UNIVERSITY OF LA SALETTE, INC.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

SANTIAGO CITY

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UNDERSTANDING THE
SELF
UNIVERSITY OF LA
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 UNIVERSITY OF LA SALETTE, INC.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
INTRODUCTION

About the Course

Understanding the Self is one of the core courses under the new General Education Curriculum
(CMO 20.s. 2013). It covers the nature of identity, the factors and forces that affect the personal
development and the maintenance of personal identity. (Brawner & Arcega, 2018) The course on
Understanding the Self explores on key concepts, issues, and concerns regarding the self and identity
to arrive at a better understanding of one’s self.

• It strives to meet this goal by looking at a variety of explanations from different disciplines.
• The self is sometimes referred to as the “soul,” “ego,” “psyche,” “identity,” “I” “me,” “am,” or
“being”.
• The self is the sense of who we are. The course includes three parts:
I. The self from various perspectives
II. Unpacking the self
III. Managing and caring for the self

The following are the graphic organizers that summarize the entire course:

Western/Eastern
Thought Physical

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Digital Sexual
Philosophical Sociological

Political Material
Anthropological Psychological

Spiritual

Managing and Caring for the Self

Learning to be a Better Student

Setting Goals for Success

Taking Charge of One's Health

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MODULE 1
Study Guides

1. Don't attempt to cram all your studying into one session.

Ever find yourself up late at night expending more energy trying to keep your eyelids open than you
are studying? If so, it's time for a change. Successful students typically space their work out over
shorter periods of time and rarely try to cram all of their studying into just one or two sessions. Be
consistent in your studies and to have regular, yet shorter, study periods.

2. Plan when you're going to study.

Successful students schedule specific times throughout the week when they are going to study -- and
then they stick with their schedule. Students who study sporadically and whimsically typically do not
perform as well as students who have a set study schedule. Even if you're all caught up with your
studies, creating a weekly routine, where you set aside a period of time a few days a week, to review
your courses will ensure you develop habits that will enable you to succeed in your education long
term.

3. Study at the same time.

Not only is it important that you plan when you're going to study, it's important you create a
consistent, daily study routine. When you study at the same time each day and each week, you're
studying will become a regular part of your life. You'll
v be mentally and emotionally more prepared
for each study session and each study session will become more productive. If you have to change
your schedule from time to time due to unexpected events, that's okay, but get back on your routine as
soon as the event has passed.

4. Each study time should have a specific goal.

Simply studying without direction is not effective. You need to know exactly what you need to
accomplish during each study session. Before you start studying, set a study session goal that
supports your overall academic goal.

5. Never procrastinate your planned study session.

It's very easy, and common, to put off your study session because of lack of interest in the subject,
because you have other things you need to get done, or just because the assignment is hard.
Successful students DO NOT procrastinate studying. If you procrastinate your study session, your
studying will become much less effective and you may not get everything accomplished that you
need to. Procrastination also leads to rushing, and rushing is the number one cause of errors.

6. Start with the most difficult subject first.

As your most difficult assignment or subject will require the most effort and mental energy, you
should start with it first. Once you've completed the most difficult work, it will be much easier to
complete the rest of your work. Believe it or not, starting with the most difficult subject will greatly
improve the effectiveness of your study sessions, and your academic performance.

7. Always review your notes before starting an assignment.

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Study Guides
Obviously, before you can review
your notes you must first have notes
to review. Always make sure to take good notes in class. Before you start each study session, and
before you start a particular assignment, review your notes thoroughly to make sure you know how to
complete the assignment correctly. Reviewing your notes before each study session will help you
remember important subject matter learned during the day, and make sure your studying is targeted
and effective.

8. Make sure you're not distracted while you're studying.

Everyone gets distracted by something. Maybe it's the TV. Or maybe it's your family. Or maybe it's
just too quite. Some people actually study better with a little background noise. When you're
distracted while studying you (1) lose your train of thought and (2) are unable to focus -- both of
which will lead to very ineffective studying. Before you start studying, find a place where you won't
be disturbed or distracted. For some people this is a quiet cubical in the recesses of the library. For
others is in a common area where there is a little background noise.

9. Use study groups effectively.

Ever heard the phrase "two heads are better than one?" Well this can be especially true when it comes
to studying. Working in groups enables you to (1) get help from others when you're struggling to
understand a concept, (2) complete assignments more quickly, and (3) teach others, whereby helping
both the other students and yourself to internalize the subject matter. However, study groups can
become very ineffective if they're not structured and if groups members come unprepared. Effective
students use study groups effectively. v

10. Review your notes, schoolwork and other class materials over the weekend. Successful students
review what they've learned during the week over the weekend. This way they're well prepared to
continue learning new concepts that build upon previous coursework and knowledge acquired the
previous week. We're confident that if you'll develop the habits outlined above that you'll see a major
improvement in your academic success.
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EXPLORE!

Unit I. The Philosophical Perspective of the Self

The etymological definition of philosophy is love of 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.
Socrates and Plato. • Socrates suggests to “know thyself.”
• What is self and the qualities that define it?
• Philosophers agree that self-knowledge is a prerequisite to happiness and meaningful life.

A. Western Thoughts
• The Western thoughts conducted scientific investigations in the effort to understand the self and
have developed theories and concepts to account for the similarities and differences among them.
• They emphasized the importance of scientific method of investigation provide satisfactory answers
to understanding the self.
• In the Western thought, the emphasis is individualistic rather than relational.
B. Eastern Thoughts
• Many movements of Eastern thoughts raise questions about the ultimate meaning of human life and
have developed theories of self insofar as they have investigated what it means to be a human being.
• Eastern thoughts aim at transformations in consciousness,
v feelings, emotions, and one's relation to
other people and the world.
• In the Eastern thought, the emphasis is relational rather than individual. The self is considered not in
isolation but in relation to others, society, and the universe.
• Eastern theories are highly practical.
• They offer a variety of techniques for cultivating a deeper understanding of the self. They do not
utilize the scientific techniques of investigation.

Dimension Western Thoughts Eastern Thoughts

Frame of Reference There is a separation between philosophy and Religion and philosophy are
Religion/spirituality.
Examples of School of Scholasticism, Rationalism, Empiricism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism
Thought/Belief System Phenomenology Taoism
Notable Philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, John Confucius, Lao Tzu, Siddharta Gautama (Buddha)
Locke
Source of Knowledge Has made use of reason rather than faith to Has trusted intuition and is
pursue wisdom often associated with religious beliefs
Modes of Cognition Analytic and Deductive Synthetic and Inductive

Emphasis Distinctions and opposition Commonalities and harmonies

View of the Universe and Life Linear Circular

Subject-Object Distinction (Bipolar Duality of self as subject (knower)and self as Simultaneously subject and object
Qualities of Self) object (known) (The experience of self as both the knower and known)
Theological View Monotheistic Polytheistic (pluralistic)
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Ideal Self-actualization through personal To achieve a balanced life and find one’s role in society.
growth

C. Models and Approaches of Understanding the Self (Go-Monilla & Ramirez, 2018)

Engage!

Activity [Link] -Examination

Instruction.
Listen to the song “Who Am I” by Casting Crown and answer at least three (3) of the following
questions.
1. Who are you?
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Do you love yourself? Why or why not?
4. What are you most grateful or in life?
5. What are the biggest and most important things you have learned in life so far? (Brawner & Arcega,
2018)

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Apply!

Activity 2: Imagineering
Objective: This activity will help in goal setting to reach the ideal state in the process. (Heartland AEA 11,
Professional Development Strategies and Tools)

In my mind a quality of life

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The perfect family situation would be
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My idea of being independent is

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Assess!

Write an essay on the philosophical perspective of the self. Consider the following questions in writing
your essay.
1. Explain at least two how each philosophy of the self-impact your self-understanding.
2. Which philosophy relates to your own belief?
3. What is the importance of having a philosophy of the self?
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EXPLORE!

Unit II. The Sociological Perspective of the Self: The Self as a Product of Society
The Self as a Product of Social Interaction

• The self is not present at birth. It develops only with social experience wherein language, gestures, and
objects are used to communicate meaningfully. The sociological perspective of the self is based on the
assumption that human behavior is influenced by group life.
• A particular view of oneself is formed through interactions with other people, groups, or social
institutions.
• For sociologists like George Herbert
Mead and Charles Horton Cooley, the self is not dependent on biological predispositions; rather, it is a
product of social interaction.
• Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley introduced the looking-glass self to highlight that the people whom
a person interacts become a mirror in which he views himself. Since these perceptions are subjective,
there might have wrong interpretations of how other people v evaluate him.
• It would be critical if he thinks others judge him unfavorably because he could develop a negative self-
image.
• George Herbert Mead’s theory of the social self, explained that the self has two divisions: the “I” and
the “me”.
• The “I” is the subjective element and the active side of the self.
• It represents the spontaneous, and unique traits of the individual.
• 'The "I" is the response of the individual to the “Me”
• The “Me” is the objective element of the self. It represents the “internalized” attitudes, expectations,
and demands of other people.
• The "Me" is what is learned in interaction with others and with the environment.
• The full development of the self is attained when the “I” and the “me” are united.

The Self as a Product of Modern and Postmodern Societies

• According to Gerry Lanuza, in modern societies the attainment and stability of self- identity is freely
chosen. It is no longer restricted by customs and traditions.
• In postmodern societies, self-identity continuously change due to the demands of multitude of social
contexts, new information technologies, and globalization.
• These freedom and changes offer opportunities for self-cultivation but problems may also arise (e.g.,
alienation and dehumanization).
• For instance, it limits the face to face, close relationships with others especially among family
members. • It limits close contact and communication with others.
• According to Sociologist Jean Baudrillard, in postmodern societies, individuals achieve self-identity
through prestige symbols that they consume.
• The cultural practices of advertising and mass media greatly influence individuals to consume goods
not for their primary value and utility but to give them a feeling of goodness and power when compared
with others.
• The postmodern person has become an insatiable consumer and may never be satisfied in his life.

• Thus, the self may be a never-ending search for prestige in the postmodern society.

Engage!

Activity 1. Go to YouTube and look for the song, “No Man is an Island” by Joan Whitney and Alex
Kramer. Reflect on the meaning of the song.
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Activity 2. Finding Meaning in the Roles I play v

Roles What styles or approaches do you use to meet these roles?

Son/Daughter

Brother/Sister

Classmate/Student

Best friend
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Citizen

Assess!

Answer the following questions in an essay form.

Interview or have a conversation with any member/s of your family. Ask them about how they view
themselves as they socialize with each member of the family and how they think others perceive them.
Do they think most people have perceived them correctly?

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EXPLORE!
Unit III. Psychological Perspective of the Self
• This topic presents the psychological theories that influence the way people understand the self and the
growth process to live life to the full.
• Understanding of the self is highest when the different parts of the self becomes integrative.
• An important aspect of understanding the self is self-awareness.

WILLIAM JAMES' CONCEPT OF SELF: THE ME-SELF AND THE I-SELF

• The self is divided into two categories: the
"I-Self" and the "Me-Self". • The "I-Self" refers to the self that knows who he or she is. • James believed
that the "I-Self" is the thinking self. • The “I-Self” reflects the soul of a person or what is now thought of
as the mind and is called the pure ego.
• The "Me-Self" is the empirical self. It refers to describing
v the person’s personal experiences and
further divided into sub- categories: material self, social self, and spiritual self.
• The material self consists of things that belong to a person such as the body, clothes, house etc.
• The social self refers to whom and how a person acts on social situations.
• The spiritual self refers to the most intimate and important part of the self that includes the person’s
purpose, motives, emotions, values, conscience, and moral behavior.
• James believed that the path to understanding the spiritual self is through introspection.

CARL ROGERS’ SELF THEORY: REAL AND IDEAL SELF

• Another aspect of self-understanding is self- concept.
• Self-concept refers to the image of oneself.
• Psychologist Carl Rogers defined the self as a flexible and changing perception of personal identity.
• The self develops from interactions with significant people and self-awareness.
• According to Rogers, human beings are always striving for self- fulfillment, or self-actualization.
• When the needs of the self are denied, severe anxiety may result.
• Central to achieving self-actualization is the development of self-concept.
• Rogers suggest that there are two components of self-concept: real self and ideal self.
• Real self consists of al l the ideas, including the awareness of ‘what I am’ and ‘what I can do’.
• The ideal self is the person’s conception of what one should be or wanted to be that includes one’s
goals and ambitions in life. • The closer (congruent) the ideal self is to the real self, the more fulfilled
and happy the individual becomes. The farther (incongruent) the ideal self is to the real self leads to
unhappy and dissatisfied person.

MULTIPLE VERSUS UNIFIED SELF

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THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
• Self-understanding in adolescents
also includes conceptualizing the self as multiple or unified and true or false. • The construction of
multiple selves varies across different roles and relationships. • Coping with different selves constitutes
a formidable task among adolescents. • These challenges contribute heavily to the young person’s
struggle for a unified self.

TRUE VERSUS FALSE SELF

• Winnicott suggests that the self is composed of the true self and the false self. • The function of the
false self is to hide and protect the true self.
• People tend to display a false self to impress others.
• The self can change depending on situations.

THE SELF AS PROACTIVE AND AGENTIC

• Albert Bandura suggests that humans have the ability to act and make things happen. • In his theory of
the self, people are viewed as proactive agents of experiences. • Agency embodies the endowments,
belief systems, self-regulatory capabilities, and structures and functions through which personal
influence is exercised, rather than residing as a distinct entity. • The main agentic features of human
agency are: intentionality, forethought, self- reactiveness and self - reflectiveness. • Intentionality refers
to acts done intentionally. • Forethought enables the person to anticipate the likely consequences of
prospective actions.

• Self-reactiveness enables the person to make choices vand choose appropriate courses of action, as well
as motivate and regulate their execution. • Self-reflectiveness gives the person the ability to reflect upon
oneself and the adequacy of one's thoughts and actions. People are not only agents of action but self-
examiners of their own functioning.
• Efficacy beliefs are the foundation of human agency. • Self-efficacy refers to the individual’s belief
that he or she is capable to perform a task. • It influences whether people think pessimistically or
optimistically and in ways that are self-enhancing or self- hindering. • Efficacy beliefs play a central role
in self-regulation.

THE SELF AS THE CENTRAL ARCHETYPE

• Jung suggested that the psyche continues to develop throughout life, but the psyche starts to show a
definite form and content during adolescence.
• Jung conceived the structure of personality (psyche) as a complex network of interacting systems that
strive toward harmony. The main systems are: ego, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious.
• The ego is one's conscious mind, the part of the psyche that includes perceptions, thoughts, feelings,
and memories that may enter consciousness. It is through the ego that we establish sense of stability.
• Personal unconscious includes the repressed and forgotten experiences.
• The collective unconscious consists of the fundamental elements of the human psyche that includes
experiences all humans share or in common.
• Within the collective unconscious lie archetypes.
• Central to Carl Jung’s theory of the self is the concept of archetype.
• An archetype is a universal thought form or predisposing to respond to the world in certain ways.
• The archetype represents the hidden potentialities of the psyche, or total personality.
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• For Jung, there are four major THE
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archetypes: persona, shadow,
animus/anima, and self.
• The persona refers to social roles that individuals present to others.
• The shadow refers to the repressed thoughts that are unacceptable. This archetype is often considered
as the dark side of the psyche.
• The anima is the feminine side of the male psyche while the animus is the masculine side of the female
psyche.
• The self is the central archetype that unites all parts of the psyche. The ego is the individual’s
conscious perception of the self.

SIGMUND FREUD’S CONSTRUCTION OF SELF AND PERSONALITY

• According to Sigmund Freud, there are three structures of personality: id, ego, and superego.
• The id is the pleasure-seeking side, immature, impulsive, and child-like and cannot delay gratification.
• It has no regard of others and the law.
• The ego refers to the “I” and works on the reality principle, controls the id, and can delay pleasure. •
The ego can conform with existing societal consideration. • The superego refers to the “conscience” and
“moral judge” of conduct. • Violation of rules lead to guilt feelings. • It strives for perfection rather than
pleasure.
• It appears that the id is the devil within the self, the superego
v is the angel, and ego is the person in the
middle.
• The id, ego, and superego are often in conflict with each other.
• Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to resolve the conflict between the three
structures. • If this constant state of conflict is unresolved, personality problems may arise.

• In Freud’s view, the id, ego, and superego develop in a series of stages.
• Freud called these the psychosexual stages of development that progresses through five stages: oral,
anal, phallic, latency, and genital. • Each of the stage is associated with conflicts that the individual must
resolved so that he or she can successfully forward to the next stage. • Freud also believed that each
stage has needs and dissatisfaction of needs may result in fixation which could have lasting negative
effects on personality.
• The first stage is the oral stage, which lasts from birth up to the first year of life. During this stage,
babies derive pleasure from oral activities like sucking and biting. Overindulgence of the oral needs may
lead to oral incorporative personality disorder such as overeating, smoking, and alcoholism while
dissatisfaction may lead to oral aggressive personality disorder such as sarcasm and tactlessness.

• The next stage is anal stage, which occurs around the second year of life. During this stage, the child
derives pleasure from the elimination of body wastes. Through toilet training, the child learns the basic
rules of society. Anal fixations can lead to anal retentive personality disorder such as obsession with
cleanliness or anal expulsion personality disorder such as clumsiness.
• Freud called the third stage, phallic stage that usually occurs around the ages of 3 and 6. Children
during this stage derive pleasure from examining, touching, fondling, or displaying their genitals, or
others. These behaviors are likely motivated by curiosity on the differences between the anatomy of man
and woman.

• Sex curiosity will remain high during the elementary years and children tend to ask questions with
regard to anatomical structures, sex, and how babies are made. During this stage, parents and teachers
need to properly educate the children about sexuality. Fixations at this stage may lead to abnormal sex
behaviors in later life.
• The fourth stage is the latency stage, which lasts from 7 to 12. At this stage, sexual energy is repressed
because children become busy with school. • The last stage is genital stage, which starts from
adolescence to adulthood. During this stage, pleasure is again derived from the genital area and
individuals seek to satisfy their sexual drives from sexual relationships. Sexual problems may result as a
consequence of inappropriate sex behaviors.

THE ROLE OF ERIK ERIKSON’S THEORY IN UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

• Another important aspect of the self - understanding involves views of identity development of the
self. • In Erik Erikson’s theory, adolescence stage is a period of identity development. • Identity
formation is usually viewed as a process that requires adolescents to distance themselves from the strong
expectations and definitions imposed by parents and other family members.
• To achieve an individual identity, one must create a vision of the self that is authentic and having hold
of one’s destiny in an effort to reach goals that are personally meaningful. • Erikson’s theory proposes
that individuals go through eight psychosocial stages of development.
• While Erikson believed that each stage is important, he gave a particular emphasis on the development
of the ego.
• The ego is the positive force that contributes to identity formation and lay the foundation for certain
strengths and virtues in life.
• Each stage consists of developmental tasks that one needs to accomplish in order to develop
successfully.
• During each stage, the person experiences life crisis which could have negative consequences if not
properly resolved.

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Engage!

My Ideal Self

Instruction: Paste in the box provided your most attractive and gorgeous photo/s and have a short
description of your ideal self in the space provided.

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The Story of Life

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Assess!

Write an essay on the three most important things you discovered about yourself.
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EXPLORE!

Unit IV. The Anthropological Conceptualization of the Self: The Self as Embedded in Culture

• Anthropology holds a holistic view of human nature. It is concerned with how cultural and biological
processes interact to shape the self.
• Anthropology considers human experience as an interplay of “nature” referring to genetic inheritance
which sets the individual’s potentials and “nurture” which refers to sociocultural environment.
• Both biological and cultural factors have significant influence in the development of self.
• In the Anthropological perspective, there are two ways in which the concept of self is viewed in
different societies: egocentric and sociocentric. • The egocentric concept of the self suggests that each
person is defined as a replica of all humanity but capable of acting independently from others.
• In the sociocentric concept of the self, the self is viewed as dependent on the situation or social setting.

• For example, the Japanese possess a sociocentric viewv of the self, wherein the membership of a person
in a particular social group defines the boundaries of the self.
• The Chinese prioritize kin ties and cooperation. They put importance to compliance and subordination
of one’s will to the authority figures in the family
• In egocentric view, the self is viewed as autonomous and distinct individual with inherent
characteristics.
• The Americans are egocentric. They believe that they should be assertive and independent
• From the similarities and differences in characteristics among individuals, people construct their social
identities. • The identity toolbox refers to the “features of a person’s identity that he or she chooses to
emphasize in constructing a social self.”
• Self-identification may be attained by: kinship, family membership, gender, age, language,
religion, ethnicity, personal appearance, and socioeconomic status.
• Some characteristics such as kinship, gender and age almost universally used to differentiate people.
• Other characteristics, such as ethnicity, personal appearance, and socioeconomic status are not always
used in every society.
• Family membership could be the most significant feature to determine the person’s social identity.
• Another important identity determinant that is often viewed as essential for the maintenance of a group
identity is language.

• In other societies, religious affiliation is an important marker of group identity.

• In Mindanao, being a Christian or a Muslim is possibly the most important defining feature of social
identity.
• Personal naming, a universal practice with numerous cross-cultural variations establishes a child’s
birthright and social identity. A name is an important device to individualize a person and to have an
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
MODULE 1
identity. • One’s identity is not inborn. THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
It is something people continuously
develop in life. • Changes in one’s identity usually involve rites of passage that prepares individuals for
new roles from one stage of life to another
• Changes in one’s status and identity are marked by a three-phased rite of passage: separation,
liminality (transition), and incorporation.

• In the separation phase, people detach from their former identity to another.
• For example, in a wedding, the bride walking down the aisle to be “given away “by the parents to the
groom implies the separation from one’s family to become part of a new one.

• In the liminality phase, a person transitions from one identity to another. For example, the wedding
ceremony itself is the process of transition of the bride and groom from singlehood to married life. • In
the incorporation phase, the change in one’s status is officially incorporated. For example, the wedding
reception and parties that celebrate the wedding serve as the markers that officially recognize the bride
and groom’s change towards being husband and wife.

Engage!
v
My Genetic Inheritance My Cultural Inheritance

My Biocultural Self
 UNIVERSITY OF LA SALETTE, INC.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
MODULE 1
THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

Apply!

Say something about the best practices in your culture and or local community that you are proud of.

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Assess!

How are yourself and identity constructed and influenced by your culture? Include three things you
discovered about your cultural identity.

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