The self Essay

Submitted By swood1991
Words: 1560
Pages: 7
Open Document
The Webster’s Dictionary defines “self” as the person someone normally or truly is. I find this hard to understand, words of certainty are used but I am no more certain of the self. Normally is defined as not strange. Truly is similarly defined as without doubt. Prior to being asked, what is the self and how do you know? I never gave the idea much thought. It seemed that the self was something permanent, undeniable and certain even through the vast changes that exist in the world. Having spent some time thinking critically on the matter I discovered that the self is not a constant. There are indeed aspects of the self which remain reasonably constant such as, physical appearance; otherwise we would lose our sense of identity. For the most part what defines a person and creates a sense of self for each individual is fluid, changing and highly subjective. For certain the only thing which stays completely normal and true is that we indeed maintain a self which is developed through interactions with our environment, this includes other people. Also the self gives us awareness of our own actions and identity as unique and singular individuals. Self can only exist as long as we understand it to be true and have an environment with which to frame it. Once we die, there is no longer a “self” because the social, physical and mental processes which converge no longer meet to assume a self. It’s easy for one to outline what they think, but it’s the “why” that gives an opinion power. There are theories which contradict what I believe to be the main characteristics of self. Functionalism claims that our thoughts are mere processes which serve a certain function. Essentially the brain is a complicated highly adapted machine which serves a purpose. Also, the exact entity which fulfills the function is not relevant because in theory anything could be designed to perform the same functions (Solomon, Higgins). I don’t disagree that Functionalism holds a valid point rather I question its relevance. Functionalism argues that the mind is simply a complicated process to which we give meaning. What I do disagree with is the extent to which our mind has an effect on our body and brain by allowing us to realize more than just the chemical reactions. The processes of Functionalism give meaning to life, emotions, actions and our surroundings through thoughts. The fact that the brain creates all we experience gives it no less meaning because, try as we might, we cannot remove our mind from the equation. The mind is created by the brain and the body but it also exists outside of us. Self exists in the same manner because it’s part of our mind. I argue that self must exist, even in an abstract sense because we are able to think, perceive and discuss the various ideas of self. Giving the self a true definition and establishing what make each person’s self is another matter. What characterizes my “self” and why? How is the self so real in everyone’s life yet unreal in the rational sense? We are born with unique bodies and unique brains which from the start foster an individual who cannot be the same as another human being. I share aspects of personality, physicality and experience with others. What I do not share is the unique self that arose from my social interactions and are interconnected with my body and brain. The self can only exist because we all feel it as something which is true. I define myself with words and thoughts this involves a framework and is developed through social interactions. Before a baby can speak, walk or talk they have emotions which drive them. For example, we all feel hunger, pain and pleasure. As a child grows they gain a deep understanding of what it means to be human, while absorbing vast frameworks which are used establish “self”. Babies learn to name and classify the feelings which they have. Everyone learns to classify themselves as individuals. I am real because I exist
Show More

Related Documents: The self Essay

Essay on The Self

The Self Our perception is often skewed by what the media or what others deem as attractive and beautiful. Self-concept affects individuals directly through interpersonal communications and how others perceive several aspects of our behaviour and attitudes. Self-Esteem and Body Image are also common factors which help define who we are, and are significant in today’s society. These three issues today, can have a huge impact on an individual’s development and overall personality. By definition, perception…

Words 1414 - Pages 6

Self Ignorance

Self-assurance is having confidence in ourselves and believing we can accomplish all our goals, whether immense or miniscule. Occasionally, it can have a negative connotation since people view it as a pleasant way to say someone is cocky or narcissistic, but actually it is about how we perceive ourselves. Being confident in ourselves allows us to stand up for what we believe in, even if we will be mocked or criticized for it. It can require a long time to build up our self-esteem, but having appropriate…

Words 853 - Pages 4

Self Assessment

SELF ASSESSMENT (COURSE WEBSITE): OPTIMISM: This test in the course website assesses my own optimism by involving four dimensions which include permanence, pervasiveness, the stuff of hope and personalization. First category i.e. in the dimension of permanence my score stands as average level between being a moderately optimistic and a quite pessimistic. In my view, bad things are temporary part of life and can be these situations can be averted back once time passes, and I also feel that to have…

Words 924 - Pages 4

Self: Evaluation and True Self Assessment Essay

The self is first and foremost the collection of beliefs that we hold about ourselves, simple but interesting. The first question posed to us is what are our import characteristic. People put on a show daily so they can fit into their surroundings, with that being said integrity and accountability is key. Self esteem is the evaluation we make of ourselves, and when we use reflective appraisals we need to apply that integrity to give our self a true self assessment and show accountability when we…

Words 350 - Pages 2

Self And Society

Mike McCarthy CMM 350 Jared Bishop 8 February, 2015 Self and Society The debate between Walter Lippmann and John Dewey is based on whether or not the public has the capability to to learn how to govern itself correctly in a democracy. Dewey had a great faith in the public's capacity, while Lippmann was skeptical of the public's policy-making ability. I think that both of these arguments hold water and a combination of the two is what is needed in order to form an effective democracy. Lippmann…

Words 901 - Pages 4

Self Evaluation

Williams HFST Self evaluation Self Evaluation I choose Adolescence I choose that because I felt that, that would most likely be the easiest to analise. Like maslow's hierarchy of needs that is very important in the way an adolescent grow and develops and if they reach the top how much better it is for them. In Adolescence that is when you start to make sure you have all your needs on your own while they still need their parents, they become a lot more self reliant…

Words 480 - Pages 2

Society And Self

Name Tutor Course Date Society & Self In this life, I have come to particularly grow fond of my central role in the society. This I complement with other secondary role performances to derive my purpose in life. The beauty of it all is how it impacts positively and significantly in instructing the most important category of persons in the society, and more so seeing them follow suit, learning and following the very principles I observe too. This gives me much motivation, courage and morale to not…

Words 945 - Pages 4

Self Deception

Leadership and Self-Deception / Self-Betrayal What are we talking about / SO WHAT? Self-deception actually determines one’s experience in every aspect of life. (vii) [S]elf-deception has many different symptoms…Organizations die, or are severely crippled, by those symptoms (111).  THE “CORE COMPETENCY” What we’ve discovered in the years since is that almost everyone at work betrays himself or herself in this same foundational way. So everything we do here is designed to help our people avoid…

Words 1690 - Pages 7

Self Assessment

assessment two “How willing am I to Delegate?” I scored a 52. This indicates that I have room for improvement when it comes to delegating tasks. On assessment four “How good am I at Giving Performance Feedback?” I scored a five on self-perceived strengths, and a three on self-perceived weaknesses. This indicates that I have relatively strong feedback skills. Careers On assessment one in this section “What’s the Right Organizational Culture for me?” I had a score of 18. Scores of 21 or lower indicate…

Words 1282 - Pages 6

Self-Disclosure

Over the length of this class, I have tried to work to change how I view self-disclosure. I appreciate how our text recognized that self-disclosure is more than just sharing information about oneself to a group. “It involves listening and receiving feedback as well as speaking” (Gladding, 2012, p. 125). I find no struggle in the listening and feedback aspect, but the speaking is where I get tripped up. I still carry the wounds from a relationship where I was made to feel that what I had to share…

Words 269 - Pages 2