FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE1 - Understanding the Self with Personality Development Module No.4_

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___ 4

CHAPTER I: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

D. PSYCHOLOGY
MODULE OVERVIEW

The psychology of self studies either the cognitive or affective representation of one’s
identity, or the subject of experience. This module provides an overview of some theories that is
related to the development of individual’s self-concept.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the different psychological theories in
the study of the self;
2. Expound the self as a cognitive construction; and
3. Examine the self as proactive and agentic.

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

I. The Self As A Cognitive Construction

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the
development of human intelligence. This theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself; and how
humans gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it. According to Piaget, cognitive
development is a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from biological
maturation and environmental experience.
Three basic components to Piaget’s cognitive theory:
1. Schemas/schemes. These are mental organizations that individuals use to understand their
environments and designate action. The knowledge children acquire is organized into schemas
(scheme) or groupings of similar actions or thoughts.
2. Adaptation. It involves the child’s learning process to meet situational demand- assimilation which
is the application of previous concepts to new concepts; and accommodation which happens when
people encounter completely new information or when existing ideas are challenged.
3. Stages of Cognitive Development. They reflect the increasing sophistication of the child’s thought
process. They progress through 4 stages and they all do so in the same order:
(1)Sensorimotor stage at age 0-2. The child learns by doing: looking, touching,
sucking; with primitive understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
(2)Preoperational stage at age 2-7. The child uses language and symbols, including
letters and numbers.
(3)Concrete Operations at age 7-11. The child demonstrates conservation,
reversibility, serial ordering, and a mature understanding of cause-and-effect
relationship.
(4)Formal Operations at age 12 and up. The individual demonstrates abstract
thinking at this stage is still concrete.

II. William James and the Me-Self, I-Self

William James (1890) distinguished two understanding of the self represented by the self as
“Me”, and the self as “I”. The former corresponds to the self as an object of experience (self as
object) or the self as known, the latter refers to the self as a subject of experience (self as subject)
or the self as knower that is considered to be pure ego and the consciousness itself.

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In James’ view, “Me” reflects “all things” which has the power to produce excitement of a
certain particular source, an experiential quality of me-ness, mine-ness, and some similar form, and
consists of three components: material, social, and spiritual.

The material self according to James, is the component of “Me” that a person tends to be
most affected with, as he/she invests with things such as clothes, family, and home.

Man’s social self is assembled based on man’s interaction with the society and the
reactions of others that are analyzed in order to contribute to our idea of a social self. Thus, actions
manifested by people will depend on the social situation they are interacting with. With the diverse
social situations that an individual may encounter and participate in, it is then assumed that one
may manifest a number of selves depending on the situation.

The spiritual self is said by James to be the most intimate self. It is who we are at our core
and something that is permanent: personality, core values, conscience, etc. James considered the
spiritual self to be the most intimate version because the satisfaction experienced when one thinks
of his/her “ability to argue and discriminate, one’s moral sensibility and conscience, and of one’s
indomitable will” (James 1890, 164) which is more pure than other sentiments of satisfaction.

III. Real and Ideal Self Concept

Karen Horney believed that people experience anxiety, and it is through such experience
that they develop strategies to be able to reduce and cope with the anxiety. Thus, people tend to
create an idealized self - an imaginary picture of self having an unlimited power or qualities which
the actual self - who we actually are, has failed to fulfill. Underlying both the idealized and actual
self is the real self, which is revealed only when a person starts to find ways to deal and resolve
anxiety and conflicts.

With Carl Rogers belief, humans have one basic motive, that is to be self-actualized. To
achieve such motive, individual’s real self (actual behavior) and ideal self (i.e. who you would like
to become) must be in a state of congruence. When the environment is right, one may reach his /
her full potential. People, according to Rogers, are inherently good and creative, it is only when the
poor self concept overrides the valuing process that they become destructive. Such that, when gaps
between the real and ideal self exist, an unhealthy personality arises.

IV. True Self versus False Self

Donald W. Winnicott explained his theory about the True Self (the unshaped you) and the
False Self in the paper he wrote in 1960. As he expounded, false self may develop to protect the
inner, and more vulnerable true self. When a child is reared in an environment with supportive
caretakers and whose needs are satisfied then true self may develop. However, there are instances
that the environment does not have enough resources to gratify the needs of the child for certain
reasons. In this situation, a child may feel that his/her truest needs is unacceptable, becoming
unconsciously compliant and adjust his / her behavior. A false self may at times appear to be
Healthy False Self - that is becoming compliant but without the feeling that the true self is
betrayed, and at times Unhealthy False Self - that which promotes the feeling of being forced to
comply with the demands of a situation.

V. Self as Proactive and Agentic

People as viewed by the Social Cognitive Theory, are capable of controlling their own lives.
They are proactive, and reflective, and influential to their own actions to produce desired
consequences. The agent self resides over everything that involves decision making, self-control,

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taking charge in situations, and actively responding. As such, a person has the power to choose
which option is to be selected, or what action is to be done. Our capacity to distinguish those that
we are capable of accomplishing, and those that we are not capable of accomplishing describes the
quality of self-efficacy a person has. Some may manifest high self-efficacy, and some will be
associated with low self-efficacy.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

ESSAY

Which among the theories of the “Self” explains best your personality dynamics? Write down
your thoughts and feelings in no less than 300 words.

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Study Guide in GE1 - Understanding the Self with Personality Development Module No.4_

Base on Salvacion Villafuerte’s Understanding the Self Essay Activity. p.50

SUMMARY

The representation of one’s identity come in the cognitive and affective aspect of an
individual. Currently, psychology views the self as playing an integral part in the motivation of
people’s rational, affective, and social identity. The self then, has various features that help make up
integral part of it, like awareness and knowledge of the self to which people are capable to modify to
obtain social acceptance.

REFERENCES

Alata, E., et. al. (2018), Understanding the Self, Rex Book Store, Inc. (RBSI), Quezon City
Aldana, C. (2018), Psychological Perspective of the Self, https://prezi.com
Cuevo, F., et. al. (2018), Understanding the Self, St. Andrew Publishing House, Bulacan
Gallinero, W.,et.al. (2018). Understanding the Self. Mutya Publishing House, Inc. Malabon City.
Villafuerte, S., et. al. (2018), Understanding the Self, Nieme Publishing House Co. Ltd.
Quezon City
Wozniak, M.(2020), “I” and “Me”: The Self in the Context of Consciousness, www.frontiersin.org,
retrieved August 16, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02Ucd6monY

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