UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

SOCRATES

 Socrates of Athens (l. c. 470/469-399 BCE) is among the most

famous figures in world history for his contributions to the
development of ancient Greek philosophy which provided the
foundation for all of Western Philosophy. He is, in fact, known as
the "Father of Western Philosophy" for this reason.
 “True wisdom is knowing what you do not know.
 “An essential part of knowing yourself must be recognizing the
limits of your own wisdom and understanding—knowing what you do
genuinely know and knowing what you have yet to learn”.”
 “All men desire happiness; Happiness is possession of what is truly
good. It is the intellect that perceives what is GOOD
 Socratic Paradox: Virtue=Knowledge acquired through Reason;
 “The virtuous man is a man of wisdom; who has a perfect knowledge
of moral goodness”
 Virtue=knowledge; Vice=ignorance
 Socratic Psychology: The soul exists and is superior to the body
 Theodicy: God is ONE; invisible to the senses; he is the
 PROVIDENCE OF SUPREME INTELLIGENCE
 He is known for his famous Dialogue in two phases: Ironic and the
Maieutic Process
 He is also known for the HIERARCHY OF MULTIPLE ELEMENTS
WHICH GO TO MAKE UP HUMAN GOOD AND HAPPINESS

 “Know Thyself”
 Delphic maxim often cited by Socrates
 γνῶθι σ(ε)αυτόν (“know thyself”) was one of the maxims
 inscribed on the pediment/forecourt of the temple of Apollo at
Delphi, along with μηδὲν ἄγαν (“nothing in excess”

PLATO

 ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE),

teacher of Aristotle (384–322 BCE), and founder of the Academy,
 best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled
influence.
 True knowledge is knowledge of the forms.
 The universe is a world of forms (models of God).
 Each form is essentially compatible or incompatible with certain
forms. The highest form is the form of GOOD.
 One comes to know the GOOD through exercising the intellect.
 True happiness is the unending enjoyment of the GOOD WISDOM IS
THE PERFECT VIRTUE.
 Common virtues: fortitude, temperance and justice).
 People fall in love because they see in a person the ideal form.
 Soul is a complete spiritual/eternal substance; The life of the soul
follows the death of the body (Death of the body is the deliverance of
the soul)
 Knowledge is recollection; Ideas are in our mind upon birth; we just
need to contemplate/recall.
 “Knowing oneself is recognizing your mind’s/soul’s potential to
understand the essence of philosophical concepts such as justice,
love, goodness, and so on.”
 “Knowing oneself starts by being self-reflective as a matter of
breaking
 your own chains of ignorance.”

ARISTOTLE

 ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, one of the greatest

intellectual figures of Western history. He was the author of a
philosophical and scientific system that became the framework and
vehicle for both Christian Scholasticism and medieval Islamic
philosophy.
 “Like Aristotle, Maslow viewed self-sufficiency (self-actualization) as
the highest achievement in a human being's life.
 Self-actualization, or self-sufficiency, is that "which when isolated
makes life desirable and lacking in nothing" (Denise, White, and
Peterfreund, 2008, p. 26).
 One can also see Aristotle reflected on the fourth step of the
hierarchy: esteem.
 In Aristotle believed that we each fulfilled our humanness by
developing our naturally given potentials, and that by achieving
those potentials one could achieve happiness within one's self.”
 “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim
 and end of human existence. Happiness depends upon ourselves”–
 “Happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself.”
 Virtue=happiness
 A person has the power to refuse BEATITUDE and choose VICE
 Happiness depends on the cultivation of virtues
 Principle of the Golden Mean
 A person is a social and political being

CONFUCIUS

 He who conquers others are strong; He who conquers himself is the

greatest victor
 The greatest obstacle to human happiness is the ego (the center seat
of selfishness)
 One must deny himself and control his passions (through reason and
directed by
 will)
 Justice and love go together
 Treat others as you wish them to treat you

MENCIUS
 “Do not do what should not be done, and do not desire what should
not be desired; Abide by this and everything else will follow.”
 “The great man is the one who does not lose his (originally good)
child’s heart.

ST. AUGUSTINE
 Platonism of the Fathers
 God is love; In the Trinity, there is equality of the 3 Divine Persons
and UNITY in essence, that is in BEING (Trinitarian Doctrine)
 Everything that God made is GOOD
 True happiness can be found in God
 The world had been created by God out of pure love
 The forms of created beings are images of or participations in the
DIVINE IDEAS
 God created man a compound of soul and body not apart but united.
The soul is the life of the body; the soul is immortal and is spiritual
and living substance
 Do Good Avoid Evil. Be guided by reason and conscience
 Life is always a story of constant struggle and conflict between the
forces of good and evil

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

 God is truth. There is only one God, the pure act of being, the
creator of the world;
 HE IS INTIMATELY PRESENT TO EVERYONE.
  God manifests HIMSELF to us through revelation.
 Our connection in God is called participation.
 There is in a person a soul and the body and the composition of
essence and existence.
 Ultimate happiness can be found in God
 A person should be empowered by LOVE

DAVID HUME
 BUNDLE THEORY OF SELF
 self is just a bundle of perceptions, like links in a chain..
 Our personal identities are bundle of experiences, perceptions,
impressions, ideas and memories.
 To know oneself, then, is to understand the ways in which your past
experiences have shaped and defined yourself, including your
habits, your habits and reactions, your emotions, and your entire
conceptual framework
 Argues that there is no material world, no spiritual or supernatural
reality, and no “fixed self”.
 source of all genuine knowledge is our direct sense experience.
 contents of our experience, we find that there are only two distinct
entities,
 “impressions” and “ideas”:
 IMPRESSIONS—Impressions are the basic sensations of our
experience, the
 elemental data of our minds: pain, pleasure, heat, cold, happiness,
grief, fear, exhilaration, and so on. These impressions are “lively”
and “vivid.”
 IDEAS—Ideas are copies of impressions, and as a result they are
less “lively”
 and “vivid.” Ideas include thoughts and images that are built up
from our primary impressions through a variety of relationships.

JOHN LOCKE

 Every person was born with a tabula rasa- or blank mind.

 Environment determines if the people are good or bad.
 Good environment leads to better people, and better people lead to
a better society.
 Foundation of modern liberalism.
 We begin life with a tabula rasa (blank slate) for a mind. Copies of
our sensory perceptions are impressed upon this blank slate,
thereby filling our minds with the contents of our sensory
experience, upon which our subsequent rational faculties can
operate.
 Ideas are acquired through sensation and experiences. Our present
reality
is under our control when in reality much of our sense of self is
shaped by
external and past experiences outside our direct control.
 Knowing oneself on this view is a matter of becoming acquainted
with your
past while also not being bound or limited by it.
 All people are born free and equal with the right of life, liberty and
property and with the pursuit of happiness.
 A person is not born good, or evil, wise or ignorant. People’s
character and knowledge are shaped by their experiences and the
thought that they have on those experiences.

IMMANUEL KANT

 Our rational categories are universal and necessary and provide the
structure for constructing and understanding the world of our
experience
 “You are the master of your own action and the architect of your
own life and destiny”.
 A person uses an inborn reason. He can create for himself the good
and the rational being.
 Moral obligation called DUTY is universal. It is the supreme and
fundamental law. A person’s highest duty is to serve the state. By
serving the state, we serve God.
 The good person is a person of goodwill who acts from a sense of
duty.
 “All our knowledge begins with the sense, proceeds then to the
understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than
reason”.

RENE DESCARTES

 A person’s existence depend on how he or she perceives himself or

herself
 “I think, therefore I am”. “I think, therefore I exist”.
 “I- is a “thinking thing”. that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is
willing, and also imagines and has sensory perceptions.
 The only clear truth is his own mind and his ability to reason.

FRIEDICH NIETZSCHE
  “Knowing Thyself” means something more like recognizing and
embracing your individuality, your own unique perspectives, to
purposefully go against the grain and against the flow of the herd—
philosophically, morally, culturally, aesthetically, politically, and
otherwise. (Existentialist)
 Authenticity is a matter of embracing your own creative power to
author a life story for yourself that is uniquely suited to you, actively
and because of the perspectives and metaphors that you choose to
create with which you actively and creatively define yourself.
(Existentialist)
 WILL TO POWER
 Power is the supreme virtue and the supreme desire of man. All men
are unequal. Morality is the invention of the weak to limit the strong
 The law of nature is survival of the fittest and strong. Weed out the
unfit to produce a race of supermen who are intelligent, strong and
upright (Book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

JEAN-PAUL SARTES

 Man knows himself and is responsible for his own actions and
commitments. His fate is his own making.
 Man determines his own essence. Man defines himself.
 Knowing oneself must be a matter of recognizing your own free will
to define your own life—not to be constrained by anything in your
past or constrained in your thinking about what your life can and
could be in the future, but to look at the future from your present
standpoint and to use your free will to decide what your life will be
going forward.
 We have free will to decided what to dedicate our life to—to define
our own essence.

SOCIOLOGICAL SELF

GEORGE HERBERT MEAD

 Self as a central concept composed of self-awareness and self-
image; SELF IS A PRODUCT OF SOCIAL EXPERIENCE; Self
develops as one interacts with others.
 Social Interaction is the exchange of symbols and meanings. Human
beings find meanings in action by inferring people’s underlying
intentions.

ERVING GOFFMAN

 Dramaturgical analysis is the study of social interactions in terms of

theatrical performance.
 As people interact, they behave like actors following a script that
they
 have learned from their parents, teachers and friends. The script
essentially dictates how a person behaves in terms of status and
roles.
 Flaws may surface, the result is embarrassment or “Losing face”.

CARL ROGERS

 Humanistic Theory of Personality.

 believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to
self-actualize like to fulfill one's potential and achieve the highest
level of 'human-beingness’.
 Self-actualization occurs when the person’s ideal self is in harmony
with his actual behavior.

WILLIAM JAMES

 James-Lange Theory of emotion

 Human experience of emotion arises from physiological changes in
response to external events.
 The material self consists of what belongs to a person, such as the
body, family, clothes, or money.
 The social self-marks who you are in a specific social situation. We
tend to change our actions, thoughts, emotions, words, and
mannerisms based on the current social situation or
 the people with whom we are interacting.
 For example, we act differently when at work as opposed to when
out with friends, as do we when talking to our boss as opposed to a
coworker.
  Finally, our spiritual self is who we are at our core, including our
personality, values, and conscience. Our spiritual self typically
remains relatively stable throughout our lifetime (Green, 1997).

ALBERT BANDURA

 Social Cognitive Theory

 People are flexible to learn variety of behavior through
observation/direct
experiences
 People have the competency to regulate their lives and exercise
control over the nature and quality of life (Argentic principle)
 People regulate their actions through external or internal factors
 People are goal-oriented with a desire for personal growth and the
will to power
 People seek to overcome feelings of anxiety and feelings of
inferiority; People compensate for inferiorities by making
adjustments
 People strive for goals
 Each one develops personal styles in dealing with one’s life and
achieving goals

FOUNDATION OF GOAL SETTING

PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Communication is a vital life skill. Developing your communication skills

can benefit you in all aspects of life – in your personal relationships,
professional life, business and social gatherings.

Communication allows us to convey our needs and feelings to others, as

well as to respond to and respect the needs of others.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

 Assertiveness
 Verbal (Oral/Written) and Conversational Skills
 Nonverbal Communication

ANSWER WITH YES OR NO:

 You are generally passive and quiet.

 You never or rarely state your opinion as well as what you want or
need.
 You have difficulty saying “No.”
 You keep things bottled up inside you and eventually blow up.
 You find that the only way you can get what you need is by being
aggressive.
 You feel that others take advantage of you or give you too much to
do.
 You eventually give in to what others want.
 You feel that you are not respected by others.
 You have little or no self-respect because you do not communicate
your needs, wants or opinions.

If you answered YES to most of those questions, chances are, you have a
problem with ASSERTIVENESS.

Assertive communication is the honest expression of one’s own needs,

wants, and feelings, while respecting those of the other person. When you
communicate assertively, your manner is non-threatening and non-
judgmental, and you take responsibility for your own actions.

BEING ASSERTIVE DOES NOT MEAN…

 Being aggressive
 Getting your way all the time
 Being selfish
 Being rude or impolite
 People will not like you
 Always getting what you want

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
  Although we tend to think that communication is mostly verbal,
what we communicate with our bodies, that is, our nonverbal
communication, plays as big a role. In fact, there is much research
suggesting that nonverbal communication can play an even bigger
role than what we say.
 Nonverbal behavior can communicate all sorts of messages to the
other person, which is why we need to pay attention to it. For
example:
- How you are feeling (e.g. scared, depressed or angry).
- Degree of interest.
- Knowledge of the specific subject matter being discussed.
- Your attitude (e.g. disgust, submissiveness).

SOME OF THE NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS YOU MAY WANT TO PAY

ATTENTION TO ARE:

 Posture (e.g., head up and alert, leaning forward)

 Movement and gestures (e.g., keeping arms uncrossed)
 Physical distance (e.g., standing closer when talking to others)
 Eye contact (e.g., making appropriate eye contact when talking)
 Facial expression (e.g., smiling warmly)
 Volume of Voice (speaking at a volume easily heard)
 Tone of Voice (e.g., speaking with a confident tone)

SOME OF THE NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS YOU MAY WANT TO PAY

ATTENTION TO ARE:

 Facial Expressions. The human face uses a number of expressions

on a daily basis to express various feelings and emotions, like
happiness, stress, sadness, fear, surprise, etc.
 Posture. People get affected and influenced by the way one sits,
walks, stands, etc. Slouching conveys lack of interest in what a
person is saying. Swinging your legs back and forth while sitting in a
meeting tells others that you are impatient, bored and uninterested.
 Eye Contact. The way one looks at someone in a communication can
convey whether one is interested, unreceptive, attentive, or focused.
Making direct eye contact provides others with the comfort needed
to communicate with you in return.
 Touch. A handshake, a hug, a light tap on the shoulders convey
different messages.
 Tone and Sounds. The tone of your voice and the sounds you make
can inform others of your anger, frustration, or sarcasm. Avoid
sighing repetitively or speaking in a high-pitched voice. Speak softly
and calmly.
 Space. Pay attention to your proximity to others. Standing too close
to or too far from a person conveys different meanings.
CORRECT USAGE FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

 Advice – opinion given

 Advise – to counsel

The lawyer gave good advice to the client.

Roy asked the counselor to advise him.

 All ready – completely ready

 Already – before this time

The passengers were all ready to board the train.

The train had already left the station.

 Cite – to quote; refer to

 Site – location
 Sight – vision; to see

He was asked to cite an explanation.

The site of the new theater is near our house.

She was mesmerized by the sight of a falling star.

 Compliment – a flattering comment; a praise

 Complement – something that completes

She appreciated the manager’s compliment.

Tech Laboratory has a full complement of computer equipment.

 Corps – regulated group

 Corpse – dead body

He was the leader of the corps command last year.

The police found the corpse of the victim at the river bank.

 Desert – (n) arid, barren land

 Desert – (v) to leave, to abandon
 Dessert – (n) the last course of a meal

It’s difficult to find water in the desert.

True friends will not desert you in times of need.

Lily made blueberry cheesecake for dessert

 Eligible – fit to be chosen; legally

 Illegible – impossible or hard to read

Mrs. Cruz was eligible to retire.

 I could not decipher her illegible handwriting.

 Loose – not fastened or bound together

 Lose – to fail to keep or hold

The wind blew the loose papers on the desk.

Please do not lose your passport.

 Past – earlier or former

 Passed – ended; completed; approved

You may continue the same working hours as you have done in the past.

The House passed the bill after months of debate.

 Right – correct; true privilege

 Rite – ceremony

You have the right to remain silent.

The captain of the ship performed the marriage rites.

 Stationary – fixed; unmoving

 Stationery – writing materials

The satellite has remained in a stationary position in the atmosphere.

Bond paper is not very good for stationery.

WORDS THOUGHT TO BE THE SAME

 Continual – happening at frequent intervals

 Continuous – going on without stopping

The employees made continual demands for wage increase.

The continuous rain caused flooding in the city.

 Disinterested - impartial
 Uninterested – bored; not wanting to be involved

A panel of disinterested judges met to select the winner.

Precy was uninterested in taking voice lessons.

 Emigrate – to move away from a city or country to live somewhere

else
 Immigrate – to move into a country from somewhere else

His grandfather emigrated from Canada nine years ago.

Paul’s sister immigrated to France in 2016.

 Imply – to hint at something

 Infer – to deduce something that has not been stated directly

The data imply that the fresh graduates are employable.

I can infer from his remark that he is not happy about the situation.

 Precede – to go or come before

 Proceed – to advance

The coordinator will precede the participants for the booking of the venue.

You may proceed without waiting for the other applicants.

LET’S TRY THIS

1. Prof. Flores (advices, advises) her students whenever they have

problems

2. The two guards were (stationary, stationery) at their posts.

3. The (corps, corpse) of the victim was already decomposing.

4. Chocolate mousse with wafer stick is my favorite (desert, dessert).

5. I want you to sit (besides, beside) me.

6. Mr. Marquez bought new office (equipment, equipments).

7. Neither the students nor the teacher (is, are) excited about the plan

8. The real victim of that horrible story was (she, her).

9. The foreigner (can, can’t) hardly speak Italian.

10. The grade six pupils are (already, all ready) to go on a field trip.

PRACTICE TEST (GRAMMAR AND USAGE)

1. He __________all the cards down a minute ago.

 A. laid C. lie

B. lay D. lied

2. Politicians who are corrupt must be ashamed of _____________.

A. himself C. theirselves

B. themselves D. ourselves

3. The fire that destroyed over one hundred homes was believed to have
been caused by _________ electrical connections.

A. loose C. lost

B. lose D. loosen

4. The doctor suggests that he ___________ inside his room the whole
afternoon.

A. remained C. remaining

B. remains D. remain

5. The president, together with his advisers, _________ present in the press
briefing yesterday.

A. are C. were

B. is D. was

6. “They have spoken about their personal issues.” What made the
sentence wrong?

A. spoke C. have

B. their D. issues

7. Venus is the perfect embodiment of feminine pulchritude. Pulchritude

means -

A. beauty C. strength

B. power D. confidence

8. Because of her extensive collection of fine jewels, the former first lady’s
penchant for shining things is very obvious. Penchant means –

A. hatred C. fondness

B. disgust D. preference

9. A number of scientists __________ that only 10% of the universe _______

known to us.
 A. agree, is C. agree, was

B. agrees, is D. agrees, were

10. Which of the following sentences is written in the most acceptable and
correct manner?

A. Plumbers, from the point of a homemaker who works efficiently, are

worthy of their wages.

B. From the point of view of a homemaker, plumbers who work efficiently

are worthy of their wages.

C. Worthy of their wages are plumbers who, from the point of view of a
homemaker, work efficiently.

D. Plumbers who work efficiently are worthy of their wages from the point
of view of a homemaker.