Introduction: Names represent who we are. It is only a signifier not the person itself.

Self is something that a person

perennially (constantly) molds, shape and develops. Self is not static. (it’s a lifelong process)

SELF: Philosophical View

SOCRATES: Know Yourself PLATO: The Ideal self, Perfect Self
“Every man is composed of body and soul” “Love in fact is one of the links between the
(dualism) sensible and the eternal world”
body: imperfect, impermanent
-Socrates’ student. He supported his master’s idea
soul: perfect, permanent
of dualism (body and soul).
-He is principally concerned with man.
-He proposed the 3 components of the soul.
Rational (reason and intellect), Spiritual (govern
-first philosopher who engages in systematic
emotions) and Appetitive (based on desires).
questioning about the self.
They should work harmoniously to attain justice
in human.
-The core of Socratic ethics is the concept of
virtue and knowledge. (virtue is innate in -He believed that a man is omniscient before he
mind; self-knowledge is source of all wisdom. came into this world. Our soul can come to new
form after we die and the present self must
-An individual may gain possession of oneself imitate his former self, he should live a life of
and be one’s own master through knowledge. virtue in which true human perfection exists.

RENE DESCARTES: I think, therefore I am DAVID HUME: self is the bundle theory of mind

“What then am I? A thinking thing...” -an empiricist who believe that one can only
know through senses and experiences. (a person
-There is so much to doubt since much of knows someone because he sees, sense or touch
what we think and believe is not infallible and him)
may turn out to be false.
-He said that self is a bundle of impressions.
-One cannot doubt is the existence of self. The self is bundle/ collection of various
-For him, Self is combination of 2 entities. perceptions which succeed each other with an
1. COGITO (mind: thing that thinks) inconceivable rapidity and are in perpetual flux.
2. EXTENZA (body: like a machine attached (Self is collection of all experiences with a
to the mind) particular being) These can be categorized
-Human has body but that’s not what make into two:
human a human, it’s the mind. Impression- basic objects of our experience, it
-Mind and body are independent to each other forms core of our thoughts (direct experience)
but must use both to develop himself.

IMMANUEL KANT- Respect for Self Biblical View

-Man is an end on himself and should never be “God Created man in his image; In the divine image He
treated as means- as per the order of the Creator and created him; male and female… be fertile and multiply;
the natural order of things. fill the earth and subdue it…” Gen 1:24-28
-Apparatus of Mind: mind that organizes the
impressions that men got from external world (time -Self is a “multi-bejeweled crown of creation”- the
and space are built in human mind). many gems there of representing and radiating the
-Without self, one cannot organize different glorious facets of man’s self that includes physical,
impressions that one gets in relation to his own intellectual, moral, aesthetic, sensual and more aspects.
existence.
-Self is also seat of knowledge (place where people
 Augustine: Love and Justice as foundation of THOMAS AQUINAS: Angelic Doctor
Individual Self
-He combined platonic ideas into Christianity -Adapting some ideas from Aristotle, Thomas
perspective. said that man is composed of two parts: matter
and form.
-Agreed that human is dual in nature. Body is
Matter (hyle): common stuff that makes
bound to die on earth while soul is to anticipate
everything
living eternally in communion with God.
Form (morphe): essence of substance or things
-Virtuous life is the dynamism of love (loving
-What makes a human person a human is his
God is to love others and loving other’s is to do
essence. Like Aristotle, he believes that soul is

SELF: Psychological View

Sigmund Freud Erik Erikson
(Psychoanalytic Theory of Self) He said that human (Psychosocial Stages of Self-Development) (Kapag hindi natin
psyche(personality) is structured into 3 parts: na obtain yung psychosocial personalities na dapat matutunan sa
development, yung kalabigtaran ang makukuha natin)
ID-internal desires
-concerned with how both psychological and social factors
EGO-reality affect the development of individuals.
SUPEREGO-conscience Erikson’s Psychosocial Stage of Self
-Also, development of individual can be divided into Development
distinct stage characterized by sexual drive: Approx Age Psychosocial Crisis
Infant- 18 Trust Vs. Mistrust -child is dependent on
Five Psychosexual Stage of Development months adult, if fails to provide adequate care, the
child will feel that they cannot trust or
Birth to 12 Oral Stage depend upon the adults in their life.
Months Infant’s pleasure centers on 18 months- Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt-If children
mouth 3 years are criticized, overly controlled, or not given
(dito din nadedevelop ang Ego) the opportunity to assert themselves, they
begin to feel inadequate in their ability
1 to 3 Years Anal Stage 3-5 Years Initiative Vs. Guilt-child will often
Focuses on Anus and from overstep the mark in his forcefulness, and the
danger is that the parents will tend to punish
Elimination (fixation: if kulang, the child and restrict his initiatives too much.
dugyot, di maayos sa katawan) 5-13 Years Industry Vs. Inferiority-If children are
3 to 6 Years Phallic Stage encouraged and reinforced for their initiative,
Child pleasure focuses on they begin to feel industrious. If this
initiative is not encouraged, if it is restricted
genital by parents, then the child begins to feel
(Fixation: Oedipus and Electra inferior
complex) 13-21 Identity Vs. Role Confusion-Failure to
7-11 Years Latency Stage Years establish a sense of identity within society ("I
Child represses sexual interest don’t know what I want to be when I grow
and develops social and up") can lead to role confusion(not being
sure in self)
intellectual skills (an interlude)
21-39 Intimacy Vs. Isolation-we begin to share
Puberty Genital Years ourselves more intimately with others. It can
result in happy relationships and a sense of
Onward Sexual reawakening. Sexual commitment but opposite is fearing
pleasure commitment and loneliness
40-65 Generativity Vs. Stagnation-By failing
Years to find a way to contribute, we become
(if hindi nadevelop bawat stage, babalik at babalik ka
stagnant and feel unproductive. These
rito. You can also have obsessive compulsive individuals may feel disconnected or
disorder) uninvolved with their community
65 and Ego Integrity Vs. Despair-Individuals
Older who reflect on their life and regret not
 One of the loci, if not the most important axis of analysis is the relationship
(Asynchronous Lesson)
between the self and the external world.

SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

(SELF: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF)

WHAT IS SELF? in contemporary literature and even SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE

common sense, it’s commonly defined by the following argues for a merged view of the person and their
characteristics: social context where the boundaries of one cannot
easily be separated from the boundaries of the other.
Separate Self is distinct from other selves.
Always unique, one cannot be (interactions between people and how they use
another person. language to construct their reality).
Self-contained Self is self-contained with its own Self has to be seen as something that is in unceasing
and thoughts, characteristics, and volition. flux, in a constant struggle with external reality
It does not require any other self for it
Independent and is malleable in its dealings with society.
to exist.
Consistent it has a personality that is enduring As a man of different roles, one can expect a person
and therefore can be expected to to change and adjust his behaviors, ways and even
persist for language depending on his social; situation.
quite some time. a particular self
traits , characteristics, tendencies, and -self is capable of morphing and fitting itself into
potentialities are more or less the any circumstances it finds itself in.
same.
Unitary Self is the center of all experiences
and thoughts that run through a 1. SELF AND CULTURE- According to Marcel
certain person. Like a chief command Mauss, every self has two faces: personne and
post where all processes , emotion, moi.
and thoughts converge. Moi - person's sense of who he is, his body, and
Private We sort out information, feelings etc.
his basic identity, his biological governess. Moi is
through processes within the self and
a person's basic identity.
it’s never accessible to anyone but the
self. Self is isolated from the external Personne –composed of the social concepts of
world what it means to be who he is. What it means to
2. THE SELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
live in a particular institution, family, nationality
SOCIAL WORLD
etc. and how to behave given expectations and
Language as both a publicly shared and privately utilized
symbol system is the site where the individual and the 3. GENDER AND THE SELF
social make and remake each other.
GENDER is one of those loci of the self that is
For Mead & Vygotsky the way that the human persons subject to alteration, change, and development.
develop is with the use of language acquisition and our gender partly determines how we see
interactions with others -without a family biologically and ourselves in the world. Often times society
sociologically a person may not even survive or became a forces a particular identity unto us depending on
human person. our sex and /or gender.

A young child internalized values, norms, practices, and (Self in Families)

social beliefs and more through exposure to these dialogs
Sociologists focus on the different institutions in
that will eventually become part of his individual world.
powers at play in the society. Among these the
VYGOTSKY, for this part a child internalizes real life
most prominent is the family. GENDER has to
dialogs that he has had with others, with his family, his
be personally discovered and asserted and not
primary caregiver, or his play mates.
dictated by culture and the society.