understandin

g the self
 course
instructor

RHEA ANDREA T. TIMOGAN,

LPT
ENGLISH TEACHER
 Course
introduction
This course is intended
to facilitate the
exploration of the
issues and concerns
regarding self and
identity to arrive at a
better understanding of
one’s self.
 Course
introduction
it is necessary that students will analyze how
understanding oneselfi s the most interesting
and challenging task as an individual should
be able to achieve in a lifetime, aswell as
they will establish an adequate knowledge on
the diff erent and several information
aboutthemselves from various perspectives
 Course
•
introduction
time
: their past, present and future self;

• dimensional:
theirphysical, emotional mental, social and
spiritual self;

• functional:
their political, material, economic,and digital
 objectives
• Explain the nature, concept and meaning of the
self.

• Discuss and explain the diff erent roles and

philosophical standpoint in understanding the
self andhow these philosophical perspectives
have molded through times.

• Synthesize and analyze the diff erent

 let us try
• Describe yourself
based on your own
perspective or point
of view?

• What aspect of
yourself do you feel
good about? Why?
Why are you in this
subject?
College life said to be the most challenging
and exciting phase of your life. It is entirely
new adventure that everyone looks forward
to. It is a world diff erent form your primary
as well as junior and senior high schools.
Since you are in your freshman year,
everything - including this subject – is new
to you.
 An Overview
of Self/Identity
The “self” has many aspects. These
aspects make up the “self’s” integral
parts, such as self -awareness, self-
esteem, self-knowledge, and self-
perception. With these aspects that
person is able to alter, change, add/or
modify himself or herself for the purpose
of gaining social acceptance.
 An Overview
of Self/Identity
The “self” is an important study in
psychology. It holds either the cognitive and
aff ective representation of an individual.
Knowing oneself is critical to being an
eff ective team member as well asbeing
successful in life, work, and relationships.
Your personal identity infl uences everything
you do, and it changes and evolves over
 An Overview
of Self/Identity
The “self” is a topic that is often taked about but
largely goes unnoticed. Every time that ‘I’ is
mentioned (e.g. I will go to the theatre) the self is
highlighted as an actor. The consciousness of
theexistence of the self has been almost
automatic or refl exive.
 An Overview
of Self/Identity
Thus, people are almost unaware of that in our
everyday living. Scholars (i.e., theorists,
scientists, philosophers) in diff erent fi elds have
attemptedto explain and expound some several
issues about the character, subsistence and
dimensionality of the
“self”.
 What is the
nature of self?
philosophical

anthropologica
l
sociological
psychological
western and eastern
 philosophical
view of self
Philosophy is often
called as the mother of
all disciplines simply
because all fi elds of
study began as
philosophical discourses
 philosophical
view of self
Philosophy is from the
Greek words Philo -(loving)
and Sophia (knowledge,
wisdom). At simplest,
philosophy is means
“loving knowledge” or
“loving wisdom”.
philosophical
view of self
It also investigates the
legitimacy of concepts
by rational arguments
concerning their
implications,
relationships as well as
moral judgment and
etcConsequently,
 philosophical
view of self
Ample of Philosophies
concerns with the essential
nature of the self. The
philosophical framework for
understanding the self was
fi rst introduced by the
ancient great Greek
philosophers Socrates,
philosophical
view of self
The Greeks were the ones
who seriously questioned
myths and moved away
from them to understand
reality and respond to
perennial questions of
curiosity, including the
questions of the self.
SOCRATES
• Socrates was a Greek
philosopher.
• he never wrote anything
• All the information about
him today is through
second-hand information
from his student Plato
SOCRATES
• For Socrates the self is
synonymous with the soul
• .every human possesses an
immortal soul that survives
the physical body
• the real self is not the
physical body, but rather
the psyche (or soul)
SOCRATES
• Socrates suggests that
man must live an examined
life and a life of purpose
and value
• an individual can have a
meaningful and happy life
only if he becomes virtuous
and knows the value of
himself that can be
SOCRATES
• the state of your inner
being (soul/self)
determines the quality of
your life

• The core of Socratic ethics

is the concept of virtue and
knowledge
 Ancient greek
philosophers:
SOcrates
• The core of Socratic ethics is the concept of
virtue and knowledge

virtue = the basic and most basic propensity

of man

self-knowledge = the source of all wisdom, an

individual may gain possession of oneself and
SOCRATES
• “the worst thing that can
happen to anyone is to live
but die inside.”
• “every person is dualistic”
• “the true task of the
philosopher is to know
oneself.”
• imperfect/permanent
(body) + perfect &
permanent (soul)
 plato
• Plato is another Greek
Philosopher who elaborates
Socrates’ concept of the
soul
• asserted the physical world
is not really the “real”
world because the ultimate
reality exists beyond the
physical world
 plato
• introduces the idea of a
three-part soul/self -
reason, physical appetite,
and spiritor passion
• The self/soul/mind
according to Plato, is the
best aspect of the human
beings by which the FORMS
(ideas) are known.
 plato
• REASON is the divine
essence that enables us to
think deeply, make wise
decisions andachieve the
true understanding of
eternal truths.
• PHYSICAL APPETITE
includes our biological
needs such as hunger,
thirst, and sexual desires.
 plato

• SPIRIT or PASSION composes
the basic emotions like love,
anger, ambition,
aggressiveness , and
empathy.
ST. AGUSTINE
• Augustine is regarded as a
saint (St. Augustine of Hippo)
inthe Catholic Church
• one of the most signifi cant
Christian thinkers
• He integrates the ideas of
Plato and teachings of
Christianity
ST. AGUSTINE
• Augustine asserted that these
forms were concepts existing
within the perfect and eternal
God where the soul belonged
• Augustine describes that
humankind is created in the
image and likeness of God
• Everything created by God is all
good is good. Therefore, the
human person, being a creation
of God is always geared
towards the good.
ST. AGUSTINE
• St. Augustine highlighted the
signifi cance of refl ection, as
well as prayers and confessions
to arrive at justifi cations for the
existence of God
• St. Augustine believes that a
virtuous life is dynamism of
love
• love and justice as the
foundation of self
rene descartes
• René Descartes was a French
philosopher, mathematician,
and a scientist andconsidered
as the father of modern
philosophy
• Cogito Ergo Sum–
“I think therefore I am
• He asserted that everything
perceived by the senses could
not be used as proof
ofexistence because human
senses could be fooled
rene descartes
Descartes’ claims about the
“self” are:
• It is constant; it is not
prone to change; and it is
not aff ected by time.
• Only the immaterial soul
remains the same
throughout the time.
• The immaterial soul is the
source of our identity.
rene descartes
BODY SOUL
It is a conscious, thinking substance that is
It is a material substance that changesthrough time
unaffected by time.

It is known only to itself (only you knowyour own

mental event and others correctyour mental
It can be doubted; The public can correctclaims about the
states). body

It is not made up of parts. It views the entirety of

itself with no hidden or separate compartments. It
is both conscious and aware of itself at the same It is made up of physical, quantifiable,divisible parts.
time
rene descartes
• he introduces the idea of
the thinking self (soul) as
non-material, immortal,
conscious being, and
independent of the
physical laws of the
universe
• the physical body isa
material mortal, non-
thinking entity, fully
governed by the physical
laws of the nature
rene descartes

• the body and the soul are

independent of one another
and each can exist and
function without the other.
short-quiz 1.
According to him,“an unexamined life is
not worth living”

a. socrates
b. plato
c. aristotle
d. all of the
above
short-quiz 2.
in his theory of forms, he introduces
the concept of the two worlds; the
world of forms (non-physical ideas)
and the world of sense (reality)

a. socrates
b. plato
c. aristotle
d. all of the
above
short-quiz 3.
he is regarded as the father of
modern philosophy

a. socrates
b. plato
c. aristotle
d. all of the
above
short-quiz 4.
he postulates that the human mind
at birth is a blank slate or tabula
rasa

a. st. augustine
b. rene descartes
c. john locke
d. plato
short-quiz 4.
he postulates that the human mind
at birth is a blank slate or tabula
rasa

a. st. augustine
b. rene descartes
c. john locke
d. plato
short-quiz 5.
he believed that the most important
thing in life is the state of an
individual’s soul

a. socrates
b. plato
c. aristotle
d. rene descartes
short-quiz 6.
he believed that the human being is
both a soul and a body

a. socrates
b. plato
c. aristotle
d. st. augustine
short-quiz 7.
plato believed that there are three
parts of the soul, namely:

a. appetitive, rational, and spirited

b. appetitive, spirited, and rational
c. rational, spirited, and appretive
d. spirited, rational, and appetitive
short-quiz 8.
he claimed that human knowledge is
derived from experiences

a. rene descartes
b. st. augustine
c. john locke
d. all of the above
short-quiz 9.
he is famous for this phrase, “i
think, therefore i am”

a. john locke
b. rene descartes
c. st. augustine
d. john bowlby
short-quiz 10.
he believed in the balance between
mind and body

a. plato
b. aristotle
c. socrates
d. st. augustine
 john locke

• John Locke is an English

philosopher and physician
• the human mind at birth is
Tabula rasa or a blank slate
• the “self” or personal
identity is basically
constructed from the
experiences
 john locke

• the memories of a person

provide the continuity of its
experiences that
allowshim/her to really
identify himself as the same
person over the time
 john locke
Some of John Locke’s ideas
about the “self”:

• Believed that at birth human

mind is a blank slate; a tabula
rasa (empty of ideas)
• All ideas are based on
sensation arriving at
explanation by observing
phenomena
recap
recap
david hume
• David Hume suggests that if
people carefully examine
their senseof experience
through the process
ofi ntrospection, they will
discover that there is no self
• According to him, what
people experience is just
bundle or collection of
diff erent perceptions
david hume
• Hume is identifi ed with the
Bundle Theory wherein he
described the “self” or
person (which Hume
assumed to be “mind”) as a
bundle or collection of
diff erent perceptions that
are moving in a very fast
manner.
 david hume
Hume divided the mind’s
perceptions into two groups:
• impressions. Perceptions that are the
most strong. These are directly
experienced; they resultfrom inward
and outward sentiments.
• Ideas. The less lively counterparts of
impressions. These are mechanisms
that copy and reproduce sense data
formulated based upon the previously
perceived impressions.
david hume
• For Hume, the “self” was
nothing but a series of
incoherent impressions
received by the senses
• He insisted that your
perceptions are only active for
as long as your are conscious
immanuel kant
• For German philosopher
Immanuel Kant, it is the self
that makes experiencing an
intelligible world possible
because it is the self that
isactively organizing and
synthesizing all of our
thoughts and perceptions
immanuel kant
• the human mind creates the
structure of human experience
• Kant’s view of the “self” is
transcendental, which means
the “self” is related to
spiritual or nonphysical realm
immanuel kant
• The self is outside the body,
and it does not have qualities
of the body
• He proposed that it is
knowledge that bridges the
“self” and the material things
together
immanuel kant
Two kinds of consciousness of
self (rationality):
• Consciousness of oneself and
one’s psychological states in
inner sense, and
• Consciousness of oneself and
one’s states by performing
acts of appreciation
immanuel kant

• Kant’s point is that what truly

exist are your ideas and your
knowledge of your ideas that
you perceive in the outside
sigmund freud
• sigmund freud was an Austrian
neurologist who became known
as the founding father of
psychoanalysis
• developed the best-known
theory of personality focused
upon internal growth or
psychodynamics
sigmund freud
• sigmund freud was an Austrian
neurologist who became known
as the founding father of
psychoanalysis
• developed the best-known
theory of personality focused
upon internal growth or
psychodynamics
• The theory stresses the
infl uence of unconscious fears,
desires and motivation on
sigmund freud
• Psychoanalytic theory has three
major parts: A theory of the
structure ofpersonality, in
which the id, ego and superego
are the principal parts
• A theory of personality
dynamics, in which conscious
and unconscious motivation and
ego-defense mechanisms play a
major role
sigmund freud
• A theory of psychosexual
development, in which diff erent
motives and body regions
infl uence the child at diff erent
stages of growth, with eff ects
persisting in the form of adult
personality traits
sigmund freud
Structure of personality:
Freud thought of personality as
being based upon a structure of
three parts: the id,the ego and the
superego.
• ID – Pleasure
• EGo– Reality
• SUPEREGO– For perfection/ideal
sigmund freud
Psychoanalytic Model
ID (primitive, instinctive
component of personality) – Latin
word of Id is ‘It’
Id is the original source of
personality, which is present in a
newborn
sigmund freud
• The Id, the most primitive part,
can be thought of as a sort of
storehouse of biologically based
urges: to eat, drink, eliminate,
and especially, to be sexually
stimulated
• The sexual energy that underlies
these urges is called the libido.
• It is present in the deepest level
of the unconscious and
represents the inner world of
subjective experience .
sigmund freud

• It is unconcerned with objective

reality and is unaff ected by the
environment Id is completely
selfi sh; concerned with immediate
gratifi cation of instinctual needs,
and the biological drives,like
hunger, sex.
sigmund freud
Ego (the decision-making
component) - The Latin word of ego
is ‘I’ which means ‘self’
• The ego acts as a mediator or
balance between the demands of
Id and superego.
• It postponed the desires
 gilbert ryle
• gilbert ryle Denies the
internal, non-physical self
“what truly matters is the
behavior that a person
manifests inhis day-to-day
life.”
• “I act therefore, i am”
• summarizes the essential
elements of the dualistic
view of the self
 gilbert ryle
• the body is seen as a
physicalentity, subject to
the physical laws of the
universe, whereas the mind
(soul, spirit) is a
nonphysical entity and
exempt from the laws of the
universe.
• Although each person has
direct knowledge of his or
her mind, it is impossible
for us to have anydirect
knowledge of other minds
 gilbert ryle
• In our everyday experience,
we act and speak as if we have
much more direct knowledge
of other minds and what
they’re thinking without
having to go through this
tortured and artifi cial
reasoning process.
 paul
churchland
• paul Churchland holds to eliminative
materialism Stated simply, eliminative
materialism argues that the ordinary folk
psychology of the mind is wrong.

• It is the physical brain and not the imaginary

mind that gives us our sense of self.

• Churchland asserted the sense of self is

originated from the brain itself and that self
is a product of an electromagnetic signals
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
• maurice merleau- ponty’s idea of “SELF”
is an Embodied Subjectivity

• the self is not a purely rational or

intellectual entity, but is instead an
embodied and experiential one, which
means that our understanding of
ourselves and the world around us is
shaped by our physical, sensory, and
emotional experiences.
recap
recap