¶ … self" is difficult to define but usually involves the inner life of the individual, the psychological dimension of human existence as opposed to the outward, physical form. The self is conceived as a creature of consciousness, a mind capable of thought and able to engage in deliberate action. A self is capable of self-consciousness, which means it recognizes its own ability to think and to contain first-person thoughts. The question is, however, is there a Self or not, and if there is, what is its nature? This has been argued in philosophy since the time of the Greeks and has been answered differently by philosophers, religious leaders, and psychologists at different times in history. Leslie Stevenson notes that the "question of the ultimate nature of such mental states is a philosophical problem which is left open by our everyday language about them" (Stevenson 74). This common language is often challenged by philosophers. David Hume offered an answer which countered the often accepted idea of the self as an enduring entity with experiences and thoughts and a separate existence.
In doing so, Hume challenged the view put forth by Rene Descartes. Descartes began his investigation into the nature of the self with his method of doubt, undertaken because he had reached an age where he now believed that he would be able to remove all of his earlier beliefs and begin with a clean slate. He says that everything he knew or thought he knew in the past was based on sense perception, and the senses can lie (a view in agreement with that of Plato). Because of this, Descartes must prove everything to himself through the application of reason. Descartes cites a number of reasons why we have to doubt our senses. For one thing, the senses sometimes deceive us with regard to minute objects or objects that are at a great distance from us. Our senses have limitations when it comes to things that are too small or too far away. Descartes finally determines that all senses should be eliminated from consideration so that pure reason is brought to bear on philosophical questions (Lavine 111-112).
Hume, on the other hand, follows Locke by determining that all the...
Self-Esteem and Nursing When I first began to study and learn about nursing, I never thought very much of what the concept of self-esteem meant to me. Self-esteem seemed like an abstract psychological concept, and I still was mainly preoccupied with the demands of nursing as a physical profession that required technical expertise. However, as I grew wiser, I began to see how my initial assumptions were fundamentally in error. People
Self-Care Strategies Self-care is a widely acknowledged aspect of Counseling. Through research, studies and hard-earned self-knowledge, experts have defined personal attributes, strategies such as mentoring, and qualities that can lead to development of the therapeutic self. Due to differing experiences and results, experts may differently name those attributes, strategies and qualities but all are focused on taking care of the self as the counselor takes care of his/her clients and other
Self-Determination Theory One interesting concept that comes up in many social science issues is that of self-determination. In the political process, the ideals of self-determination were popularized during the Enlightenment Period as a way to actualize the individual against repressive governments. From a sociological perspective, even famous novels like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein posit that the nature of humanity surrounds the idea of being able to make appropriate decisions in ways that
Internalizing the views of others results in a failure to take risks, like the hypothetical case of 'Myrtle' who refused to learn how to drive because she believed what her children told her, that she knew nothing about cars (Sherfield 36). Don't rely solely on others for self-assessments suggests Sherfield. What is 'realistic' may differ for both authors. For Brown, realistic may be more in the sense of measurable outcomes,
Therefore, these skills eventually become the deciding factor between the nurses either staying a nurse or leaving their career. Thus, many things are dependent on how well the nurses know their skills. Coming back to the major reason why this problem is so important. The way the nurses perform controls and actually decides how well a person recovers. The skills learnt during nursing school and how they are applied will
.." Kotter specifically is noted as having stated as follows: "Leadership is different from management but not for the reason most people think. Leadership isn't' mystical and mysterious. It has nothing to do with having charisma or other exotic personality traits. It's not leadership necessarily better than management or a replacement for it: rather leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary activities. Both are necessary for success..." (Kotter, 1990, p.103
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now