Understanding The Self - Prelims Reviewer PDF

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UTS Review Sheet – PRELIMS UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives A. Philosophy B. Sociology C. Psychology D. Anthropology E. Oriental/Eastern Thought A. PHILOSOPHY  HOW DO YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION: Who am I? In what ways do I get to know myself?  Ancient Philosophy (1000 BC to 500 AD): The Anc...

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UTS Review Sheet – PRELIMS UNIT 1: The Self from Various Perspectives A. Philosophy B. Sociology C. Psychology D. Anthropology E. Oriental/Eastern Thought A. PHILOSOPHY  HOW DO YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION: Who am I? In what ways do I get to know myself?  Ancient Philosophy (1000 BC to 500 AD): The Ancient Triumvirate (Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato) and PostAristotelians  The Ancient Triumvirate: o Socrates  “Know thy self” Man must live and stand according to his nature Man must look at himself  “An unexamined life is not worth living” Two fundamental questions: To find what?  Invitation to introspection: Platonic theory of reminiscence  Knowledge is within, inherent in man; not outside  Wisdom is learning to reflect By what means?  The Socratic Method

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Two Aspects of Reality Physical - Changeable, transient, imperfect World of Senses/Matter Spiritual - Unchanging, eternal, perfect World of Ideas/Form Dualistic Reality: Body and Soul

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Our Soul (Soul)

Plato  3-Part Soul/Self (Psyche) The three are in a dynamic relationship with each other: in agreement or in conflict But it is the responsibility of the Reason to restore harmony among the three - Harmony: justice in the individual, social, and political levels - Reason: the divine essence that lets us think deeply (wisdom), make wise choices, and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths Physical Appetite: accounts for the basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire - Spirit/Passion: accounts for the basic emotions such as love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness, and empathy o Aristotle  The mind (self) is Tabula Rasa – a blank slate  Self is composed of matter and form Matter is in a continuous process of developing and becoming  The Process of Completion is through experiences Knowledge is acquired through the sense  Self comes from a First Cause, the source of all changes although unchangeable itself  The goal of the human self is reached in happiness through moderation or balance of things  “Happiness depends on ourselves” Happiness is the central purpose of human life and a goal in itself Post-Aristotelians: o Maintains the dualism between body and soul o More ethical in the ideas o Moral norms: attainment of happiness o Stoicism  Apathy or indifference to pleasure o

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A unified, indissoluble, immortal entity that remains the same over time That is in the very likeness of the divine Strive for wisdom and perfection Reason is the soul’s tool to achieve such state

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Teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions.  Where many people worry endlessly about things out of their control, the Stoics think their energy is better spent thinking of creative solutions to problems, rather than the issues themselves.  Stoics acknowledge that people don’t have control over all, or even much, of what happens in life. And they emphasize that worrying about things outside of their control is unproductive, or even irrational to a person who wants to attain tranquility. o Hedonism  “Eat, drink, and be happy. For tomorrow, you will die.”  Pleasure is the most important pursuit of mankind, and the only thing that is good for an individual. o Epicureanism  Moderate pleasure  Epicurus advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure.  Emphasis was placed on pleasures of the mind rather than on physical pleasures Medieval Philosophy: Theo-centric o From the scientific investigation on nature and search for happiness to the question of life and salvation in another realm, in a better world (i.e., the afterlife) o Influence from ancient thought:  The (human) self endures through time o More imposing than informing, because it was trying to aim at paganism and barbarism o There was an aim to merge philosophy and religion (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) o St. Augustine – Theologian, Philosopher  Integrates Platonic ideas with the tenets of Christianity  Platonic Realm of Idea = Christian Philosophy of a Transcendent God

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The self strives to achieve union with God through faith and reason o St. Thomas Aquinas  Self-knowledge is dependent on our experience of the world around us (objects in our environment)  We don’t encounter ourselves as isolated minds or selves, but rather always as agents interacting with our environment 

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The labels we attribute to ourselves are taken from the things we encounter in our environment (Examples: Gardener, Artist, Kind, Loving)  “The things that we love tell us what we are”  Experiencing that something exists doesn’t tell us what it is  Knowing and learning about a thing requires a long process of understanding; same with the mind and the self – with experience and reason Modern Philosophy (14th Century to the early 20th Century) o Genuine knowledge has to be based on independent rational inquiry and real world experimentation, rather than dependent on knowledge handed down by authorities Anthropocentric o Thinkers began to reject the scholastics’ (medieval thinkers) excessive reliance on authority o Period of radical social, political and intellectual developments o Rene Descartes  “Cogito ergo sum”  “I think, therefore, I am”  Human identity: self-awareness  The Self if a thinking thing which can exist independently of the body  Dualism

John Locke  The self endures because of memory  Conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are the keys to understanding the self o David Hume  Impressions – basic sensations of experiences  The self is a “bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other in an inconceivable rapidity, and are in perpetual flux and movement” o Immanuel Kant  A priori concepts  The self actively organizes all the sensations and thoughts into a picture that makes sense to each one of us  Self as subject, not object o Sigmund Freud – Father of Psychoanalysis  The self is multi-tiered/multi-layered: Conscious – refers to those thoughts and feelings that we are aware of Preconscious – experiences that are unconscious but could become conscious with little effort Unconscious – contains all drives, urges or instincts that are beyond our awareness but motivate our feelings, thoughts and behavior Contemporary Philosophy (Late 20th Century) o Gilbert Ryle  The self is defined in terms of behavior that is presented to the world  The self is a pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition for a person to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances o Paul Churchland  Grounded in neuroscience  The mind/self is the brain o Political Revolution o Industrial Revolution o Scientific advancements and growth of materialism o Theory of Evolution o More humanist as a response to the so called alienation of the human person o Edmund Husserl

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We experience our self as a unity which the in mental and physical are seamlessly woven together o Maurice Merleau-Ponty  “Lived Body”  An entity that can never be objectified or known in a completely objective sort of way, as opposed to the “body as object” of the dualists  “There is no duality of substance but a dialectic of living being in its biological milieu” B. SOCIOLOGY - The self as a product of modern society among other constructions  The Self in the Sociological Perspective o Classical sociological perspective: the self is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, others, and to social systems o The self is socially constructed in the sense that it is shaped through interaction with other people o As with socialization in general, the individual is not a passive participant in this process and have a powerful influence over how this process and its consequences develop  The Looking Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley) o A person’s self grows out of a person´s social interactions with others o The view of ourselves comes from the contemplation of personal qualities and impressions of how others perceive us o Actually, how we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but rather from how we believe others see us  Johari Window (Joseph Luft & Harrington Ingham) o Technique used to enhance the individual's perception on self and others. Not known to the Known to the self self Known to others Open/Area Blindspot Not known to Hidden/Facade Unknown others

C. PSYCHOLOGY - The self based on psychoanalytic approach and cognitive construction  The Structure of the Self (Sigmund Freud) o ID (Biological Self) – Pleasure Principle  Natural part of the self  Animalistic nature of man  Pleasure seeking part of the personality  Determined by the genetic code ▪ Providing the raw materials  Setting the boundary conditions for development  Instincts, Impulsive, Instant gratification, Infancy  The id represents the basic need of man. If it is not satisfied, it could result to stress and tension. If satisfied, it could give you comfort and joy.  If the id is properly controlled it could bring warmth and comfort  If the id is angered or provoked it could destroy not only himself but also his surrounding o SUPEREGO (Social Self) – Idealistic/Moralistic Principle  The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others  Starts at preschool years, Standards/norms, Should (what’s right to do), Small voice of God o EGO (Psychological Self) – Reality Principle  The only region of the mind that is in contact with reality; it operates to fulfil the reality principle  The ego constantly tries to reconciles the irrational wants of the id and the superego with the realistic demands of the world  When the scale is out of balance, it is the responsibility of the EGO to mediate the conflict between the ID and SUPEREGO  Weak ego will lead to ANXIETY  To protect the ego from anxiety, we use DEFENSE MECHANISMS  Ego Defense Mechanisms o Repression - when the ego is threatened, it unconsciously forgets or block unpleasant feelings

Displacement - redirecting unacceptable urges to less threatening people or objects o Regression - the ego may revert back to an earlier stage during times of stress or anxiety o Projection - attributing the unwanted impulse to another person. o Sublimation - suppression of unwanted impulses by substituting it with a creative cultural accomplishment Functionalism (William James) o Focused on the operation of conscious activity (Examples: Thinking and Learning) o Study of man’s adjustment to his environment: Materials, Capacities and Skills The self as a cognitive construction o Symbolic Interactionism (George Herbert Mead)  Two aspects of self awareness: “I and the Me” self The “me” is the socialized aspect of the person The “I” is the active aspect of the person o Imaginary Audience - Adolescents are thought to believe that others are always watching and evaluating them, and that they are special and unique o Self-Concept – Mental Representation  What we look like  How we feel in different types of situation  How we behave towards others  What do we do at work  What are the roles we have in the family or society o Real and Ideal Self (Carl Rogers)  A person's ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in life and experiences of the person  Hence, a difference may exist between a person's ideal self and actual experience  Carl Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence The Self as defined by Social Comparison (Leon Festinger) o Temporal Comparison - Considering your present condition in relation to how you were in the past o

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Social Comparison - Evaluating yourself in comparison to others – using others as a basis for evaluating your attributes How does the social comparison process work?  Depending on the level of someone’s motivation, he/she may have the tendency to compare himself/herself with others either in an UPWARD or DOWNWARD kind of comparison Two Modes of Social Comparison  Upward social comparison When we compare ourselves with those who we believe are better than us Often focus on the desire to improve our current level of ability A highly motivated person tends to engage in upward comparisons, and usually assume himself/herself as better or equal to the “best person” Studies have shown that if given a chance, people choose to make upward comparisons instead of downward ones  Downward social comparison When we compare themselves to others who are worse off than ourselves Often centered on making ourselves feel better about our abilities A person who is unhappy or is unmotivated usually engages in this to feel better about himself/herself Two Modes of Downward social comparison  Passive Downward Comparison  Happens when a person takes into consideration the previous condition in making comparison  Example: A low performing student comparing himself/herself with a worse off student  Active Downward Comparison  Happens when a person compares himself/herself with others by demeaning or causing harm to them  By derogating the target or causing harm to him/her, this

person generates a situation in which the target is worse off than him/her, therefore giving him/her the chance to make a downward comparison  Self-Evaluation and Self-Enhancement o Motivation plays a role in this model and is manifested by self-evaluation and selfenhancement o Self-evaluation occurs when someone looks for positive traits in himself/herself based on the best person he/she compares himself/herself with o Self-enhancement, on the other hand, occurs when the person questions which aspects of himself/herself need to be improved to reach the level of goodness of the person he/she is comparing himself/herself with  Self-Esteem o Used to describe a person's overall sense of selfworth or personal value o In other words, it refers to how much you appreciate and like yourself o Self-esteem is often seen as a personality trait, which means that it tends to be stable and enduring  Reference Group o A group to which an individual or another group is compared o Sociologists call any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior a reference group  The Creation of Identities o One’s identity must balance the need to be similar to one’s reference group with the need to be a unique individual o Children become aware of the need for a group identity and are often afraid or acting differently o Teens often seem torn between the need to assert their own individual identity and the need to conform to their reference group o New identities are forged in relation to work, parenthood, economic status, and ageing D. ANTHROPOLOGY - The self and person in contemporary anthropology & the self being embedded in culture  Western Self vs. non-western Self o Western Self – autonomous and egocentric

Non-western Self - identity shared with others and derived from a culture instead of a “self”  Individualism vs. Collectivism o Individualism  A human being has an individualistic nature and is an independent part of the universe and the society  Individual rights take center stage  Independence is highly valued  Being dependent upon others is often considered shameful or embarrassing  People tend to be self-reliant  The rights of individuals tend to take a higher precedence  People often place a greater emphasis on standing out and being unique o Collectivism  A human being is an integral part of the universe and the society  People are fundamentally connected  Duty towards all others is a very important matter  Social rules focus on promoting selflessness and putting the community needs ahead of individual needs  Working as a group and supporting others is essential  People are encouraged to do what's best for society  Families and communities have a central role E. THE SELF IN ORIENTAL/EASTERN THOUGHT - The self as embedded in relationships and through spiritual development in Confucian thought  Asian Schools of Thought o Buddhism (Siddhartha Gautama)  Buddha discovered why life is filled with suffering and how humanity can escape from this unhappy existence  Experience in the transformations of consciousness and stages of meditation  Buddha denies the self: no self, no individual  No-self is the nature of an intuitive and subjective perception toward oneself beyond the ordinary range of human experience that is full of the anxieties and defensiveness

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To study the self is to deny the self - When self becomes anxiety-free, one can act spontaneously  Everything is impermanent in the continuous becoming of lived experience  Implies emphasis on compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility Hinduism (Fusion of various Indian cultures and traditions)  Hindus believe that an individual’s action (karma) – the bad or good actions that the individual performed in a previous life determines his or her caste  In simple terms, the law of karma suggests that a person's mental and physical actions are binding  The law of karma is very much verifiable in real life  We all have seen in our own lives, and in nature too, that we reap what we sow  Our successes and failures are mostly products of our own thoughts and actions Taoism (Lao-Tzu)  Relativity of opposites (i.e., yin and yang)  Self does not exist without the existence of the other  Self as a separate identity is supported by the equal and opposite sensation of otherness Confucianism (Confucius)  It is only through the continuous opening up of the self to others that the self can maintain its wholesome personal identity  A person who is not responsive to others is self-centered  Confucian self is relational and interdependent  Belief that certain sets of human relationships are basis for moral community  Filial piety is a foundational concept in the thought of Confucius to be good to one's parents to take care of one's parents to engage in good conduct not just towards parents but also outside the home so as to bring a good name to one's parents and ancestors

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to ensure male heirs display sorrow for their parents’ sickness and death to bury their parents and carry out sacrifices after their death

UNIT 2: Unpacking the Self A. Physical Self B. Sexual Self C. Material/Economic Self D. Spiritual Self E. Political Self F. Digital Self A. PHYSICAL SELF - The self as impacted by the body  “Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” –Leonardo da Vinci  "I am not who I think I am. I am not who you think I am. I am who I think you think I am.“ - Charles Horton Cooley  is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the person that can be directly observed and examined.  “Physical Self/Body is an initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of personality” –William James  Psychosexual Theory of Development (Sigmund Freud) o In the Psychoanalytical school, Sigmund Freud's construction of self and personality makes the physical body the core of human experience.  Oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital stage o The role of bodily organs is especially important in early developmental stages of a persons life. o Later in life, the development of physical as well as intellectual skills help determine whether the individual will achieve a sense of competence and ability to choose demanding roles in a complex society.

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Somatic Society (Bryan Turner)

The sociology of the body become an established discipline in the 1990’s. o Bryan Turner, coined the term “somatic society” which means the new found importance of the body in contemporary society.  Eating Disorders o Anorexia Nervo...