The Self From Various Perspectives Flashcards
What does the philosophical perspective of the self cover?
- Nature of the self
- Existential questions (meaning in life)
- Looking for the path to genuine happiness
What time period was Ancient Philosophy covered?
1000 BC - 500 AD
The Ancient Triumvirate is composed of which Philosophers?
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
What does Ancient Philosphy cover?
The nature of the self, source of self-knowledge, meaning in life, path to happiness
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate believes in the 3-part self?
Plato
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate said that the soul strives for wisdom and perfection?
Socrates
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate said that the process of completion is through experiences?
Aristotle
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate believed in the dualistic reality aka body and soul?
Socrates
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate said that the mind (self) is a tabula rasa (blank tablet)?
Aristotle
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate said “Know thyself”; an unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates
What are the three selves in the 3-part self?
Physical Appetite self
Reason self
Spirit/Passion self
Which philosopher in the ancient triumvirate says that self is composed of matter and form?
Aristotle
Apathy or indifference to pleasure
Stoicism
Life’s goal should be to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.
“Eat, drink, and be happy. For tomorrow, you will die”
Hedonism
Moderate pleasure, learn to train your desires
Being content with the simple things in life ensures that you will never be disappointed
Epicureanism
What time period was Medieval Philosophy?
500 AD - 1350 AD
What was medieval philosophy focused on?
Theo-centric, religion
What did medieval philosophy aim to merge?
Philosophy and religion
What did medieval philosophy cover?
The self in relation to faith, reason, and experiences
Who were the philosophers in medieval philosophy?
St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Thomas Aquinas
Which medieval philosopher integrates platonic ideas with the tenets of Christianity?
St. Augustine
Which medieval philosopher believes that the self strives to achieve union with God through faith and reason?
St. Augustine
Which medieval philosopher believes that self-knowledge is dependent on our experience of the world around us?
St. Thomas Aquinas
Which medieval philosopher believes that the labels we attribute to ourselves are taken from the things we encounter in our environment
St. Thomas Aquinas
Which medieval philosopher says that “The things that we love tell us what we are”
St. Thomas Aquinas
Which medieval philosopher believes that experiencing that something exists doesn’t tell us what it is
St. Thomas Aquinas
Which medieval philosopher believes that knowing and learning about a thing requires a long process of understanding; same with the mind and the self–with expereience and reason
St. Thomas Aquinas
What time period did modern philosophy take place?
14th Century-Early 20th century
What did modern philosophy center on?
Anthropology (Anthropocentric)
What did modern philosophy period cover?
The self based on independent rational inquiry and real-world experimentation
What did anthropocentric thinkers begin to reject?
The medieval thinkers’ excessive reliance on authority
Who were the philosophers under modern philosophy?
- Rene Descartes
- David Hume
- Gilbert Ryle
- John Locke
- Immanuel Kant
- Paul & Patricia Churchland
- Edmund Husserl
- Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Which modern philosopher believed that the self is a thinking thing, distinct from the body
Rene Descartes
Which modern philosopher believed that there is no “self,” only a bundle of constantly changing perceptions passing through the theater of our minds
David Hume
Which modern philosopher believed that the self is the way people behave?
Gilbert Ryle
Which modern philosopher believed that personal identity is made possible by self-consciousness
John Locke
Which modern philosopher believed that the self is a unifying subject, an organizing consciousness that makes intelligible experience possible
Immanuel Kant
Which modern philosopher/s believed that the self is the brain and mental states will be superseded by brain states
Paul & Patricia Churchland
Which modern philosopher believed that we experience our self as a unity in which the mental and physical are seamlessly woven together
Edmund Husserl
Which modern philosopher believed that the self is embodied subjectivity
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Our body is a natural synthesis of mind and biology
Embodied Subjectivity
Which two philosophers agreed on embodied subjectivity?
Husserl and Merleau-Ponty
What approach describes the phenomena of the lived experience (reducing biases) by describing what your immediate responses are—physically, emotionally, cognitively
Phenomenological approach
What does modern philosophy cover?
The interaction of the nature and nurture of the self
Who is the father of psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud
What are the tiers of the self according to Freud?
- Conscious
- Preconscious
- Unconscious
This tier (Freud) refers to those thoughts and feelings that we are aware of
Conscious
This tier (Freud) refers to experiences that are unconscious but could become conscious with little effort
Preconscious
This tier (Freud) contains all drives, urges or instincts that are beyond our awareness but motivate our feelings, thoughts, and behavior
Unconscious
What are the three structures of the self according to Freud?
Id, Superego, Ego
This is what we call the biological self
Id
This is what we call the social self
Superego
This is what we call the psychological self
Ego
Among the Id, Superego, and Ego, which one balances and makes the compromises between the other two?
Ego
This refers to when adolescents are thought to believe that others are always watching and evaluating them, and that they are special and unique
Imaginary Audience
This refers to our mental representation of what we look like, how we behave towards others, etc.
Self-concept
This is used to describe a person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value
Self-esteem
Who made the “Real and Ideal Self” figure?
Carl Rogers
What did Carl Rogers believe was needed to achieve self-actualization?
They need to be in a state of congruence (between real self and ideal self)
Who developed ideologies about self as defined by social comparison?
Leon Festinger
This refers to considering your present condition in relation to how you were in the past
Temporal Comparison
This refers to evaluating yourself in comparison to others and using others as a basis for evaluating your attributes
Social Comparison
What are the two modes of social comparison?
Upward and downward social comparison
This mode of social comparison involves comparing ourselves to people better than us to improve our current level of ability
Upward social comparison
This mode of social comparison involves comparing ourselves to others who are worse off than ourselves in order to make ourselves feel better about our abilities
Downward social comparison
What are the two modes of downaward social comparison?
Passive and active
This mode of downward social comparison refers to when a person takes into consideration the previous condition in making a comparison
Passive downward comparison
This mode of downward social comparison refers to when a person compares themself with others by demeaning or causing harm to them
Active downward comparison
This refers to a group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior
Reference group
This refers to a small group of peers that is usually 2-12 members drawn together by similarities in various aspects and have more frequent social interaction
Clique
This refers to a large group including many cliques that share similar characteristics but may have less or no social interaction
Crowd
This occurs when someone looks for positive traits in himself/herself based on the best person he/she compares himself/herself with
Self-evaluation
This occurs when the person questions which aspects of himself/herself need to be improved to reach the level of goodness of the person he/she is comparing himself/herself with
Self-enhancement
Who came up with the Johari Window model?
Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham
This technique is used to enhance an individual’s perception on self and others
Johari Window
Who came up with the Looking Glass Self
Charles Horton Cooley
Who coined Symbolic Interactionism?
George Herbert Mead
This highlights the dual nature of the self as both an individual and product of society, underscoring the importance of social interactions in shaping human identity
Symbolic interactionism
What are two aspects of self-awareness?
I and the Me
This is the active aspect of the person
I
This is the socialized aspect of the person
Me
This refers to the viewpoints, attitudes, expectations of the society
Generalized other
This is a more creative, active and responsive aspect of self-awareness
I
This is a more social and conforming aspect of self-awareness
Me
This refers to when the identity is autonomous and egocentric
Western self
This refers to when identity is shares with others and derived from a culture instead of a “self”
Non-western or eastern self
This refers to uniqueness, self-sufficiency, autonomy, and independence
Individualism
This refers to working as a group, doing what’s best for society
Collectivism
Which religion says that the self is the source of all sufferings?
Buddhism
Who is the main persona in Buddhism?
Siddhartha Gautama
What is the main goal of Buddhists?
To achieve Nirvana
What should the self do in order to achieve the state of Nirvana?
Forget about the self, forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you have with the world, and to renounce the self
This religion is a fusion of various Indian cultures and traditions
Hinduism
According to Hinduism, what determines a person’s caste?
An individual’s action through karma
Which religion says that the self does not exist without the existence of the other?
Taoism
Who is the main persona in Taoism?
Lao-Tzu
What supports self as a separate identity according to Taoism?
It is supported by the equal and opposite sensation of otherness (yin and yang)
This religion focuses on the concept of Filial Piety
Confucianism
This Confucian concept teaches how one should properly act according to their relationship with other people; focused on having a harmonious social life
Filial Piety
