UNDERSTANDING THE SELF SOCRATES

CHAPTER 1 ➤ KNOW THYSELF

➤ THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING
PHILOSOPHY- finding answers to serious questions about ourselves ⟶ Every man is dualistic
and about the world we live in: ⟶ Composed of body and soul
➤ What is morally right and wrong? Why? ⟶ 2 important aspects of personhood:
➤ What is a good life? ● BODY- imperfect and impermanent
➤ Does God exist? ● SOUL- perfect and permanent
➤ What is life? ➤ Was the first thinker to focus on the full power of reason on the
➤ Questioning existing knowledge and intuitions to get closer to the human self: who we are, who we should be, who we will become.
truths. ➤ The soul strives for wisdom and perfection, and the reason is the
soul’s tool to achieve an exalted state of life.
WHAT WILL YOU GET OUT OF PHILOSOPHY?
- Critical thinking - Reasoning SOCRATES’ DICHOTOMOUS REALMS
- Argument skills - Analysis⟶
PHYSICAL REALM IDEAL REALM
- Communication - Problem Solving
Changeable, Transient, Unchanging, eternal, and
WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU TO Imperfect immortal
➤ Justify your opinions
The body belongs to this realm The soul belongs to this realm
➤ Spot a bad argument, no matter what the topic is.
➤ Explain to people why they are wrong and you are right.
➤ Philosophy basically teaches you to think SOCRATES
⟶ A person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes
PYTHAGORAS virtuous and knows the value of himself that can be achieved through
- The first to use the term Philosophy constant soul-searching
- Philo and Sophia ⟶ This is best achieved when one tries to separate the body from the
soul as much as possible.
ORIGIN OF PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC
➤ Search for truth PLATO
➤ Search is to look for something ➤ THE SOUL OF A MAN IS IMMORTAL AND IMPERISHABLE
➤ Search for meaning ⟶ a student of socrates
- Importance ⟶ philosophy of the self can be explained as a process of
- Significance self-knowledge and purification of the soul.
- Values ⟶ he believed in the existence of mind and soul
- Relevance ⟶ mind and soul given in perfection with God.
 PLATO’S 3 PARTS OF THE SOUL ARISTOTLE’S 3 KINDS OF SOUL
1. RATIONAL ● Reason and Intellect 1. VEGETATIVE Physical body that can grow.
SOUL ● Divine Essence that enables us to think
deeply, make wise choices, and achieve 2. SENTIENT Sensual desires, feelings, & emotions
a true understanding of eternal truths.
3. RATIONAL Is what makes human. Includes intellect that
2. SPIRITED ● Emotion and passion makes man know and understand things.
SOUL ● Basic emotions (love, anger, ambition,
empathy, aggressiveness)

3. APPETITIVE ● Basic needs

SOUL ● Biological needs (hunger, thirst, sexual
desire)

⟶ the 3 elements of ourselves are in a dynamic relationship with one

another, sometimes in conflict.
⟶ when conflict occurs, plato believes that it is the responsibility of
our rational to sort things out and exert control, restoring harmonious
relationship among the three elements. ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
➤ A christian philosopher
ARISTOTLE ➤ Mainly focuses with God, and man’s relationship with God
➤ The soul is the essence of the self ➤ The self is known only through knowing God.
➤ Soul and body, react sympathetically upon each other. A change in
the state of the soul produces a change in the shape of the body and DIFFERENCE OF CHRISTIAN AND GREEK PHILOSOPHY
conversely, a change in the shape of the body produces a change in CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY GREEK PHILOSOPHY
the state of the soul.
⟶ A student of Plato Rely on God’s commands and Believes that man is innately
⟶ the body and soul are not two separate elements but are one thing his judgement determines what good and becomes evil through
is good and what is evil. ignorance of what is good.
⟶ the soul is simply the form of the body, and is not capable of
existing without the body.
⟶ the soul makes a person, a person. The soul is the essence of the RENE DESCARTES (1596-1650)
self. ➤ “I think, therefore I am”
⟶ rational nature of the self is to lead a good, flourishing, and fulfilling ⟶ The cognitive aspect of human nature is his basis for existence of
life. the self.
⟶ Without the body, the soul cannot exist. The soul dies along with
the body.
⟶ Anything with life has soul.
⟶ introduced the 3 kinds of soul.
 DESCARTES’ SYSTEM (the mind has 2 powers) THE PRINCIPLE OF HOW IDEAS RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER
1. The Principle of Resemblance- sensing the likeness of
INTUITION The ability to apprehend direction of certain truths.
current experiences to previous experiences.
DEDUCTION The power to discover what is not known by 2. The Principle of Contiguity- associating an event to another
progressing in an orderly way from what is already event.
known. Truth is arrived at using a step by step 3. The Principle of Cause and Effect- principle that all events
process. have sufficient causes. This idea arises only when people
experience certain relation between objects thus it cannot be a
THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM basis for knowledge.
SOUL/MIND (ALSO THE SELF)
- A substance that is separate from the body. HUME’S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
- The body, according to him, is like a machine that is controlled
by the will and aided by the mind. The part of the human nature is what other philosophers called the
‘soul’ ; Hume called it ‘The Self’
JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)
➤ His interest is the acquisition of knowledge The self is also a product of imagination.
⟶ POSTERIORI- knowledge results from ideas produced by
There is no such thing as ‘personal identity’ behind perceptions and
experiences. feelings that come and go.
⟶ TABULA RASA- “blank slate”
There is no permanent/unchanging self.
LOCKE’S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
⟶ “Nothing exist in the mind that was not first in the senses” GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976)
⟶ Humans have no innate ideas, morals, religious and political values ➤ Contradicted the cartesian dualism
and they come from sense experiences. ⟶ In his book entitled ‘The concept of the mind’, he argues that
⟶ morality has to do with choosing or willing to do good. dualism involves category mistakes and is a philosophical nonsense,

DAVID HUME (1711-1776) RYLE’S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE

➤ The mind receives materials from the senses and calls it
Man is endowed with free will.
perceptions.
Freewill was invented to answer the question of whether an action
TWO TYPES OF PERCEPTIONS deserves praise or blame.
⟶ IMPRESSIONS- immediate sensations of external reality.
⟶ IDEAS- Recollections of impressions. Freewill involves a moral responsibility which further assumes that
man’s action must be moral for it to be free.
➤ THESE TWO TOGETHER MAKE UP THE CONTENT OF
HUMAN MIND
TWO TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE MERLEAU-PONTY’S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
➤ KNOWING THAT- “empty intellectualism”, knowing only the facts.
Known as the philosopher of the body.
➤ KNOWING HOW- using facts and performing it using skill or
technical abilities. The focus is on the relationship between self-experience and
experience of other people.
KNOWING INVOLVES AN ABILITY AND NOT JUST AN
Develop the concept of body-subject and contented that
INTELLECT.
perceptions occur existentially.

PATRICIA AND PAUL CHURCHLAND The consciousness, the world, and the human body are all
➤ Canadian philosophers interconnected as they mutually perceive the world.
⟶ use application of neurology to problems such as the mind-body
The world is a field of perception and human consciousness
problem.
assigns meaning to the world.
⟶ man’s brain is responsible for the identity known as the ‘self’
⟶ Coined the term ‘neurophilosophy’ The meaning assigned for a particular object is subject to change
depending on the perspective upon which it was seen.
NEUROPHILOSOPHY
It is possible that one perspective may be perceived from various
⟶ The study of the philosophy of the mind, the philosophy of science,
perspectives.
neuroscience, and psychology.
⟶ explore the relevance of neuroscientific experiments/ studies to the
philosophy of the mind.
⟶ brain-mind issue is the center of this study. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
CHAPTER 2
CHURHCLAND’S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
SOCIOLOGY
Man’s brain is responsible for the identity known as the ‘self’ ➤ The scientific study of human social relations or group life.
➤ a study of human interactions, the relationships that occur within
The biochemical properties of the brain are really responsible for
man’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior. the group and the results of these interactions.

Individual’s deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions come from GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
abnormalities in the brain’s anatomy and physiology. ⟶ Born February 1863 in Massachusetts, USA
⟶ Graduated and taught grade school in Oberlin College
MAURICE MARLEAU-PONTY (1908-1961) ⟶ In 1887, he enrolled at Harvard University and his main interests
➤ A French phenomenological philosopher. were Philosophy and Psychology
⟶ wrote book on perception, art, and political thought. ⟶ Died of heart failure in 1931
⟶ his philosophy emphasized the human body as the primary site of
knowing the world.
 MEAD’S SOCIAL SELF STAGES OF SELF-FORMATION
SOCIAL BEHAVIORISM
STAGE EXISTENCE OF SELF CHARACTERISTICS
➤ The power of the environment in shaping human behavior
➤ Described the self as a ‘dimension of personality that is made-up of PREPARATORY NONE IMITATES
the individual’s self-awareness and self-image’ STAGE ANOTHER
➤ Self cannot be separated from the society
PLAY STAGE DEVELOPING ROLE-TAKING
STAGES OF SELF-FORMATION GAME STAGE PRESENT GENERALIZED
1. THE ⟶ 0 to 2 years of age OTHER
PREPARATORY ⟶ Children imitate the behaviors of people
STAGE around them MEAD’S THEORY OF THE SELF
⟶ At this stage, children starts to know and ⟶ The self is not present at birth but begins as a central character in
understand the symbols
a child’s world
⟶ The symbols are the bases of communication.
Ex. Language, gestures, objects ⟶ Children see themselves as the center of their ‘universe’
⟶ As the child grow and mature, they begin to see other people and
2. THE PLAY ⟶ 3 to 7 years of age now concerned about people’s reactions
STAGE ⟶ Skills at knowing and understanding the ⟶ SIGNIFICANT OTHERS is the family who play a major role in the
symbols of communication is important for formation of the self
socialization
⟶ Children begin to role play and pretend to be THE ‘I’ AND ‘ME’
other people I self
⟶ Role-taking is the process of mentally ⟶ When the person initiates or performs a social action, the self
assuming the perspective of another and see functions as a subject
how the person respond in a given situation ⟶ It represents the individual’s identity based on the response in his
own experience
3. THE GAME ⟶ 8-9 years of age Ex. I am 20 years old I am this. I am that
STAGE ⟶ The child begins to consider several tasks
and various types of relationships Me self
simultaneously ⟶ When the person takes the role of the other, the self function as an
⟶ Begins to see not only the own perspective object
but also the perspective of other people ⟶ It represents learned behaviors, attitudes and expectations of
⟶ ‘Generalized other’ is the behavior of the others and of society
person when he sees/ considers other people in Ex. Students around school voted for me. They chose me as class
the course of his actions president.
CHARLES HORTON COOLEY FACE-WORK
➤ Was an American Sociologist ⟶ Another aspect of the self
⟶ Made use of the socio psychological approach to understanding ⟶ Is the need to maintain proper image of the self to continue social
how societies work interaction
⟶ People learn who they are through their social interaction with ⟶ Helps achieve success in interpersonal communication
people
⟶ Our view of ourselves comes from contemplation of personal UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
qualities and by the impression and perception of others • CHAPTER 3
Looking-glass self or the self that is a product of social interaction
ANTHROPOLOGY
3 PHASES OF DEVELOPING A SELF ➤ Is a field of the social sciences that focuses on the study of man
➤ This field includes man’s physical/biological characteristics, his
1. People imagine how they present themselves to other
social relationships and the influences of his culture from the dawn of
2. People imagine how others evaluate them civilization up to the present
➤ Anthropology makes the person aware that what he is maybe
3. People develop some sort of feeling about themselves as a result determined by his past and present condition, his biological
of those impressions
characteristics, the way he communicates, the language that he uses
and the manner in which he chooses to live his life.
➤ The four subfields of Anthropology:
I am not what I think I am ⟶ Archaeology ⟶ Biological Anthropology
I am not what You think I am ⟶ Linguistics Anthropology ⟶ Cultural Anthropology
I am what I think You think I am
ARCHAEOLOGY
⟶ The study of the ancient and recent human past through material
ERVING GOFFMAN
remains
➤ a Canadian-American sociologist
⟶ Archaeological records consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts,
⟶ Known for his development of Modern American Sociology
and cultural landscapes
⟶ One of his popular work was The Presentation of the Self in
⟶ Archaeologists’ focus is the past and how it may have contributed
Everyday Life
to the present ways of how people conduct their daily lives
⟶ He observed that people learn to slant their presentation of
⟶ Archaeologists discovered the most important aspect of human
themselves in order to create preferred appearances and satisfy
nature, which is survival
particular audience
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
⟶ Also called physical anthropology
➤ The process of altering how the person presents himself to others
⟶ Is the study of the past and present evolution of the human species
⟶ Similarities of real social interaction to a theatrical presentation
and is especially concerned with understanding the causes of present
⟶ Also termed as dramaturgical approach
human diversity.
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY THEORY OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM
⟶ Studies the role of language in the social lives of individuals and ⟶ Is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to
communities make judgments using the standards of one’s own culture. ⟶
⟶ Explores how language shapes communication and how language The goal of this is promote understanding of cultural practices that are
and modes of communication change over time not typically part of one’s own culture.
⟶ An essential part of human communication is language ⟶ It leads to the view that no one culture is superior than another
⟶ Language is a system of communication used by a particular culture when compared to systems of morality, law, politics, etc.
country or community
⟶ Language identifies a group of people. The words, sounds, MANIFESTATION OF CULTURES
symbols, writings and signs that are used are reflections of a group’s
⟶ SYMBOLS ⟶ HEROES
culture
⟶ RITUALS ⟶ VALUES
⟶ Linguistic anthropologists’ interest focuses on using language as a
means to discover a group’s manner of social interaction and his
SYMBOLS
worldview
⟶ Are the words, gestures, pictures or objects that have a
⟶ English is the universal language
recognized/accepted meaning in a particular culture
⟶ Symbols are considered the most superficial level of culture
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
⟶ Symbols can be shared or copied by other cultures who find them
⟶ It is the study of human cultures, their beliefs, practices, values,
also fitting for their own culture
ideas, technologies, economies and other domains of social and
cognitive organization
HEROES
⟶ Culture is described as a group of people’s way of life. It includes
their behaviors, beliefs, values and symbols that they accept (usually ⟶ Are persons from the past or present who have characteristics that
unconsciously) that are socially transmitted through communication are important in a culture
and imitation from generation to generation. ⟶ They may be real or fictitious and are models for behavior

THEORY OF CULTURAL DETERMINISM RITUALS

➤ A belief that the culture in which we are raised determines who we
are at emotional and behavioral levels ⟶ Are activities (may be religious or social) participated in by a group
⟶ Positive implication of this theory suggests that human of people for the fulfillment of desired objectives and are considered to
beings can be shaped/formed to have the kind of life they prefer it be socially essential
further means that there is no limit placed on the human ability to be
or to do whatever they set their minds and hearts into.
⟶ Negative implication is that people have no control over VALUES
what they learn. They blindly accept the learning their cultures ⟶ Are considered to be the core of every culture
exposed them to. Human beings are seen as helpless and do only ⟶ Values are unconscious and can neither be discussed nor be
what their culture instructs them to do. directly observed but can only be inferred from the way people act
and react to circumstances and situations
⟶ Values involve human tendencies/preferences towards good or
bad, right or wrong
CULTURAL CHANGE 1. Conscious
⟶ happens because no society is in constant state. Society 2. Unconscious
continuously evolves from one period of time to another. ⟶ Preconscious
Ex. 1. Cultural Lag ⟶ Unconscious Proper
2. Cultural borrowing
PROVINCES OF THE MIND
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF ➤ Id ➤ Ego
CHAPTER 4 ➤ Superego
⟶ conscience
PSYCHOLOGY ⟶ ego-ideal
➤ derived from the Greek words ‘psyche’ which means ‘soul’ and
‘logos’ which means ‘the study of’ THE SELF AS PROACTIVE AND AGENTIC
⟶ scientific study of human behavior and mental processes ➤ Albert Bandura, a CanadianAmerican psychologist, is the
⟶ It is the field of social sciences that deals with the description, proponent of the personality theory known as The Social Cognitive
explanation, prediction and control of behavior. Theory
➤ Humans are seen as proactive and agentic which means that we
GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY have the capacity to exercise control over life
⟶ DESCRIBE ⟶ EXPLAIN
⟶ PREDICT ⟶ CONTROL THE SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY
➤ The outstanding characteristic of people is plasticity, that is people
NATURE VS NURTURE CONTROVERSY have the flexibility to learn through direct experiences, although he
➤ the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that places more emphasis on vicarious learning or learning through
genes and experiences make to the development of psychological observing others.
traits and behaviors
TRIADIC RECIPROCAL CAUSATION PARADIGM
SIGMUND FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYSIS ➤ Explains how human beings are affected by the interaction among
environmental events, behavior and personal factors
I. OVERVIEW OF ⟶ Unconscious motives/desires Sex and
THE THEORY Aggression
⟶ Ex. A child does not like a particular subject, so he/she will not
⟶ “The child is the father of the man”
study it (personal factor). This will lead to getting lower marks in the
⟶ All human behavior have a cause.
exam, which will lead to the child being at the receiving end of his
II. FREUD’S ⟶ Freisber, Moravia; Vienna, Austria; England parents' and teacher's reprimands (environment). This will make the
BIOGRAPHY ⟶ First of six children child not want to study that subject even more, and he/she may also
⟶ Excellent student begin disliking the teacher (behavior), creating further problems
⟶ Ana Freud

LEVELS OF MENTAL LIFE

 SELF REGULATION
According to Albert Bandura, self regulation is a continuously active
process in which we:
1. Monitor our own behavior, the influences on our behavior,
and the consequences of our behavior;
2. Judge our behavior in relation to our own personal
standards and broader, more contextual standards;
3. React to our own behavior (i.e., what we think and how we
feel about our behavior)
⟶ Social cognitive theory take an agentic perspective, meaning
people have the competence to exercise control over the nature
and quality of their lives. People are the producers and products of OTHER SELVES IN PSYCHOLOGY
the social system.
REAL AND IDEAL SELF-CONCEPTS
⟶ People regulate their action through external and internal CARL ROGERS (1902-1987)
factors. External factor includes people’s physical and social
⟶ Born on January 8, 1902
environment, while Internal factor includes self-observation,
judgmental process and self-reaction ⟶ Humanistic Psychologist
⟶ Proposed the personality theory known as the Client
⟶ When people discover themselves in an unclear situation they Centered or Person-Centered Theory
typically try to regulate their behavior through moral agency which
includes redefining behavior, disregarding or distorting the ➤ For a person to grow, he must need an environment that can
consequences of the behavior and doing away responsibility for
provide him with genuineness, acceptance, and empathy.
their actions.
➤ He believes that a person has one basic motive, that is, to self
actualize.
➤ He believes a person to be self-actualized must be in a state of
CORE FEATURES OF HUMAN AGENCY congruence.
➤ INTENTIONALITY – deals with the forming of intentions that
include action plans and strategies to realize themes or goals. SELF CONCEPT
➤ FORETHOUGHT– refers to the person’s anticipation of likely ⟶ refers to how the person thinks about or perceives himself
outcomes of their actions ⟶ Includes all those aspects of one’s being and one’s experiences
➤ SELF-REACTIVENESS– refers to the process of motivating and that are perceived in awareness (though not always accurately) by the
regulating our own actions individual
➤ SELF-REFLECTIVENESS– refers to examining our own ⟶ Defined the self as flexible and changing perception of personal
functioning; thinking about and evaluating our motivations, values, life identity.
goals, and the actions of other people have on us.
⟶ SELF EFFICACY– the person’s belief that he is capable of 2 TYPES OF SELF-CONCEPT
behavior that will produce the desired positive results
 MURRAY BOWEN
REAL SELF-CONCEPT IDEAL SELF-CONCEPT
⟶ an American Psychiatrist and professor of Psychiatry. He
⟶ Refers to all information and ⟶ It is the model version the developed the, Family Therapy and Systemic Therapy. His
perception the person has about person has of himself and what observation of the family (particularly his own) he came up with the
himself the person aims for himself to be concept of a differentiated self
⟶ This is who the person ⟶ This idealized view was borne
actually is out of his experiences, DIFFERENTIATED SELF
standards and demands of ➤ According to this theory there are two forces that affect the
society and the heroes and person, Togetherness and Individuality
models which he chooses to
imitate ⟶ Too much togetherness creates friction and conflict and
prevents development of the person’s sense of self
⟶ Answer the question, ⟶ Answers the question
“Who am I? “Who do I want to be? ⟶ Too much individuality results in distant and strange feelings
towards family and other people

⟶ A balance should be maintained between these two forces

TRUE AND FALSE SELVES
DONALD WOODS WINNICOTT
⟶ English Pediatrician and Psychoanalyst DIFFERENTIATED SELF
⟶ D.W. Winnicott suggests that play is significant in the ➤ Enables the person to develop and sustain unique identity, make
development of the child own choices, and accept responsibility for behavior and still be able
to stay emotionally connected with family and friends
TRUE SELF FALSE SELF
➤ Being able to free himself from the influence of others allow him
⟶ is one in which the self is ⟶ a defense, a kind of mask to define himself
seen as creative, spontaneously that hides the true person for
experiencing each day of their fear of the pain of rejection and
failure
lives, appreciating being alive,
real, integrated and connected
to the whole of existence

DIFFERENTIATED SELF