UNDERSTANDING SELF

1. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
The Self from the Anthropological Perspective

2. The term "Filipino is defined as
belonging or relating to the Philippines,
or to its people and culture.
In order to be called Filipino, you have
to belong to the Filipino people and
adopt their culture. In this perspective,
the self must be embedded in the
culture.

3. Anthropology considered as one of
the most complex areas of discipline,
has explored various meanings of
culture, self and identity in the desire
to come up with a better
understanding of the self.

4. At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. explain how culture affects or shapes one's identity
2. examine your sense of self through the different T-positions and
the three fundamental selves; and
3. reflect on your own identity struggles by writing an essay.

5. Culture is that complex whole
which includes knowledge, belief,
art, law, morals, custom and any
other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of
society.
The Self from Various Perspectives
Cultural Identity and National Identity
Culture is analogous to Caring for an infant. Because an
infant has prolonged dependency, he or she has to be
taken care of by the people around him or her. The
infant has to learn from them so he or she can better
adjust while growing up in his or her immediate cultural
environment (Leano & Corpuz, 2008)
Identity refers to "who the
person is," or the qualities and
traits of an individual that make
him or her different from others.
Identity also refers to how a person sees and
expresses oneself.

6. Cultural identity refers to the
identity or feeling of belonging to
a certain culture group. It is an
individual's perception about
himself or herself anchored on
race, gender, nationality, religion,
ethnicity, and language.
The cultural identity theory explains why a
person a and behaves the way he or she does.
It makes sense of how an individual is
influenced by the cultural contexts he or she
is situated in.These identities overlap and
form the identity of an individual.
A nation is a group of people
built on the premise of shared
customs, traditions, religion,
language, art, history, and more.
National identity refers to the identity or
feeling of belongingness to one state or nation.
Rupert Emerson, a political scientist, defines it
as "a body of people who feel that they are a
nation

7. National identity is socially constructed. It is influenced and shaped by material
and non-material cultures.
Material culture such as the
national flag, emblem, or seal is
representative of all the people
who are part of a nation.
Non-material culture, on the other hand,
embodies the shared understanding of a
group of people which includes norms,
beliefs, and traditions.
National identity requires the process of self-categorization. In self-categorization, one
must identify himself or herself with an in-group (identityıng with one's nation) and
differentiate himself or herself from the out-groups (other nations). It brings out positive
emotions like pride, nationalism, patriotism, and the sense of responsibility one has to
the nation he or she is part of.