Chapter I:

DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON

SELF AND IDENTITY

LESSON 3: THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the different ideas in psychology about the “self”;
2. Create your own definition of the “self” based on the definitions from psychology; and
3. Analyze the effects of various factors identified in psychology in the formation of the
“self.”

Activity

• This activity has two parts that try to compare how we look at ourselves against how people
perceive us depending on how we present ourselves to them. For the first part, list 10 to 15
qualities or things that you think define who you are around the human figure representing
you.
• For the second part, in the space below, write “I am ___________ (your name). Who do
you think I am based on what you see me do or hear me say?” Pass your paper around for
two to three minutes without looking who writes on it. As you fill out the paper of your
classmates, write briefly and only those that you observe about the person. Do not use any
bad words and do not write your name. After the allotted period, pass all the paper to your
teacher who will distribute them to the respective owners.

Analysis

Compare what you wrote about yourself to those written by your classmates. What aspects
are similar and what are not? What aspects are always true to you? What aspects are sometimes
true or circumstantial? What aspects do you think are not really part of your personality?
Abstraction
- There are various definitions of the “self” and other similar or interchangeable concepts in
psychology.
- Other concepts similar to self are identity and self-concept:
o Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities,
as well as affiliations that define who one is.
o Self-concept is what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about who
you are.
- Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed in one-time frame.
- Carl Rogers captured this idea in his concept of self-schema or our organized system or
collection of knowledge about who we are.

- Theories generally see the self and identity as mental constructs, created and recreated in
memory.
- Freud saw the self, its mental processes, and one’s behavior as the results of the interaction
between the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.
- There are three reasons why self and identity are social products:
- We do not create ourselves out of nothing. Society helped in creating the
foundations of who we are.
- Whether we like to admit it or not, we actually need others to affirm and reinforce
who we think we are.
- What we think is important to us may also have been influenced by what is important in our
social or historical context.

- Social interaction and group affiliation are vital factors in creating our self-concept
especially in the aspect of providing us with our social identity;
- There are times when we are aware of our self-concepts; this is also called self-awareness;
- Carver and Scheier identified two types of self that we can be aware of:
- the private self or your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings; and
- the public self or your public image commonly geared toward having a good
presentation of yourself to others.
- Self-awareness also presents us with at least three other self-schemas:
- The “actual” self is who you are at the moment
- The “ideal” self is who you like to be
- The “ought” self is who you think you should be
- Self-awareness may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances and our next
course of action.
- Our group identity and self-awareness also have a great impact on our self-esteem, defined
as our own positive or negative perception or evaluation of ourselves.
- One of the ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is through social
comparison:
- The downward social comparison is the more common type of comparing
ourselves with others, by comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than
us.
- The upward social comparison which is comparing ourselves with those who are
better off than us.
- Social comparison also entails what is called self-evaluation maintenance theory, which
states that we can feel threatened when someone out-performs us, especially when that
person is close to us.
- In the attempt to increase or maintain self-esteem, some people become narcissistic, a “trait
characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-centeredness.”
- There is a thin line between high self-esteem and narcissism and there are a lot of tests and
measurements for self-esteem like the Rosenberg scale.
- Though self-esteem is a very important concept related to the self, studies have shown that
it only has a correlation, not causality, to positive outputs and outlook.
- Programs, activities, and parenting styles to boost self-esteem should only be for rewarding
good behavior and other achievements and not for the purpose of merely trying to make
children feel better about themselves or to appease them when they get angry or sad.
Application and Assessment

• Do a research and list 10 things to boost your self-esteem or improve your self-concept.
Cite your sources.

• Analyze which of those tips are more likely to backfire and make someone conceited
or narcissistic and revise them to make the statements both helpful to the individual as
well as society in general.
LESSON 4: THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Differentiate the concept of self-according to Western thought against Eastern/Oriental
perspectives;
2. Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thoughts; and
3. Create a representation of the Filipino self.

Activity

Write top five differences between Western society and Eastern society, culture, and
individuals in the table below. Cite your sources.

Analysis

Do you agree with the differentiation between the West and the East? Where can you find
the Philippines in the distinction? What are the factors that make the Philippines similar or different
from its Asian neighbors? Is there also a difference between regions or ethnolinguistic groups in
the Philippines?
Abstraction

Eastern thoughts:
- Sees the other person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create, a drama in
which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles
- Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and social relations that is given
more importance than individual needs and wants.
Western thoughts:
- Looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct from the other person, the creator
is separate from the object he created, in which the self is distinguished and acknowledged
- The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since their focus is on
the person.

• Confucianism
- A code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to his/her relationship
with other people
- The identity and self-concept of the individual are interwoven with the identity and status
of his/her community or culture, sharing its pride as well as its failures.
- Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life.
- The cultivated self in Confucianism is what some scholars call a “subdued self” wherein
personal needs are repressed (subdued) for the good of many, making Confucian society
also hierarchal for the purpose of maintaining order and balance in society.
• Taoism
- Living in the way of the Tao or the universe
- Rejects having one definition of what the Tao is
- Rejects the hierarchy and strictness brought by Confucianism and would prefer a simple
lifestyle and its teachings thus aim to describe how to attain that life
- The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the universe.
- The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self; it is living a balanced
life with society and nature, being open and accepting to change, forgetting about
 prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well as complementarity
among humans as well as other beings.

• Buddhism
- The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control things,
or human-centered needs; thus, the self is also the source of all these sufferings.
- To forget about the self, forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you have
with the world, and to renounce the self which is the cause of all suffering and in doing so,
attain the state of Nirvana.

Application and Assessment

• Create a representation, diagram, or concept map of the SELF according to Filipino culture.
• Provide a brief explanation of your output. You can also cite books and researches about
Filipino culture, self, and identity to further elaborate on the topic.