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unserstanding the self, Lecture notes of Sociological Theories

Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU)Sociological Theories
Prof. Dan Supang

it is all about the self. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF, BSED

Typology: Lecture notes

2025/2026

Uploaded on 02/08/2026

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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF REVIEWER
UNIT 1: “The self from various perspectives”
PHILISOPHY
- Who am I?
n We are more than our names
n Who am I in relation to the natural world
(COSMOS)?
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
- 1000 BC to 500 AD
n Pre-socratic period
n The ancient triumvirate
n The post-aristotelians
1. Pre-Socratic Period (The Milesians)
- COSMO-centric
n There is a fundamental principle/thing that
underlies everything else including the
human self.
Identify the characteristics of the following:
- Water
- Earth
- Fire
- Air
Philosophers (elements)
® Thales – Water – so urce of nourish ment
® Anaximander – Apeiron – ‘Boundless’
® Anaximenes – Air – can condense and produce
water
® Democritus – Atoms
® Heraclitus – Fire
® Anaxagoras – Nous: Mind
® Pythagoras – Numbers
2. The Ancient Triumvirate
Ø SOCRATES
“Know Thyself”
- Man must live and stand according to his
nature.
- Man must look at himself
“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
Two fundamental questions:
1. To find what?
2. By what means?
To find what?
- Invitation to introspection: Platonic theory of
reminiscence.
- Knowledge is within, inherent in man; not
outside
- Wisdom is learning to reflect.
By what means?
- The Socratic method: Dialogue between
the soul and itself.
- Between a student and a teacher.
Two aspects of reality
Physical World – changeable, transient, imperfect
world of senses/matter.
Spiritual World – Unchan ging , eter nal, p erf ect world
of ideas/form.
Dualistic Reality – Body and So ul.
Our Self (Self)
- Strive for wisdom and perfection
- Reason is the soul’s tool to achieve such
state
- A unified, indissoluble, immortal entity that
remains the same over time.
- Very likeness of the DIVINE.
- REASON is the soul’s tool to achieve such
state.
PLATO
3 Parts of Soul/Self (Psyche)
1. REASON – the divine essence that lets us think
deeply(wisdom), make wise choices and
achieve a true understanding of eternal truths.
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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF REVIEWER

UNIT 1: “The self from various perspectives” PHILISOPHY

  • Who am I? n We are more than our names n Who am I in relation to the natural world (COSMOS)? ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
  • 1000 BC to 500 AD n Pre-socratic period n The ancient triumvirate n The post-aristotelians 1. Pre-Socratic Period (The Milesians)
  • COSMO - centric n There is a fundamental principle/thing that underlies everything else including the human self. Identify the characteristics of the following:
  • Water
  • Earth
  • Fire
  • Air Philosophers (elements) ® Thales – Water – source of nourishment ® Anaximander – Apeiron – ‘Boundless’ ® Anaximenes – Air – can condense and produce water ® Democritus – Atoms ® Heraclitus – Fire ® Anaxagoras – Nous: Mind ® Pythagoras – Numbers 2. The Ancient Triumvirate Ø SOCRATES “Know Thyself”
  • Man must live and stand according to his nature.
  • Man must look at himself “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Two fundamental questions:
  1. To find what?
  2. By what means? To find what?
  • Invitation to introspection: Platonic theory of reminiscence.
  • Knowledge is within, inherent in man; not outside
  • Wisdom is learning to reflect. By what means?
  • The Socratic method: Dialogue between the soul and itself.
  • Between a student and a teacher. Two aspects of reality Physical World – changeable, transient, imperfect world of senses/matter. Spiritual World – Unchanging, eternal, perfect world of ideas/form. Dualistic Reality – Body and Soul. Our Self (Self)
  • Strive for wisdom and perfection
  • Reason is the soul’s tool to achieve such state
  • A unified, indissoluble, immortal entity that remains the same over time.
  • Very likeness of the DIVINE.
  • REASON is the soul’s tool to achieve such state. **PLATO 3 Parts of Soul/Self (Psyche)
  1. REASON** – the divine essence that lets us think deeply(wisdom), make wise choices and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths.

2. PHYSICAL APPETITE – Accounts for the basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire. 3. SPIRIT/PASSION – Basic emotion such as love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness, empathy. - The three are in dynamic relationship with each other; in agreement and in conflict. - But it is the responsibility of the Reason to restore harmony among the three. Harmony – Justice in the individual, social, political levels. ARISTOTLE - The mind (self) is Tabula Rasa – A blank slate - Teacher – Plato - Student – Alexander the Great - Self is composed of matter and form. - Matter is in a continuous process of developing and becoming. - The process of completion is through experiences - Knowledge is acquired through senses - Self comes from a first cause , the source of all changes although unchangeable itself - The goal of the human self is reached in happiness through moderation or balance of things. 3. The Post-Aristotelians - maintains the dualism between body and soul. - more ethical in the ideas Moral norms – Attainment of happiness 3 Philosophies STOICISM - Apathy or indifference to pleasure HEDONISM - ‘Eat, drink, and be happy for tomorrow you will die’

EPICUREANISM

  • Moderate pleasure MEDIEVAL PHILISOPHY
  • THEO - centric
  • 500 AD- 1350 AD
  • From the scientific investigation on nature and search for happiness to the question of life and salvation in another realm, in a better world.
  • Introduced after life
  • Influence from ancient thought – The (human)self-endures through time.
  • More imposing than informing, because it was trying to aim at paganism and barbarism.
  • There was an aim to merge philosophy and religion. ST. AUGUSTINE
  • Integrates platonic ideas with the tenets of Christianity.
  • Platonic realm of idea/forms = Christian Philosophy of a transcendent God.
  • The self strives to achieve union with God through faith and reason. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
  • Self-knowledge is dependent on our experience of the world around us. (objective in environment)
  • We don’t encounter ourselves as isolated minds, but rather always as agents interacting with our environment.
  • The labels we attribute to ourselves are taken from the things we encounter in our environment.
  • What you do to other people are the basis of the label. “The things that we love tell us what we are.”
  • Experiencing that something exists doesn’t tell us what it is.
  • Knowing and learning about a thing requires a long process of understanding.

GILBERT RAYLE

à Behaviorism

  • No more dichotomy by denying the inner self, immortal souls, states of consciousness or unconscious entities.
  • The self is defined in terms of behavior that is presented to the world.
  • The self is a pattern of behavior, The tendency or disposition for person to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances. PAUL CHURCHLAND
  • Eliminates Materialism : Grounded in neuroscience
  • The mind/self in the brain CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
  • Political Revolution
  • Industrial Revolution
  • Scientific advancements and growth of materialism.
  • Theory of Evolution
  • More humanist as a response to the so- called alienation of the human person. EDMUND HUSSERL
  • We experience our self as a unity which the mental and physical are seamlessly woven together. MAURICE MORLEAU-PONTY “lived body”
  • An entity that can never be objectified or known in a completely objective sort of way, as opposed to the “body as object” of the dualists.
  • “There is no duality of substance but a dialect of living being in its biological milieu.” SIOCIOLOGY
  • Study of development of structure … The Self in the Sociological Perspective
  • Classical Sociological Perspective: n The self is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, other, and to social system. n The self is socially constructed in the sense that it is shaped through interaction with other people. n As with socialization in general, the individual is not a passive participant in this process and have a powerful influence over how this process and its consequences develop. CHARLES HORTON COOLEY
  • A person is self grows out of a person social interaction with others.
  • The view of ourselves comes from the contemplation of personal qualities and impressions of now other perceive us.
  • Actually, how we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but rather from how we believe others see you. ANTHROPOLOGY The Self in the Anthropological Perspective The Self embedded in the culture
  • The significance of the self is greatly underestimated in anthropology.
  • Identity (Shared with others) vs. Self
  • Western Self vs. non Western Self: Individualistic vs. Collectivistic PSYCHOLOGY Start of Self
  • The origin of one’s self start when a man and a woman become attracted to one another and have sexual relationship and later on the woman got pregnant
  • When she gives birth to a child that is the start of the development of the self of the newly born person.

THE SELF BASED ON PSYCHO-ANALYTIC

APPROACHES

  • Unconscious Forces- Libido
  • the energy of the sexual drive as a component of the life instinct.
  • Sex is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors. SIGMUND FREUD à ID à EGO à SUPEREGO Biological self – represents the id (natural part of the self) Animalistic nature of man Pleasure seeking part of the personality Determined by the genetic code Providing the raw materials Setting the boundary conditions for development The Id represents the basic need of man. If it is not satisfied it could result to stress and tension but if satisfied it could give you comfort and joy. If the id is properly controlled it could bring warmth and comfort or If the id is angered or provoked it could destroy not only himself but also his surrounding What do you want to be?
  • Do I have a choice?
  • What can I do? Psychological Self - represents the Ego Reality Principle Power of Choice à Output à Consequences/Outcome Power of Choice
  • Thinking
  • Reasoning Output – Consists of ways of behaving and thinking that are socially acceptable. The Ego
  • Product of your choice made possible by your ego
  • Whatever you have done or product you produce it is always subject for evaluation Social Self Functionalism – William James
  • Functionalism is a theory about the nature of mental states.
  • According to functionalists, mental states are identified by what they do rather than by what they are made of. Wiliam James Theory According to James's pragmatism, the value of an idea is dependent upon its usefulness in the practical world rather than its absolute truth. Functionalism
  • Focused on the operation of conscious activity Example: thinking and learning
  • Study of man’s adjustment to his environment Materials n Capacities n Skills

Self - evaluation and self - enhancement à Motivation plays a role in this model and is manifested by self- evaluation and self- enhancement. Self-evaluation occurs when someone looks for positive traits in himself based on the best person he compares himself with. Self- enhancement, on the other hand, occurs when the person questions which aspects of himself need to be improved to reach the level of goodness of the person he is comparing himself with. Self esteem à used to describe a person's overall sense of self- worth or personal value. In other words, how much you appreciate and like yourself. Self-esteem is often seen as a personality trait, which means that it tends to be stable and enduring. Reference Group à a group to which an individual or another group is compared. Sociologists call any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior a reference group. The Creation of Identities à One’s identity must balance the need to be similar to one’s reference group with the need to be a unique individual à Children become aware of the need for a group identity and are often afraid or acting differently. à Teens often seem torn between the need to assert their own individual identity and the need to conform to their reference group à New identities are forged in relation to work, parenthood, economic status and ageing

  • Self esteem
  • Body image
  • Body reality
  • Body ideal
  • Body presentation
  • Stigma
  • Social roles
  • Social rules

THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHT

Individualism à A human being has an individualistic nature and is an independent part of the universe and the society. Collectivism à A human being is an integral part of the universe and the society. à People are fundamentally connected. à Duty towards all others is a very important matter. WHAT ARE CHARACTERISTICS/BELIEFS OF INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURE? Individualism

  • Individual rights take center stage
  • Independence is highly valued
  • Being dependent upon others is often considered shameful or embarrassing
  • People tend to be self-reliant
  • The rights of individuals tend to take a higher precedence
  • People often place a greater emphasis on standing out and being unique WHAT ARE CHARACTERISTICS/BELIEFS OF COLLECTIVISTIC CULTURE? Collectivism
  • Social rules focus on promoting selflessness and putting the community needs ahead of individual needs
  • Working as a group and supporting others is essential
  • People are encouraged to do what's best for society
  • Families and communities have a central role

THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN/THOUGHT

The social construction of the Self in Western thought Some qualities imparted to the Western subjective

  • Analytic and deductive
  • Monotheistic
  • Individualistic
  • Materialistic and realistic THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHT The Self as embedded in relationships and through spiritual development in Confucian thought Asian schools of thought
  1. Buddhism
  2. Hinduism
  3. Taoism
  4. Confucianism Buddhism Buddha discovered why life is filled with suffering and how humanity can escape from this unhappy existence Experience in the transformations of consciousness and stages of meditation Buddha denies the self: no self, no individual No - self is the nature of an intuitive and subjective perception toward oneself beyond the ordinary range of human experience that is full of the anxieties and defensiveness To study the self is to deny the self Everything is impermanent in the continuous becoming of lived experience Implies emphasis on compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility Hinduism Hindus believe that an individual’s action ( Karma ) – the bad or good actions that the individual performed in a previous life determines his or her caste Taoism Relativity of opposites i.e. yin and yang Self does not exist without the existence of the other Self as a separate identity is supported by the equal and opposite sensation of otherness Confucianism The self in Confucianism is the starting point of constructive process For western philosophers, the concept of the self is the end of their searches First, there is the mere love of morality: that alone, without culture, degenerates into fatuity. Secondly, there is the mere love of knowledge: that alone without culture, tends to dilettantism. Thirdly, there is the mere love of honesty: that alone without culture, produces heartlessness. Fourthly, there is the mere love of uprightness: that alone, without culture, produces recklessness. Sixthly, there is the mere love of strength of character, that alone without culture, produces eccentricity. It is only through the continuous opening up of the self to others that the self can maintain its wholesome personal identity.

A person who is not responsive to others is self -

centered Confucian self is relational and interdependent Belief that certain sets of human relationships are basis for moral community Filial Piety

  • unquestioned obedience of the son to the authority of the father
  • Son must learn to suppress his own desires