GEC 3 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF REVIEWER  Resistance to social pressure.

PREPARED BY: MERIAM KAYE K. LLORENTE  Tolerance and understanding of others.

 Vitality and pleasure.
LESSON 1: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 “Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself
 Understanding oneself is one of the most
is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength;
interesting and challenging tasks that young people
Mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao Tzu Tao
should be able to achieve in a life span.
Te Ching
 Understanding the self goes beyond knowing one’s
 This life is a journey that begins from the discovery
identity or simply being aware of who and what you
of the “SELF”.
are.
 Understanding of the “self” provides not only
 It warrants unearthing of several information about
awareness but the ability to see what makes us
oneself from various aspects.
happy and satisfied.
UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE YOU: SUCCESS
AT COLLEGE  Understanding the “SELF” can be the path to which
1. Temperament – your behavioral style that we can share more of ourselves to others.
influences interactions with the environment.  Our strength can be utilized in the service of a cause
2. Readiness – the skills you need to accomplish your as each of us has the talent and the gift to grow and
life tasks. excel in areas that is uniquely ours.
3. Attention – your ability to pay attention and  Through an in-depth awareness of the “self” can be
regulate actions. the path to which we can share more of ourselves to
4. Neuromaturation – the integrity and maturity of others.
your nervous, sensory, and other physical systems.  We can be “movers” and “agents of change”, but
5. Stresses – circumstances in your life requiring we need to start from within.
readjustment.
WHAT IS UNDERSTANDING SELF MEANS?
6. Attitudes – the values and beliefs that you and those
 Self-understanding is the awareness of and ability
in your environment hold.
to understand one’s own thoughts and actions.
7. Comparisons – the standards that you and others
have used in evaluating behaviors.  to attain the insights into your attitudes, motives,
8. Temperament – the behavioral style of important defenses, reactions, weaknesses, and strengths.
people in your life.  It is a subjective sense of self and a complex
 To understand oneself fully: to understand one's mixture of unconscious and conscious thoughts,
own emotions, desires, abilities, etc. attitudes, and perceptions.
DEFINITION OF UNDERSTANDING SELF
 In order to be yourself, you have to know yourself.
 Understanding the self represents the sum total of
 By knowing who you are and what you stand for in
people’s conscious perception of their identity as
life can help to give you a strong sense of self-
distinct from others. It is not a static phenomenon
confidence.
but continues to develop and change throughout our
 Independence and self-awareness is also linked to
lives. -George Herbert Head
confidence.
 The understanding self is thinking about what is
 Having self- awareness gives you the opportunity
involved in being? What distinguish your from being
and freedom to change things about yourself,
an object, an animal or different person? – Richard
enabling you to create a life that you want.
Stevens
 Practicing self-awareness is about learning to better THE NEED OF UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
understand why you feel what you feel and why you
 Acquire a positive sense of self and social
behave in a particular way.
responsibility.
 Self- understanding is also known as self-
 Develop one’s potentials to enable them to live
awareness.
harmoniously the context of a fast changing and
 Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom, a challenging world.
phrase coined by Aristotle.
 Participate meaningfully in all endeavors as
 Knowing yourself means respecting your strengths responsible members of a global considering multi-
and weaknesses. cultural perspective.
BENEFITS OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE  Develop the capacity to think, reason and act
 Happiness. You will be happier when you can legally and morally and these will have a sphere of
express who you are. influence to others.
 Less inner conflict.
IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Better decision-making.
 Self-control.
 Self-understanding has been recognized as a key  A strong sense of self often breeds confidence
competency for individual to function efficiently in and ambition during a fragile sense of self-
organizations. engenders cowardice and lethargy.
 It influences an individual’s ability to make key We subject ourselves to a harsh inner critic,
decisions about self, others around. unhealthy relationships, toxic substances, and self-
 Understanding the self, equips individuals with mutilation,
making more effective career and life choice, the Loving yourself isn’t selfish, as many fear. Not
ability to lead, guide, and inspire with authenticity. only does it improve your relationship with yourself,
IMPORTANCE OF SELF-AWARENESS but it shows others how to love you.
So, it’s important that you enjoy your own
 Helps understand yourself in relation to others company, can trust yourself, and recognize your
 Helps develop and implement a strong self- good qualities.
improvement program Your relationship with yourself is the most
 Aids in setting meaningful life and career goals important and longest relationship you’ll ever have.
 Aids in developing relationships with others.
 Helps understand the value of diversity 22 WAYS TO LOVE YOURSELF MORE
 Helps manage others effectively 1. Know yourself
 Increases productivity 2. Say no when you need to
 Increases one’s ability to contribute to others. 3. Don’t compare yourself to others
LESSON 2: THE SELF AND THE NATURE OF 4. Allow yourself down time.
SELF 5. Be truly present
6. Know and use your strengths
 The philosophy of self is the study of the many 7. Treat yourself
conditions of identity that make one subject of 8. Be honest with yourself
experience distinct from other experiences. 9. It’s okay to make mistakes or to have
 The self is sometimes understood as a unified imperfections.
(integrated) being essentially connected to 10. Forgive yourself.
consciousness (perception), awareness, and agency 11. Fun is priority.
(actions). 12. Practice gratitude
 In philosophy, the self is the relationship of an 13. People won’t always like you
individual’s own being, knowledge and values. 14. Write down your successes
 In philosophy, the self is the relationship of an 15. Feel your feelings
individual’s own being, knowledge and values. 16. Take care of yourself
 A natural self is metaphysically dependent on the 17. Pursue a hobby
body from which its states emerge and upon which 18. Defend yourself
they supervene, and it survives no longer than the 19. Write a love letter
body does. 20. Ask for help
 Metaphysics might include the study of the nature 21. surround yourself with good people
of the human mind, the definition and meaning of 22. speak kindly to yourself.
existence, or the nature of space, time, and/or Know yourself. It’s impossible to love yourself if
causality. you don’t even know who you are.

THE SELF: ITS NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE WHAT IS THE SELF

 Your self is your basic personality or nature,  2 aspects of self; self-concept and self-awareness.
especially considered in terms of what you are really  The self is composed of our thoughts and beliefs
like as a person. about ourselves = Self concept
 A person's self is the essential part of their nature  The self is the active processor of information where
which makes them different from everyone and we think about ourselves = self-awareness
everything else.  The self is an individual person as the object
 Importance of Self (body/entity) of its own reflective consciousness.
 Each person's overall perception of self is  The sense of having a self—or self-hood—should,
critical because it lays the foundation for all however, not be confused with subjectivity itself.
other aspects and elements in our lives. Ostensibly, this sense is directed outward from the
subject to refer inward, back to its "self" (or itself).
MEANING AND NATURE OF SELF
 Self – is a unified and is essentially connected to with negative self-concepts tend to complain
consciousness, awareness, and agency or with the constantly and find it difficult to accept criticism.
faculty of rational choice.
HOW CAN YOU BUILD UP SELF-CONCEPT
 Self – is the condition of identity that makes one
subject of experience distinct from all others. Building up self concept is primary factor of
 Self – is exhibit and inferred in the conduct and effective personality and behavior. The four steps to
discourse that emanate from the individual alone. build up self-concept are:
 Self – is the person regarded as an individual apart 1. Self awareness
from all others. 2. Self acceptance
 Self – is one’s identity. 3. Self realization
 Self- is expressed in the first person. 4. Self disclosure
 Self – is a dynamic, responsive process that students’ Self-awareness - being aware or conscious about
neutral pathways according to past adolescent oneself. Our attention is sometimes directed outward
environment. towards the environment and sometimes it is focused
inward on ourselves.
THE COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT Self-acceptance – being aware of who we really are
and accepting it. Is also an individual’s satisfaction
1. Personal identity,
or happiness with oneself and is thought to be
2. body image,
necessary for good mental health.
3. self-esteem,
Self-realizations – fulfilment of one’s own potential,
4. and role performance.
willingness to pursue our ideal self on our own, to
 Personal identity is the sense of what sets a person
grow and to change because we think it is important.
apart from others. It may include the person's name,
Self-disclosure – letting another person know what
gender, ethnicity (culture), family status, occupation,
we think, feel, and want.
and roles.
Self-confidence – a trust in one self’s ability,
 Body Image is an attitude about one’s physical quality, and judgement. The belief that you can
attributes and characteristics, appearance, and achieve success and competence.
performance. Body image is dynamic because any
change in body structure or function, including the
normal changes of growth and development, can
affect it. SELF-IMAGE
 Self-esteem is the judgement of personal  Self- image is how you perceive yourself.
performance compared with the self-ideal. Self-  This self-image can be very positive, giving a
esteem is derived for a sense of giving and receiving person self confidence in their thoughts and actions,
love and being respected by others. or negative, making a person doubtful of their
 Role performance refers to a set of expected capabilities and ideas.
behaviors determined by familial, cultural, and  It’s important that your self-image is both positive
social norms. and realistic.
LESSSON 3: THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SELF
Constitution of the Self
TWO WAYS IN WHICH WE PERCEIVE  It is the freedom to exercise a self-conscious creative
OURSELVES control over one's life.
1. Positive Self Concept: people with positive self-  It is the freedom to author one's life, within the
concept believe in themselves, are confident about bounds of one's circumstances.
their ability to deal with problems, make decisions, Sense of Self Importance
feel equal to others, have respect for themselves and
expect it from others. These are realistic in their  A strong sense of self often breeds confidence and
assessment of feelings, behaviors, and needs. decisiveness, while a weak or unclear sense of self
2. Negative Self Concept: if people see themselves as can cause self-doubt, self-criticism, and difficulty
failures and have a negative, pessimistic image of making decisions.
themselves, they will begin to act the part. Negative
feelings feed on themselves and become a Why Self is important?
downward spiral, gradually encompassing all of the  According to Kant, by knowing ourselves, that we
people’s thoughts, actions, and relationships. People are free and that our actions and choices matter, we
 can make good on these commitments without fear  is a desire for most human beings.
of being contradicted by theory.  In knowing about themselves, we are more
 Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher and one capable of knowing how to be socially
of the foremost thinkers of the Enlightenment. acceptable and desirable.
 Philosophers look at Self as very important in  We seek out self-knowledge due to the
several ways. appraisal motive (describes the desire to
learn the truth about oneself in general),
Why is there a need to examine oneself? self- enhancement motive (is the desire to
 By knowing the self, we can examine what type of learn about one’s good qualities only) and
object the self is and how it is (created). consistency motive (the desire to receive
 According to Thorin Klosowski, by knowing the reinforcement of those preconceived
self, we are able to develop self-awareness and notions that a person has about himself. The
introspection (self–analysis) which are the starting feedback will verify the thoughts and beliefs
point to every improvement. they already had relating to himself).
 Understanding the self is a very important basis of  Self-knowledge is the beginning of self
quantified (measured) self-movement improvement.
which means that if a person collects data about  This is sometimes referred to as Self-
himself, he can make improvements based on the Concept.
data.  Self-knowledge allows for people to gather
 Knowing the self requires more than intellectual to information and beliefs about themselves.
self –examination for it demands h0ow knowing  self-awareness – (2 types) Private self-
something about your feelings and emotions and awareness- is defined as the self looking
how you work on them, the better you will inward at oneself, including emotions,
understand why you do the things you do. thoughts, beliefs and feelings. All of
 Ultimately, the more you know about your habits, these cannot be discovered by anyone
the easier it is to improve your habits. else. Public self-awareness- is defined
by gathering information about yourself
10 SIMPLE HABITS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR through the perception of others.
LIFE.  self-esteem - Examines how a person
1. Keep Things Tidy. Picking up, keeping things evaluates himself positively or
organized and even just making the bed helps us feel negatively. Our social roles can be
better. ... stigmatized (marked out) as being
2. Mindfully Manage Your Money negative, such as a criminal or homeless
3. Choose Gratitude. person. People with high self–esteem
4. Stay Hydrated. tend to be confident, gain self-
5. Plan Your Days. acceptance, do not worry as much about
6. Put Your Family First what others think about them , and think
7. Get Up Early. optimistically. In contrast, people with
8. Prepare for Success the Night Before self-esteem view their selves as
9. Creating a healthy daily routine is a simple yet containing negative traits.
effective way to build consistency when it comes to o 4 factors affecting self-esteem:
your health. (1) are the reactions we get from
10. Reading has benefits to both your physical and people, (2) how we compare to
mental health and those benefits can last a lifetime. ourselves, (3) social roles and (4)
Not only can reading stimulate growth, but it can our identification.
help to reduce stress, prevent age-related cognitive  self-deception - strategies are mental
decline and promote a good night’s sleep. Reading tricks of a person’s mind that hide the
is the workout for your mental health. truth and constitute false beliefs. Self-
deception is a personality trait and an
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SELF independent mental state, it involves a
combination of a conscious motivational
 The self is constituted or made up of three main false belief and a contradictory
parts that incorporated, allow for the self to maintain unconscious real better. Self-deception is
its functions. seeing the world the way we wish it to be
 These parts are: rather than the way it is.
1. Self –knowledge 2. Interpersonal self
  It can be referred to as your public self. LESSON 4: THE PHILOSOPHICAL SELF
 Interpersonal self is apparent in situations of
self-presentations.  Philosophy is often called the mother of all
 Interpersonal skills – the behaviors and disciplines.
tactics a person uses to interact with others  Philia – love (strong desire for a particular object),
effectively. Sophia – wisdom = Philosophy (love of wisdom
 Social Rules are defined as the parts that a  Philosophy of Self – it helps us solve our problems
person plays different situations and with – mundane or abstract and it helps us make a better
other people. Our roles change in order to fit decision by developing critical thinking which is
the “expected” behaviors in various very important in the age of disinformation.
scenarios.  Philosophical Self – defines the essential qualities
3. The agent-self that make one person distinct from all others.
 The agent self is known as the executive  The self – is the idea of a unified being which is the
function that allows for actions. source of consciousness.
 This is how we, as individuals, make choices  Name, no matter how intimately bound it is with the
and utilize our control in situations and bearer, however, is not the person. It is only a
actions. signifier.
 The agent self resides over everything that  The SELF is something perennially molds, shapes,
involves decisions making, self-control, and develops.
taking charge in situations and actively  The SELF is thought to be something else than the
responding. name.
HOW CAN WE LEARN ABOUT OURSELVES  It was the GREEKS who seriously questioned
myths and moved away from them in attempting to
A. Looking glass self of Charles Cooley understand reality and respond to perennial
 The theory that people learn about themselves questions of curiosity, including the question of self.
through other people.
B. Introspection (Peter Kaufman) TWO DISTINCT PHILOSOPHICAL TERMS
 a reflective looking inward: an examination on 1. Empiricism – there is NO such thing as innate
one's own thoughts and feelings. knowledge and that instead knowledge is derived from.
 Is a way a person gathers information about Empiricism derives explanations of the self from sensory
himself with mental functions and emotions. (Dr. and bodily responses.
Richard Nisbett, An American Social
Psychologist) 2. Rationalism – there is innate knowledge, they differ
C. Social Comparison in that they choose different objects of innate
 By looking to other people, we can rate our work knowledge. Rationalism explain self from the standpoint
and behaviors as good, neutral or bad. of what is REAL and the TRUTH.
 Is the way we compare ourselves to other people
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS
around us.
 An upward social comparison refers to a person 1. SOCRATES
comparing himself to a person that is perceived A Greek philosopher from Athens who is
as better than him in a particular area. credited as a founder of Western philosophy
D. Self-perception and among the first moral philosophers of the
 Aspect of self –knowledge is a process of which ethical tradition of thought.
a person infers (assumes) about himself through Know thyself.
his behavior. “The unexamined life is not worth living” -
Socrates.
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SELF
Two parts of the self: Physical – tangible and
ACCORDING TO AQUINAS AND ARISTOTLE
mortal, Soul – immortal.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS The body and soul are attached when we are
alive. However, when we die our body stays in
 For St. Thomas Aquinas, The Self is by nature a the physical realm, thus making our soul
finite embodied spirit in search of the Infinite. immortal.
The true self is not to be identified with what we
ARISTOTLE
own, social status, reputation, or body. The true
 The self is an embodied spirit - one in which it is self is our SOUL.
expressed fully shining for all the world to see.
 to know ourselves means to acquire true Virtue is doing what is best for you that you to
knowledge, which is practical knowledge. attaining your own happiness.
“Ignorance is the beginning of wisdom” – Golden Mean means to avoid too much, and too
Socrates. little, living a life of moderation is doing things in
Core of Socratic Ethics is the concept of virtue consonance with reason.
and knowledge.
Virtue is the deepest and most basic propensity
of man. It is innate in the mind. Virtues are MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHERS
attitudes, dispositions, character traits that enable
us to be and to act in ways that develop this 1. ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
potential. Combined the Greek philosophy and truths
Knowing one’s own virtue is necessary and can contained in the scriptures.
be learned. The self is made up of the body and soul, a soul
Self-knowledge is the source of all wisdom. in possession of a body.
Virtue is knowledge because, 1, all living things Every human person is made for God.
aim for their perceived good. 2, if anyone does Happiness is the end-all and be-all of human
not know what is good, he cannot do good. 3, if living and this happiness can be found in God
someone knows what is good, he will do good. alone.
2. PLATO “You have made our hearts for thee, O God and
A student of Socrates. Ancient Greek so they will find rest only thee.” – St. Augustine.
philosopher born in Athens during the Classical Virtue “the order of love”
period. In Athens, Plato founded the Academy, Never to do any harm to another as you would
a philosophical school where he taught the not want others do unto you.
philosophical doctrines that would later become St. Augustine taught against Hedonism.
known as Platonism. Possession of the good of this world such as
The philosophy of the self can be explained as a health, beauty, power, honor, fame can never give
process of self-knowledge and purification of the to a human person what he/she is truly looking
soul. for, as these goods are finite, unstable and
Mind and soul are given in perfection with God. ephemeral.
The self is an immortal soul in a mortal Hedonism is the ethical theory that pleasure is
perishable body. the highest good and proper aim of human life.
3 Components of the Soul – rational soul; Pursuit of pleasure.
reason & intellect to govern affairs. Spirited soul 2. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
– emotions should be kept at bay. Appetitive an Italian Dominican friar and priest, an
soul – base desires (food, drinks, sleep, sexual influential philosopher and theologian, and a
needs, etc.) jurist in the tradition of scholasticism from the
Book IV of Plato’s Republic, the soul is the county of Aquino in the Kingdom of Sicily, Italy.
giver of life to the body, the body is just a shell Thomas was a prominent proponent of natural
of the soul. theology and the father of a school of thought
Our life is a continuous striving to free our soul known as Thomism.
from its imprisonment in the body. the greatest of the Scholastic philosophers.
3. ARISTOTLE Supremacy of reason in human person.
Ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato Human can know the truth using his reason.
and a teacher of Alexander the Great. 2 truths; Reason and divine revelation.
The self is composed of body and soul, mind Human soul is restless and imperfect until it
and matter, senses and intellect, passion and rests in God.
reason.
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
Reason is supreme in human person and so
PHILOSOPHERS
should govern all of life’s activities.
When senses govern the self, he/she tends to live 1. RENE DESCARTES
a chaotic life. French philosopher, widely considered a
When reason rules over the senses the human seminal figure in the emergence of modern
tend to live a happy life. philosophy and science.
Perfection and happiness come from wisdom The self is an immaterial mind and material
and virtue. body.
Wisdom is the true knowledge. Mind is the seat of consciousness.
 The body is unreliable hence, should not be the concept of "the self" generally refers to the
trusted. personal identity, core philosophies, self-
“I think, therefore, I am.” consciousness, and overall consciousness that
The rationality and activity of the mind are at define one's nature and how one connects to the
the center of man’s being. world.
To instill virtue and to give primacy to the 2. GILBERT RYLE
mind, understand and work hard on our passion British philosopher, principally known for his
so these passions are put under or control. critique of Cartesian dualism, for which he
2. JOHN LOCKE coined the phrase "ghost in the machine." He
English philosopher and physician widely was a representative of the generation of British
regarded as one of the most influential of ordinary language philosophers who shared
Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known Ludwig Wittgenstein's approach to
as the "father of liberalism". philosophical problems.
Tabula Rasa means blank slate. Workings of the mind are not distinct from the
The mind is empty at birth. actions of the body but are one and the same.
Impressions during infancy have very important mind is a set of capacities and abilities belonging
and lasting consequences. to the body.
“Associations of ideas” that individuals make mind is a mysterious entity that controls the
when young are more important than those made mechanical workings of the body.
later because they are the foundation of the self. Ryle asserts that knowing that is empty
“Freedom of individuals to author their own intellectualism without knowing how to make use
soul” -Locke of the fact.
“God created man and we are in effect, God’s Effective possession of a piece of knowledge
property.” – Locke involves knowing how to use that knowledge.
3. IMMANUEL KANT
German philosopher and one of the central LESSON 5: JOHARI WINDOW
Enlightenment thinkers.
Human person has an inner and outer self which
together form their consciousness.
Inner self consists of their psychological state
and rational intellect.
Outer self is a human person’s senses and the
physical world.
Kant lived during the enlightenment period
characterized by growing secularism.
Kant replaced religion with reason.
Kant sees the self as prone to corruption.
Life is a constant struggle between beauty and
pleasure, between the inner and outer self.
CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHERS
1. MAURICE MERLEAU PONTY
was a French phenomenological philosopher.  Was made by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry
best known for his contributions to Ingham in 1969.
phenomenology, to phenomenological  Johari window is a psychological tool to self-assess
approaches to the body, perception, and one’s behavior as well as the relationship with
consciousness in relation to nature. others, through feedback or disclosure.
The self is an inextricable union between the  It is one of the most effective means of self-analysis
mind and the body. by considering the other’s perspective to understand
“Everything that we experience happens with our oneself in a better way.
bodies.”  Johari Window is a technique for improving self-
refers to this oneness or harmony between the awareness within an individual. It helps in
body and the world as our being-in the world. understanding your relationship with yourself and
emphasized the body as the primary site of others.
knowing the world.  Johari Window model can be a useful tool if you
want to improve your communication skills.
 The Johari window is a technique that helps people
better understand their relationship with themselves
and others.