View of Self Philosophy Key Concepts

Ancient Philosophers

Socrates

• Self as the Soul:
  • Self synonymous with the soul; death is the soul's departure from the body.
  • Importance of introspection and self-awareness for personal growth.
  • Soul strives for wisdom and perfection using reason.
• Dualistic Reality:
  • Body: Physical realm, changeable and imperfect.
  • Soul: Ideal realm, unchanging and eternal.
• Know Thyself:
  • Socratic Method: Encourages self-examination through dialogue.
  • Socratic Irony: Pretending ignorance to stimulate philosophical discussions.
• Virtue: Emphasized virtues such as wisdom, courage, and justice.

Plato

• Self as a Tripartite Soul:
  • Reason: Wisdom and understanding of eternal truths.
  • Physical Appetite: Biological needs.
  • Spirit/Passion: Emotions and basic drives.
  • Achieving happiness by ensuring reason controls spirit and appetite.
• Theory of Forms: Knowledge of higher reality and eternal forms.

Aristotle

• Soul as the Essence of the Self:
  • Soul as the essence; cannot exist without the body.
  • Vegetative, Sentient, and Rational soul types.
  • Eudaimonia: Flourishing life through virtuous activity.

Modern Philosophers

Rene Descartes

• Self as a Thinking Entity:
  • Distinction between mind and body.
  • Thinking and self-consciousness as proof of self.

John Locke

• Self is Consciousness:
  • Personal identity constructed from sense experiences.
  • Memory as key component.
  • Tabula Rasa: Mind as a blank slate shaped by sensory experiences.

David Hume

• No Self:
  • Self as a bundle of perceptions without fixed identity.
  • Bundle Theory: Collection of perceptions and experiences.

Latent Philosophers

Immanuel Kant

• We Construct the Self:
  • Reality constructed by the self; familiar and predictable world.
  • Transcendental Idealism: Knowledge based on mind perception.

Gilbert Ryle

• Self is Behavior:
  • Self understood as behavior patterns and dispositions.

Paul Churchland

• Self is the Brain:
  • Self inseparable from the brain and body.
  • Neurophilosophy: Integration of neuroscience and philosophy.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

• Self as Embodied Subjectivity:
  • Knowledge based on subjective experience.
  • Phenomenology: Examines structures of experience and perception.

View of Self Key Concepts

Margaret Mead

• Social Interaction:
  • Self as dynamic construct shaped by social interactions.
  • Looking glass self: Based on others' perceptions.

Albert Bandura

• Social Learning:
  • Identity shaped by modeling and responses to expectations.
  • Observational Learning and Self-Efficacy.

Karl Marx

• Self and Class Consciousness:
  • Self defined by class consciousness and economic structures.
  • Alienation and class struggle concepts.

Max Weber

• Social Action and Meaning:
  • Self shaped by cultural contexts and social norms.
  • Verstehen: Empathetic understanding.

Lev Vygotsky

• Sociocultural Theory:
  • Self constructed through cultural interactions and language.
  • Social Constructivism: Knowledge from social interactions.

Ruth Fulton Benedict

• Cultural Relativity:
  • Self shaped by cultural context.
  • Patterns of Culture: Analyzed cultures for social personality patterns.

William Graham Sumner

• Societal Molding of Self:
  • Folkways shape individual behavior.
  • Ethnocentrism and Social Darwinism.

Marcel Mauss

• Relational Self:
  • Self shaped by social interactions and community exchanges.
  • Gift Economy: Social bonding through gift-giving.

Sigmund Freud

• Id, Ego, Superego:
  • Self navigates id's desires and superego's morals through ego.
  • Defense mechanisms and psychosexual stages.

William James

• Me and I Self:
  • "I" as subjective self; "Me" as objective self.
  • Material, Social, and Spiritual self.
  • Social comparison influences self-perception.

Karen Horney

• Real vs False Self:
  • Real self vs. faade developed due to societal pressures.
  • Basic Anxiety and neurotic strategies.

Carl Rogers

• Actual vs Ideal Self:
  • Actual self vs. ideal self discrepancy.
  • Congruence between selves leads to fulfillment.

Eastern Philosophies

Confucianism

• Relation to Societal Roles:
  • Self-cultivation within social relationships.
  • Subdued self for community good.

Buddhism

• Anatta (Non-Self):
  • Self as transient experiences.
  • Nirvana through mindfulness and awareness.

Taoism

• Naturalistic Self:
  • Self part of the universe's nature.
  • Harmony with nature and simplicity.