UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Course Overview
THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE
PHILOSOPHICAL
SOCIOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
EASTERN AND WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
UNPACKING THE SELF
PHYSICAL SELF
SEXUAL SELF
MATERIAL/ ECONOMIC SELF
SPIRITUAL SELF
POLITICAL SELF
DIGITAL SELF
MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF
LEARNING TO BE A BETTER STUDENT
TAKING CHARGE OF ONE’S HEALTH

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.
The “self” is an important study in psychology. It holds either the cognitive and affective representation of
an individual. Knowing oneself is critical to being an effective team member as well as being successful in
life, work, and relationships. Your personal identity influences everything you do, and it changes and evolves
over time.
The “self” is a topic that is often talked 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 the existence of the self
has been almost automatic or reflexive. Thus, people are almost unaware of that in our everyday living.
Scholars (i.e., theorists, scientists, philosophers) in different fields have attempted to explain and expound
some several issues about the character, subsistence, and dimensionality of the “self”.

What is the Nature of the Self?

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 Philosophical perspective of the self
PHILOSOPHY
PHILA - love; SOPHIA - wisdom
Philosophy employs the inquisitive mind to discover the ultimate causes, reasons, and principles of
everything
The Nature of the self is a topic of interest among philosophers.
The philosophical framework for understanding the self was heavily explored by ancient Greek
philosophers Socrates and Plato.

ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY

SOCRATES
AN UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING

For Socrates, the self is synonymous with the soul. He

believes that every human possesses an immortal
soul that survives the physical body. Socrates was
the first to focus on the full power of reason on the
human self: who we are, who we should be, and who
we will become.

He suggests that reality consists of two dichotomous

realms:

1. Physical Realm - changeable, transient, and imperfect

- the physical world in which man lives,
as well as the body, belongs here.

2. Ideal Realm - unchanging, eternal, perfect, and

immortal.
- includes the intellectual essences of
the universe, concepts such as truth,
goodness, and beauty.
-the soul belongs here
Socrates explains that the essence of the self – the soul – is the immortal entity.
It strives for wisdom and perfection, and reason is the soul’s tool to achieve this
exalted state. But then, as long as the soul is tied to the body, the quest for
wisdom is inhibited by the imperfection of the physical realm, where it wanders
and is confused.
Socrates thus suggests that man must live an examined life and a life of purpose
and value. For him, an unexamined life is not worth living. An individual can have a
meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the value of
himself that can be achieved through incessant soul-searching. He must begin at
the source of all knowledge and significance – the self.

The Socratic method – introspection – is a method of carefully examining one’

thoughts and emotions – to gain self-knowledge.

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 PLATO
THE SELF IS AN IMMORTAL SOUL

A student of Socrates, Plato elaborated on his

teacher’s concept of the soul. He believed that the
self is synonymous with the soul. His philosophy can
be explained as a process of self-knowledge and
purification of the soul.

Specifically, Plato introduces the idea of a three-part

soul/self: reason, physical appetite, and
spirit/passion.

Reason (or rational soul) is the divine essence that

enables us to think deeply, make wise choices, and
achieve a true understanding of eternal truths.

Physical appetite (or appetitive soul) includes our basic biological needs such as
hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.

Spirit or Passion (or spirited soul) includes basic emotions such as love, anger,
ambition, aggressiveness, and empathy.

These three elements of our selves are in a dynamic relationship with one
another, sometimes in conflict. When conflict occurs, Plato believes it is the
responsibility of Reason to sort things out and exert control, restoring a
harmonious relationship among the three elements of ourselves.

Further, he believes that genuine happiness can only be achieved by people

who consistently make sure that their Reason is in control of their Spirits and
Appetites. This harmonious integration under the control of Reason is the essence
of Plato’s concept of justice. As such, if man lives in accordance to his nature,
then he is giving justice to his existence.

In his Theory of Forms, Plato further elaborates his ideas about the soul and
introduces the concepts of the two worlds: the world of forms (non-physical
ideas) and the world of sense (reality).
real and permanent

temporary; only a replica of the ideal world

Plato claims that the sensible world is dependent on the ideal world where the
concept of the soul belongs. Since soul is regarded as something permanent,
man should give more importance to it than the physical body which resides in
the world of sense.

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 ARISTOTLE
THE SOUL IS THE ESSENCE OF THE SELF

Another Greek philosopher, Aristotle, believed that

the soul is merely a set of defining features and does
not consider the body and soul as separate entities.
He suggests that anything with life has a soul. The
soul is the essence of all livings. Thus, the soul is the
essence of the self. However. humans differ from
other living things because of their capacity for
rational thinking. His discussion about the self
centers on the three kinds of soul possessed by man:
vegetative, sentient, and rational.
Vegetative soul includes the physical body that can grow.

Sentient soul includes sensual desires, feelings, and emotions.

Rational soul is what makes man human and includes the intellect that allows
man to know and understand things.

Thus, Aristotle suggests that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good,
flourishing, and fulfilling life (self-actualization). The pursuit of happiness is a search
for a good life that includes doing virtuous actions. In saying this, he posits that part
of the rational soul is characterized by moral virtues such as justice and courage.

MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
ST. AUGUSTINE
THE SELF HAS AN IMMORTAL SOUL

The African philosopher, Augustine, is regarded as a saint

(i.e., St. Augustine of Hippo) in the Catholic Church. He
integrates the ideas of Plato and teachings of Christianity.
Augustine believes that the physical body is radically
different from and inferior to its inhabitant, the immortal
soul. As his thinking matured, he developed a more unified
perspective on the body and soul. He ultimately came to
view the body as “spouse” of the soul, both attached to
one another by a “natural appetite.”
He believes that the body is united with the soul, so that
man may be entire and complete.

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Nevertheless, as a religious philosopher, he contemplates on the nature of man with
emphasis on the soul as an important element of man. He believes that the soul is
what governs and defines a man.

In his work, Confessions, Augustine describes that humankind is created in the

image and likeness of God. Everything created by God who is all good is good.
Therefore, the human person, being a creation of God is always geared towards
the good. Augustine is convinced that the self is known only through knowing God.
Accordingly, self-knowledge is a consequence of knowledge of God. Augustine
espouses the significance of reflection, as well as the importance of prayers and
confessions to arrive at a justification for the existence of God.

For him, “knowledge can only come by seeing the truth that dwells within us.”
The truth of which Augustine speaks refers to the truth of knowing God. God is
transcendent and the self seeks to be united with God through faith and reason. In
his mission to discover the truth on the existence of God, Augustine develops the
fundamental concept of the human person, and thus provides the philosophical
principle, “I am doubting, therefore I am.”

THOMAS AQUINAS
THE SOUL IS WHAT ANIMATES THE BODY

Aquinas, the most eminent 13th century scholar and

stalwart of the medieval philosophy appended
something to St. Augustine’ Christian view. Adopting
ideas from Aristotle, Aquinas said that indeed, man is
composed of two parts: matter and form.

Matter, or hyle in Greek, refers to the “common stuff

that makes up everything in the universe.” Man’s body
is part of this matter.

Form, or morphe in Greek, on the other hand, refers

to the “essence of a substance or thing.” It is what
makes it what it is.

In the case of the human person, the body something that he shares even with
animals. The cells in man’s body are more or less the same to the cells of any
other living, organic being in the world. However, what makes a human person a
human and not a dog or a tiger is his soul, his essence. To Aquinas, just as for
Aristotle, the soul is what animates the body; it is what makes us humans.

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 MODERN PHILOSOPHY

RENÉ DESCARTES
I THINK THEREFORE I AM

French philosopher René Descartes is the

Father of Modern Philosophy. He has brought an
entirely new perspective to philosophy and the
self. He wanted to penetrate the nature of
reasoning process and understand its
relationship to the human self.

The Latin phrase Cogito ergo sum – “I think

therefore I am” is the keystone of Descartes’
concept of the self.

For him, the act of thinking about the self – of being self-conscious – is in
itself proof that there is a self. He is confident that no rational person will
doubt his or her own existence as a conscious, thinking entity – while we are
aware of thinking about ourselves. For Descartes, this is the essence of the
human self – a thinking entity that doubts, understands, analyzes, questions,
and reasons.

He contends further that if man reflects thoughtfully, he will realize that

there are two dimensions of the human self: the self as a thinking entity and
the self as a physical body. In particular, he introduces the idea of the thinking
self (or soul) as non-material, immortal, conscious being, and independent of
the physical laws of the universe. In contrast, the physical body is a material,
mortal, non-thinking entity, fully governed by the physical laws of nature.

In other words, the soul and the body are independent of on another, and
each can exist and function without the other. The essential self – the self as a
thinking entity – is distinct from the self as a physical body. Simply put, the
thinking self can exist independently of the physical body.

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JOHN LOCKE
THE SELF IS CONSCIOUSNESS

For English philosopher John Locke, the human mind

at birth is tabula rasa or a blank slate. He feels that
the self, or personal identity, is constructed primarily
from sense experiences - or more specifically, what
people see, hear, smell, taste and feel. These
experiences shape and mold the self throughout a
person’s life. Conscious awareness and memory of
previous experiences are the keys to understanding
the self.

Locke believes that the essence of the self is its

conscious awareness of itself as a thinking,
reasoning, and reflecting identity.

Consciousness accompanies thinking and makes possible the concept

that people have of a self. Self-consciousness is necessary to have a coherent
personal (self) identity or knowledge of the self as a person. Consciousness of
what makes identity of a person similar on different situations.

Locke proposes that people could use the power of reason to gain
knowledge and consequently use this knowledge to understand experiences.
Knowledge is based on careful observations of experiences. Reason plays an
important role in helping to figure out the significance of sense experience
and to reach intelligent conclusions. Thus, using the power of reason and
introspection enables one to understand and achieve accurate conclusions
about the self (or personal identity).

DAVID HUME
THERE IS NO SELF

Scottish philosopher David Hume suggests that if

people carefully examine their sense experience
through the process of introspection, they will
discover that there is no self. Accordingly, what people
experience is just a bundle or collection of different
perceptions.
Hume maintains that if people carefully examine the
content of their experience, they will find that there
are only distinct entities: impressions and ideas.

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 Impressions are the basic sensations of people’s experience such as hate,
love, joy ,grief, pain, cold, and heat. Impressions are vivid perceptions and are
strong and lively.

Ideas, however, are thoughts and images from impressions so they are less
lively and vivid.

Different sensations are in a constant continuum that is invariable and not

constant. Hume argues that it cannot be from any of these impressions that
the idea of self is derived and consequently, there is no self. Hume’s skeptical
claim on this issue is that people have no experience of a simple and individual
impression that they can call the self where the self is the totality of a person’s
conscious life. Subsequently, the idea of personal identity is a result of
imagination.

IMMANUEL KANT
WE CONSTRUCT THE SELF

For German philosopher Immanuel Kant, it is the self

that makes experiencing an intelligible world
possible because it is the self that is actively
organizing and synthesizing all of our thoughts and
perceptions.

The self, in the form of consciousness, utilizes

conceptual categories which he calls transcendental
deduction of categories, to construct an orderly and
objective world that is stable and can be
investigated scientifically.

Kant believes that the self is an organizing principle that makes a unified
and intelligible experience possible. It is metaphorically above or behind sense
experience, and it uses the categories of our mind to filter, order, relate,
organize, and synthesize sensations into a unified whole. In other words, the
self constructs its own reality, actively creating a world that is familiar,
predictable, and most significantly, mine.

The self is the product of reasons, a regulative principle, because the self
regulates experience by making unified experiences possible. The self
transcends experience because the mind can grasp aspects of reality which
are not limited to the senses. Through rationality, people are able to
understand certain abstract ideas that have no corresponding physical object
or sensory experience.

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 SIGMUND FREUD
THE SELF IS MULTILAYERED

Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud is

not a philosopher, but his views on the nature
of the self have a far-reaching impact on
philosophical thinking, as well as other
disciplines such as psychology and sociology.

Freud holds that the self consists of three

layers: conscious, unconscious, and
preconscious.

The conscious self is governed by the

“reality principle.” It is organized in ways that
are rational, practical, and appropriate to the
environment. It usually takes into account the realistic demands if the situation,
the consequences of various actions, and the overriding need to preserve the
equilibrium (balance) of the entire psychodynamic system of the self.

The unconscious part of the self contains the basic instinctual drives
including sexuality, aggressiveness, and self-destruction; traumatic
memories; unfulfilled wishes and childhood fantasies; and thoughts and
feelings that would be considered socially taboo. It is characterized by the
most primitive level of human motivation and human functioning which is
governed by the “pleasure principle.” Freud argues that much of the self is
determined by the unconscious.

The preconscious self contains material that is not threatening and is

easily brought to mind. According to Freud, the preconscious part is located
between the conscious and the unconscious parts of the self.

GILBERT RYLE
THE SELF IS THE WAY PEOPLE BEHAVE

British philosopher Gilbert Ryle believes that the self is

best understood as a pattern of behavior, the tendency
or disposition of a person to behave in a certain way in
certain circumstances. Ryle’s concept of the human self
thus provides the philosophical principle, “I act
therefore I am.”

Ryle considers the mind and body to be intrinsically

linked in complex and intimate ways. In short, the self is
the same as bodily behavior.

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He concludes that the mind is the totality of human dispositions that is
known through the way people behave. Nevertheless, Ryle is convinced that
the mind expresses the entire system of thoughts, emotions, and actions
that make up the human self.

PAUL CHURCHLAND
THE SELF IS THE BRAIN

Canadian philosopher Paul Churchland

advocates the idea of eliminative materialism or
the idea that the self is inseparable from the brain
and the physiology of the body. All a person has is
the brain, and so if the brain is gone, there is no
self.

For Churchland, the physical brain and not the

imaginary mind, gives people the sense of self.
The mind does not really exist because it cannot
be experienced by the senses.

MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
THE SELF IS EMBODIED SUBJECTIVITY

French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty argues

that all knowledge about the self (e.g.,
understanding the nature of the self) is based on the
“phenomena” of experience. The “I” is a single
integrated core identity, a combination of the
mental, physical, and emotional structures around a
core identity of the self. He further articulates that
when people examine the self at the fundamental
level of direct human experience, people will
discover that the mind and body are unified, not
separate.
He notes in his book, Phenomenology of Perception,
that everything that people are aware of is contained
within the consciousness.

Consciousness is a dynamic form responsible for actively structuring

conscious ideas and physical behavior.

He is convinced that consciousness, the world, and the human body are
intricately intertwined in perceiving the world. For him, perception is not
merely a consequence of sensory experience; rather, it is a conscious
experience. Thus, the self is embodied subjectivity.

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