LESSON 1: THE SELF

A name is a label used for identification, while the "self" encompasses a person's complete
identity, including their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and beliefs.
Before we even had to be in any formal institution of learning, among many things that were
first taught as kids is to articulate and write our names. Growing up, we were told to refer
back to our name when talking about ourselves. Our names often represent who we are. Thus,
some people get baptized with names such as “Precious” “Beauty”, or “Lovely”. Our names
signify us. Death cannot even stop this bond between the person and her name. However, A
name is not the person itself no matter how intimately bound it is with the bearer. The self is
thought to be something else more than name. The self is something that a person
perennially molds, shapes, and develops.
The Process of Discovering the “Self”
- Often, we struggle in our lifetime to search for our ‘identity’ and our ‘core being’.
The search for our true identity is a process of learning, unlearning and relearning the
lessons that we acquire from the teachings of life.
Johari Window
- The Johari Window model was developed by American Psychologists Joseph Luft and
Harrington Ingham in 1955 at the University of California Los Angeles. "Johari" is a
combination of their first two names. This model is based on two ideas- trust may be
gained by revealing information about you to others and learning things about you from
their feedbacks

OPEN SELF
Example: You and your friends know that you are an extrovert who loves to socialize with
everyone in the school.

HIDDEN SELF
Ex: Example: Men are emotionally stable than women. But people do not know how sensitive
a man is, only that they do not show their emotions unlike women who easily cries or reacts
to circumstances.

BLIND SELF
Example: Whenever there is a class recitation, you keep on scratching your arms while
speaking. You are not aware of it but your classmates told you that it has been your
mannerism for a long time now.
UNKNOWN SELF
Example: A student who discovers a hidden talent for leadership during a group project.
LESSON 2: THE VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
Philosophy
- Comes from two Greek words philos which means “love” and sophia which means
“wisdom”. Therefore, it is known as “philosophia” which means love of wisdom.
- Philosophers who have remarkably provided unique views
about the real nature of the concept, we call ‘self”

1. SOCRATES (470-399 BC)

- As a contribution to the field of philosophy, Socrates introduces the Socratic problem
also known Socratic question. The goal of which was to “Know Thyself.” Accordingly,
there should be a dialogue between the self and the soul. One should accept that he
knows nothing and he knows and accept that he knows nothing as this leads to learning
and discovering the truth.
- Socrates who was greatly known for his Socratic method stated that “An unexamined
life is not worth living.”
- Socratic Method- The art of questioning. The best way to know the truth is through
asking questions.
- Know Thyself- Look inside us
o Introspection-examination of one’s own mental health and emotional process.
- Socrates believes that every person is composed of body and soul (Dualistic)
o Body- physical entity (decay and change)
o Soul- immaterial essence (true self)

2. PLATO (424-347 BC)

- As a young man, Plato became a student of Socrates and turned his attention to the
question of what constitutes a virtuous life. Almost all of Plato's writings date from after
Socrates's trial and execution.
- He is an influential figure in western philosophy and the founder of western spirituality.
Plato stated that the ‘psyche’ or the ‘mind’ is comprised of three elements
(TRIPARTITE):
 The appetites (Desiring Part) which involve our pleasurable desire such as
those which provide us physical pleasure and physiological comfort.
 The spirited (Emotional Part) which denotes the part within us that agitated
most of the time. It is the area within us that enjoys triumph, honor, greatness
and affirmation.
 The mind (Rational Part) is the conscious awareness which think, mediates,
weigh choices and assesses situations in our life. This side is rational and
logical as it chooses only the best for us.

3. RENE DESCARTES (1596-1650)

- “The human mind has principles or a priori knowledge, independent of experience.”
- He is believed to be the father of modern western philosophy. He was a French
scientific thinker, mathematician and philosopher. Descartes developed the Cartesian
philosophy which holds that mental acts determine physical acts. Moreover, he
reiterated on the role of cognition as the active acquisition of knowledge involving
the individual’s imagination, intellect, perception as well as memory. He described the
mind as the ‘intellectual substance’ which possesses a will.
- Priori Knowledge-knowledge exists independently of our experiences. For example,
the concept of mathematical truths, like “2 + 2 = 4,” is known a priori. You don’t need
 to experience two apples and two apples to understand that their total is four; you can
understand this through reason alone.
- Cartesian Philosophy- the mind (or thinking) is the primary source of knowledge and
that our thoughts influence our actions. He famously said, “I think, therefore I am,”
meaning that the act of thinking is proof of one’s existence.

4. JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)

- He was a prominent thinker during the “Age of Reason.” He is an English philosopher
and physician. Remarkably Locke is considered the “Father of Liberalism”. It was Locke
who develop the concept of “Tabula Rasa.” He pointed onto the theory that at birth,
the mind is a blank slate without innate ideas, and it is experience that provides us
knowledge provided by sensory experiences and reflections.

5. ST. AUGUSTINE (AD 354-430)

- St. Augustine of Hippo was a Christian theologian and philosopher to have greatly
contributed to the progress of Western Christianity through his writings specifically The
City of God, on Christian Doctrine and Confessions. Saint Augustine pointed onto sin as
the source of human unhappiness as sin impairs human free will. Saint Augustine
discovered and developed the concept of individual identity. He conceptualized an idea
of the self and eventually achieving an identity.

6. IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804)

- He was born in Russia was a great contributor in modern western philosophy. He

asserted that it is the human mind which creates experiences. Our understanding of
the world is shaped by the way our minds organize and interpret sensory information.
This means that while we perceive the world through our senses, our mind plays a
crucial role in shaping how we experience it.

7. SIGMUND FREUD (1856-1930)

- Also known as Sigismund Schlomo Freud. He was a neurologist from Austria who
established psychoanalysis - a school of thought revolving around the role of
psychological conflicts. This concept in the structural theory of personality involves the
id, ego, and superego which are largely found within the unconscious. The conflict
between these three components give rise to human persona.
- Psychoanalytic Theory (ID, EGO, SUPEREGO)
 Id: (Pleasure Principle) The part of the mind that seeks immediate gratification to
all desires, wants and needs.
 Superego: (Idealistic Principle) determines our sense of right and wrong
 Ego: (Realistic Principle) ensures that the impulses of the Id can be expressed in
an acceptable way.

8. MAURICE MERLEAU PONTY

- A French philosopher, wrote the book Phenomenologie de la Perception in 1945. In this
book, he expounded his thesis on ’The Primacy of Perception’ where he revealed how
the body is central to one’s perception. He believes that our Perception is the basis of
our understanding of the world. It shapes how we experience and think about things.