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Understanding-the-Self-Lesson-1

The document explores the significance of understanding the self and personal identity, highlighting various perspectives from philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and more. It outlines different units and topics that delve into the nature of the self, including its physical, sexual, material, spiritual, political, and digital aspects. The document also presents key philosophical theories from figures like Socrates, Plato, and Descartes, emphasizing the complexities of self-concept and identity formation.

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10 views

Understanding-the-Self-Lesson-1

The document explores the significance of understanding the self and personal identity, highlighting various perspectives from philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and more. It outlines different units and topics that delve into the nature of the self, including its physical, sexual, material, spiritual, political, and digital aspects. The document also presents key philosophical theories from figures like Socrates, Plato, and Descartes, emphasizing the complexities of self-concept and identity formation.

Uploaded by

uncianojhezrhyllemhae
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 19

UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF
PREPARED BY: GRACE L. SIPLAC
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
LEARNING THIS SUBJECT?
• To understand the concepts of self and
personal identity - the nature thereof,
including the factors and forces influential to
its development.
• To help adolescent-learners develop a more
critical and reflective attitude as they explore
the issues and concerns relative to the self
and identity and thereby assisting them in
their quest toward a more enriching and
Unit 1: The Self From Various Unit 2: Unpacking The Self
Perspectives • Topic 1: The Physical Self
• Topic 1: Philosophical Perspective • Topic 2: The Sexual Self
• Topic 2: Sociological Perspective
• Topic 3: The Material Self
• Topic 3: Anthropological Perspective
• Topic 4: The Spiritual Self
• Topic 4: Psychological Perspective
• Topic 5: The Political Self
• Topic 5: The Self in Western and
Oriental/ Eastern Thoughts • Topic 6: The Digital Self
Unit 3: Managing and Caring for
the Self
• Topic 1: Learning to be a Better
Student
• Topic 2: Setting Goals for Success
UNIT 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS
PERSPECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
• discuss the different representations and conceptualizations
of the self from various disciplinal perspectives;
• compare and contrast how the self has been exemplified
across different perspectives;
• examine the different influences, factors and forces that
shape the self; and
• demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the
development of one’s self and identity by developing a
theory of the self.
TOPIC 1: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• cite highlights in the life of the philosophers that


influenced their concepts and principles;
• identify and differentiate the philosophers’
perspectives of self; and
• create your own concept/ theory of the self.
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a
direction, not a destination.” - Carl Rogers
Reflective Questions:

What encompasses your “self”?


Do you believe in the existence of the soul or spirit?
When our body dies, does the soul continue to live?
If the soul truly exists, how does it communicate with the body?
Where does it enter and exit the body?
Do we know who we are? Are we conscious about it?
Do we have a true and false selves?
What is the “me” self and the “I” self?

These questions are answered by our philosophers, sociologists,


anthropologists, psychologists and western and eastern thought
theorists.
PHILOSOPHERS’ PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

SOCRATES
According to him, an unexamined life is not worth living. This
statement is reflected in his idea of the self.
He believed in dualism that aside from the physical body
(material substance), each person has an immortal soul
(immaterial substance).
The body belongs to the physical realm and the soul to the ideal
realm. When you die, your body dies but not your soul. There is
a life after the death of your physical body. There is a world
after death.
According to him, in order for you to have a good life, you must
live a good life, a life with a purpose, and that purpose is for you
to do well. Then there you will be happy after your body dies.
PLATO
He believed that the self is immortal and it consists of 3
parts:
• Reason – the divine essence that enables you to think
deeply, make wise choices and achieve an
understanding of eternal truths;
• Physical Appetite - your basic biological needs such as
hunger, thirst, and sexual desire and;
• Spirit or Passion – your basic emotions such as love,
anger, ambition, aggressiveness, and empathy.

The 3 components may work together or in conflict. If


human beings do not live in accordance with their
nature/function, the result will be an injustice.
ST. AUGUSTINE
At first, he thought the body as the “slave” of the
soul but ultimately, regarded the body as the
“spouse” of the soul both attached to one
another. He believed that the body is united with
the soul, so that man may be entire and complete.

His first principle was, “I doubt, therefore I am.”


The self seeks to be united with God through faith
and reason and he described that humanity is
created in the image and likeness of God, that God
is supreme and all-knowing and everything
created by God who is all good is good.
RENE DESCARTES
He was a devout Catholic who believed in the
immortal souls and eternal life. By having the
idea of both the thinking self and the physical
body, Descartes was able to reconcile his being a
scientist and a devout Catholic.
The self is a thinking thing, distinct from the body.
The thinking self or soul is nonmaterial, immortal,
conscious while the physical body is material,
mortal, non-thinking entity, fully governed by the
physical laws of nature.
“Cogito ergo sum” (I think, therefore I Am) is the
keystone to his concept of the self. The essence
JOHN LOCKE
According to Locke, the human mind at birth is a
tabula rasa (“blank slate”). The self or personal
identity is constructed primarily from sense
experiences which shape and mold the self throughout
a person’s life.
Personal identity is made possible by self-
consciousness. In order to discover the nature of
personal identity, you to have to find out what it
means to be a person. A person is a thinking,
intelligent being who has abilities to reason and to
reflect. A person is also someone who considers itself
to be the same thing at different times and different
places.
Consciousness means being aware that you are
DAVID HUME
For him, there is no “self” only a bundle of
perceptions passing through the theatre of your
minds.

According to him, humans are so desperately


wanting to believe that they have a unified and
continuous self or soul that they use their
imaginations to construct a fictional self. The
mind is a theatre, a container for fleeting
sensations and disconnected ideas and your
reasoning ability is merely a slave to the
IMMANUEL KANT
Although Kant recognizes the legitimacy in
Hume’s account, he opposes the idea of Hume
that everything starts with perception and
sensation of impressions, that’s why he brought
out the idea of the self as a response against the
idea of Hume.
For Kant, there is unavoidably a mind that
systematizes the impressions that men get from
the external world.
Therefore, Kant believed that the self is a
product of reason because the self regulates
experience by making unified experience
SIGMUND FREUD
Based on him, the self is composed of three
layers, conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
The conscious mind includes thoughts, feelings,
and actions that you are currently aware of; the
preconscious mind includes mental activities that
are stored in your memory, not presently active
but can be accessed or recalled; while the
unconscious mind includes activities that you are
not aware of.
According to him, there are thoughts, feelings,
desires, and urges that the conscious mind wants
to hide, buried in your unconscious, but may shed
GILBERT RYLE
His concept of the self is provided in his
philosophical statement, “I Act therefore I am.”
Ryle views the self as the way people behave,
which is composed of a set of patterned behavior.

Basically, for Ryle, the self is the same as your


behavior.
PAUL CHURCHLAND
Churchland’s theory is anchored in the
statement, “the self is the brain.”
The self is inseparable from the brain and
the physiological body because the physical
brain gives the sense of self. In short, the
brain and the self are one.
Once the brain is dead, the self is dead too.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
His concept, “the self has embodied
subjectivity” explained that all your
knowledge about yourself and the world is
based on your subjective experiences and
everything that you are aware of is
contained in your consciousness.

For him, your body is your general medium


for having a world.
Question:
Which among the philosophies
discussed can you agree with? Why?
Create your own theory of the “self.”
END…..

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