Unity 1.

Social, Environment and other Life Factors

An Overview of Self/Identity

The Self is one of the most interesting topics that people talk about everyday. We may not be conscious
about it but every time we mention the ‘I’ e.g., I will go to school, I hangout with my friends, I like to eat
burger, we are talking about the self as “actors”. Further, we always mention the ‘me’ as the object, e.g.,
tell me about it, give me something, it makes me feel awesome. Noticeably, the Self composes both the I-
as an actor and the Me- as the object. Our interest about the self is even more evident in the functional
word variations of I and Me that we use in our everyday language depending on our purpose (e.g., my,
mine, myself, etc.).

Our consciousness of the existence of the Self has been almost automatic or reflexive and we are almost
unaware that in our everyday lives we are constantly talking about it.

Issues on Understanding the Self

Many scholars (i.e., theorists, scientists, philosophers) in different fields and across generations have
attempted to explain and thoroughly expound on several issues and controversies about the nature,
existence, and dimensionality of self. The most prevalent among issues on self, are the issues on:

While some insist that the self is predominantly a product of natural processes to which people are
inherently predisposed, some argue that the self is largely influenced and principally constructed by one’s
social environments.

Nature

Biological sciences which explain that our traits are passed on to humanity from one generation to
another, and these transmitted traits served as a blueprint of our self and make us predispose to certain
self-expressions (e.g., attitude, behavior, tendencies, etc.). Here, the self is being studied structurally and
functionally, from the molecular level to the entirety of human physiological systems. Genetics for
example contributed so much information about the descriptions of the self. This field of biology primarily
deals with the study of heredity (transmission of traits and characteristics from generation to another) as
a process, as well as on the characterizations (similarities and differences) of organisms.

Nurture

Social Sciences argue though that the self should be principally viewed as an outcome of various nurturing
factors in the context of one’s social life. Social Sciences have provided manifold of insights and
explanations about the self both on the micro and macro level of one’s social life. Different fields of social
science stresses how group life (formal and informal) affects individuals’ behavior and attitude, and
emphasizes on the impact of various social institutions to the self-construal of an individual.
While arguments about the predominance of either nature or nurture are still unresolved, we could
settle for an eclectic standpoint on this issue. We can safely assume that our self is BOTH a product of
NATURE and NURTURE.

While some insist that the self is predominantly a product of natural processes to which people are
inherently predisposed, some argue that the self is largely influenced and principally constructed by one’s
social environment. Self and Identity are topics that remain popular not only among psychologists (authors
of psychology articles) but also to other social scientist like sociologists, cultural anthropologists,
economists, among others. Noticeably, the term self and identity in various literatures have been loosely
interchanged by many authors. For many, there is a very thin conceptual and functional distinction
between the two concepts and many people perceive them as synonymous.

Identity: Based on lexical definition, Identity (noun, iden·ti·ty\ī-ˈden-tə-tē, ə-, -ˈde-nə-\) referred to “the
qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others… or the distinguishing
character or personality of an individual”

Self: Based on lexical definition, Self (noun) is “the person that someone normally or truly is… or the entire
person of an individual”.

A comprehensive definition that underscores the distinctions and overlap of self and identity was given
by Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith (pg. 69, 2012) which states that:

“Identities are the traits and characteristics, social relations, roles, and social group memberships that
define who one is. Identities can be focused on the past-what used to be true of one, the present-what is
true of one now, or the future-the person one expects or wishes to become, the person one feels obligated
to try to become, or the person one fears one may become; together, identities make up one's self-concept
variously described as what comes to mind when one thinks of oneself’.

We are what we are right now not just because of a single factor. We are developed by many factors…

Some people believe that the Self or Identity can be more accurately depicted using a single factor or
aspect. For example, we often hear people ask another to describe a particular person using a number of
words. Can we really describe someone using only a few words?

Many people tend to provide

Physical Description…

Physical Appearance – Refers to how we physically present our self to other people. Though we can
consider that the physical appearance is just a surface description that we can use to describe a person,
this dimension of the Self tends to be very critical for some practical purposes (e.g., easy recall, creating
impression, making judgement, etc. ) .

Our Self cannot be singly represented by a certain trait because our Self/Identity is composed of
multidimensional aspects and that we are a PRODUCT of multidimensional FACTORS.
Social Factor of the Self

Refers to the influences of significant people in a person’s life. This particularly includes the social groups
where and individual identifies oneself. Social factors are strong foundations of one’s being. The
characteristics that we acquired from the influences of the social groups where we interact with during
the growing up years are integrated to form our identity, or our uniqueness and similarities with others.

Family
Peer Groups
Organizations
And other significant people in a person’s life (e.g., teacher, role-model, relatives, etc.)
Environmental Factor of the Self

Broadly includes the physical and communal elements present in our everyday surrounding, and is
invariably dealt with by individuals in a specific geographic region or area. This is not only about the
physical properties of the surrounding (i.e., climate and temperature, forms of land, etc.) but this factor
principally includes the larger society or community and the expectations and norms operating in that
particular locality or place. For example:

A person who grew up in a city, where competitiveness and resiliency are needed in order to survive
would tend to adapt in to that kind of environment by consciously strengthening certain traits and skills
that will manifest competitiveness (e.g., communicative, intellective, etc.). In the process, the harnessed
characteristics become an integral part of one’s Self or Identity

Hereditary Factor of the Self

Heredity is a biological process by which certain traits and characteristics are passed on from one
generation to another. This factor compared with the two previously discussed factors can be depicted as
the non-negotiable factor. If one has the choice whether or not to adopt the influence of social groups
and to change (improve) one’s environment, heredity as a factor of one’s being and identity is relatively
fixed and permanent.

Physical Attributes (e.g., height, complexion, color of eyes, etc.)

Some Cognitive Traits (e.g., I.Q)
Some other Personal Characteristics

Person-Volition Factor of the Self

The most controversial factor of the Self or Identity. This refers to the inclination of a person to
form and construct a specific identity, which will set him apart or unique compared with others. Such
factor emanates from within the mentality of an individual, but also brought about by the aggregated
social-life experiences. Social scientists (e.g., sociologist) may refer to this type of person as deviant and
non-conformist. But being one is not necessarily negative, in fact, some of the people of this type turned
in to trend-setters, discoverers and inventors
 The Philosophy of the Self

The Self has been defined as “as a unified being, essentially connected to consciousness,
awareness, and agency (or, at least, with the faculty of rational choice) “. Different philosophers have
come up with more specific characteristics of the Self, and over time, these meanings have transformed
from pure abstractions to explanations that hold scientific evidences.

The ancient philosophy of self can be traced back from the ancient Greek aphorism (one of 147
aphorisms prominently inscribed in the temple of Apollo at Delphi), “know thyself” (Greek: γνῶθι
σεαυτόν, transliterated: gnōthi seauton).

The aphorism (or principle) was used by Socrates as his guiding principle that he passed on to his
students. Since Socrates as a guru preferred to engage his students in endless discussion, it is said that he
had never written down any of his ideas but instead untiringly discussed concepts and principles with his
students. Socrates believed that the real self is not the physical body, but rather the psyche (or soul). He
further posited that the appearance of the body is inferior to its functions.

It was Plato, Socrates’ prized student who thoroughly expound on Socrates ideas of self. Plato’s
conceptualization of the Self was profoundly introduced in his dialogue Phaedrus, which has been a
popular text for many decades in the subject of Philosophy. The main idea in this dialogue is about truth-
seeking, and that the truth can be can be distinguished in two forms: the metaphysical realm (mind) and
the physical world (body). Plato suggested that the existence or the truth about the human self is
fundamentally an intellectual entity whose nature exists independent from the physical world. Plato
bifurcated the truth or reality into two: the “ontos” (ideal), the ultimate reality which tend to be
permanent and spiritual, and the “phenomena” which refers to the manifestation of the ideal. In contrast
with ontos, phenomena is imperfect, impermanent and inferior to the latter.

Plato’s idea of truth about the human self was even more expounded and formalized by his prized student,
Aristotle. While Plato emphasized the separation of ideal and phenomenal existence (or being), Aristotle
suggested that the ideal is subsumed in the phenomena. Aristotle called ideal as “essence” and the
phenomena as “matter”. He also emphasized that the two co-exist and are co-dependent, the essence
provides meaning and purpose to the matter, and the matter provides substance and solidity to essence.

Philosophy of the self has been defined through two distinct philosophical lens:

Empiricism - derives explanations of the self from sensory and bodily responses. We know things because
we have experienced it through our bodily senses.

Rationalism - there is innate knowledge; they differ in that they choose different objects of innate
knowledge. Rationalism explains self from the standpoint of what is “ideal” and the “truth”, not rooted in
what is felt by the senses nor our body.

What are the different philosophical views of the Self? There is abundance in literature that highlights the
similarities and contrasting standpoints of the self. Socrates and Plato have explained the Self from a
theoretical and logical orientation; Aristotle was an empiricist, deriving views of the self from physical and
scientific underpinnings. St. Augustine adopted the views of Plato and infused it to his religious
philosophy. John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant were empiricist philosophers; Rene Descartes
was a dominant rational philosopher during the Middle Ages. Among contemporary philosophers,
majority are empiricists: Gilbert Ryle, Patricia Churchland, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty have
incorporated biological and neuroscience in their philosophies.

The Science of the Self

Science has invested much of its efforts in understanding world phenomena, but none more so than in
explaining how human beings have evolved from its basic life forms to its more complex make-up today.
Science has been lexically defined as “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic
study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and
experiment.” Thus, attempts to explain Self have been made from the perspective of scientific methods.
Further, scientific approaches to the study of the Self is of two-fold: physical sciences and social sciences.
The former focuses on biological factors that make up the human body, the underlying growth and
maturational mechanisms of people, and environmental influences that contribute to human
development, central focus of which is the Self. On the other hand, social sciences is concerned with
institutions, society, and interpersonal relationships of people living within society.

Biological Science

Science has made sufficient advances in explaining human beings in the biological context. Beginning with
the tenets of Aristotle and his scientific approach to the study of human experience, to the Natural
Selection within the Evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin, human development, individuality, and
inevitably the Self, has been defined, analyzed, and explained according to specific mechanisms.

The human body has been explained from a number of scientific standpoints. From a biological
perspective, genetics has been studied extensively by scientists and doctors on how genes from both
parents contribute to the characteristics of their offspring.

The study of the human body from a physical perspective has paved the way for a fuller understanding
of the self, as consciousness, deemed to be a fundamental core of the self, is influenced by inner dynamics
and environments.

NEUROPHILOSOPHY

The study of Neurophilosophy is attributed to Paul and Patricia Churchland. Neurophilosophy is concerned
with the association of the brain and the mind; in order to understand the workings of the human mind,
we must first understand the brain, its functions, and wave activity. They further argued that philosophical
notions of free will, common sense, and conscientiousness, we must be able to explain it in the context
of neuroscience as advances in this field seemingly converge with how people think, feel, and behave. In
the context of the self, our consciousness, worldviews, beliefs, and other human attributes are distinctly
connected to our brain physiology and functioning.

PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY
Psychoneuroimmunology draws its assumptions from how our immune systems function, similar to the
shaping of self. Our body is made up of nucleotides, and its composition make up our DNA. In the context
of our immune system, our human bodies “reject” foreign matter that can harm our bodies and build up
on the existing molecules, leading to a healthy bodily system. However, there times when foreign matter
that enters our system can be helpful for our bodily maintenance and thus, becomes a permanent fixture
within the body. In the context of the self, individuals capitalize on their innate attributes and are likely to
reject environmental factors seen to be harmful to the body and their well-being. In discovering our self,
we are likely to imbibe external experiences that are seen to be helpful to us and reject those that we do
not like or those we do not derive pleasure from.

Social Sciences

Whereas physical science has devoted much of its time to understanding the physical nature of people,
social science is concerned with human functioning in the context of society and social institutions.
Psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics, and economics are some of the social sciences that have
contributed much to the study of the Self.

Psychology is one of the most popular social sciences, defined as “the study of human behavior”. A
number of theoretical perspectives have been introduced within this field of interest to explain the “self”.
Psychology has contributed a lot in the study of the self as a theoretical construct. In fact, the development
of the so called Science of Self is significantly rooted from various psychological theories and principles. In
many psychological theories (e.g., social and personality psychology), the term self has been used as a
predicate of several psychological constructs (e.g., self-awareness, self-construal, self-esteem, self-
efficacy, self-regulation, etc.). Such usages of the term indicate not only an acceptance of its existence but
also signify its importance in characterizing human psychological and personal attributes.

Sociology is the study of collective behavior of people within society and focuses on social problems
encountered by people. It does not see the individual on his own, but rather, how social institutions and
his social relationships within society create an impact on his thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It provides
tools for understanding human experience and how society shapes the person and vice versa.

Anthropology is the “science of human beings; especially the study of human beings and their ancestors
through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and
culture.” In the context of studying the self, anthropology provides the lens of the developmental
advancements society has made and how it has impacted generations who existed within that society.

Political Science is concerned with participation of individuals in establishing a government and making
political choices. It is not about political affiliations but rather, the factors involved in how one arrives at
his political choices and behavior. In studying self, how an individual participates in government, his
ideologies and advocacies, are significant contributors to his selfhood.

Economics is “concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services". Nature of goods, how we manufacture them, how we share in its
consumption, our state of finances and purchasing power, and its equitable distribution to society shapes
our self through valuation of products and services that society has to offer. Our economic activities have
shaped our value system, and sense of self.