The Self Impact Self Esteem And Self Image

The question of the self is one that appears throughout history and has been debated in myriad ways. Many people assert their claim as the correct one, though some are content to contemplate the self for the rest of their lives rather than remain at one conclusion. Humans are their own enigma, unable to understand the complexity of themselves. It is important to have some theory of consciousness in order to understand the actions of ourselves and others, therefore it is irresponsible to consider the matter a moot point. After consideration of works describing the physical processes of the brain, it seems that there is nothing more simple or wonderful than consciousness existing within the physical brain. Moreover, the concept of self is a construct of the mind rather than something that truly exists.

Stephen Prothero explains how Buddhists observe the fact that we have no souls. They also accept that we have no self because the self is just a figment of our imagination. Prothero further describes how words associated with the self like, “I”, “me”, and “mine”, give rise to ego and as a result, contribute to the world’s suffering. He also explains the essence of Buddhist teachings with Four Noble Truths. These truths are not meant, as Prothero mentions, not to be worshipped but rather practiced and experienced, to see whether or not they actually hold some accuracy.

Most people face self esteem problems at different levels. At some point in life people face this problem without realizing it. In the essay The Trouble with Self-Esteem written by Lauren Slater starts of by demonstrating a test. Self esteem test that determines whether you have a high self-esteem or low self-esteem. The question to be answered however is; what is the value and meaning of self-esteem? The trouble with self-esteem is that not everyone approaches it properly, taking a test or doing research based of a certain group of people is not the way to do so.

In life, one will undertake a spiritual journey in which you will uncover the meaning of the self. Many religions, including Hinduism, Confucianism and monotheistic religions, have developed philosophies placing importance of the “self.” Emphasis on morality, virtues, honest contribute to the development of the inner self. In religions such as, Islam and Judaism the importance of conducts and worship will lead you to paradise in the after as promised by Allah or Yahweh. The teachings of proper behavior, edict, ethics and conduct are also part of the teachings of Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher. Redeveloping the self, according to the founders of Buddhism and Christianity, will lead to your spiritual enlightenment and Salvation.

Since the moment one is born, until one’s life comes to a halting end, he or she is always in a quest to find his or her self. Clearly, the concept of self is rather complex. Humans are different entities, with varied views on the world, which is what makes the universe such an interesting place. Of course, people are born with certain characteristics that become the bases for who he or she is. Yet, the components that fall under the self, such as, self concept, self knowledge, self esteem continue to change. Interestingly enough, the self falls under a specific spectrum. When he or she is young, he or she can merely recognize him or herself. Therefore the self is lost. However when he or she begins school the self he or she fall under one of the two

Buddhism analyzes human existence as made up of five aggregates: the material body, the feelings, the perceptions, the predispositions, and the consciousness. A person is only a temporary combination of these aggregates, which are subject to continual change. No one of these aggregates remains the same for any two consecutive moments. Buddhists deny that the five aggregates (our material body, our feelings, our perceptions, our predispositions, and our consciousness), individually or in combination, may be considered a permanent and independently existing self or soul (atman). They regard it as a mistake to conceive of any lasting unity behind the elements that constitute an

One of Buddha’s teachings was about the Three Marks of Existence which including Impermanence, Suffering, and No-Self. The No-Self doctrine (anatman), “is the doctrine that there is no independent, eternal self or soul underlying personal existence” (Brodd, 186). What this means is that Buddha believed that things were changeable. That not one object or person could consistently stay the same, that there is always something to change even in a person. No-Self was one of Buddha’s several teachings. The No-Self doctrine is hard to interpret or understand if one does not practice Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, Buddhists have tried to explain this doctrine in many ways.

     Two things can happen when we are required to base our definition of “self” on others.  One can take others’ ways of living and thinking, process them, and formulate his or her own definition, independent of anyone else.  Or, one can use the relationships he or she has with other people on which to base their own definition of self, thus making him or her dependent on those other people.  As young people, we learn and take in all we can through the world, our experiences, and relationships with other people.  From there, we grow and establish our own identities, our own “selves”, in response to those interactions with others.  This definition is continually growing and progressing as we evolve as people, interacting with different people in different environments and

The relation between the self and the otherness is necessary to define human awareness and more importantly desire. This desire is part of the primordial human

In the Buddha’s second discourse or sermon, he discusses the principle of “anatta” (Pali for not-self) in a question and answer dialogue with five monks. Buddha demonstrates there can be no self in any of the five aggregates, or characteristics that we tend to identify as the complete person. The aggregates are, Form (physical being or body), Feeling (such as happy, sad), Perception (insight, awareness), Mental Formations (emotion, passion), and Consciousness (cognizance, mindfulness). Professor Wright spoke of the Buddha’s concept of self as having “substantial persistence” and “being under control” implying qualities of both permanence and calmness, or equanimity.

In Buddhism there are three truths that are common to all existences, namely, impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and no self (anatta). According to Buddha, it is because of our ignorance of the three truths, that we are living in a world of suffering. And the goal of Buddha 's teaching is to help us to see the truths and thus escape from the world of suffering. In this paper, we will be focus on Buddha 's idea of selfless.

The nature of self is an ideology, which is embedded on religious believes in Asia. Sri Ramana Maharshi tried to explain the concept on different facets. The reason behind the multi-facet nature of the concept is because it tries to explain human behavior, which is very dynamic. The quest to understand humanity propels this concept to a reality and makes it have diverse versions from different people. Through the lens of subjects and objects in the greater universe, man tries to explain himself and find peace with the environment. This is irrespective of whether an atheist or theist. Nature of self not only concentrates on the explanation of the out-going nature of the human begins, but its religious aspect helps mediate on behavior of human beings. According to the

Now back to the original question, what is the self? No answer will be completely accurate or at all times precise. Instead, here is a temporary answer, good for the purposes of this book: the self is the aspect of an individual that is aware of its existence as an individual. It’s the part of ourselves that we are referring to when we each say “I.” One helpful way to think about the self and become more aware of our complete and total self is to divide it into four aspects: the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Self concepts begins in childhood but it continues to develop throughout life. As we observe how other people react to us, we modify our “self.” The “self” is never a finished project, and it continues to change as our life takes different turns. Our “self” reacts to the environment that we are in.

The modern view of self is articulated in the works of 17th century philosopher Rene Descartes. He pioneered the dualistic understanding of the human being, which is made up of the "mental substance (mind) and the physical substance (body)" (Warburton, N., 1992). Here, the body has physical properties like having weight and using space, whereas the mind is a non-material substance, responsible for thought and experience and hence is the abode of consciousness. In his view, the self is a spiritual "subject of experience" which is fundamentally different from the body and nature, where the body inessential and the mind can exist independently. His radical scepticism led to the formation of the "Illusion argument", where the bodily senses are deemed unreliable and thus the existence of the external world and body is uncertain. The only thing one can be