle of the forest. Growing
up, he never had an interaction with any other human being but apes and other
animals. Tarzan grew up acting strangely like apes and unlike human person. Tarzan
became an animal, in effect. His sole develop as human persons without intervention.
This story, which was supposed to be based on real life, challenges the long-standing
notion of human persons being special and being a particular kind of being spectrum
of living entities. After all, our selves are not special because of the soul infused into
us. We may be gifted with intellect and the capacity to rationalized things but at the
end of the day, our growth and development and consequentially, our selves are truly
products of our interaction with external reality.
Every person lives in a certain society under a given culture. His thoughts and
behavior guide by the kind of culture. It is through a culture that humanizes a person.
It is through a culture that humanizes a person. It is through a culture that helps
realize person’s possibilities. It shapes one’s life the human way. Culture which
embraces all that a person thinks of and all that he possesses as a member of a given
society distinguishes him from animals.
Customs, traditions, beliefs, values and norms that make up what sociologists call
artifacts define the historical person. They characterize person’s ways and actions. A
person perceives things and judges them accordingly based on his cultural
perspectives. In fact, we understand man by his kind of culture. In other words, one
could hardly know a person devoid.
However, culture is dynamic. It changes from time to time, from place to place. It
develops according to circumstances that surround him. Our needs and aspirations
determine as well our kind of cultural development. Cultural lag is observable could
impede the growth of culture.
The progress or backwardness of a person reflects the stage of one’s cultural
development. Remote places that have limited socialization experience often cultural
lag and vice versa. This is conspicuous in the people’s mentifacts and artifacts.
Technology is one factor that contributes significantly to changes in culture. It
influences one’s view of reality, one’s attitude and all that he is as a person. The dawn
of information technology has done a lot of things in the way people believe as
members of society. Traditional values slowly eclipse by values emanating from the
fast and contemporary works of technology. However, there is one fact that person
should take into consideration, that is, a person’s being natural before being cultural.
As natural being, he is endowed with characteristics borne out of his human nature.
47
His thinking ability as well as his constitutional freedom makes him a universal being
or what modern person call global. The naturality of person serves as the ground of
his being cultural. His naturality opens the threshold of his being a global citizen. As
global citizen, the person goes beyond his cultural boundaries.
Who are you today may be a product of culture and socialization that influence
your Self, where you derive trainings from the society, community, and family and
school.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Explain the relationship between and among the self,
society, and culture;
2. Discuss the different ways on how society and culture
shape the self; and
3. Identify some differences and similarities as to how the
self can be influenced by the different institutions in the
society; and
4. Construct own definition of self and share this in the
whole class.

THE SELF SOCIETY AND CULTURE

 One of the loci and the most important analysis is the relationship between the
self and the external world.
 We may be gifted with intellect and the capacity to rationalized things but at the
end of the day, our growth and development and consequently, we are truly
product of our interaction with external reality.
 Every person lives in a certain society under given culture, his thoughts and
behaviors guide by the kind of his or her culture. He or she perceives things and
judges them accordingly based on his cultural perspectives. In fact, we
understand man by his culture.
 On the other hand, technology is one factor that contributes significantly changes
in culture. It influences one’s view of reality, attitude and all that he is as a
person. Who you are today may be a product of culture and socialization that
influenced yourself, where you derived training's from the society, community,
family and school.
 Example, what is the relationship between the external reality and the self? In the
famous Tarzan story, the little boy named Tarzan was left in the middle of the
forest. Growing up, he never had an interaction with any other human being but
apes and other animal. Tarzan grew up acting strangely like apes and unlike
48
 human person Tarzan become an animal. In effect, his sole interaction with them
made him just like one of them.
 How much of you is essential? How much of you now is a product of your
society, community and family? Has your choice of school affected yourself
now? Have you ever been born into a different family and schooled in a different
college? How much of who you are now would change?

Activity
Direction: paste a picture when you were in elementary, high school and college.
Below the picture, list down your salient characteristics that you remember.

ELEMENTARY SELF HIGH SCHOOL SELF COLLEGE SELF

Fill out the following table:

Similarities in all stages of Differences in my “self” Possible reasons for the

my “Self”. across the three stages of differences in me.
my life.

WHAT IS THE SELF- Self is commonly define by the following characteristics;

separate, self-centered, independent, consistent, unitary and private.
 Separate is distinct from other. It is unique and has its own identity.
 Self is also self-contained and independent because in itself it can exist. It does
not require any other self for it to exist.
 The last characteristic of self is being private. The self is located from the
external world. It lives within its own world.
 The concern of the Self, Society and Culture lesson is to understand the vibrant
relationship between the self and external reality. The perspective is known as the
social constructionist perspective. “Social Constructionists argue for a merge
view of the person and their social context where the boundaries of one cannot
easily be separated from the boundaries of other.
 Social constructionist- argue that self is not static.

THE SELF AND CULTURE

French anthropologist Marcell Mauss suggested that every self has two faces.
49
1. Person
2. Moi
Moi- refers to a person’s sense of who is he, his body and his basic identity; his
biological given’s. Moi is a person’s basic identity.
Personne- is composed of social concepts of what it means to be who he is. (What it
means to live in a particular institution, particular family, and a particular
religion/nationality and how to behave given the expectations and influences from
others) (Shifting person from time to time to adapt situation).

THE SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL WORLD

How do people actively produce their social world? How do children grow up and
become social beings? How can a boy turn out to be just like an ape? How do twins
coming out from the same mother turn out to be terribly different when given up for
adoption?

1. MEAD AND VYGOTSKY

 For Mead and Vygotsky, human person develops with the use of language
acquisition and interaction with others.
 The way we process information will normally form an internal dialogues in our
head. Ex. Should I do this or that? But if I do this, it will be like this.
 Language is being experienced in the external world and encountered in dialogue
with others too.
 A young child internalizes values, norms, practices and social beliefs and move
through exposure to these dialogues that will eventually become part of his
individual world.
Example: Notice how little children found of playing role play with their toys.
 According to Vygotsky, he believes a child internalizes real life dialogues that he
had with others, with his family, caregiver or his or her playmates.
 They apply this to their mental and practical problems along with the social and
cultural infusion brought about by the dialogues.
-notice how children become what they watched?

2. SET IN FAMILIES

50
 While every child born with certain given’s, disposition coming from his parents
genes and general conditions of life, the impact of family is still deemed as a
given in understanding the self.
 The kind of family we are born will certainly affect us and the kind of
development that we will have as we go through life.
 We cannot deny that family is important. (Ex. A child during dependency period)
(Ex. Babies internalize ways and styles that they view from their family. (Ex.
imitating the language of their families, babies learn language).
 Without a family, biologically and sociologically, a person may not even survive
or become a human person.
 One is who he is because of his family for the most part.

3. GENDER AND THE SELF

Gender- is one of the loci of the self that is subject to alteration, change and
development.
 We have seen in the past years how people fought hard for the right to express,
validate and assert their gender expression.
 However, it is important to give one the leeway to find, express and live his
identity.
 Oftentimes, society forces a particular identity unto us depending on our sex and
gender.

EXAMPLE: In the Philippines,

Husband- expected to provide for their family
Eldest man- expected as the head of the family
But, the modification/changes have been on the way due to feminism and LGBT
activism.
Girls- also expected to act like ladies
Man- are taught to behave like a man, this normally includes holding in one’s
emotions, being tough, fatalistic etc. In Philippines, man undergo circumcision not
just for clinical purpose of hygiene but also to assert their manliness in the society.
 Individual fits in a particular environment is dangerous and detrimental in the
goal of finding one’s self, self-determination and growth of the self. Gender has
personally discovered and asserted, not dictated by culture and the society.

THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

51
In the field of philosophy, both in the eastern and western thoughts, the discovery of a
Peron’s identity or the self has been explained and elaborated exhaustively. Their
analyses were also linked with culture, social sciences and psychologically
specifically. The Social Sciences then came up with their own definition of the Self
and Identity.
However, it must be pointed out that modern researches acknowledge the
contributions of each field and this is not some sort of nurture versus nurture,
society/culture vs. individual/brain, and other social sciences as against psychology
debate. Psychology may focus on the individual and cognitive functions, but it does
not discount the context and other possible factors that affect the individual. For
students who take up psychology, discussions on theories, and development, among
others actually take at least one semester and there are still more to be learned about
the concept of “self.” This lesson provides an overview of the themes of psychology
regarding the said concept. (Alata et al., 2018)
 William James (1890) was one of the earliest psychologist study the self as
having two aspects of the self, the “I” self and the “Me” self-according to him:
 The “I” Self -- is the thinking, acting and feeling self.
 The “Me” Self -- is the physical characteristics as well as the psychological
capabilities that makes who you are.

 Carl Rogers - theory of personality also use the same terms, the “I” as the one
who acts and decides while the “Me” is what you think and feel about yourself as
an object.
 Self-Identity - is composed of personal characteristics, social roles and
responsibilities, as well as affiliation that define who one is.
 Self-Concept - is what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about
who you are
 Self-Identity and Self-Concept are not fixed in one time frame.
 Carl Rogers - captured an idea in his concept of self- schema or our organized
system or collection of knowledge. The schema is not limited it include your
interest, work, course, name and physical characteristics.
 On the other hand, current researches point out that the self and identity is created
and recreated in memory specifically the frontal lobe of the brain associated in
the processes concerning the self.

 Self-awareness - the term used when we are aware of our self-concept. However,
there are two types of self that we can be aware of:
 The private self - or your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings.

52
 Public Self - or your public image commonly geared toward having a good
presentation of yourself to others.

SELF AWARENESS - also presents us with at least three other self-schema: the
actual, ideal and ought self.
*actual self - who are you at the moment
*ideal - who you like to be
*ought self - who do you think you should be
 Self-awareness maybe positive or negative depending on the circumstances and
our next course of action. Self-awareness can keep you from doing something
dangerous but on the other hand, if self-awareness is too much (concerned about
being observed and criticized by others) people have the tendency to become
“self-conscious”.

 SOCIAL COMPARISON THEORY - is the more common type of comparing

ourselves with others.
 if you compare yourself to those who are worse than you = positive self-concept
(it will raised your self-esteem)
 If you compare yourself to those who are better than you = can be a form of
motivation for some but to others may seem to highlight their weaknesses that
sometimes leads to low self-esteem.
Social Comparison Theory also entails what is called self- evaluation maintenance
theory, which states that we can feel threatened when someone out-performs us,
especially when that person is close to us. In this case we actually reacts in three
ways:
First -we distance ourselves from the person or redefine our relationship with them.
Second -we may also reconsider the important aspect or skill in which you were out
performed.
Third - we may strengthen our resolve to improve that certain aspect of ourselves.
 Narcissism- is a trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration
and self-centeredness. However, lot of tests and measurements are necessary to
validate this.

53
 CHAPTER V: UNPACKING THE SELF
PHYSICAL SELF
INTROUCTION
We are living in a world where the material and immaterial self are both
represented. How is that possible? Thanks to advances in technology, we not only live
in physical world, we have also virtual reality. How do you view yourself in both
worlds?
Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than we realize it. This involves:
 How we perceive our body visually
 How we feel about our physical appearance;
 How we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies; and
 Our sense of how the other people view our bodies.

The current embedded idea of what is attractive, beautiful, or handsome is an

unrealistic image, which is genetically impossible for many of us to emulate. This
unrealistic image is continually driven into our minds by the media through ads,
movies, and TV shows. The media is a very powerful tool in reinforcing cultural
beliefs and values. Although it is not fully responsible for determining the standards
for physical attractiveness, it makes escaping the barrage of images and attitudes
almost impossible to escape.
A positive view of “self” involves understanding that healthy, attractive bodies
come in many shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about
our character or values as a person.
We have to strive to know ourselves beyond our preconceived ideas of who we
are.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
1. Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the self from
various disciplinal perspective;
2. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across different
disciplines and perspectives;
3. Examine the different influences, factors, and forces that shape the self; and
4. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of
one’s self and identity by developing a theory of the self.

54
PHYSICAL SELF
 A positive view of “self” involves understanding that healthy and attractive
bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very
little our character or value as a person.

“Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself, that’s when
you’re most beautiful”. --Zoe Kravitz

 WHAT DID PSYCHOLOGY DISCOVER ABOUT BEAUTY?

Research found that a person who is perceived as attractive makes more money than a
person of below-average looks.

 Cognitive bias- also called “halo effect”. This is an error of reasoning, evaluating
on any other mental process.

 The Halo effect is also known as the Physical attractiveness stereotype and the
“what is beautiful is good” this is the tendency of people to rate attractive
individuals more favorably for their personality traits or characteristics as
compared to those who are less attractive.

 HOW CULTURAL TRADITIONS SHAPE BODY IMAGE

 Culture has a significant impact on how the person feels about himself or herself,
as well as his or her body image.
 Body image- is generally defined as how one thinks and feels toward one’s body.
 People see cultural group as an integral part of who they are.
Ex. Ideal standards of body sizes are culturally specific.
-In American women, the ideal body size is thin and the Philippines is undoubtedly
influenced by western culture.

 DOES YOUR BODY IMAGE HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR SELF-

ESTEEM?
55
 According to William James, the term self-esteem is the number of success a
person achieves in the domains of life that are important to him or her, divided by
the number of failures that occurred in those areas.
 Behavioral Scientist- define self-esteem in terms of an attitude concerning ones
worth as a person.
 Self- esteem is important because it can affect your mental health as well as how
you behave. If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept the
way you are.

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 6
I. Match the descriptions in A with the concepts/theorists in B. Write only
the letter of your choice before each number. Options can be answered
once.

A.
_______ 1. It is an error of reasoning, evaluating, or remembering.
_______ 2. It is about how you value yourself.
_______ 3. It is generally defined as how one thinks and feels towards one’s body.
_______ 4. This Philosopher states that, “Beauty exists merely in the mind...”
_______ 5. He asserted that forms of beauty are order, symmetry, and definiteness
that can be demonstrated by mathematical sciences.

B.
a. Aristotle
b. Body Image
c. Cognitive bias
d. Hume
e. Kant
f. Self-esteem

Reflection # 2
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(10 pts. Each)
1. How do you personally define beauty
2. Do you think you are ‘beautiful”? What are your bases why you consider
yourself as beautiful?

THE SEXUAL SELF

“Self-love is about respecting and appreciating every single part of who you are, and
being proud to be you.” -Miya Yamanouchi

DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS AND THE

HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Sex Fertilization After one month of

conception/fertilization, gonads or sex
organs is rapidly developing inside
the mother’s womb;

FURTHER SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT OCCURS AT PUBERTY

 Puberty- is the stage of development at which individuals becomes sexually
mature.
 The changes for boys and girls is predictable, resulting in adult physical
characteristics and the capacity to reproduce.

WHAT ARE THE EROGENOUS ZONES OF THE BODY?

 The term erogenous zones was popularized in the 1960’s and 1970’s. These are
the areas of the body that are highly sensitive because it has a high number of
sensory receptors/nerve endings.

1. The skin
A. Non Specific type
B. Specific type
 Prepuce- is the retractable fold of skin. Covering the tip of the penis. The non-
technical name of this is foreskin.
 FEMALE EXTERNAL GENITALIA
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- Mons pubis
-Clitoris is the female sexual organ that is small, sensitive and located in front of the
opening of the vagina.
-Labia Majora and Minora
Majora- are the fleshy lips around the vagina, these are the larger fold of vulva.
Minora- Known as inner labia or inner lips.
-Vaginal introitus -is the opening that leads to the vaginal canal.
-Hymen -is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal
opening.
-Perianal Skin -area of the body surrounding the anus. A skin that is very sensitive.
-Lips - soft and movable, serve as the opening for food to intake. It is design for the
articulation of sound and speech. Human lips is designed to perceive touch and can be
erogenous zone when used in kissing and any other acts of intimacy.
Nipples - are the raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast.

 SEX AND THE BRAIN. WHAT ARE THE PARTS INVOLVED?

 The largest sex organ controlling the biological urges, mental processes, as well
as the emotional and physical responses to the sex is the BRAIN.

Roles of the brain in sexual activity:

1. The brain is responsible for translating the nerve impulses sensed by the skin into
pleasurable sensations.
2. It controls the nerve and muscles used in sexual activities.
3. Cerebral cortex- it is used for thinking and reasoning, as well as the sexual thoughts
and fantasies.
4. Limbic System- it produces emotions and feelings (which are important for sexual
behavior)
5. The brain releases the hormones considered as the physiological origin of sexual
desire.

 ROLES OF THE HORMONES IN THE SEXUAL ACTIVITY

 Hypothalamus- is the most important part of the brain for sexual functioning, it
receives input form the limbic system.

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 Hypothalamus- is important in human sexual activity because of its relation to the
pituitary gland.
 Pituitary glands- it secretes the hormones produced in the hypothalamus.

1. Oxytocin -it is also known as the “love hormone” and believed to be involved in
our desire to maintain close relationships. It is released during sexual intercourse
when orgasm is achieved.
2. Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) -It is responsible for ovulation in females.
3. Luteinizing Hormone- (LH) -it stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. In
males, testosterone appears to be a major contributing factor to sexual motivation.
4. Vasopressin -it involves in the male arousal phase. The increase of vasopressin
during erectile response is believed to be directly associated with increased
motivation to engage in sexual behavior.
5. Estrogen and Progesterone - it regulates the motivation to engage in sexual
behavior for females, with estrogen increasing motivation and progesterone
decreasing it.

 UNDERSTANDING THE CHEMISTRY OF LUST, LOVE AND

ATTACHMENT
 Anthropologist Helen Fisher of Rutgers University proposed three stages of
falling in love;
1. Lust- this stage is marked by physical attraction. Lust is driven by the testosterone
in men and estrogen in women. Lust will not guarantee that the couple will fall in love
in any lasting way.
2. Attraction- at this stage, you begin to crave for your partner’s presence. Three
chemical types can trigger this feeling:
*Norepinephrine- responsible for extra surge of energy and triggers increased heart
rate, loss of appetite, as well as the desire to sleep. Your body is in a more alert state
and is ready for action.
*Dopamine- associated with motivation and goal-directed behavior. It makes you
pursue your object of affection. It creates a sense of novelty, where the person seems
exciting, special, or unique that you want to tell the world about his or her admirable
qualities.
*Serotonin- thought to cause obsessive thinking. (People with OCD found to have a
low level or less serotonin transporter in their blood).
3. Attachment- involves the desire to have lasting commitment with your significant
other. At this point, you may want to get married and/ or have children.
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 PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF SEXUAL DESIRE
 Sexual desire- viewed as an interest in sexual objects or activities.
- It is a subjective feeling of wanting to engage in sex.
-sexual desire is not always accompanied by genital arousal (erection and vaginal
lubrication).
-sexual desire can be triggered by a large variety of cues and situations, including
private thoughts, feelings and fantasies, erotic materials (such as books, movies,
photographs) and variety of erotic environment, situations or social interactions.
 Sex drive- it represents a basic, biologically mediated motivation to seek activity
or sexual gratification.

 THE DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

 Sexual Orientation- is defined as an individual’s general sexual disposition or
attitude toward partners of the same sex, the opposite sex or both sexes.
- There has been much interest in sexual desire as an index of sexual orientation.
Historically, the most important indicator of the same-sex (gay, lesbian, or bisexual)
orientation was same sex desire.

 GENDER IDENTITY
 Sexual Orientation- is a person’s emotional and erotic/sex attraction toward
another individual.
 Gender Identity- refers to one’s sense of being male or female

 WHAT IS LGBTQ+?
Lesbian- Female attracted to women.
Gay- Males who are attracted to any other males.
Bisexual- sexually or romantically attracted to both men and women.
Transgender- an umbrella term for people who do not identify with the gender
assigned to them at birth. (Trans woman: Male to Female; Trans Man: Female to
Male) they identify themselves.
+ - the plus, it signifies that many identities are not explicitly represented by the
letters. This includes intersex or people who are born with a mix of male and female
biological traits that can make it hard for the doctors to assigned them a male or a
female sex; asexual or a person who is not interested in or does not require sexual
activity.
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 SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES
(Your biological or assigned sex does not always tell your complete story)
 Sex- is label-- male or female-- that assigned by a doctor at birth based on the
genitals you are born with the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth
certificate.
 Gender- gender is not determined biologically, as a result of sexual
characteristics of either women or men but is constructed socially.
 Gender Identity- one’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of
both or neither-- how individuals perceive themselves and what they call
themselves.
 Sexual Orientation- is an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or
sexual attraction to some other people. (Same sex or opposite sex attraction).

 SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS
-can influence the various issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Ex. In Philippines- view as the heterosexuality/ opposite sex as the norm.
New Guinea- young boys are expected to engage in sexual behavior with any other
boys for a given period because it is believed that doing so is necessary for these boys
to become men.
Thailand- it has more than two categories. Male and Female and Kathoey.
Kathoey- is an individual who would be described as transgender in western cultures.

 FAMILY INFLUENCES
 The children’s interests, preferences, behaviors and overall self-concept are
strongly influenced by parental authority and figure teachings regarding sexual
stereotypes.
 URBAN SETTING
 Research discovered that homosexuality (same sex) is positively correlated with
the urbanization. Large cities seem to provide a friendlier environment for same-
gender interest to develop and be expressed (a support group) than in rural areas.
 HISTORY OF SEXUAL ABUSED
 Previous studies claimed that abused adolescents, particularly those who
victimized by males are more likely to become homo-sexual or bisexual in
adulthood.

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 SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STD’S)
 STD or sexually transmitted diseases also known as sexually transmitted
infection. It is a disease or infection acquired through sexual contact where the
organism that cause STD are passed through blood, semen, vaginal or any other
bodily fluid.
 It can also passed through a non-sexual form
-Pregnancy (mother to infant)
-Blood transfusion
-People sharing needles for injection.
 THE RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD ACT AND REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH ACT OF 2012
 Known as the Republic Act 10354 (reproductive health law or RH Law (a law in
the Philippines that guarantees access to contraceptive methods, such as fertility
control, sexual education and maternal care.

 DISADVANTAGE
 Birth control health risk- for some women, oral contraceptives can lead to hair
loss and weight gain, and the used of diaphragms can lead to urinary tract
infections.
 Possibility of Pregnancy- Family Planning is not 100% reliable. Other than
abstinence, there is no birth control method that is completely effective. Couple
who are engaging in sexual activity should always consider the possibility of an
unexpected pregnancy.
 Pregnancy after birth control- it is possible to get pregnant almost right away
after stopping the hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control pills or after
having the IUD removed.

 THE NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING METHOD (NFM)

 Known as fertility-based awareness methods. This method is unreliable in
preventing unwanted pregnancy. Moreover, NFM do not protect a person against
STD or HIV.

 TYPES OF NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING METHODS

1. Periodic abstinence (fertility awareness) method
2. Use of breastfeeding or lactationalamenorrhoea method (LAM)
3. Coitus interrupts (withdrawal or pulling out) method.

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 Periodic abstinence (fertility awareness) method
A. Rhythm (calendar) method; the couple tracks the woman’s menstrual history to
predict when she will ovulate. This helps the couple determines when they will most
likely to conceive.
B. Basal body temperature monitoring- relieves on monitoring a woman’s basal
temperature.
C. Cervical mucus ovulation method- also called the Billing’s method examining the
viscosity of the cervical mucus to discover when ovulation is occurring.
 Lactation Amenorrhea Method
 Breastfeeding can suppress ovulation. This is called (LAM). However, after 3
months of breastfeed, a woman must choose another method of contraception.

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 7
I. Identify what is being asked in each statement below. Write your answer
before each number.

_________________ 1. It is the stage of development when individuals become

sexually mature.
__________________ 2. These areas of the body are highly sensitive to stimuli and
are often sexually exciting.
__________________ 3. It refers to the sequence of physical and emotional
occurrences when the person is participating in a sexually stimulating activity.
__________________ 4. It is the most important part of the brain for sexual
functioning.
__________________ 5. It is also known as the ‘love hormone” and believed to be
involved in our desire to maintain close relationships.
__________________ 6. This a stage involves the desire to have lasting commitment
with your significant other.
___________________ 7. It is a person’s emotional and erotic attraction toward
another individual.
___________________ 8. It refers to one’s sense of being male or female.
___________________ 9. This is a method uses the body’s natural physiological
changes and symptoms to identify the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual
cycle.

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___________________ 10. It refers to a method that manipulates the hormones which
directly affect the normal menstrual cycle so that ovulation will not occur.

Reflection # 3
10 pts. Each
1. For Girls: How was your experience the first time you had your menarche or
first menstruation? Were you afraid? How did you cope with your feeling of
awkwardness/ negativity, especially since it was accompanied by bodily
changes?

For Boys: How was your experience the first time you had your nocturnal
emission? How did you cope with your feeling of awkwardness/ negativity,
especially since it was accompanied by bodily changes?

2. Do you have a crush now? A boyfriend/girlfriend? How are you dealing/

managing with your emotions? Do you consult your parents? Friends?
Classmate about it?
RUBRIC

RELEVANCE 10pts.
ORIGINALITY 5pts.
CREATIVITY 5pts.
ORGANIZATION OF 5pts.
THOUGHTS
TOTAL 25pts.

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY? THIS IS THE QUESTION (Material Self)

 What makes us want to have the products today are connected with who we are.
What we want to have and what we already possess is relate to ourselves.
 We regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are what we have and what
we possess. Belk (1988)
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 There is a direct link between self-identity with what we have and possess.

 Material self- this is the aspect of self that we want to have possessions.

Reflection # 4
Debit card challenge. (5 points each)
Direction: a very wealthy person gave you a debit card and told you to use it as much
as you want to make yourself happy. What are you going to do with your debit card?
Make a list of what you want to have. Write as many as you want.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________
Analysis:
Answer the following:
1. What did you feel as you do the debit card challenge?
2. Which among the items in your list you like most? Why?
3. If ever you were given the chance in real life, to have among the list, which will
you choose and why?
4. Does your choice different from what you answer in question number two? Why or
why not?
5. Let you classmate read your list. In the quick impression of your classmate did he
or she knows the truth about you?

MATERIAL SELF
 William James wrote in his book, The Principles of Psychology that when it
comes to understanding the self it can be examined in different components.
 According to James we are deeply affected with the following because we put
much investment of our self:

 MATERIAL SELF: WILLIAM JAMES

1. Body- the inner most part of our material self, we are investing to it and we cannot
live without our body. We strive hard to make sure that this body functions well and
well good. Thus, we can say that we value our body.
Ex: Mariah Carey insurance to her vocal cords and legs (Sukman, 2016).

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2. Clothes- clothing is essential part of our material self. Clothing is a form of self-
expression. We choose and wear clothes that are reflection of our self. (Watson,
2014).
3. Immediate Family- our siblings and parents hold another great important part of
ourselves. What they do or become affects us. We place huge investment to our
immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of ourselves.
4. Home- this is the fourth component of our material self. “Home is where your heart
is” it is the earliest rest of our self-hood.

 The more investment of self is given to the particular thing, the more we identify
ourselves to it.
 “Man’s self is the sum total of all what he can call his”- William James 1890

Our possessions then become a part or an extension of self

WE ARE WHAT WE HAVE

 We regard our possessions as part of ourselves (Russel Belk 1988)
 Material possessions gains higher value in our life time.
Ex. The dining chair (constant reminder of the person seated there;
A well-loved and kept vehicle of the person, which some of the bereaved family
member have difficulty to sell or let go. (Symbol of the owner)
 The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-
concept, our past and even our future.
 We become happy by buying and buying.. Often we consume just for the sake of
consuming. Shopping has become leisure and a way to pass time.
 Consequently, our consumption also contributes to our garbage, problems,
pollution and the depletion of our natural resources.

I SHOP THEREFORE I AM; I HAVE THEREFORE I AM?

 Consumer Culture- shopping has turned into a lifestyle.

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 Sometimes, people are slowly realizing that the power of consumption is stopping
us from finding true and sincere happiness. It often works as substitute as what
we are missing in life.

CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

 Consume- is defined as “use-up, to spend wastefully, to destroy (Gusdrf, 1978)
-the definition has negative connotation. However, there is a positive side to
consumption that is often neglected.
 Behind consumption, there is production. Consumers keep the companies alive.
(production thru man power)

CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION
 Conscious consumption- it is about practicing responsible buying habits. Every
person has a free will and consumers are not often portrayed as “victims”.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL/ SOCIOLOGICAL CONSUMPTION
 Happiness seems attached to buy something. Thus, sometimes consumption has
become an addiction.
 On the other hand, many people have forgotten that there are things in life that
can really bring lasting happiness such as family, friends, to have “me” time,
enjoy the nature etc.
Characters of consumer Culture
1. Consumer consumption is a culture of consumption
2. Consumer culture is the culture of market society
3. Consumer culture is universal and impersonal
4. Consumer culture identifies freedom with private choice and life
5. Consumer needs are insatiable and unlimited
6. Consumer culture is privileged medium for building personal identity and status

CONSUMERISM- Comparing your lives to others. (Position)

Too much wants.
Tendency reinforced by social media.
Will affect our behavior and thinking process.

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THE PROBLEM WITH CONSUMERISM
1. It is intrusive.
2. It is manipulative.
3. It cannot provide many of the things that are important to us.
4. It restricts our choices and lives.
5. It affects our worldviews and characters.
6. It is unsustainable.

AVOID THE TRAP

1. Exercise intellectual independence- don’t let consumerism control your life. Try to
think before doing an act.
2. Consume less, live more- think about what really matters to you and strive to live
the life you want not others think you ought to live.

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 8
I. Write true if the statement is correct, false if it is incorrect. Write your
answer on the space provided.
1. Consumption has a negative connotation; however, its positive side is often
neglected. ___________
2. Consumers are often portrayed as “victims”, exploited by companies,
however, every person has “free will.” _________
3. Consumption would never become an addiction. __________
4. Shopping nowadays has turned into lifestyle for most people. __________
5. Free will is not important when it comes to shopping. __________
6. Conscious consumption is about practicing buying habits regardless of price
and relevance. ________
7. Consumption is important because of production. _________
8. Consumer culture is a medium for building persona identity and status.
__________
9. Consumerism is one of the strongest forces affecting modern people’s lives,
specially their behaviors and thinking processes. __________
10. Consumerism does not restrict our choices and lives. ___________

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 II. Application (2 pts each)
1. What is your purpose for going shopping?
2. Have you tried online shopping? If yes, what makes it different from shopping
in malls? If no, why not?
3. What particular item do you usually buy? Why?

III.
(4 pts.)
“I shop, therefore I am”
4. Suppose you won a cash prize of P10,000.00 but with one condition: to spend
the said amount in only one day or the prize would be forfeited. What are the
things that you will buy? Enumerate them below with approximated prices.

Amount Item

SUPERNATURAL: BELIEVE IT OR NOT (Spiritual Self)

 Philosophy started the moment humans started to wander (with just about
anything.)
 As college student, it is vital that you develop a healthy sense of wonder with an
open mind that seeks to understand belief systems that may not be the same as
yours.
SPIRITUAL VS. RELIGIOUS
 Spiritual- is defined as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as
opposed to material or physical things.
 Religion and Spirituality- are both paths to God; however they are different in
their approaches.
 Religious person- someone who believes in God or group of Gods and
consciously adheres to the beliefs of his or her religion.
 Spiritual person- places little importance on beliefs and traditions and it is more
concerned with growing and experiencing the divine.
 Religion approach- it emphasizes sin, guilt and the concept of a punishing God.

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 Spiritual approach- it emphasizes God as the path of love. A love where there is
no condemnation and judgement but a mercy and acceptance.
 Religion- believes in God who is high up in the heavens. God is depicted as
separate from humanity who is impartial but impersonal.
 Spirituality- believes in God who is omnipresent and omniscient, someone who is
a living presence in our hearts.
 Religion path- it is the only way to salvation and other religions are wrong, so a
person needs to be converted to their faith in order to attain salvation.
 Spirituality path- feels that all faith are valid “different paths that lead to the same
destination”. This path feels that all faith are valid. It embrace all the worlds’
religion, but at the same time it is not constrained/control by any religious
dogmas/forms.

WHY IS SPIRITUALITY IMPORTANT?

 Sense of meaningless and lack of purpose in life can be significant factors
causing anxieties, depression and phobias.
 Spiritual traditions encourage the community to participate in attending spiritual
fellowship (such as attending church or a meditation group) that may provide
sense of belongingness, security and community.
 Contemplative practice- Is good for students like you. It can be a method to
develop concentration, deepen understanding and insight. It cultivates awareness
and compassion.
Ex.
1. Meditation- mental exercise (focusing on one’s breathing or repeating a mantra) it
can give you the feeling of calmness, clear- headedness, concentration and attention.
2. Prayer- a spiritual communion with God (or an object or worship) as in
supplication, thanks giving, adoration or confession. Prayer can give you a positive
effect on over all well-being.

3. Yoga-
*Hindu theistic Philosophy- teaches the suppression of all mind and body activity so
that self may realize its distinction from the material world and attain liberation.
*In Western Culture- Yoga is a system of physical postures, breathing techniques and
sometimes meditation to promote physical and emotional well-being.

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THE PRACTIVE OF RELIGION: BELIEF IN SUPER NATURAL BEING
AND POWER
 Over 4,000- number of religions and spiritual traditions in the human population.
 Religion
 is defined as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power,
especially a personal God or Gods” (Oxford Univ Press, 2017)
 It is also a “particular system of faith and worship.”
 A systematic “attribution of human characteristics of behavior to a God/animal or
object.

THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND RELIGIOUS BELIEF

 Religion attract many followers because it satisfies all 16 basic desires that
human share according to Steven Reiss
1. Acceptance
2. Curiosity
3. Eating
4. Family
5. Honor
6. Idealism
7. Independence
8. Order
9. Physical Activity
10. Power
11. Physical activity
12. Saving
13. Social contact
14. Status
15. Tranquility
16. Vengeance

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Ex. Social contact attract both introvert and extrovert (introvert; religion encourages meditation,
private and solitude; while extrovert people is for fellowship with other.

FOUR DIMENSIONS OF RELIGION:

1. Beliefs- are generalized system of ideas and values that shape how members of a religious group
come to understand (formal creeds and doctrines). Beliefs are taught to the follower by religious
authorities. Ex. Priest, imams or shaman.
2. Rituals- are repeated physical gestures or activities, such as prayers and mantras used to reinforce
religious teachings, elicit spiritual feelings and connect worshipers with a higher power. (little, 2016).
Ex. Baptism, Weddings.
3. Spiritual experience- feeling of immediate connection with a higher power (not thinking in much
certain way but a feeling in a certain way).
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary”- St Thomas Aquinas
4. Unique social forms of community- uniting in one single community called church.
 It is easier to believe in something if others around you believe it as well.
 Religion provides basis for ethic and proper behaviors.
 Religion acts as a form of social control. (self-control, a vital element in society)
 Function as social hubs that provides entertainment, socialization and support.
TABLE 1
Religious Classification What or who is divine Example
Polytheism Multiple Gods Hinduism, Ancient Greeks
and Romans
Monotheism Single God Judaism, Islam,
Christianity
Atheism No deities Atheism, Buddhism,
Taoism
Animism Nonhuman beings Indigenous nature worship,
Shinto
(animals, plants, natural
world)

MAJOR RELGIONS
1. Judaism- religion, philosophy and culture of the Jewish people. They believe in one transcendent
God. Torah is their sacred text.

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2. Christianity- is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ
which is the focal of the Christian Faith. The word of God is written in the Bible.
3. Islam- Islam means submission or surrender “Salam” is the root word which means “peace”
 A Muslim is one who surrenders himself to God’s will.
 Islam is the religious faith of the Muslims
 Allah- is their sole deity
 Mohammad- his prophet
 Koran- Holy Scriptures of Muslim.

4. Hinduism- this is the world’s oldest religion.

 Hindu originates from Indian Indus River.
 Vedas- oldest ancient sacred texts of Hinduism; Vedas means “knowledge.
 They believe in righteousness, the laws of cause and effect and the cycle of birth and death.
 They believe in reincarnation and their one supreme God called Brahman who has multiple
manifestation. It can be spirit, animals and even planets. (Polytheism- Multiple God’s)
5. Buddhism-
 Buddha is also known as the “enlightened one” or the “awakened one”. (Siddhartha Gautama)
 During Buddha’s time he meditated under a fig tree and there he receive enlightenment or Bohdi
 He was awakened to the truth of the world or the Dharma.
 Buddhism- do not believe in a divine realm or God as super natural being, but instead follows the
wisdom of their founder. (Atheism- no deities)

THE CONCEPT OF “DUNGAN”, SPIRIT AND SOUL

Babaylan- the priestess or shaman acted as healer, spiritual leader and medium. Usually a babaylan
is a woman.
 They performs chants or prayers for spiritual healing that cause illness or misfortune.
 The babaylans explore the world of animism (plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.)
 Ancestors believes in quasi-physical in which souls can exist outside the body (such as dreams
and vision) and they can transfer from one body to another.
 They believed that spirit beings dwell in the environment, the deceased ancestral souls and forces
in nature. (Wind, moon, stars.)

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 HOW DO DUNGAN AND GINHAWA DIFFER?

DUNGAN- is a life force, an energy as well as an ethereal entity, a spirit with a will of its own that
resides in the human body and provides the essence of life.
 Everyone has a “dungan” similar western concept of the “soul”
 “Dungan” leave the body when the person is asleep and return in person’s body if he/she
becomes fully conscious again.
 If the “Dungan” was harm by other spirits while it was outside the body it cannot return again
and the person will die.
GINHAWA- (is the breath of life)
 Ginhawa is the responsible for the hearts ability to breath.
 If ginhawa left the body the person also dies.

Ginhawa and Dungan- are both existing in every person.

Ginhawa- breathe of life
Dungan- conscious intellectual and emotional aspects.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SOUL AND THE SPIRIT OF MAN

 ETHYMOLOGY
 Soul- old english as “sawol” that meant as spiritual and emotional part of person’s animate
existence.
 Spirit- latin as “spiritus” a breathing (respiration, and of the wind, breath of life.)

 BIBLICAL BELIEFS
 Soul- conscious, the moral and thinking part of a person; the soul is immortal (go to hell,
purgatory or heaven after person dies.)
 Spirit- or the holy spirit/part of the trinity. (Force of God through which blessings are bestowed
upon his people) one should develop faith.

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 IN WESTERN CULTURE
 Soul- moral consciousness. (Ex. cruel killer could be said to have no soul.)
 Spirit- a ghost or any other super natural beings (those who died with unfinished business
wander the earth until task is fulfilled).

 IN EASTERN CULTURE
 Soul- in Hinduism, soul is part of the person that has dharma which has an obligation to respect
the caste, social custom, civil law and sacred law.
 Spirit- TAOISM- nature and ancestor spirits are common.
JAPAN- there is an animistic folk which emphasizes shamanism, particularly divination, spirit
possessions and faith healing.
CONFUCIANISM- the Chinese folk recognition of existence of animistic spirits, ghost and deities.

THE SOUL ACCORDING TO SOME ETHONOLINGISTIC GROUP OF THE

PHILIPPINES

 IFUGAO- Linnawa or “soul” of the dead.

 ISNEG- (an Igorot tribe) kaduwa or soul of dead exists in realm called aglalanawan. The
soul/kaduwa will cross a pond in a ferry piloted by kutaw or spirit.
 IGOROT- (kankanaey people) we are composed of physical body and the ab-abiik (soul) there
is a ritual in case of illness.
 TAGLOG- kaluluwa/soul. However it refers more to the soul of the deceased.
The soul-of a living person is called “kakambal”.
Kakambal- leaves the body too wander at night, at any bad encounter it will cause bangungot
(nightmare).
 ILOKANO- Kararua or the soul proper.
Karkarma- or the natural vigor, mind and reason. It can leave the physical body when one is
frightened.
 If the soul fails to return the body, persons become insane. Ceremonies should perform to return
the lost karkarma.
 Aniwaas- it can leave the body during asleep and visiting places, he or she may lose the aniwaas
and become insane.
 Araria- soul of the dead (sometimes pina-dadasalan) the howling of the dogs’ means araria is
present.
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 THE IBANAG/YBANAG
 Baggi (body)
 Ikaruruwa (soul)- may have a color.
-soul of the dead babies (can reach in the spirit real.)
-it gives direction of wholeness to the man but body can still survive without the soul and even
without the body the soul experiences material wants and needs.
 MINDORO- Hanunoo mangyan (of mindoro) they believe in the plurality of souls. EX.
Karaduwa/tawu/tawo (human soul)
Karaduwa manok (chicken soul)
Karaduwa hipon (shrimp soul)
 Soul can separated itself from the physical body when person sleeps (it roams the world) through
dreaming.
 NORTHERN PALAWAN- Tagbanwa of central and northern palawan.
 They believe in one true soul or kiyaraluwa and five secondary souls (located in both hands and
feet and one in the head just below the air whorl (alimpuyo).
 BUKIDNON- they believe in the gimukod
 There are two types of gumikod:
Right hand- is good soul (associated with life, health, activity and joy).
Left hand- is a bad soul (cause of lethargy, pain, illness).

RITUAL CEREMONIES
 A ritual is a ceremony or action performed in a customary way.
 Rituals include not only the worship rites and sacraments of organized religion and cults but also
rites and sacraments of organized religion and atonement and purification rites, oaths of
allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations, presidential inauguration, marriages, and
funerals --perhaps all kinds of human activity.
WHERE DOES RITUAL ORIGINATE?
1. Origin approach- the earliest form, the premise of this approach is that ritual behavior was part of
the human evolution.
2. Function in society- ritual behavior as an individual and socio needs.
3. History of religions approach- the ritual behavior is an expression of sacred, it is how the
material human connects with the transcendent realm/ultimate reality.

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CLASSIFICATION OF RITAULS
1. Imitative rituals- belief system that was patterned after myths and the ritual repeats of myths or
aspect of the myth. Ex. New Year and Nian
2. Positive and Negative ritual-
 Negative rituals- should be avoided because it is forbidden/rules of prohibition so that one will
avoid misfortune.
 Positive rituals- mostly concern with giving blessings to an object or to an individual.
3. Sacrificial rituals- seen as the earliest form of religion. The sacrifice can be a human being, an
animal, food crops, or an objects. The destruction could be by burning, dismembering, cutting the
sacrifice into small pieces, eating or burying.
4. Life crisis ritual- is the transition of one mode or stage of life into another. This ritual usually
defines the life of an individual.
EX. Filipino tradition to bury the placenta right after birth and it is the father who is tasked to do this.
Succeeding children- it is also important for them to bury the placenta of their children together so
that they will always love and care for one another.

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 9
I. Identify what is being asked in each statement below. Write your answer before each
number.

_________________ 1. It is defined as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to

material or physical things.”
_________________ 2. It is a mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of
spiritual awareness.
__________________ 3. They refer to repeated physical gestures or activities, such as prayers and
mantras.
____________________ 4. It is the attribution of a soul to plants, objects, and natural phenomena.
____________________ 5. It is a vital force that occupies the body which is the conscious
intellectual and emotional aspects.
____________________ 6. It refers to a formal act performed by observation of an event or
anniversary.
____________________ 7. It is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, which teaches the
suppression of all mind and body activity so that the self may attain liberation.

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_____________________ 8. It is spiritual communion with God as in supplication, thanksgiving,
adoration, or confession.
____________________ 9. It is defined as ‘the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling
power, especially a personal God or Gods.
___________________ 10. Another contemplative practice that can be help you become more
aware of your inner life and feel more connected to your experience and the world around you.

II. Application (5 pts each)

1. Whatever your religion is, how do you practice your faith? (e.g., through prayer,
meditation, yoga, etc.
2. Do you believe in spirits? Supernatural forces? If yes, do you have a personal
encounter or experience with those forces? What did you do?

THE POLITICAL SELF AND BEING FILIPINO

 DEVELOPING A FILIPINO IDENTITY: VALUES, TRRAITS, COMMUNITY AND

ISTITUIONAL FACTORS

 The Filipino culture is a mix of both eastern and western cultures.

 The Malay’s made a large contribution to the Philippine history.
The Malay temperament personality: it can be described as “being nice and pleasant to others”.

SPANIARDS- Hispanic culture influence natives. Thus, Christianity became the dominant religion.
On the other hand, western based of political organization was established in the Philippines.
AMERICAN- manifested the wide spread use of the English language in Philippines today.

 Psychologist and educator and former chairperson of the CHED, Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, wrote
that the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino characters are rooted in factors such as:

Home environment- Filipino children are taught to value family and give it primary importance.
Filipino Social environment- depending one another to survive. This dependence on relation make
Filipino’s become group-oriented.

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Culture and language- depict openness to foreign elements, such as the importance of the English
language in our educational system. (The wider following of the Hollywood movies, shows and
music is a manifestation of our attachment to foreign elements).
The Philippine educational system- is an instrument in molding the strengths and weaknesses of the
Filipino character. Schools are highly authoritarian, it teaches the children on early state to be well-
behave and obedient that will later on get a praised and rewards.
Religion- taught optimism and being resilient.
Economic environment- the hard life drove Filipino’s to work hard and take risks, such as learning
families to work abroad.
Political environment- political power is the mainly in the hands of elite. Sometimes, the economic
and political environments are among the elements that have developed the culture of corruption in
the Philippines.
Mass media- it reinforce colonial mentality. In fact, the emphasis on the superiority of an imported
brand or product through mass media is part of Filipino’s daily life.
Leaders and role model- “any person with authority is looked up”. Thus, when the leader violate the
law and there is a lack of accountability, Filipino’s mindset is highly affected in a negative way.
(Licuanan, 1994).

 STRENGTH OF THE FILIPINO CHARACTHER

Aspect of the Filipino characters are:
1. Pakikipag kapwa tao- Filipino’s openness, help fullness and generosity.
(Bayanihan/mutual assistance and the famous Filipino hospitality).
2. Strong family orientation- the feeling of belonging and security. (the genuine love, honor and
respect to family member)
3. Joy and Humor- Filipino’s are cheerful and fun loving. Our fiestas and social gathering
dominates the Filipino’s joy and humor even in the most trying time, Filipino’s will always find a
reason to smile or laugh.
4. Flexibility, adaptability and creativity- Filipino’s are tremendous in adjusting and adapting to
any circumstances. Filipino can improvise and make use of whatever is at hand to create and
produce.
5. Hard work and Industry- this trait is most noticeable in our willingness to take risks and work in
other countries.
6. Faith and Religiosity- the “bahala na” mindset. For Filipinos. “bahala na” attitude could serve as
the “kickstarter” or “pampalakas ng loob”, there is also fatalistic trait.
7. Ability to survive- “matutong mamaluktot habang maikli ang kumot”. The survival instinct that
we can endure, make do and get by.

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 WEAKNESSESS OF THE FILIPINO CHARACHTER
Generally this weaknesses are:
1. Extreme Personalism- “palakasan system”, “inside connections” Ex. Family and friends are given
preference in hiring.
2. Extreme family Centeredness- family is valued above anything and everyone else. Extreme
family centeredness is manifested in our political system where political dynasties lord over our
elected government post from Barangay level to national positions.
3. Lack of discipline- “Ningas cogon” Ex. “Projects starts out with full enthusiasm and interest, but
sooner the enthusiasm and interest dies down.
4. Passivity and lacking initiative- Filipino’s do not feel the need to initiate or contribute for
solution. (Lack of discipline.)
Ex. In traffic problems, people are expecting the government to solve the problem yet the traffic rules
and regulations in the first place is sometimes ignored by the Filipinos.
5. Colonial Mentality- “Filipino’s love anything about foreign” that sometimes leads in losing
cultural identity. This is a general feeling of inferiority where we think foreigners --especially
westerns, are superior. (1994).
6. Kanya- kanya syndrome- it is related to extreme personalism and extreme family-centeredness.
The expression of crab mentality exemplifies “kanya-kanya syndrome.
7. Lack of self-analysis and reflection- is the expression that Filipino’s are “madaling makalimot”
or have a short memory. “We easily forget the mistakes we have made; hence, we make the same
mistake again. Ex. Reelected Politicians.

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 10
Identify what Filipino trait/ attitude is being asked in each statement by choosing the correct answer
from the word bank
Pakikipagkapwa-tao kanya-kanya syndrome
Ningas cogon colonial mentality joy and humour
Hardwork and industry family-centereness faith and religiosity
Extreme personalism ability to survive

____________________ 1. It is a Filipino trait that is manifested in the practice of Bayanihan or

mutual assistance.

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____________________ 2. This trait demonstrated in our willingness to take risks and work in other
countries.
_____________________ 3. This trait is demonstrated by Filipinos to carry on and endure even
trough harsh economic and social circumstances.
____________________ 4. This trait emphasizes personal and in-group interests, which are
insensitive to the common good.
_____________________ 5. This trait starts with enthusiasm but sooner or later that enthusiasm just
dies down.
_____________________ 6. This is demonstrated when Filipinos become cheerful and fun-loving,
especially during fiestas and any other social gatherings.
_____________________ 7. This involves personal contracts, which make requests become difficult
to turn down and many may lead to the prevalence of graft and corruption in the country.
____________________ 8. Family is valued above anything and everyone else because the family is
the source of strength.
____________________ 9. This trait is connected to our general feelings of inferiority, where we
think foreigners are superior.
____________________ 10. This trait is actually a positive side to “bahala na” mindset, which
serves as a “Kickstarter” or a “pampalakas loob” to move someone into action.

WHO AM I IN THE CYBERWORLD? (Digital Self)

“There will be time, there will be time, to prepare a face to meet the faces that you
meet”

 Lionel Trilling’s (1997) analysis of literature about the “self” and its relationship with others
distinguished sincerity and authenticity.
 Sincerity- refers to the exposure in public of what one feels privately.
 Authentic person- is one who takes actions based on some internal standard and takes
responsibility for this freely chosen action.
 I, Me, Myself, and my user I.D. Online identity.

 Digital Self- it is the self that is constructed online.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DIGITAL SELF
1. Oriented inward- the digital self is oriented inward toward the world of thought and feelings
because others cannot see the online user’s overt (hidden) attributes.
2. Narrative in nature- online users will only come to know the person primarily through what the
person tells them.
3. Retractable- others are unable to link the online self- claims to the offline identities.
4. Multipliable- because people can interact with another in different domains of the online world at
relatively the same time.

 Self- Presentation- people able to present themselves online that they want to.
The basic kinds of people you interact with online are:
1. People you do not know at all
2. People you know both online and offline; and
3. People you know only online
Regardless of how much you have known them online, their offline identity largely remains
unrevealed or unverified.
 SELF PRESENTATION BEHAVIOR- is any behavior intended to create, modify, or maintain
an impression of ourselves in the minds of others (we are creating an impression)
 WHY DO PEOPLE ENGAGE IN SELF- PRESENTATION?
Self- presentation
 helps facilitate social interaction;
 Enables individuals to attain material and social construct desired identities.
Generally, social media platforms are used for
 Social browsing
 Social searching
 Communication and
 Impression management
 Impression management- is the attempt to control or influence any other people’s perceptions.
2 main motives of attempting to manage the impressions of others:
 Instrumental- motive to gain reward and increase one’s self-esteem.

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 Expressive- this is a motivation attempting to control of one’s personal behavior and identity. It
is a response to moral norms, expectations, or restrictions. (Seeking to show others that he/she is
different.

IMPRESSION- MANAGEMENT STRATEFIES

 Self- promotion
 Ingratiation
 Exemplification
 Intimidation
 Supplication

1. Self-promotion- is a proactive process in which a person is actively says things or takes an action
to show his or her competence to an audience. (It increases wherever there is an opportunity to
openly impress someone.)
2. Ingratiation- process by which someone tries to win the approval or acceptance of another)
Ex. Trying to win your mother in law by way of giving compliments or gifts.
3. Exemplification- involves a strategic self- sacrifice so that observers may recognize the
dedication. An exemplifier often wants other people to know how hard he or she has been working
because of the need to advertise his or her behavior.
4. Intimidation- strategy that involves showing off authority, power or the potential to punish in
order to be seen by observers as someone who could be or is dangerous (this is designed to increase
the credibility of one’s threats and enhance the probability the target will complex with the demands
for agreement.

IMPACT OF ONLINE INTERACTION ON THE SELF

 The Hannah Smith suicidal case to a popular social networking site Ask.fm in July 2013.
 “Do us all a favor n kill yourself” statement from comments on Hannah’s case - the family
demanded action against the site and Smith’s death made international headlines about the
effects of cyberbullying.
 Growing up in digital world: most teenagers seek identity validation from friends and strangers,
often via social media. The internet could be affecting how they form their identity.
 Market research data release: (2012: 4 hours a day teens spending time online)
 2010 study “lower self- esteem individual” spent more time online and posted more “self-
promotion” content to sites like Facebook.

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 “Kids are always looking at each other, comparing themselves to each other”.
 “The difference for teenagers today is that there is an endless supply of people whom they can
compare themselves.
 Study indicated that the more time spent online caused a decline in communicating with family
members.
 Sometimes it may lead to altered impression of the physical and personality traits of the users.
This may lead to incorrect conclusions regarding physical appearance, educational level,
intelligence, moral integrity, etc.
 Some study:
Relationship
Self-esteem SNS = narcissistic behavior.

Another study: suggested that Facebook use may actually enhance self-esteem.
 HYPERPERSONAL MODEL- this is a interpersonal communication theory which suggested
that the advantage of computer- mediated communication is that a person can edit his or her self-
presentation, which in turn positively into acts impressions in the self; thus, greater intimacy is
possible.
Too much use of SNS will lead to:
Anxiety, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, headaches, poor concentration, depression, social
isolation.
 WHAT MAKES US SO ADDICTED?
“One cannot not communicate” (one cannot avoid communication.)
 Social networks have the power to amplify the human nature. They have broken the barriers of
distance and time; of presence and visibility.
 They expand the possibilities of sharing and playing identities.
 People is craving for social validation (FB “Like”; twitter “favorite”)
 PRIVATE VS PUBLIC SELF
PRIVATE- the prevalent definition among social psychologists is “private” refers to mental events in
a person that are inherently unobservable by others.
PUBLIC- are behaviors that are open to the observations of other people.

 INDIVIDUAL VS SOCIAL IDENTITY

PERSONAL (Individual) IDENTITY- this is the concept you develop about yourself that evolves
over the course of your life.
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-this is an aspect of yourself that you have no control over, such as: where you grow up or the color
of your skin, as well as the choices you make in life, such as how you spend your time and what you
believe in.
CHARACTHERISTICS OF PERSONAL IDENTITY
 The emphasis is on individual
 It is created through differences in personal characteristics when comparing the self with others.
SOCIAL IDENTITY- is a person’s sense of who he/she is based on group membership/s. They
assorted that the groups (ex. social class, family, basketball team and so on) to which people
belonged to were an important sense of pride and self-esteem.
CHARACTHERISTICS OF SOCIAL IDENTITY
 The emphasis is on what the person has in common with the members of his or her group.
 It is created based on similarities with others.

GENDER AND SEXUALITY ONLINE

 The internet plays an essential role in shaping our conception of the world, our opinions and our
values.
 Internet influences- young people’s opinion toward about norms, acceptable behavior and also
about sexuality.
 The attitudes, conduct and roles towards women and men and the LGBTQ+ community are
being strongly influence by internet content.
STEREOTYPING- is assuming that the characteristics and abilities of one person is also present in
all members of the group which one of the reasons for prejudice attitude (“them” and “us” mentality)
(unfair judgement)
FACTORS THAT AFFECT AN ADOLESCENT’S SEXUALITY
1. HORMONES- an adolescent’s sexual interest has a lot to do with his or her hormones. The brain
controls puberty by producing hormones that travel in the bloodstream to various organs. The sex
organs (gonads) are stimulated to make sex hormones. A girls ovaries are stimulated to make
hormone estrogen. A boy’s testicles are stimulated to make the male hormone testosterone.
2. PERSONALITY OR TEMPERAMENT - it is an important psychological factor that also decides the
attitude toward sexuality. For example, there are introvert adolescents who face difficulty in
approaching and responding sexually. (Kar et al., 2015)
3. SOCIAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS- which facilitates sexual learning and decide the
sexual attitude of the adolescent include;
-attitude of parents toward sexuality
-parenting style

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-peer relationship
-cultural influences
4. MEDIA AND INTERNET

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 11
I. Identify what is being asked below. Write your answers before each number.
____________________ 1. It is the self that is constructed online.
____________________ 2. It is how people present themselves online in the manner that they want
to.
____________________ 3. It is the attempt to control or influence other people’s perceptions.
_____________________ 4. It is a proactive process in which a person actively says things to show
competence.
____________________ 5. It refers to mental events in a person that are inherently unobservable by
others.
____________________ 6. This concepts is considered as open to the observations of other people.
____________________ 7. This identity that evolves over the course of your life is the concept you
develop about yourself.
___________________ 8. It is a person’s sense of who he/she is based on group membership.
___________________ 9. It plays an essential role in shaping our connection of the world, our
opinions, and our values.
__________________ 10. It is a generalized belief about a particular group of people.

Reflection # 5
(5 pts each)
1. What are your reasons/ purposes for going online?
2. What network site/s do you usually visit? (e.g., FB, Yahoo, Google, YouTube and the
like) Why?
3. How do you often do you stay online? (e.g., 5 hours a day, 8 hours a day, and so on)
4. If you open your FB account, do you keep your identity public or private? Why?
5. What would be the possible “benefits” and “risks” if your online profile is made
public?

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 Chapter 6 Managing and Caring for the Self

INTRODUCTION
Are you stressed right now? What are your stressors? Family? Boyfriend/Girlfriend? Studies?
How do you cope with stress? Life as a college student is not easy. You need to learn how to manage
your responsibilities. Learning, however, is not just about lectures and homework. In fact, we use the
term “learning” all the time in everyday life.
Before going into trying to understand the relevant science behind the learning process, let’s
consider the nature of learning that is drawn from research.
The Lawrence Hall of Science/UC Berkeley NSF-WIDER Grant, outlined five points of the
“learning” process:
1. Learning is Active
2. It builds on prior knowledge
3. It occurs in a complex social environment
4. Learning is situated in an authentic context
5. It requires learners’ motivation and cognitive engagement.

Learning is an active process of engaging and manipulating objects, experiences, and

conversations to build mental models of the world (Dewey, 1938; Piaget, 1964; Vygotsky, 1986). It
builds on prior knowledge and involves enriching, building on and changing existing understanding,
where “one’s knowledge base is a scaffold that supports the construction of all future learning.”
(Alexander, 1996, p. 89). Your study ideas and use them in your real-life setting so that you can build
your own idea to share with others and improve upon it. After which your improved idea can be
passed on to others.
Learning occurs in a complex social environment; thus, it should not be limited to being examined or
perceive as something that happens on an individual level. It is necessary to think of learning as a
social activity involving people, the things they used, the words they speak, the cultural context
they’re in, and the actions they take (Bransford et al., 2006; Rogoff, 1968), and that knowledge is
built by members in the activity. (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006)
Learning is situated in an authentic context, and this provides learners the opportunity to engage
with specific ideas and concepts on a need-to-know or want-to-know basis (Greeno, 2006; Kolodner,
2006). It requires learners’ motivation and cognitive engagement to be sustained when learning
complex ideas because considerable mental effort and persistence are necessary. This shows learning
does not come easy. You as a learner need to take an active part in the process.
Students grapple with so many issues in life. Many things compete for your attention. Thus,
you need to have an effective strategy in dealing with stress and fulfill your responsibilities at the

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same time. But to do so, you need to know yourself first. Understand how the human brain works
during learning. Once you understand the biological process, work on a mental strategy that will suit
you best. Learning is a lifelong process, and your college years are just part of this process. How you
approach learning matters because it will definitely have an impact on the quality of your life in the
future.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
1. Discuss how to be better students using different strategies
2. Understand how the human brain works during learning;
3. Identify short-and long term-goals;
4. Discuss various sources of stress;
5. Compare and contrast the different coping strategies, and
6. Apply positive coping strategies.

• Are you stressed right now?

• What are your stressors?
• Family? Boyfriend?/ Girlfriend? Studies?

• HOW DO YOU COPE WITH STRESS?

As a college student you need to LEARN how to manage your responsibilities. (You should
know how to multi-task)

According to the Lawrence Hall of Science, he outlined five points on the learning process:
1. Learning is active.
2. It builds on prior knowledge.
3. It occurs in a complex social environment.
4. Learning is situated in an authentic context.
5. It requires learners’ motivation and cognitive engagement.
 Learning is a lifelong process and your college years are just a part of this process. (as long
as we live we are learning.)

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 LEARNING TO BE A BETTER STUDENT

• WHAT ARE YOUR STRATEGIES THAT YOU PERSONALLY USED WHEN YOU
STUDY FOR AN EXAM?
(Do you prefer handouts? Colored pens? Handwritten notes or what?)

Instead of asking what you want to be when you grow up, ask what
problems you want to solve ---- Lauren Hurt- Ashwin

Self-evaluation:
• Are your strategies effective when you study for an exam?
• Do you get high scores in your exam using your strategies?
If yes, that is good! Then what if no? What are you going to do?

WHAT HAPPENS DURING LEARNING? BRAIN AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGES

 The nervous system is one of the most important systems in our body because it is the main
control and coordinating system of the body.
 It manages the voluntary and involuntary body processes, especially during learning.

The Nervous System has two major parts:

1. Central Nervous System (CNS)
2. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
 This both system are responsible for transmitting and receiving information through our body.
The human brain major parts:
Frontal lobe, Parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, pons, medulla oblongata, cerebrum,
cerebellum and spinal cord.

The Nervous System

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 1. The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of the brain and spinal cord.

2. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is composed of spinal nerves that branch from the spinal
cord and cranial nerves that is branch from the brain.

Brain

Figure 1. The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem.

• Cerebrum: is the largest part of the brain and is composed of right and left hemispheres. It
performs higher functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing, as well as speech,
reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine control of movement.
• Cerebellum: is located under the cerebrum. Its function is to coordinate muscle movements,
maintain posture, and balance.
• Brainstem: acts as a relay center connecting the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord.
It performs many automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, wake
and sleep cycles, digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting and swallowing.

Fig. 2

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 •

• The cerebral hemispheres have distinct fissures, which divide the brain into lobes.
• Each hemisphere has 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital (Fig. 3).

4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital (Fig. 3).

•
•
• Figure 3. The cerebrum is divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital and
temporal.
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 • Frontal lobe
• Personality, behavior, emotions
• Judgment, planning, problem solving
• Speech: speaking and writing (Brocas area)
• Body movement (motor strip)
• Intelligence, concentration, self-awareness
• Parietal lobe
• Interprets language, words
• Sense of touch, pain, temperature (sensory strip)
• Interprets signals from vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory
• Spatial and visual perception

• Occipital lobe
• Interprets vision (color, light, movement)
• Temporal lobe
• Understanding language (Wernicke’s area)
• Memory
• Hearing
• Sequencing and organization

Right brain – left brain

• The cerebrum is divided into two halves: the right and left hemispheres they are joined by a
bundle of fibers called the corpus callosum that transmits messages from one side to the
other. Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. If a stroke occurs on the right
side of the brain, your left arm or leg may be weak or paralyzed.
• In general, the left hemisphere controls speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing.
• The right hemisphere controls creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills. The left
hemisphere is dominant in hand use and language in about 92% of people.

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 Left Brain function Right Brain Functions
(right handed people) (left handed people)

Right side of the body control Left side of the body control
• Number skills • 3-D shapes
• Math/scientific skills • Music/art awareness
• Analytical • Synthesizing
• Objectivity • Subjectivity
• Written language • Imagination
• Spoken language • Creativity
• Logic • Emotion
• reasoning • Face recognition

Metacognition and study strategies

• Metacognitive teaching strategies
Metacognition (Meta means “about” and cognition means “thinking”)
“About to think”
It is a system wherein you:
 Are totally involved and aware of how you learn and what learning techniques/strategies meet
your needs
 Evaluate how effective these strategies are for you
 Implement the best plan of action for optimal learning

Metacognitive Awareness Inventory

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The two process of metacognition:
1. Knowledge of cognition
This involves:
a. Being aware of the factors that involve learning
b. Identifying the strategies you can use to effectively learn; and
c. Choosing the appropriate learning strategy
2. Regulation of cognition involves:
a. Setting goals and planning;
b. Monitoring and controlling learning; and
c. Evaluating own regulation (assess if the strategy is working, if not you will make adjustment
and try something new)
Metacognitive note-taking skills
Reflective writing
• Reflective writing - help student makes connection between what they are learning in their
homework/class content.
• Writing will help the students to observe themselves before, during and after their reading,
watching and listening experience.
The most popular reflective writing activity is the “minute paper”
- It is responding to the prompts about their experiences with the home work, class activities or
recent learning experiences in your class.
 Some examples you can use for reflective writing activities:
 The most important part of the reading, video, or class is…
 The ideas that stand out most in my mind are…
 Two ideas that I have found confusing are…

Managing your own Learning: Self-regulated learning

“Self-regulation will always be a challenge, but if somebody’s going to be in charge, it might as well
be me.”- Daniel Akst
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 • What are the factors that you consider as the most important part in your learning?
 The educators teaching style?
 The learning styles?
 The classroom?
 Teachers, books and classroom help facilitate learning, but it is actually not the most
important consideration to learning.
 your primary concern in learning should be “you”
 “You” are the most important factor in your learning process.

• On the other hand, there is what we called SELF REGULATION

- Self regulation learning- is how students regulate their own emotions, cognition, behavior and
aspects of the context during learning experience.

Motivation- your general desire or willingness to do something.

Self-Regulation- is the process wherein you activate, take control of, and evaluate your own learning.

SELF REGULATED LEARNERS

• They are aware of their own strength and weaknesses
• They utilize metacognitive strategies (ex. You question your learning and you monitor your
own learning as well as your approach to academic tasks.)
• Attribute any success or failure to factors within personal control.
SELF REGULATION AS A PROCESS
Self-regulation is a cyclical process
When do we say if a person has a good self-regulation? - (ex.) good self-regulation skills include
good time management; the ability to actively monitor emotional states, such as frustration.
It is a cyclical process, (self-regulation) why do we say so?
Those who are practicing self-regulation
1. They plan for a task
2. Monitors their performance

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 3. Reflects on the outcome
(The cycle repeats, as it repeats we reflect and make adjustment)

1. PLAN, SET GOALS AND LAY OUT STRATEGIES - Planning your action before you
start working on a task.
Analyze the learning task Ask:
Is this a task I’ve done before or something
new?
How much time will it take?
How much focus will I need?

Set goals
Ask:
How will I structure this task?
What are your sub goals?
Can I complete an outline within 2 weeks?

Plan strategies Ask:

Will I need resources from the library?
A color printer? etc.

Set expectations for outcome What type of outcome do you like?

Do I need to “ace” this or is it ok if I can just
complete it successfully?

2. Use strategies and monitor performance

a. Use self-observation – this is all about reflecting on your action and effectiveness of the
results

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 Ex. When I studied in a quiet location in the library, I completed the reading more quickly than
when I read at home.
b. Plan out what to do when obstacles arise.
Ex. My teachers’ consultation time is every Wednesday;
I will go and clarify some of the topics here that I don’t understand.
c. Stick with these strategies
d. Monitor your progress – you need to accept the feedback from your teacher regarding your
progress.
3. Reflect on your performance
Ex. In grades (why I earned that certain grade and how to improve my performance?
TIPS ON HOW TO REFLECT ON YOUR PERFORMANCE
1. Compare your performance with your original goal and your results. Do not compare yourself
to others.
2. Was your strategy effective? Did you used the appropriate strategy? Did you follow your
strategy?
3. Do not blame yourself failure by saying you lack the ability.
4. Reflect on the effort you made and the strategy you used that may have caused poor
performance.
5. Manage your emotions. Accept help from your teachers and significant people around you.
(Even outcome is not what you hoped, you can still learn from that experience.

SETTING GOALS FOR SUCCESS

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOALS

(Why is it important to set goals? What are your short-term goals? What are your long term goals?

ALBERT BANDURA’S SELF-EFFICACY

“I AM THE ONLY ONE, BUT I AM ONE. I CANNOT DO EVERTHING, BUT I CAN DO SOMETHING. AND
BECAUSE I CANNOT DO EVERYTHING, I WILL NOT REFUSE TO SOMETHING THAT I CAN DO”.

- Edward Everette Hale

• Self- Efficacy- refers to your belief in you capacity to perform necessary actions to produce
specific performance goals. (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997)

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 • Self-Efficacy- is the reflection of your confidence in the ability to control your motivation,
behavior and social environment.
• A strong sense of self efficacy adds to your sense of well-being that helps you perform your
tasks well.
High self-efficacy – see a difficult task as a challenge that must be conquered rather than a
problem that must be avoided. (SKIP)
- It will sustain/ boost our efforts even in times of adversity.

• ALBERT BANDURA – is a social cognitive psychologist and professor

- He is best known for his social learning theory and the concept of self-efficacy.
• Social Learning Theory- Bandura stressed the importance of observational, learning,
imitation and modeling.
• The Theory of Self-Efficacy – Bandura asserted that even though “we” believe an activity
may lead us to a certain outcome, “we” may not be motivated to perform the action.
-“YOU DOUBT YOUR ABILITY TO PERFORM”

BANDURA presented four principle sources of Self-Efficacy

1. Enactive mastery experiences
- The most influential source of efficacy is motivation
- Success increases sense of self- efficacy ; failure undermines
- A strong sense of self efficacy is achieved through experiences and perseverance in
overcoming obstacles.
2. Vicarious experiences- (comparisons)
-Bandura believed that most human behavior is learned by observation through modelling.
-Additionally, People tend to approach tasks that they have seen other performs. Through
observation, you can build your self-efficacy by watching others perform a task.
3. Verbal persuasions and allied types of social influences
- There are people who can help motivate you and strengthen your beliefs in your capacity to
succeed. (Significant people ex. Parents, teachers, friends, etc.)
- They can persuade you to believe that you possess the capability to master your tasks.
- Their moral support will make you more likely to put in effort when problems arise.
4. Emotional and Physiological states- your emotions and physical health affect your self-efficacy
judgement with respect to specific task.

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 Ex. You feel depressed/ you have a fever-
(Yet you still have to review, these factors will affect individual (the feeling of being unmotivated to
study because you will feel that you will not understand any of the topic.

Factors that could alter sense of self- efficacy

• Preconception capability- your personal assessment of your capacity.
• Perceived task difficulty- your assessment whether the task is at par with your preconceived
capability.
• Effort- how hard you will work at your task.
• Amount of external support- the resources and support system that will help you
accomplish your task.
• Circumstances under which they perform- your physical, mental and emotional states.
• Pattern of success and failures – how many times you have succeeded or failed in the exact
or similar task in the past.
• How the experiences are cognized and reconstructed in memory- your assessment
whether the experience was pleasurable or painful.

What is self-concept?
• Self- concept – the term self-concept is a general term used to refer to “how someone thinks
about or perceives themselves”.
• Self-concept- is your idea of who you are based on your personal beliefs and your perceived
notion of how people see you.
Ex. Your personal beliefs is your body image (I am sexy)
Your notion about yourself (I am hardworking”)
What is self-esteem?

“Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot
outperform our level of self-esteem, we cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.
- Iyan Lavanzant

Self-esteem
Self- esteem- it refers to the way we see and think about ourselves.
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Self- esteem- always involves a degree of self-evaluation
- It used to describe a person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value. Generally,
children who have warm and secure relationships with their parents/caregivers are more likely to
have a positive self-concepts and high self-esteem.
Self-esteem- affect your trust in others, your relationships, your work--- nearly every part of your
life.

Positive self-esteem/ high self-esteem-- help you to try new things, like approaching
people and building your social network.
Low self- esteem- - makes you unsure of yourself
- You are lack of self-confidence and your self-doubt will affect your
motivation to work toward your goals.

Persons with positive self- esteem Persons with low- self esteem

• Feel good about themselves • Lack confidence

• Feel proud of what they can do • Wish to be/look like someone else

• Believe in themselves, even when they don’t • Always worry about what others may think
succeed at first
• Are pessimistic
• See their own good qualities, such as being kind
or capable • Have a negative view of life

• Feel liked, loved and respected • Have a perfectionist attitude

• Accept themselves even when they make • Mistrust others- even those who show signs of
mistakes affection

• Take care of their overall well-being • Have a blaming behavior

• Trust others • Are afraid of taking risks

• Independent but are cooperative • Have feelings of being unloved and unlovable

• Have the ability to accept mistakes, either their • Show dependence- letting others make decisions
own or those of others • Are afraid of being ridiculed
• Are able to say “no” appropriately

Locke’s Goal setting Theory

• Are your daily actions bringing you closer to your goal or goals?
• Are you planning your goals correctly?
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GOAL- as defined by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, a “goal” is a level of performance proficiency
the one wishes to attain within a specific time period”
“Goal setting theory” – predicts that people will channel effort toward accomplishing their goals,
which will in turn affect performance

• According to Locke, he proposed three factors that will make individuals highly
motivated.
1. Goals are challenging and specific.
2. They are strongly committed to the goal/goals.
3. They are strongly believe in their ability to accomplish their goal.

Five principles of Goal Setting

Goals must have:
1. Clarity – “the goal is clear and specific”. You know what is expected, and you use the
specific result as a source of motivation

2. Challenge – “People are often motivated by achievement”.

- Balancing between a challenging goal and realistic goal.
A goal that is too easy or too difficult will not motivate the person to work hard on a task.

3. Commitment – “goal commitment and difficulty often work together” (the harder the goal, the
more commitment is required.
- If you have an easy goal, you do not need a lot of motivation to get it done.

4. Feedback- feedbacks provides opportunities to clarify expectations, adjust goal difficulty and gain
recognition.
(How effective your strategies are?) (How your best practices are recognized?)
(How your areas for improvement are determined?)

5. Task complexity – it involves your appropriate balance. (Ex. In complicated task, make sure to
learn or practice what is expected to you so that you can give yourself sufficient time to meet you
goal.

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According to Locke, he gave way to a goal setting technique called SMART
1. Specific- for you to be motivated to perform, you need to have a specific goal. Ex. “get a
grade” is too vague. Specific goal would be “my target is 1.0 in Understanding the Self.

2. Measurable – a measurable goal is important so that you can monitor your progress and
received feedback.
Thus, a specific and measurable goal would be, “increase my grade in Understanding the
Self from 1.5- 1.0

3. Assignable- you should be able to relate to your own goal.

- making your personal commitment
Ex. “I will increase my grade in UTS from 1.5- 1.0

4. Realistic- you cannot say “my grade is from 95-100”. Likewise, you cannot also say that my
grade should be 85-86.
Goals that are too difficult and to too easy to achieve will not positively motivate your
performance. “Set goals that are difficult enough to be realistically attained”.

5. Time-related – It’s all about setting a time frame for your goal. Thus, it will help you to develop
a habit or routine (avoidance of forced effort.)

Let’s test your memory!

Activity 12
Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________
Course/Year/Section: _____________________________ Score: ________

Part 1. True or False. Write T on the blank if the statement is TRUE and F if it is false.
____1. Metacognition is thinking about how others think.
____2. The cortex is divided into four lobes.
____3. Cognition refers to emotions.
____4. Neuroplasticity usually happens in the cortex.
____5. The two components of self-regulated learning are knowledge and regulation.

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____6. Self-regulation is a mental ability.
____7. The number of neurons and synapses declines with age.
____8. Learning is a constant process.
____9. Self-regulated learning is a cyclical process.
____10. The structures of the brain keep on changing.

Part 2. Multiple Choices. Encircle the letter of your chosen answer.

11. This refers to the understanding and awareness of one’s own mental or cognitive processes.
a. Compassion
b. Metacognition
c. Goals
d. Self-efficacy
12. This cognitive strategy helps learners’ select appropriate information and make the connections
to be learned.
a. Analyzing
b. Elaboration
c. Organization
d. Rehearsal
13. This study strategy refers to any form of testing for learning which a student is able to do on his
or her own.
a. Distributed practice
b. Practice testing
c. Elaborative interrogation
d. Self-explanation
14. This study strategy refers to distributing the learning overtime, not cramming.
a. Distributed practice
b. Practice testing
c. Elaborative interrogation
d. Self-explanation
15. It is the study strategy in which the explanation might take the form of answering why but also
other questions, as well as relating new information which is already known.
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a. Distributed practice
b. Practice testing
c. Elaborative interrogation
d. Self-explanation
16. It is a source of coping that refers to the outcome expectancies that good things rather than bad
things will happen to self.
a. Optimism
b. Self-esteem
c. Mastery
d. Social support
17. It is a source of coping that refers to whether a person feels able to control or influence
outcomes.
a. Optimism
b. Self-esteem
c. Mastery
d. Social support
18. This refers to engaging in activities and behaviors that have a positive effect one one’s mental
and physical health.
a. Compassion
b. Stressor
c. Self-care
d. Self-explanation
19. It is self-care that includes eating well, exercising regularly, prioritizing sleep and taking care of
health.
a. Emotional
b. Physical
c. Spiritual
d. None
20. It is self-care that includes volunteering, connecting with nature, medication, mindfulness.
a. Emotional
b. Physical

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c. Spiritual
d. None

“STRESSORS AND RESPONSES”

What is stress?
“Today I refuse to stress myself out about things I cannot control or change”.
Stress – is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding
circumstances?
- It is a mental and physical responses to the demands of your environment (i.e. at home, school,
work, etc.)
- It is normal to feel stressed. It is a universal, human experience.
- What is more important is how you respond to stress.
On the other hand, not all stress is bad for you. When stress serves as a motivation for positive
activities, then it is considered beneficial.

3 Kinds of Stress
1. Eustress – considered as good stress.
- A result from a situation or activity that you find motivating or inspiring, enjoyable and
not threatening activity.
(Ex. Finding the nerve to talk to your crush).
2. Neustress- “Neutral Stress”
- A sensory stimulus that has no direct consequence or effect on the person.
(Ex. Incidents you hear in the news).
3. Distress – situations or activities that you considered negative, harmful, threatening
-It could happen for just a short span of time or it could be linger for prolonged period
(hours, days, months, years)

What is stressors?
Stressors- any situation, activity, or individual that gives you mental or emotional strain is a
stressors.
Good stressors – it can make you feel both nervous and excited at the same time
(The so called- “butterflies in your stomach)
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Bad stressors- can cause you to feel angry, petrified or depressed.

What are the signs and symptoms of stress?

Physical – low energy, headaches, chest pain and rapid heartbeat, loss of sexual desire, excess
sweating, cold or sweaty hands and feet etc.
Cognitive or perceptual – forgetfulness, lack of concentration, attention deficit, disorganization of
thought, reduced creativity, negative self-statements and negative evaluation of experiences.
Emotional- Depression or general unhappiness, anxiety, agitation, loneliness and isolation,
moodiness, irritability or anger etc.
Sources of coping and strength.
Coping with stress

Coping- it refers to the strategies you use to deal with real or imagined problems to protect yourself
against negative emotions.
- It refers to the adaptive strategies you employ in an attempt to reduce stress.

Types of coping
1. Problem-focused coping – it targets on controlling or changing the source of stress.
2. Emotion-focused coping – it involves lowering, if not eliminating negative emotional
responses (i.e. embarrassments)
3. Cognitive coping – it involves a conscious intellectual activity of managing stressful situation.
- You used your mind to combat stress including thoughts.

Strategies for cognitive coping include:

1. Reframing – changing the way you view experiences or events, ideas, concepts, and emotions to
find alternative that are more positive.
2. Challenging negative thinking- questioning the rationality of your negative thoughts. You take
control of your thoughts and stop negative thinking. You replace negative thoughts with positive
affirmations.

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3. Positive self- talk – or “positive affirmations”; you talk to yourself in a positive manner. This is
useful for confidence building.
4. Count to ten – giving you time to gain control of your emotions. It allows you to rethink the
situation and find a better coping strategy.
5. Cost- benefit analysis – asking how yourself beneficial your thoughts, emotions or actions are. “Is
it worth it?”
6. Smell the roses – a way of telling yourself to relax. It’s about taking conscious effort to appreciate
the usually neglected aspects of life.
7. Keeping perspective – breaking down your problems into little task and knowing which problems
need to be addressed right away as compared to those that do not need much attention.
8. Reducing uncertainty – as saying goes “lamang ang may alam”, gathering as much as information
as you can about your problem. Gathering a positive information rather than negative ones.
9. Using imagery or visualization – remembering your pleasurable experiences. This is more
effective when combined with breathing exercise.
4. Behavioral coping strategies- these are ways of dealing with stress by taking action to modify
behavior.
Strategies include:
 Physical exercise
 Relaxation
 Parenting
 Breathing
 Smile and laughter
 Time management
 social support/friends
 Seeking professional health.

Stress and Filipinos

Mary Catherine Bateson (1968 experience)
 The premature death; this defines on how American’s and Filipinos express sympathy over
the loss of a loved one.

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  American- “we are sorry for your loss” nod and shake hands, they will makes a hasty retreat
and leave the family to mourn in private.
 Filipinos – other than expressing sympathy for the loss, they will ask questions.
Thus, culture can affect stress and coping process.
Ex. Europeans – find crowded places as stressful because they crave for privacy while Filipinos are
delighted to see a crowd (uy may kasiyahan!)

Filipino traits and values Why it is negative in western Why is it positive in oriental
concept concept

Pakikisama Filipinos are said to turn a blind In the Filipino context,

eye to the wrongdoing of others pakikisama means keeping a
for the sake of personal polite distance from other
relationships people’s lives with whom we
share the same space with to
(i.e, family, friendships,
maintain peace and harmony
coworker)

Utang na loob It makes the person overlook the trait personifies the
moral principles because he or Filipino saying
she is beholden to those who
“ang hinDI marunong
gave him/her a favor
lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay
hindi makakarating sa
parorooan”

The social and cultural dimensions of stress

Social stress- it is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very
demanding circumstances arising from the person’s social environmental relationship (Sattler &
Kircsch, 2014)
What are the sources of the social stress?
 Problems with work or earning an income;
 Parenting
 Education
 Sex and socialization
 Immigration status or language
 Personal, physical and psychological health,
 Peer pressure; and
 Social marginalization

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 • Social status- seen as a common denominator for social stress
Ex. If you are poor - it usually having less income opportunities, lower quality of education and
decreased access to proper health care (powerlessness)
If we could not change the situation the person is more susceptible to stress.
Ex. Peer pressure – usually it affect young people. Those with lower self- confidence are more to be
stressed because of peer pressure. It becomes dangerous when drugs, alcohol, smoking and gambling
are involved.
Stress and sociological perspective
Emile Durkheim’s book entitles ‘suicide’
3 types of suicide (Durkheim, translated 1951)
1. Egoistic Suicide – occurs when a person feels he or she is not accepted by or does not belong
to society. The social bond is very weak.
2. Altruistic suicide- occurs when a person ends his/her life because of others.
3. Anomic suicide – is linked to disillusionment and disappointment.
2 Types of stressors (Aneshensel, 1992)
 Life events – important, specific experiences that interrupt an individual’s usual
activity/routine that he/she needs to adjust to.
 Chronic Strains- problems that have been occurring for some time; the person’s social role is
strained or threatened.
Common types of role strains (Copelton, 2000):
1. Role overload –the role demands on an individual exceeds his or her capacity to handle. For
example, you are working student and a single parents. You are shuffling roles as a students, a
worker, a parent, and a breadwinner.
2. Interpersonal Conflict – these are the problems and difficulties that arise in a relationship
(i.e., wife-husband, parent-child, and worker-supervisor.
3. Inter-role Conflict – the demands of two or more roles held by a person are incompatible
(ex. As a working student, your work shift suddenly and this ran in conflict with your class
schedule)
4. Role reconstructing- long established patterns undergo considerable change and the person
needs to adapt/adjust. Ex. As an adult (support and care to your ageing parents.

How is stress appraised?

• Mediator of stress : Coping and Social support

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 • Coping- refers to personal responses that can be activated when stressful circumstances arise
(prevent, avoid, control emotional distress)

TAKING CARE OF THE SELF: THE NEED FOR SLEF-CARE AND COMPASSION
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEED
 Why do we feel stress? Psychologist Abraham Maslow presented a motivational theory
outlining human need: illustrated in a hierarchal manner.
Deficiency versus Growth
• Maslow called the bottom levels (physiological, safely, belongingness and love, esteem (as
“deficiency needs”)
(The person does not feel anything if these needs are met, but he or she becomes anxious if these
needs are not met.
• The fifth level (self-actualization) also known as the (“growth need”) (it enables the person to
reach his or her potential as a human).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs If not satisfied

Physiological needs • feel sick, irritated,

uncomfortable
(a need that must be met every day)
• If pathological, we can eat,
drink too much or engage in
hoarding behaviors

• Will cause death

Safety needs • feel sick, irritated,

uncomfortable

• If pathological, we can eat,

drink too much or engage in
hoarding behaviors

• Will cause death

Belonging – love needs • Become increasingly

susceptible to loneliness and
social anxieties

• If pathological, can lead to

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 antisocial behavior

Esteem needs • Low –self esteem

Two forms • Inferiority complex

1. Lower needs • It pathological, can lead to

depression
-such as respect from others, for status,
fame, glory, recognition, attention,
reputation, appreciation, dignity, even
dominance.

2. Higher form

-involves self-respect, including such

feelings as confidence, mastery,
independence and freedom

• Can cause feelings of lack of

meaning in life

• If pathological, met
Self-actualization pathologies, such as boredom,
cynicism, alienation (feeling
isolated, detached, lack of
sympathy, estrangement.

Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

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Self- care: what is it and why is it important?
• Caring for the “self”, however, is more than being clean (hygiene) and living clean (lifestyle)
• Self-care- entails taking deliberate acts of looking after your mental, emotional and physical health.
• Proper self- care- is taking a very active and powerful choice to engage in activities that will result in
acquiring or maintaining optimal health that cover the physical, psychological, emotional, social and
spiritual components.
• The keyword to self-care is balance; being good to yourself will enhance the likelihood of living your
fullest potential.

The difference between compassion, empathy and altruism

Compassion- framed as an emotion, is the felt response to perceiving suffering that involves an authentic
desire to ease distress. It can also involve the authentic desire to help.
Empathy- the visceral or emotional experience of another person’s feelings. It is an automatic mirroring of
another’s emotion, like feeling sad to a story even though that family is unknown to you.
Altruism- the unselfish regard to or devotion to the welfare of others.
It is commonly divided into two:
• The belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
• The behavior of an animal that benefits another at its own experience.
COMPASSION’S SURPRISING BENEFITS FOR THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH
• It is suggested that connecting with others in a meaningful way help us enjoy better our mental and
physical health and speeds up recovery from the disease (Diener & Seligman, 2013) and may even
lengthen our life spans (Brown & Korrath, 2013).

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