UNDERSTANDING THE SELF REVIEWER
MODULE 1 SECTION 1:
Self composes both:
 I - as an actor
 Me - as an object
NATURE VS NURTURE
NATURE
 The natural basis of the self is
anchored on biology and explains
that human traits are passed from
one generation to another.
 Self is studied structurally and
functionally, from the molecular
level to the entirety of human
physiological systems.
NURTURE
 Self as an outcome of various
nurturing factors in the context of
one’s life
IDENTITY VS SELF
Identity
 The qualities, beliefs, etc., that make
a person different from others
 The distinguishing character or
personality of an individual
 Distinguishes or compares one from
another
Self
 The person that someone normally
or truly is
 The entire person of an individual
 Refers to the total characteristics or
qualities of a person both known
and unknown to others
DEFINITION GIVEN BY OYSERMAN, dealt by individuals in a specific
ELMORE, AND SMITH geographic region, or area.
Identity  Environmental factor covers as well
 The traits and characteristics, social the larger society, expectations and
relations, roles, and social group norms operating in that particular
memberships that define who one is place.
 Can be focused on the past - what  Another factor that contributes to
used to be true of one, present - one’s identity is hereditary factor.
what is true of one now, the future -  Heredity - biological process by
the person expects or wishes to which certain traits and
become. characteristics are passed from one
 Identities make up one’s self- generation to another.
concept variously described what  Heredity is non-negotiable factor - it
comes to mind when one thinks of is fixed and permanent.
oneself.  Person-volition factor refers to the
inclination of a person to form and
DIMENTIONALITIES OF THE construct a specific identity that will
SELF/IDENTITY set him apart from others.
 Identity of a person is highlighted by
a dominant trait, which makes IDENTITY IS A PRODUCT OF A COMPLEX
him/her distinguishable from PROCESS OF COMBINATIONS AND
others. INTEGRATION OF TRAITS AND
 Social factor as an agent of one’s CHARACTERISTICS FROM VARIOUS
being POSSIBLE SOURCES.
 Social factor is the influence of
significant people in one’s life.
 Social factor is the nursery of human
nature.
 Personality - individual patterns of
thinking, feeling, and behaving.
 Identity does not connote
exclusivity or outright difference
against others; instead, it refers
to the characteristics that makes
one a distinct individual.
 Environmental factor broadly
includes the physical and communal
elements present in everyday
surroundings, and are invariable
MODULE 1 SECTION 2: with five senses or processed with
PHILOSOPHY OF THE SELF the brain.
 Philosophy - mother of all  Rationalism - there is innate
disciplines knowledge. It explains self from the
 Self - a unified being, essentially standpoint of what is ideal and true
connected to consciousness, and not rooted in what is felt by the
awareness, and agency (or at least, senses of the body.
with the faculty of a rational choice).
CLASSIC ANTIQUITY The Variation of Philosophical Standpoints is
 Socrates believed that the real self is summarized in the book.
not the physical body, but rather the
psyche (soul).
 Socrates further posited that the
appearance of the body is inferior to
its functions.
 Phaedrus a popular text for many
decades in the subject of philosophy.
 Main idea in Phaedrus is that the
truth can be distinguished in two
forms: the metaphysical realm
(mind) and the physical world
(body)
 Plato bifurcated the truth into two:
the ontos (ideal), the ultimate
reality that tends to be permanent
and spiritual, and the phenomena
that refers to the manifestation of
the ideal and is imperfect,
impermanent, and inferior.
 Aristotle called the ideal as essence
and phenomena as matter.
 For Aristotle, essence and matter
can co-exist; essence provides
meaning and purposes to the matter
and matter provides substance and
solidity to essence.
 Empiricism - there is no such thing
as innate knowledge; it is derived
from experience - either perceived
MODULE 1 SECTION 3:
SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
 Science - is the intellectual and
practical activity encompassing the
systematic study of the structure
and behavior of the physical and
natural world through observation
and experiment.
 Scientific approaches to the study of
self are classified into two: physical
sciences and social sciences.
 Physical Sciences focuses on the
biological factors that make up the
human body, the underlying growth
and maturational mechanisms, and
environmental influences that
contribute to human development,
central focus of which is the self.
 Social Sciences are concerned with
institutions, cultures, and the
interpersonal relationships of
people living within society.
BIOLOGICAL/PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
 Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a
self-replicating material present in
nearly every living organisms, is a
unique underlying part of every
individual. It is the main constituent
of chromosomes and carrier of
genetic information.
 Neurophilosophy is concerned with
the association of the brain and the
mind.
 Psychoneuroimmunology the
shaping of the self as similar to how
the human immune system
functions.
SOCIAL SCIENCES  Anthropology is the study of human
 Social sciences are concerned with beings and their ancestors through
human functioning in the context of time and space and in relation to
society and social institutions. physical character, environmental
 Psychology is the study of human and social relations, and culture.
behavior, sees the self as a  Political Science is concerned with
theoretical construct. the participation of individuals in
 Self-awareness is the consciousness establishing a government and
of individuals about their strengths, making political choices.
weaknesses, potentials, as well as  Economics describes and analyzes
the underlying factors that the production, distribution, and
contribute to such aspects of the consumption of goods and services.
self.
 Self-concept is a description of how
one looks like, sounds like, and
behaves like.
 Psychoanalysis, proposed by
Sigmund Freud, focuses on the
“unconscious” as the core element of
the self.
 Behaviorism maintains that the
study of behavior should be made
from an observable and measurable
perspective.
 Social cognitive theory considers
behavior as a function of the
environment and internal attributes.
 Humanistic perspective believes
that every individual has the ability
to reach self-actualization and
transcendence, and that each person
is inherently good or possesses
something that is good.
 Sociology is the study of the
collective behavior of people within
society and focuses on social
problems encountered by
individuals.