Understanding the self Day 3

Day 1 RENE DESCARTES

Understanding the self – deals with the - He thought that self is a thinking
nature of identity as well as the factors thing distinct from the body
that affects the development and - First principle “COGITO ERGO
maintenance of personal identity. It is SUM”, means “I THINK
intended to facilitate the explanation of THEREFORE I AM”
the issues and concerns regarding self and - Doubt. if capable of doubting, then
identify to arrive at the better he must exist
understanding of one’s self.
JOHN LOCKE
Importance of understanding the self
- He holds that PERSONAL
a. It enables us to know ourselves IDENTITY (SELF) is a matter of
better psychological identity
b. Seek a better understanding of other - PERSONAL IDENTITY TO BE
c. It boost our confidence level and self FOUNDED ON CONSCIOUSNESS
esteem AND NOT ON THE SUBSTANCE OF
EITHER SOUL OR THE BODY
Day 2
- Holds that consciousness can be
SOCRATES transferred from one soul to another
and that personal identity goes with
- Invented the phrase “KNOW
the consciousness
THYSELF”
- EMPTY MIND (TABULA RASA)
- Indicates that man must stand and
live according to his nature DAVID HUME

PLATO - The BUNDLE THEORY OF THE

SELF
- Defined self (soul) as the essence of
- There is no impression of the “self”
living being
that ties our particular impressions
- He considered the body and the self
together
as a SEPARATE ENTITIES
- He suggest that the self is just a
- He claimed that mind-body dualism
bundle of perceptions, like links
where the body is from the
in a chain
material world, but the self is
- He argues that our concept of the
from the immortal world of ideas.
self is a result of our natural habit
ARISTOTLE of attributing unified existence to
any collection of associated parts.
- He argued that the self and the body
are INSEPARABLE and the self IMMANUEL KANT
(soul) is the actuality of the body.
- Two components of the self
- When the body dies the self ceases
to exist inner self (empirical self-
consciousness) – comprised
of our psychological state and
our rational intellect
 outer self – includes our MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
sense and the physical world
- Believes physical body to be an
- Unity of experience and important part of what makes up
consciousness are the integral to the the subjective self. Rather than
concept of the self seeing the perceiving mind and the
acting body as separate
Day 4
- For him, they are interconnected
SIGMUND FREUD (neurologist) - Both seat of knowledge , and both
give us our sense of self
3 structure of self
Day 5
 Id (idealistic) – is the first part of the
self-develop. Its the set of all our CHARLES HORTON COOLEY
desires and wants
- Introduce a social psychological
 Ego (realistic) – is the part of us concept known as “LOOKING
that functions in reality of GLASS-SELF”
immediates between the desire of Id - Our reflection of how we think we
and demands of the superego that appear to others
able to discern what is right or
wrong based on context 3 principal elements
 Superego (perfectionist, from 1. The imagination of our appearance
principles of parents) – incorporates to the other person
the values and morale of society 2. The imagination of his judgment of
which are learned from once’s that appearance
parents and others. 3. Some sort of self-feeling, such as
GILBERT RYLE pride or mortification

- The SELF is best understood as a INTERpersonal - outside

pattern of behavior, the tendency or INTRApersonal – within yourself
disposition for a person to behave in
a certain way circumstances.
- He believes that the MIND is a
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
concept that expresses the entire
system of thoughts, emotions, “I”
actions, and so on that make up the
- response to an individual to the
human self
attitude of others
PAUL CHURCHLAND - the way you imagine other
perceiving you, affects the way you
- ELIMINATIVE MATERIALISM argues
feel about yourself
that the ordinary folk psychology of
the mind is wrong. It is the physical
brain and not the imaginary mind “me”
that gives us our sense of self.
- organized set of attitude of other
- Since mind cant be experience by
individual assumes
our senses, then the mind doesn’t
- the way you present yourself differs
exist
for who you are trying to impress
Day 6 2. ME-SELF
- Is more subjective
The self and the person
- Referring to individuals reflection
Anthropologist have most frequently about themselves
employed the term “identity”(self) to refer - Physical and material – how you
to this idea of selfhood in a loosely look, things you like
Ericksonian way (Erickson, 1972) - Psychological - asses yourself
- Social - how you interact to others
 properties based on the uniqueness
and individuality which makes a
person distinct from others
3. REAL-SELF
 IDENTITY(SELF) refers to the - Who you really are
qualities of sameness in relation to a - Physical description
person’s connection to others to a - Social roles
particular group of people - Personal traits
 Culture plays an important role in - Existential statements
SHAPING IDENTITIES
 Culture influences on how a man
behaves 4. IDEAL-SELF
 Identifying a particular culture gives - How we want to be
essence of belonging and security
 Remember that different people and
country has different culture what Day 8
maybe beautiful to us maybe ugly to
them  BANDURA
 YOU ARE YOU, that’s what makes - Defined HUMAN AGENCY as “THE
you unique HUMAN CAPABILITY TO EXERT
INFLUENCE OVER ONE’S
FUNCTIONING AND THE COURSE
Day 7 OF EVENTS BY ONE’S ACTION
- He viewed people as AGENTS
WILLIAM JAMES - He views people as self-organizing
- THE PRINCIPLES OF proactive, self reflective and self-
PSYCHOLOGY regulating as time change
- Philosopher and psychologist - Through cognitive self-guidance,
- One of the first postulate a theory of humans can visualize futures that
the self acts on the present

2 ASPECTS
1. I-SELF  agentic perspective states that we
- Reflects what people see or are not merely reactive organisms
perceive themselves doing in the shaped by environmental forces or
physical world driven by inner impulses
- How you act in front of other
- Actor – how you act in front 1. INTENTIONALITY
- Knower- controls own actions and - Enables us to behave purposefully
thoughts
 - Deals with the forming of intentions 1. The self is nothing but a bundle of
that includes action plans and perceptions, thoughts, and
strategies for realizing them interactions which our environment
molds into an identity
2. Our identities are defined by our
2. FORETHOUGHTS culture and the society in which we
- Permit us to anticipate outcomes are raised
- Involves “temporal extension of 3. A social construct is the intended or
agency” by setting goals and unintended product of social
anticipating future events. practices and cultural paradigms
4. Therefore, the self must be nothing
but a social construct
3. SELF-REACTIVENESS
- Allows us to motivate and
regulates actions  SELF-PRESENTATION
- Broadens the role of the agent to be - Affects how one thinks about and
more than just “planners and fore gives meaning to experiences.
thinkers” - Connected directly perceived
experiences and that resulting from
reflection on one’s experience
4. SELF-REFLECTION
Neisser 2 types of self-presentation early
- Gives us the ability to reflect on
in infancy
our thoughts and behavior and
make changes as needed Ecological self – connections of oneself to
- Refers to SELF-EXAMINING nature experience in the physical environment
of human
Interpersonal self – connections of
oneself to others through verbal and non-
verbal communication
Day 9
3 types that emerge later infancy and
INDIVIDUALISM
childhood
- Is the idea that the individuals life
Extended-self – based on memories of
belongs to him and that he has an
one’s past experience and expectation
inalienable right to live it as he sees
in the future
fit, to act on his own judgment.
Private-self – emerges with the
Individualist characteristics
understanding that one’s experience
- Are often associated with men and are not directly perceived by others but
people in the urban settings rather must be communicated and shared

Individualist Conceptual -self – one’s overarching

theory or schema about oneself based on
- Promotes the exercise the one’s
one’s reflection on experiences within
goals and desires and so value
social or cultural context . self-schema
independence and self-reliance
and self-concept
Arguments
Hazel Markus – showed that one’s self-
representation or self-schema guides
information processing and influence
one’s behavior
 SELF-CONCEPTUALIZATION
- Understanding you have of yourself
that is based on your personal
experiences, body image, the
thoughts you have about yourself,
and how you tend to label yourself
in different situation.
- Defined as all-encompassing
awareness you had yourself in the
PAST
- The awareness you have in the
PRESENT
- Expectations you have of yourself at
the FUTURE TIME
SELF-CONCEPT
- Is built upon perception
- The perception you have of yourself
is based on the information you
have gathered about your values,
life roles, skills, goals, abilities and
etc.
- Is more or less collection of beliefs
you have about your own nature,
qualities and behavior.