UTS Midterms

• Perspectives on the Self

  • Philosophy
  • Sociology
  • Anthropology
  • Psychology
  • Western & Eastern Thought
• Philosophy


  Fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Presents theories that serve as a guiding principle for behavior.
• Philosophers on the Self

  • Socrates
  • Plato
  • Aristotle
  • St. Augustine
  • Rene Descartes
  • John Locke
  • David Hume
  • Immanuel Kant
  • Sigmund Freud
  • Gilbert Ryle
  • Paul Churchland
  • Maurice Merleau-Ponty
• Socratic Method


  Art of Questioning (series of questions → totality)
• Socrates' view of the Soul


  Capacity to think & have will, Learn the concept of what's good & bad, Learn & unlearn things
• Plato's view of the Body and Soul

  Body is separate from soul, The physical material (destructible), Rational: head (cognitive skills), Spiritual: chest (process emotions), Appetitive: abdomen (desires)
• Aristotle's view of the Self

  Rational Animal - human; able to reproduce, grow, & feed themselves, Vegetative Soul (plants), Sensitive Soul (animals & humans), Rational Soul (humans)
• St. Augustine's view of the Self


  We can only achieve "True Selves" if we open our hearts and accept God
• Rene Descartes' Dualism


  Mind and Body are unified and unable to function if not together, "I think, therefore I am" - Doubt leads to finding the logic behind things (logical connections)
• John Locke's Blank Slate or the Tabula Rasa


  Reflection & Sensation (Experiences)
• David Hume's view of the Self


  Debunked the "sense of self", Impression - idea of life, To see is to believe that's why an idea remains to be abstract if not experienced, Law of Association - how we learn and remember things (Resemblance, Contiguity in time & place, Cause and effect)
• Immanuel Kant's view of the Self


  Debunked "no one is perfect" because we can actually work to be morally perfect, Ultimate goal of the self: MORALLY PERFECT, Homo Noumenon - based on reasoning (Free Choice, Free Will), Homo Phaenomenon - based on observation
• Sigmund Freud's view of the Self


  The Self is Multilayered (Iceberg Theory): Id (desires), Ego (reality), Superego (Morality), The job of the ego is to balance the aggressive/pleasure-seeking drives of the id with the moral control of the superego
• Gilbert Ryle's view of the Self


  The Real Self is how you behave, How you present yourself in the world is your true self
• Paul Churchland's view of the Self


  Real Self = brain (very vague) ; associates physical activity of brain
• Maurice Merleau-Ponty's view of the Self


  The real Self is an embodied subjectivity, Collection of experiences: emotion, physical, & mental/cognitive
• Johari Window


  Theory of Knowing Yourself: Open (what you and others know about yourself), Blind (things you're not aware of, but others are), Hidden (things about yourself that you hide), Unknown (things about yourself that no one knows, including you)
• Sociology


  A discipline that studies the human communities, interactions, and the concern with the people within a certain group, Study of society in a geographical territory
• Sociologists on the Self

  • George Herbert Mead
  • Charles Horton Cooley
  • Erving Goffman
• George Herbert Mead's view of the Self


  The self as the product of modern society among other constructions, Me self (Generalized other, Comply with the expectation of society), I self (Response to social self, Inner thoughts, not complying to the expectations of society)
• Stages of Self Development (Mead)

  • Preparatory Stage (2yrs old) - Based on imitation, child's attitude mirrors the environment
  • Play Stage (6yrs old) - Role Taking, Close Circle
  • Game Stage (7yrs old) - Multiple Roles: not limited to one function, Generalized Other: what society expects them to do
• Symbolic Interactionism


  We assign/associate meanings toward a certain thing, Changes over time
• Charles Horton Cooley - Looking Glass Self


  Concept of how individuals see themselves based on how others perceive them, Mirror: how others see you, Hawthorne Effect: how you behave when there is an observer
• Erving Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life


  Dramaturgical Model of Social Life: Actors, Front Stage, Back Stage (vulnerable side)
• Anthropology


  The study of the development of the Human Culture
• The Self as embedded in Culture

  Self-Concept - Conditioned by the environment
• Aspects of Culture


  • Material (symbols)
  • Non-Material (Concepts)
• Perspectives of the Self

  • Egocentric (A cognitive bias assuming they share the same perspective/needs)
  • Sociocentric (prioritizes societal needs over individual ones)
• Phases of Rite of Passage

  • Separation Phase (Detach old personality to new)
  • Liminality Phase (Transition period)
  • Incorporation Phase (Drastic changes, Letting go of the old persona to assume a "new" identity)
• Anthropologists on the Self

  • Anthony Wallace
  • Raymond Fogelson
  • Katherine Erwing
• Anthony Wallace & Raymond Fogelson's Identity Crisis


  When society gives you a standard and you're claiming otherwise, Confusion with one's sense of identity, Exploration of different roles
• Katherine Erwing's Illusion of Wholeness


  The cohesiveness and continuity of self are only illusory, It's only an illusion that a person is well-rounded because they don't have a fixed attitude
• Cultural Differences


  Same context, different behavior
• Key Concepts of the Self in Anthropology

  • Social Identity
  • Family Membership
  • Language
  • Religious Affiliation
  • Name
• Psychology


  The study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context
• Psychologists on the Self

  • William James
  • Carl Rogers
  • Sigmund Freud
• William James' I & Me Self


  I Self: original upbringing in life, not following the standards set, Me Self: Generalized self, follows society
• Carl Rogers Self-Schema


  There's no fixed personality as it has different categories, Reflect how we expect ourselves to think, feel, and act in particular settings or situations, Idea of Frontal Lobes: Develops at 25 yrs old along with the sense of self
• Sigmund Freud's Levels of Mind


  Conscious (ego) - Aware, holds a large percentage, Subconscious (superego) - Memories/thoughts unintentionally forgotten but will resurface once triggered/readily available, Unconscious (id) - Repressed thoughts as a defense mechanism
• Nature vs Nurture perspective

  Nature: Innate, Nurture: behavior is acquired/imposed