The notion of "I" is the fundamental category of the philosophical concepts of personality that expresses the conscious self-identity of a person. The actualization of "I" in philosophy is understood as socialization. With that, if archaic cultures are characterized by the underdevelopment of "I" as a socio-cultural phenomenon, more mature cultures vividly emphasize the "I" concept in the corresponding language with the first person singular. Indeed, the concept of our self-identity presents very important throughout our lives, therefore it is vital to examine the essence of this integral element of our personality.
So, the notion of self-identity implies the distinction of our inner self as the medium of a certain active position with regard to the surrounding world. This separation of ourselves, our attitude to it, the evaluation of our abilities that are an important component of any conscience, create different froms of that specific characteristic of a person that is called self-conscious.
At the same time, self-identity is dynamic and historically developing structure that acts at different levels and in many forms (Kopf, 2001). The first form of our self-identity, which is sometimes called our well-being, is the elementary perception of our bodies and their fitting in the surrounding world (Pitson, 2002). It turns out that a usual perception of objects as the existing forms out of a certain person and independent of his perception already implies certain forms of self-assignment, that is, a certain kind of self-identity. In order to see this or that object as something that exists objectively, this very process of perception should be complimented with a certain mechanism that will consider the place of a human among other things, both natural and social, and the changes that happen with the body of a person. On the other hand, the lack of this mechanism would lead to confusion and mixture of different notions that are called processes that take place in reality. Psychologists say that the awareness of reality at the level of perception implies a certain scheme of the world that is included in this process (Pitson, 2002).
The next and a higher level of our self-identity is connected with the awareness of ourselves as entities that belong to this or that human community, culture or social group. Finally, the highest level of the development of this process is the creation of the very "I" concept as an absolutely new establishment, which is unique and unmatchable.
However, our self-identity is not just a set of various forms and levels of self-knowledge. This also includes self-esteem and self-control. So, self-identity implies comparing ourselves with a certain ideal accepted by this person, the imposition of a certain self-esteem and, as a consequence, the emergence of the feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
Therefore, our self-identity is a so evident feature of every person that the fact of its existence can cause any doubts. Moreover, a considerable and influential branch of idealistic philosophy, including Descartes, claimed that self-identity is the only thing that cannot be doubted. So, if we see a certain thing, it can be our illusion or a hallucination. However, we cannot doubt that we exist and there exists the process of our perception of something, even if the thing we perceive is simply a hallucination.
With that, a slightest thought about the fact of self-identity uncovers its deep paradoxicality. So, in order to perceive ourselves, it important to see ourselves from some other side. However, it is impossible to see ourselves in that way. Our eyes can see everything but themselves. In order for a person to see himself he needs to have a mirror. Then, seeing and remembering his image in a mirror, a person gets the possibility to see himself without a mirror, that is, as if going beyond the boundaries of his conscience (Oswell, 2006).
However, for a person to see himself in a mirror, he must understand that it is he who is reflected in the mirror, and not some other creature (Oswell, 2006). The perception of our mirror image seems absolutely evident. At the same time, in reality it is not always so, and no wonder that animals do not recognize themselves in a mirror. In turns out that for a person to see himself in a mirror, he must possess certain forms of self-conscience, and these forms are not given to him initially (Kopf, 2001). On the contrary, we acquire and construct these forms. This mirror, through which a person sees himself and with the help of which he starts to treat himself as a person, that is, establishes the forms of self-identity, is the society of other people.
In this way, our attitude to ourselves is important to the attitude to others. Our self-identity is created not as a result of inner needs of an isolated conscience, but in the process of collective and practical activity and interpersonal relationships. As evidenced by modern research, during the process of the development of self-identity, the awareness of the "I" concept and the awareness of another person as someone who is similar to us emerge simultaneously and presume each other.
Therefore, it becomes why it is important that the world of our self-identity should be opened to us. It is in this case when our conscience will have not just reflexive, but also existential traits. The research and formation of our self-identity it a challenge imposed by the culture of modern science and education, since nowadays a lot of people seem to lack this essential characteristic. Furthermore, in searches for this conscience, philosophy and science should turn to culture, myths, religion, politics, and, of course, to its own history in order to become aware of the importance of our self-identity.
Works Cited
Kopf, Gereon. Beyond Personal Identity: Dōgen, Nishida, and a Phenomenology of No-self. Richmond: Curzon, 2001. Print.
Oswell, David. Culture and Society: An Introduction to Cultural Studies. London: SAGE, 2006. Print.
Pitson, A. E. Hume's Philosophy of the Self. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.
