Week 2
Understanding the Self
Overview
This week, you will continue reading the materials on the self from various disciplinal
perspectives: anthropology, and psychology, as well as the more traditional division between the
East and West. Then, you will answer an awareness test to check for your understanding.
Expectations for the Week
1. Go through the required reading materials and complete the activities in this learner
guide.
2. Manage your time wisely. You should be able to complete the requirements of this course
in nine hours.
The Self from Various Perspectives
This week you will explore the self from the perspectives of anthropology, psychology, and the
self in western and oriental/eastern thought.
The academic discipline of anthropology, or “four-field” anthropology, studies human species
and its immediate ancestors include four main subdisciplines or subfields - sociocultural,
archaeological, biological, and linguistic anthropology. Each subdiscipline studies adaptation, the
process in which organisms cope with the environment. Anthropology is a systematic exploration
of human biological and cultural diversity.
Psychology has various ways of understanding a person and the therapist’s way of helping
people understand themselves. Self by definition is a reference by an individual to the same
individual person. Having its own or single character as a person, referring to the person as the
same individual.
The psychology of studying self is about either the cognitive and affective representation of
one's identity or the subject of experience. The earliest formulation of the self in modern
psychology forms the distinction between the self as I, the person knower, and the self as Me,
the person that is known.
The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought
There is a clash of civilization that is plaguing the country right now and though this is not
officially and consciously acknowledged, this war for dominance is victimizing all Filipinos in one
form or another. There is really no middle ground, and it is either one is rooting for the other side
or opposing all contentions and wisdom from another side. This is the battle for dominance, and
prisoners are not taken and captured. This is literally, the war between the eastern self versus the
western self.
Western culture basically is about the focus on oneself and personal needs; Eastern culture is
about the focus on others and the feelings of others. Western culture is predicated on putting
egoism first while Eastern culture is about collectivism. Conceptually, there is a vast difference
between egoism and collectivism. While egoism is focused on oneself, collectivism is all about
focus on others. While the Western culture is inclined towards more acquisition of material things,
the Eastern culture is tilted towards fewer assets (thus the mantra less is more). Western culture is
obsessed with being successful, the eastern culture is more inclined towards long life; for the
Eastern culture, long life is equated with wealth.
In Eastern culture, wealth and poverty is the result of fortune and luck, for the Western culture,
wealth and poverty are the results of enterprise and hard work. The Eastern culture values the
wisdom of years and seniority, while the Western culture celebrates youth and being young.
Philosophically, Eastern culture subscribes to the concept of reincarnation while Western culture
subscribes to the idea of evolution. Taken as a whole, these basic and subtle differences
between the Eastern culture and the Western culture are taking its toll on Filipinos on which
culture to adopt. The dilemma is whether to follow and subscribe to Western influences or
subscribe to Eastern ideas.
Citation:
Catamio, Estoque, Gotinga, and Laresma. “Worktext in Understanding the Self”, Aug 15, 2019,
scribd.com/document/421953324/Understanding-the-Self-pdf.
Learn more about the various disciplinal perspectives of the self by reviewing
the following reading materials:
● Anthropological Perspective of the Self
● Psychological Perspective of the Self
● The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought
Guide Questions:
Use these questions to help you look for what you need to learn and understand.
1. What are the different perspectives of the self?
2. How do they define their perspectives of the self?
3. Are there similarities with other philosophers or disciplines?
4. What are the differences between the various philosophers’ perspectives?
5. How related are the perspectives to real-life situations?
What’s in it for you:
Just like what you’ve learned so far from week 1, the question, “Who am I?” points to a deeply
rooted need within humans to understand the basis for the experience of the self. It may have
various perspectives however, this will allow you to dig deep and be able to compare and
understand their similarities or differences. Learning the perspectives of the self from notable
experts will open you to a deeper understanding of who you are and how the self is
developed.
MILESTONE 2: Personal Journal
1. Access your Personal Journal Sheet 2.
2. Be guided by these questions when writing your entry in your Personal Journal:
2.1 What is the most challenging event in your life that helped shape the person that you
are now?
2.2 What actions did you take and how did you learn from that experience or how did you
apply what you’ve learned to your life right now?
3. Submit your Personal Journal in the PJ Folder 2 by clicking the folder and uploading your
accomplished Personal Journal Sheet 2.
This is the end of week 2 activities. Do not proceed to the next section until you
have completed all activities from the previous section.
