Self-Theory - A Definition of Personal Identity - Essay Sample

Introduction

Living things such as people can define themselves by using specific names, attributes, or affiliations. When people use the word self, they are merely referring to them in form of reflective pronouns, which may mean yourself or myself. As such, these pronouns refer to individuals. Therefore, a theory of self can be formulated to indicate personal identity. The concept of self-theory can be used to define the term self as a form of perception that an individual has towards his or her character. Moreover, this feeling can be to other people. The way people regard the self of others defines the quality of their relationships. That is why someone can love an individual and hate another one. Once we use the term self, an expression of personal ego and superiority is manifested and that we have to maintain our illusion as valuable in society. The human brain produces specific impulses, which result in copying of particular ideas, a norm that can change our behaviors. That is why some people use expressions like "john has changed. This is an expression of how the self in John is manifested towards others. Different philosophers have defined the expression 'what is the self' differently based on their applicable theories and points of reasoning, but it all means referring to personal identity.

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David Hume used the bundle theory of the self to highlight some of the major factors that result in giving people an identity. We usually tend to think or refer to anything associated with us as self or our belongings. As such, selves are stable and unified entities that exist in an individual and never changes. Irrespective of how people examine their ways of life and identity, it becomes difficult for them to think beyond what they have previously learned or observed. People cannot regard themselves based on who they are uniformly given that they have to focus mainly on their strengths (Macnabb 23). For instance, it is difficult for an individual to answer a question of identity by referring to his or her weak areas. People ignore their weaknesses and try to expose strengths as a strategy of exhibiting their ego and superiority. No one can be impressed with their self being without combining some individual norms. As such, it will be challenging to become aware of ourselves if we cannot be told about our behaviors from a neutral point of view.

Hume's point of view can be considered to be based on the assertion that the phrase 'what is the self' is a combination of personal feelings, ideas, and perceptions. The bundle theory should thus be manifested from different perspectives or attributes that make an individual to be regarded in a particular manner. As such, people's behavior cannot be similar due to the difference in their self. The philosopher argues that the idea of self is a natural attribute of unifying the characteristics of an individual to form a set of unique behaviors. Hume's explanation of the phrase 'what is the self' is directly supported by John Locke. The philosopher considers that the realization if individual identity is a process that undergoes transition and checkpoints. As such, the identification does not just settle on the physical person but on the soul, which dictates a person's behavior. Through the incorporation of biological explanations, it is clear that personal identity is part of the genetic composition.

John Locke's point of view can thus be explained using the Cartesian self, in which a person's mind is considered a separate entity from the outside world and the body, hallucinating about its existence and itself. Individual awareness of self, results from personal interpretations, which are determined through our senses and experience. As such, we will continue to perceive our identity not because we are capable of that, but people are not aware of how to approach the self in themselves (Alexander 34). When an individual perceives him or herself different from other thinking beings, what comes into mind is that they have relatively superior or inferior attributes. As such, they are dissimilar based on such traits, and through learning and change, some of these factors at one point can be the same. That is why people who belong to a particular culture or race have some common attributes including embracing specific traditional practices.

Rene Descartes believed that the sense of self and personal identity is determined by individual consciousness and the mind. He also expressed point of view on John Locke's explanation on the variable of Cartesian self by taking it to a different level in which he focused on dualism. For him, the mind and the body are distinct. However, the brain can influence matter and that the mind is the sole determinant of the body's reactions or movements. Even if he accepts the idea of Cartesian self, the only significant difference with Locke's point of view is the separation of the body and the mind. His concept of dualism suggests two significant realms of individual identity and existence (Schaefer and Northoff 126). The initial one is the physical human component while the second one is the mind, which is the principal dictator of the body. The human body and the mind, being two distinct entities, make a person complete and thus able to define his or her self.

Thomas Hobbes considers the phrase 'what is the self' as a doctrine of egoism, which is based on the ideology of human actions being driven or controlled by self-interest. People have the desire and ambition to attain satisfaction and happiness of the self. However, his assertion can be downplayed by the idea that not all people act or get involved in an activity to be recognized or benefit (Ward 877). Some of them may have the sole ambition of helping the needy. Even if some philosophers such as David Hume described Hobbes as a self-centered man in his explanation of the self, the trait of self-centeredness and egoism is now manifested in the capitalism world. Through Hobbes, the theory of psychological hedonism was revealed as people get motivated for pleasure and personal satisfaction. That is why his idea and explanation can be termed to be part of political absolutism and psychological egoism.

Gilbert Ryle is another philosopher who emphasized the idea of self as a mental concept by opening up more on the notion of Cartesian dualism. Ryle's primary focus is on human behavior in which people have different traits based on what they want to accomplish. The tendency of a person to adapt specific behavioral attributes to attain particular goals can also lead them to difficulties. For instance, an individual can decide to be corrupt or steal to accomplish a mission (Smythe 1). However, involvement in such activities can result in imprisonment if found guilty. Given that the idea of duality of the body and the mind has received criticism, Ryle decided to advance his knowledge on the concept of self by focusing on observable behavior as the primary determinant of person. He chose to ignore the previous research studies, which had put emphatic stress on the idea of dualism and that the mind influences the body in terms of personal emotions and perception.

Bishop John Berkeley based his explanation on the concept of self from a religious background by asserting that people are aware of their wellbeing and identity. Moreover, he considered people are not defined per their ideas but by other variables such as what they know wills, or perceive. If a person knows himself or herself by reflex action, then there is a unique way in which the mind defines a person. As such, the sense of self is a critical component of an individual's status, and thus a person and ego can be used interchangeably. Having the capacity for self-consciousness and awareness is the primary determinant of the definition of full personhood (Strong 801). Therefore, Berkeley does not explicitly focus on the differences between the body and the mind as is the case with other philosophers like Ryle and Descartes.

People who have a sense of self can be willing to entertain and expose their first-person thoughts and ideas. Even if the eye cannot see itself, the self can manifest itself in different ways and be able to define some of its key attributes. However, the composition of person is a topic of discussion under the field of philosophy given that some scholars combine the body and the mind while others consider them two different entities. For human beings and some animals, cognitive ability is not directed at the external environment only. The account also turns inward to expose the inner feelings of the individual and influence decision making.

Benedict de Spinoza based his explanation of the concept of self after defining God's existence and defining the Supreme Being as a total of natural and physical rules that control the universe and not an individual or entity. God is made of matter and thoughts, meaning that he is the true definition of self. People can only be associated with the idea of self if God has given them the power to reason (Winkler 169). Some of his explanations on ontology and thus the nature of being has been manifested in the society trough self-expression, self-causing, and self-sustaining. These human attributes and experiences can be attained through the will of the Supreme Being.

Conclusion

In summary, the phrase 'what is the self' has been defined differently from various perspectives to illustrate some of the variables that determine a person's identity. Different philosophers have used divergent or similar views to offer valuable explanations and insights into the idea of self. Moreover, their statements seem to be based primarily on the differences between the body and the mind. The mind's actions mainly control the body. However, a different view has been offered based on religious perspective on the issue of self-identity. Benedict de Spinoza has stressed the need to focus on self-explanation in terms of a person's relationship with the Supreme Being. The primary determinant, in this case, is the soul that controls the human mind.

Works Cited

Alexander, Roland G. The self, supervenience, and personal identity. Routledge, 2019.

Macnabb, Donald George Cecil. David Hume: his theory of knowledge and morality. Routledge, 2019.

Schaefer, Michael, and Georg Northoff. "Who am I: the conscious and the unconscious self." Frontiers in human neuroscience 11 (2017): 126.

Smythe, Thomas W. "The Self and Self-Awareness." Open Access Library Journal 3.07 (2016): 1-4.

Strong, Tracy B. "Politics and The Political in the "Berkeley School" of Political Theory." PS: Political Science & Politics 50.3 (2017): 801-802.

Ward, Lee. "Thomas Hobbes and John Locke on a liberal right of secession." Political Research Quarterly 70.4 (2017): 876-888.

Winkler, Sean. "Self-Identity in Spinoza's Account of Finite Individuals." Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 39.1 (2018): 169-195.