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Understanding the Self 1

The document explores the concept of the self from philosophical and sociological perspectives, highlighting key thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Descartes. It also discusses the sociological concept of the self as shaped through social interactions, including Charles Cooley's 'looking glass self' theory and George Herbert Mead's distinction between the 'I' and the 'me.' The importance of self-reflection, social feedback, and language in developing one's self-identity is emphasized throughout.

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Maria Pearl
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9 views

Understanding the Self 1

The document explores the concept of the self from philosophical and sociological perspectives, highlighting key thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Descartes. It also discusses the sociological concept of the self as shaped through social interactions, including Charles Cooley's 'looking glass self' theory and George Herbert Mead's distinction between the 'I' and the 'me.' The importance of self-reflection, social feedback, and language in developing one's self-identity is emphasized throughout.

Uploaded by

Maria Pearl
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GEN 002

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF


MODULE 1&2
01
From the Perspective of Philosophy

At the end of the module, students will be able to:


1. Apply philosophical concepts to real-life
situations.
2. Analyze philosophical concepts by writing clear
and concise paragraphs that explain these
philosophical ideas and their significance.
Socrates
• father of Western philosophy, famously declared that
"the unexamined life is not worth living."

• He emphasized the importance of self-reflection and


critical thinking in the pursuit of truth and wisdom.

• Socrates encouraged individuals to question their


beliefs, values, and assumptions, challenging them to
seek knowledge and self-understanding through
dialogue and inquiry.
Socrates
• The goal of philosophy was to "Know thyself". Knowing others is
wisdom. Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires
force. Mastering the self requires strength.

• "Self-knowledge alone eradicates misery". Self-knowledge alone is the


means to the highest bliss." "Absolute perfection is the consummation of
Self-knowledge." Knowledge of oneself can be achieved only through the
Socratic Method, that is to say, the dialogue between the soul and itself,
or between a student and his teacher.

• Socrates is as often in the role of questioner, as an attendant emotional.


Socrates’ questions because he knows nothing, knows he knows nothing,
has nothing to learn, but it can help its followers to
PLATO
• He believed that the self is composed of two parts: the rational soul and the
irrational appetites. According to Plato, true knowledge comes from the
rational soul's pursuit of truth and virtue, while irrational appetites can lead
to ignorance and moral corruption.

• According to Plato, true knowledge comes from the rational soul's pursuit of
truth and virtue, while irrational appetites can lead to ignorance and moral
corruption.

• Plato is a dualist; there is both immaterial mind (soul) and material body, and
it is the soul that knows the forms. It is the soul that apprehends the forms,
existing both before birth and after death. Plato asserts that the soul, rather than
the body, is the locus of true knowledge, as it transcends the limitations of the
senses.
PLATO
The soul (mind) itself is divided into 3 parts: reason; appetite (physical urges);
will (emotion, passion, spirit.)
• The will is the source of love, anger, indignation, ambition, aggression, etc.
When these aspects are not in harmony, we experience mental conflict.
The will can be on the side of either reason or the appetites. We might be
pulled by lustful appetite, or the rational desire to find a good partner.

• To explain the interaction of these 3 parts of the self, Plato uses the image
is of the charioteer (reason) who tries to control horses representing will
and appetites. Elsewhere he says that reason uses the will to control the
appetites.
ARISTOTLE
• He believed that the self is a harmonious integration of various faculties,
reason, emotion, and perception.
• He advocated for eudaimonia, or flourishing, achieved through the balanced
development of these faculties.
• Self-awareness is vital for moral and intellectual growth, enabling individuals
to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
• Aristotle defined the soul as the essence of a living being but argued against
its having a separate existence.
• For instance, if a knife had a soul, the act of cutting would be that soul,
because 'cutting' is the essence of what it is to be a knife. The soul is an
activity of the body, it cannot be immortal (when a knife is destroyed, the
cutting stops). For Aristotle, "humans have bodies for rational activity," and
the potential for rational activity thus constituted the essence of a human soul.
St. Augustine
• Augustine integrated Christian theology with philosophical inquiry to explore
the nature of the self.

• He viewed the self as flawed due to original sin, a consequence of Adam and
Eve's disobedience, but capable of redemption through divine grace.

• Augustine emphasized the importance of faith, humility, and moral


transformation in understanding the self. He emphasizes the importance of faith,
repentance, and adherence to divine commandments.

• Augustine acknowledged the struggle between earthly desires and spiritual


fulfillment and emphasized the ongoing battle between the flesh and the spirit.
His perspective underscores humanity's inherent frailty and sinfulness, balanced
by the hope of divine forgiveness and redemption.
Descartes
• Descartes proposed a dualistic view of the self, distinguishing between
mind and body.

• Descartes' philosophy laid the groundwork for modern discussions on the


nature of consciousness and personal identity.

• He famously asserted, "I think, therefore I am“ (Cogito, ergo sum)


highlighting the primacy of consciousness in defining the self. This means
that as long as you're thinking, you know you exist. Although the mind and
body are physically together as a whole, the mind and body are mentally
independent and serve their own function. Man must use his own mind to
investigate, analyze, experiment, and develop himself.
02
Self from the Perspective of
Sociology
Lesson Objectives:
1. Demonstrate understanding of the sociological
concepts in real-world contexts.
2. Describe Charles Cooley's theory of the "looking
glass self" by writing a reflective essay and citing
real-life scenarios.
Sociological
Perspective on
Self
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. The self is
socially constructed in the sense that it is
shaped through interaction with other
people.
Feral Children
Feral children are kids who grow up isolated from society. They might
have been abandoned, lost in the wilderness, or raised by animals.
Because they don't have contact with people, they missed out on learning
all the things we usually pick up from our families, schools, and communities. For
example, they might not learn how to speak like we do. They might also struggle to
understand social rules, like how to behave in public or how to make friends Feral
children often face challenges in communicating, making connections with others, and
understanding the world around them. It's like missing out on a big part of growing up,
and it can affect them in many ways.
Charles Cooley’s theory of the “looking glass self.”
The three principal elements

Element 1 Element 2 Element 3


we imagine how we interpret the based on these imagined perceptions
others perceive us, feedback we receive and interpreted feedback, we develop a
from others, self-evaluation that shapes our sense of
identity, values, and beliefs about
ourselves.
For example, let's say you're preparing for a school presentation. You might
imagine how your classmates and teacher will react to your presentation skills,
knowledge, and confidence. If you believe they'll see you as knowledgeable and
confident, your mirror reflects a positive self-image, boosting your self-esteem. On the
other hand, if you worry they'll see you as unprepared or nervous, your mirror might
reflect self-doubt and lower self-esteem.

Another example is, imagine a high school student is preparing for a talent
show. He imagines how others will perceive their singing and stage performance. If he
believes others will see them as talented and confident, his self-esteem is high.
Positive feedback during the show reinforces boosting confidence further. However, if
he imagines negative perceptions or receives critical feedback, self-esteem may
decrease. This shows how the looking-glass self affects self-perception based on
imagined and actual social feedback.
Three activities develop the self:

1. Language develops self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through


symbols, gestures, words, and sounds. Language conveys others' attitudes and opinions
toward a subject or the person. Emotions, such as anger, happiness, and confusion, are
conveyed through language.

2. Play develops self by allowing individuals to take on different roles, pretend, and
express expectation of others. Play develops one's self-consciousness through role-
playing. During role-play, a person is able to internalize the perspective of others and
develop an understanding of how others feel about themselves and others in a variety of
social situations.

3. Games develop self by allowing individuals to understand and adhere to the rules of
the activity. Self is developed by understanding that there are rules in which one must
abide by in order to win the game or be successful at an activity.
Mead's theory of the social self is based on the perspective that the self
emerges from social interactions, such as observing and interacting with
others, responding to others' opinions about oneself, and internalizing
external opinions and internal feelings about oneself.

Mead develops William James' distinction between the "I" and the "me." The
"me" is the accumulated understanding of "the generalized other" i.e. how one
thinks one's group perceives oneself etc. The "I" is the individual's impulses.
The "I" is self as subject; the "me" is self as object. The "I" is the knower; the
"me" is the known. For Mead the thinking process is the internalized
dialogue between the "I" and the "me."

The "I" is the response of an individual to the attitudes of others, while the
"me" is the organized set of attitudes of others which an individual assumes.
Thank you!

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