A HOLLISTIC APPROACH IN  St.

Augustine was deeply influenced by Plato’s

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF: ideas.
 He adopted Plato’s view that the “self” is an
Philosophy: “loving knowledge” or “loving wisdom”; immaterial (but rational) soul.
term philosophy as originally used by the Greek meant  Theory of Forms- concepts existing within, the
the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. perfect and eternal God where the soul belonged.
 Philo- loving  ASPECTS OF SELF/SOUL:
 Sophia- knowledge, wisdom o It is able to aware of itself.
o It recognizes itself as a holistic one.
Socrates: “I know that I don’t know” o It is aware of its unity.
 Greek philosopher and one of the very few Rene Descartes: “I think, Therefore I am.”
individuals who shaped western though.
 Socratic Method- method of inquiry in testing  FATHER OF MODERN WESTERN
an idea. Idea is tested by asking questions to PHILOSPHY.
determine underlying beliefs and the extent of  Regarded as the first thinker to emphasize the
knowledge to guide the person toward better use of reason to describe, predict, and
understanding. Socrates Ideas were: understand natural phenomena based on
o The soul is immortal. observational and empirical evidence.
o The care of the soul is the task of  Method is called hyperbolical/ metaphysical
Philosophy doubt, also sometimes referred to as
o Virtue is necessary to attain happiness. Methodological Skepticism.
 He believed that philosophy had a very  Cogito ergo sum- translated as “I think,
important role to play in the lives of the people. therefore I am” became a fundamental element
 One of his most-quoted phrases is, “The of Western philosophy as it secured the
unexamined life is not worth living.” foundation for knowledge in the face of radical
 Kind of Existence: doubt.
o Visible- changes  Claims about Self:
o Invisible- remains constant o It is constant; it is not prone to change; it
is not affected by mine.
Plato: “Balance between mind and body” o Only the immaterial soul remains the
same throughout time.
 He wrote the Socratic Dialogue where Socrates
o The immaterial soul is the source of our
was the main character and speaker.
identity.
 Platos’ Philosophical Method was what he
 Distinction of Soul:
identified as “collection and division.”
o It is a conscious, thinking substance that
 According to Plato, the soul is indeed the most
divine aspect of the human being. is unaffected by time.
 PARTS OF SOUL: o It is known only to itself (only you know
o The Appetitive (sensual) -element that your own mental and others cannot
enjoys sensual experiences, such as correct our mental states).
food, drink and sex. o It is not made up of parts. It views the
o The Rational (reasoning)- element that entirety with no hidden or separate
forbids the person to enjoy the sensual compartments. It is both conscious and
experiences; the part that loves truth, aware of itself at the same time.
hence, should rule over the other parts of  Distinction of Body:
the soul through the use of reason. o It is material substance the changes
o The Spirited (feeling)- element that through time.
inclined toward reason but understands o It can be doubted; the public can correct
the demands of passion; the part that claims about the body.
loves honor and victory. o It is made of physical, quantifiable,
divisible parts.
St. Augustine: “All knowledge leads to God.”
John Locke: “Human mind at birth is a Tabula Rasa,
 Also called Saint Augustine of Hippo, is one of which means that knowledge is derived from
the Doctors of the Church, and one of the most experience.”
significant Christian thinkers.
 His philosophical approach to Christian thinking  Philosopher and Physician and was one of the
is the most influential theological system. most influential Enlightenment thinkers.
  If Descartes describes the self as thinking thing,
Locke expanded this definition of self to include
the memories of that thinking thing. Sigmund Freud: “Wish fulfillment is the road to the
 For Locke, a person’s memories provide a unconscious.”
continuity of experience that allows him/her to  Psychoanalysis- practice devised to treat those
identify himself/herself as the same person over who are mentally ill through dialogue.
time. o His work in the field of psychoanalysis
David Hume: “All knowledge is derived from human was groundbreaking because it answered
senses.” questions about human psyche in a way
that no one else had before him.
 Scottish Philosopher, economist, and historian  Freud did not accept the existence of any single
during the Age of Enlightenment. entity that could be put forward as the notion of
 Hume, John Locke, Bishop George Berkeley, “self”.
was one of the three main figureheads of the  In psychology, Psyche- totality of the mind,
Influential British Empiricism movement. both conscious and unconscious.
o Empiricism- idea of the origin of all  LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS:
knowledge is sense experience. o Conscious- deals with awareness of
 Bundle Theory- described the self or person present perceptions, feelings, thoughts,
(which Hume assumed to be the “mind”) as a memories, and fantasies at any particular
bundle or a collection of different perceptions moment.
that are moving in a very fast and successive o Pre conscious/ subconscious- related to
manner; therefore, it is in a “perpetual flux.” the data that cane readily be brought to
 Groups of Mind Perceptions: consciousness.
o Impression- perceptions that are the o Unconscious- data retained but not
most strong. easily available to the individual’s
o Ideas- less forcible and less lively a conscious awareness or scrutiny.
counter parts of impression.  Psychoanalytic Theory was proposed existence
of the unconscious as:
Immanuel Kant: “REASON is the final authority of o A repository for traumatic repressed
morality. Morality is achieved only when there is
memories
absence of war because of the result of enlightenment.”
o The source of anxiety-provoking drives
 Kant is a central figure in modern philosophy. that is socially or technically
 Kant’s view of the self is transcendental, which unacceptable to the individual.
means the self is related to a spiritual or non-  Psychoanalytic Theory- personality theory
physical realm. based on the notion that an individual gets
 KIND OF CONSCIOUSNESS OF SELF motivated by unseen forces, controlled by the
(Rationality): conscious and the rational though.
o Consciousness of oneself and one’s o He did not create the notion of
psychological states in inner sense. conscious versus unconscious mind, but
o Consciousness of oneself and one’s he certainly was responsible for making
stated by performing acts of it popular, and this was one of his main
apperceptions. contributions to psychology.
 Apperception- mental process  STRUCTURED THE PSYCHE/ MIND:
by which a person makes sense o Id- operates on the pleasure principle.
of an idea by assimilating it to o Ego- operates according to the reality
the body of ideas he or she principle.
already possesses. o Superego- incorporates the values and
 COMPONENT OF THE SELF: morals of society.
o Inner self- self by which you are aware  Consciences- if ego gives in to
of alterations in your own state. the id’s demands, the superego
o Outer self- self that includes your sense may make the person feel bad
and the physical world. through guilt.
 Self organizes information in three ways:  Ideal Self- imaginary picture of
o Raw perceptual input how you ought to be. It
o Recognizing the concept represents career aspirants; how
o Reproducing in the imagination to treat other people; and how to
behave s a member society.
Gilbert Ryle: “I act, therefore I am.” SOCIOLOGY: “Not only is the self-entwined in
society; it owes society its existence in the most literal
 He wrote The Concept of Mind (1949) where he sense.” – Theodor Adorino
rejected the notion that mental states are
separable form physical states.  The Self as a Product of modern Society
 Category-Mistake- distinction between mind Among Other Constructions:
and matter. o Sociology- posits that socially formed
o Attempt to analyze the relation between norms, beliefs, and values come to exist
“mind and body” as if the two were within the person to degree where these
terms of the same categories. become natural and normal, thus
 Ryle’s point against Descartes’ theory are: developing thee person’s self-identity.
o The relation between mind and body are o A person in the modern society is free to
not isolated processes. choose where to love, what to do and
o Mental processes are intelligent acts, who to be with.
and are not distinct from each other. o Stability has also decreased as traditions
o The operation of the mind is itself an and traditional support system, such as
intelligent act. family, have decreased in importance.
 In Ryle’s view, your actions define your own o In modern societies, individualism is
concept of “self” (who you are). dominant and developing one’s self-
identity is central.
Paul Churchland: “The physical brain and NOT the
imaginary mind gives us our sense of self.” Key Characteristics of Modernity: According
to Giddens 1991, the most patent, major
 Stands on materialistic view or the belief that characteristics of modernity are:
nothing but matter exists. In other words, if
something can be seen, felt, heard, touched, or  Industrialism- social relations implied in the
tasted, then it exists. There is nothing beyond the extensive use of material power and machinery
sensory experience. in all processes of production.
 He insisted that the idea of a mind or soul is not  Capitalism- a production system, involving
in consonance with the physical changes that both competitive product markets and the
have occurred in the hereditary characteristics of commodification (putting a price tag) of labor
the human species over successive generations. power.
 Eliminate Materialism- claim that people’s  Institutions of Surveillance- massive increase
common-sense understanding of thee mind is off power and reach by institution, especially in
false, and that certain classes of mental states government.
which most people believe in do not exist.  Dynamism- most evident characteristics of a
modern society.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty: “Physical body is an o It is characterized as having vigorous
important part of the self.”
activity progress. In a modern society,
 Emphasizing the body as the primary site of life is not a predetermined path with
knowing the world. limited options based on locations
 Idea of Self- embodied subjectivity family, or gender, it is a society full of
o Embodied- to give a body to (usually an possibilities. Everything is subject to
immaterial substance like a soul). change, and changes happen much more
o Subjectivity- state of being a subject- an rapidly than ever before in human
entity that possesses conscious history.
experience, such as perspective, SOCIAL GROUP AND SOCIAL NETWORK:
feelings, beliefs, and desires.
o Object- subjects acts upon or affects  Social Group- described as having two or more
some other entity, which in philosophy. people interacting with one another, sharing
o Subject- something that exist, can take similar characteristics and whose members
action, and can cause real effects. identify themselves as part of the group.
 He added that the body is not a mere “house” Types of Social Group:
where the mind resides. Rather it is through thee o Organic Group- naturally occurring,
lived experience of the body that you perceive; and it is highly influenced by your
are informed; and interact with the world. family. This is usually formed in
 traditional societies because there is Language sets the stage for self-
little diversity in these communities. development.
 George Simmel (Sociologist)  Second stage for self-development is
stated that you join these groups play. Individuals role-play or assume the
because your family is also part perspective of others. Role playing
of it, in the first place is called enables the person to internalize some
Organic Motivation. other people’s perspective; hence he or
 Simmel noted that the positive she develops an understanding how the
effect of organic groups is other people feel about themselves in a
rootedness. variety of situation.
o Rational Groups- occur in modern  The Game stage is the level where the
societies. It is formed as a matter of individual not only internalizes the other
shared self-interest; moreover, people people’s perspective, he or she is also able
join these groups out of their own free to take into account societal rules and
will is called rational motivation. adhere to it.
 Rational groups imply greater o According to Mead, the self is
freedom, especially the freedom developed by understanding the
of movement. rule, and one must abide by it to
 Modern society are made up of win the game or be successful at
different places. The family in an activity.
modern societies is not the main
motivation when joining TWO SIDES OF SELF: By Mead
rational social groups. “Me and the “I” have a didactic relationship,
 Social Network- refers to the tie or connections which is like a system of checks and balances.
that link you to your social group.
 Me- product of what the person learned
 Mead and the Social Self: while interacting with others and with
 “A multiple personality is in a certain the environment.
sense normal.”- George Herbert Mead o Learned behaviors, attitudes,
o George Herbert Mead was a and even expectations comprise
sociologist from the late 1800’s. the “me.” The “me” exercise
He is well known for his “Theory social control over the self. It
of Social Self”. Mead work sees to it that rules are not
focused on how the self is broken.
developed.  I- part of the self that is unsocialized and
o His theory is based on the spontaneous. It is the individual’s
perspective that the self is a response to the community’s attitude
product of social interactions and toward the person.
internalizing the external views o “I” presents impulses and
along with one’s personal view drives.
about oneself. o It enables home or her to
o Mead believed that “self” is not express individualism and
present at birth; rather it develop creativity.
over time through social o “I” does not blindly follow the
experiences and activities. rules. It understand when the
possibly bend or stretch the
Developing the Self: Mead developed concept rules that govern social
that proposed different stages of self- interactions.
development. Stages: o It constructs a response based
 According to Mead, self-development and on what has been learned by
language are intimately tied. Through “Me”.
shared understanding of symbols,
gestures, and sound, language gives the THE SELF and the PERSON in CONTEMPORARY
individual the capacity to express himself ANTHROPOLOGY:
while at the same time comprehending ANTHROPOLOGY: study of people, past, present. It
what the other people are conveying. focuses on understanding the human condition in its
cultural aspect.
  In general senses, Anthropology is concerned  Construal- interpretation of the meaning of
with understanding how human evolved and something.
how they differ from one another. o Independent Construct- represents the
self as separate, distinct, with emphasis
A Unit but Unitary:
on internal attributes or traits, skills and
 “Self is the physical organism, possessing values.
psychological functioning and social o Interdependent Construct- typical of
attributes.”- Katherine Ewing collectivist culture in East Asia stressing
the essential connection between the
IMPLICIT and EXPLICIT SELF: By: Joseph Ledoux individual to other people.
 Explicit- aspect of self you are consciously Catherine Raeff (2010), Culture can influence how you
aware of. view:
 Implicit- not immediately available to the
consciousness.  Relationships- culture influences how you enter
o Ledoux asserted that “self” was can be into and maintain relationships.
framed, maintained, and affected o In Western Societies, it is essential for
biologically, mentally, and socially. a person to choose whom to marry while
o He said that “The self is not static; it is some Eastern Societies still practice
added to and subtracted from by genetic arranged marriage.
maturation, learning, forgetting, stress,  Personality Traits- culture influences whether
ageing, and diseases.” (and how) you value traits, like humility, self-
esteem, politeness, assertiveness, and so on, as
LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS: well as how you feel about relying on other.
 Achievement- culture influences how you
 Id- operates on the pleasure principle.
define success and whether you value certain
 Ego- operates according to the reality principle.
types of individual and group achievements.
 Superego- incorporates the values and morals of
 Expressing Emotions- culture influences what
society.
will affect you emotionally, as well as how you
Self as Representation: express yourself, such as showing your feelings
in public or keeping in private.
 Ewing (1998) asserted that a “self” is illusory.
People construct a series of self-representation PSYCHOLOGY:
that are based on selected cultural concepts of
person and selected “chain” or personal The Self as a Cognitive Construction:
memories.  Psychology- scientific study of how people
 Each self-concept is experienced as whole and behave, think, and feel.
continuous, with its own history and memories o How brain works
that emerge in a specific context to be replaced
o How memory is recognized
by another self-representation when the context
o How people interact with the group
changes.
 People from all cultures have been observed to o How children learn about the world
be able to rapidly project different self- COGNITIVE: relating to, being or involving conscious
representation, depending on the context of the intellectual activity such as thinking reasoning or
situation. remembering. (WEB)
 The person is unaware of these shifts; however,
he/she will still experience wholeness and  Jean Piaget- Swiss clinical psychologist.
continuity despite these shifts. o Pioneered “The theory of Cognitive
Development.
The Self Embedded in Culture: o Theory of Cognitive Development-
 Cultural traditions and social practices regulate, comprehensive theory about the
express, and transform the human psyche, development of human intelligence.
resulting less in psychic unity for humankind  Theory deals with nature of
than in ethnic divergences in mind, self, and knowledge itself.
emotion. (Sweder, 1991)  According to Piaget, Cognitive
Development is a progressive
HOW SELF IS CONSTRUCTED: reorganization of mental process
resulting from biological
 maturation and environment early childhood and expanded it until
experience. adulthood.
 William James- “The art of being wise is
knowing what to overlook.”
COMPONENTS OF COGNITIVE THEORY: By: o He wrote “The Principle of
Piaget Psychology” in 1890.
 Schema- building blocks of knowledge. o The Father of American Psychology
Schemes are mental organizations that o Philosopher, psychologist and university
individuals used to understand their professor.
environment and designation action. o He gave one of the earliest self-theory
 Adaptation- involves the child’s psychological analyses.
learning process to meet situational Sides of Self:
demand.  I-Self (The Pure Ego)
Assimilation- application of Characteristics:
previous concept to new concepts. o A Sense of being the agent or
 Ex: A child who was just initiator of behavior- “I believe
learned the word “fish” shout my actions have an impact; that
“fish” upon seeing one. cause an effect on my
Accommodation- happens when environment.”
people encounter completely new o A sense of Unique- “This is
information or when existing ideas how I am different from
are challenged. everything in my environment; I
 Ex: The child knows dogs and perceive there is only one Me.”
cats at school, he/she learns the o A sense of Continuity- “I am
word animals. The child will the same person from day to
then just adjust her day.”
understanding that dogs and cats o A sense of awareness about
are both animals. being aware- “I understand
 Stage of Cognitive Development- they what is going on in me and
reflect the increasing sophistication of around me; and I know I
the child’s thought process. understand it.”
 Me-Self (Self that is object)
Stages of Cognitive Development:
Dimensions:
 Sensorimotor (Age: 0-2) - child learned by o Material- physical appearance
doing: looking, touching, sucking. The child and extension of it such as
also has a primitive understanding of cause- clothing, immediate family and
and-effect relationship. Object permanence home.
appears around 9months. o Social- social skills and
 Preoperational (Age: 2-7) - child uses significant interpersonal
language and symbols, including letters and relationship.
numbers. Egocentrism is also evident. o Spiritual- personality, character
Conservation marks the end of the defining values.
preoperational stage and the beginning of  Carl Ransom Rogers- American Psychologist
concreate operations. o One of the founder of Humanistic
 Concrete Operations (Age: 7-11) - child approach in psychology.
demonstrate concentration, reversibility, o Humanistic Psychology- psychological
serial ordering and a mature understanding perspective that rose to prominence in
of cause and effect relationship. Thinking at the mid-20th century.
this stage is still concrete.  This approach highlighted the
 Formal Operation (Age: 12+) - individual individual’s innate drive toward
demonstrate abstract thinking at this stage is self-actualization and the
still concreate. process of realizing and
 Dr. Susan Harter- psychologist, author, and expressing one’s own
professor. capabilities and creativity.
o She detailed the emergence of self-  It emphasized the active role of
concept and asserted that the broad individual in shaping internal
developmental changes observed across and external words.
  Rogers coined the term involves integration of diverse
actualizing tendency which experiences into a unity. In short, unity is
refer to the person’s basic one of the defining featured of selfhood
instinct to succeed at his or her and identity.”
highest possible capacity.
o Personality Development and the Self- The Unity of Consciousness: central topic for
classical modern philosophers.
Concept:
 According to Rogers, all This idea was pushed by Descartes,
behavior is motivated by self- Kant, and James to name a few.
actualizing tendencies and the Descartes claimed that this “being”
tendencies drive you to reach is of unified consciousness and not
your full potential. composed of merged fragments.
 He believe that the world a Immanuel Kant “Unity of
person exist is in the center of a Consciousness” can be describe as
constant changes and the person “I am conscious not only of single
react to these changes. experience but of great many
 Roger accentuated the need to experiences at the same time. The
achieve consistency between the same is true of actions; I can do and
ideal self and real self. be conscious of doing a number of
actions at the same time.”
Concepts of Self:  Allport’s Personality Theory- he proposed his
“Personality Trait” theory asserting that every
o Ideal Self- notions influenced by your person possess traits.
parents. o According to him, Trait is your
 What you admire in other. essential characteristics that never, ever
 What the society sees as change and sticks with you all your life.
acceptable.
 What you think is in your best EGO STATES (Eric Berne):
interest.
o Real Self- person you actually are. It is Every person has three parts called ego states in
how you behave right at the moment of his/her personality.
a situation. People communicate with one another assuming
 It is who you really are in roles of any of these ego states.
reality- how you think, feel, or 1. Parent Ego- voice is the authority. It could be
act at present. comforting parent voice or controlling/critical
parent.
Note: If the real self is aligned with the 2. Adult Ego- rational person. It is the voice that
way that I want to be (ideal self) then I speaks reasonably and knows how to assert
will feel the same of mental well-being himself/ herself.
or peace of mind. 3. The Three Child Ego States:
a. Little Professor- curious child who
Congruence: when the ideal self and the real wants to try everything.
self is aligned. b. Natural Child- who loves to play but
sensitive and vulnerable.
Incongruence: when there is a great c. Adaptive Child- one who reacts to the
inconsistency between your ideal and real selves world.
or if way you are not aligned with what you
want to be. DOMAINS OF THE SELF:
Multiple vs. Unified Self:  Experiential Self- theatre of consciousness
because it is the first to experience its beingness.
 William James- “properly speaking, a  Private Self-Consciousness- narrator and
man has a many social selves as there are interpreter.
individuals who recognized him and carry  Public Self or Persona- image you project to
an image of him in their head.” the public.
 Roy Boumeister- “But the concept of the
self loses it’s meaning if a person had Psychological Concepts:
multiple selves… the essence of self
In 1960, an English Pediatrician and Psychoanalyst,
D.W. Winnicott introduced his concept of “False Self ”
and “True Self.”

 False Self- product of early experience. Based

completely obedient to the parent’s wishes. It is
a mask or a persona.
 It is a defensive organization formed by
infant because of inadequate mothering
or failures in empathy.
 It is away to protect the true self from a
world that is felt to be unsafe.
 Healthy False Self- when the
person has a false self and can
still function as both as an
individual and in the society.
 Unhealthy False Self-
individual who may seem happy
and comfortable in his or her
environment but actually force
to fit in it.
 True Self- flourished infancy if the mother is
positively responsive to the child’s spontaneous
expression.
o It is a part of the infant that feel creative
spontaneous and real.
o It is a sense of being alive and real in
one’s mind and body.