COGNITIVE SELF

THE SELF AS A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

 THE SELF AS A COGNITIVE
CONSTRUCT
PSYCHOLOGY HAS VARIOUS DEFINITIONS OF SELF, SIMPLY PUT,
“SELF” IS “THE SENSE OF PERSONAL IDENTITY AND OF WHO WE ARE AS
INDIVIDUALS” .
PSYCHOLOGISTS TO STUDY THE SELF PROPOSE THEORIES THAT
GENERALLY SEE THE SELF AND IDENTIFY AS MENTAL CONSTRUCT, CREATED
AND RE-CREATED IN MEMORY.
SEVERAL PSYCHOLOGIST FOLLOWED THIS TREND OF THOUGHT,
LOOKING DEEPER INTO THE MIND OF A PERSON TO THEORIZE THE SELF,
IDENTITY, SELF-CONCEPT, AND IN TURN ONE’S PERSONALITY.
 “I AND ME”
WILLIAM JAMES
JAMES DESCRIBED TWO ASPECTS OF THE SELF THAT HE TERMED
THE “I SELF” AND “ME SELF.
A. THE I SELF REFLECTS WHAT PEOPLE SEE OR PERCEIVE
THEMSELVES DOING IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD (E.G., RECOGNIZING
THAT ONE IS WALKING, EATING, WRITING),
B. THE ME SELF IS A MORE SUBJECTIVE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
PHENOMENON, REFERRING TO INDIVIDUALS’ REFLECTIONS ABOUT
THEMSELVES (E.G. CHARACTERIZING ONESELF AS ATHLETIC, SMART,
COOPERATIVE).
 OTHER TERMS SUCH AS SELF-VIEW, SELF-IMAGE, SELF-SCHEMA, AND
SELF-CONCEPT ARE ALSO USED TO DESCRIBE THE SELF-REFERENT
THOUGHTS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ME SELF. JAMES FURTHER
DISTINGUISHED THREE COMPONENTS OF THE ME SELF:
1) THE MATERIAL SELF (E.G., TANGIBLE OBJECTS OR POSSESSIONS
WE COLLECT FOR OURSELVES);
(2) THE SOCIAL SELF (E.G., HOW WE INTERACT AND PORTRAY
OURSELVES WITHIN DIFFERENT GROUPS, SITUATIONS, OR PERSONS); AND
(3) THE SPIRITUAL SELF (E.G., INTERNAL DISPOSITIONS).
 SELF-CONCEPT
CARL ROGERS
SELF-CONCEPT. THIS IS DEFINED AS "THE
ORGANIZED, CONSISTENT SET OF
PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS ABOUT ONESELF.“
TWO PRIMARY SOURCES THAT
INFLUENCE OUR SELF-CONCEPT ARE
CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND EVALUATION
BY OTHERS
 THREE DIFFERENT PARTS OF SELF-
CONCEPT:
1.SELF-IMAGE, OR HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF. EACH
INDIVIDUAL'S SELF-IMAGE IS A MIXTURE OF DIFFERENT ATTRIBUTES
INCLUDING OUR PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PERSONALITY TRAITS,
AND SOCIAL ROLES. SELF-IMAGE DOESN'T NECESSARILY COINCIDE
WITH REALITY. SOME PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE AN INFLATED SELF-IMAGE OF
THEMSELVES, WHILE OTHERS MAY PERCEIVE OR EXAGGERATE THE
FLAWS AND WEAKNESSES THAT OTHERS DON'T SEE.
 THREE DIFFERENT PARTS OF SELF-
CONCEPT
2. SELF-ESTEEM, OR HOW MUCH YOU VALUE YOURSELF. A
NUMBER OF FACTORS CAN IMPACT SELF-ESTEEM, INCLUDING HOW WE
COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHERS AND HOW OTHERS RESPOND TO US.
WHEN PEOPLE RESPOND POSITIVELY TO OUR BEHAVIOR, WE ARE MORE
LIKELY TO DEVELOP POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM. WHEN WE COMPARE
OURSELVES TO OTHERS AND FIND OURSELVES LACKING, IT CAN HAVE A
NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR SELF-ESTEEM.
 THREE DIFFERENT PARTS OF SELF-
CONCEPT
3. IDEAL SELF, OR HOW YOU WISH YOU COULD BE. IN MANY
CASES, THE WAY WE SEE OURSELVES AND HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE
OURSELVES DO NOT QUITE MATCH UP.
 SELF-SCHEMA
CARL ROGERS

THE TERM SCHEMA REFERS TO THE COGNITIVE STRUCTURES WE

HAVE TO DESCRIBE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE
WORLD, AND LIKE MANY OTHER THINGS, WE ALSO HOLD SCHEMAS ABOUT
OURSELVES.
THESE CATEGORIES OF KNOWLEDGE REFLECT HOW WE EXPECT
OURSELVES TO THINK, FEEL, AND ACT IN PARTICULAR SETTINGS OR
SITUATIONS. EACH OF THESE BELIEFS INCLUDES OUR OVERALL PERCEPTIONS
OF OURSELVES ("OUTGOING," "SHY," "TALKATIVE") AS WELL AS OUR
KNOWLEDGE OF PAST EXPERIENCES IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS.
 SELF-SCHEMA

. ALL OUR VARIOUS SELF-SCHEMAS COMBINE AND INTERACT TO FORM

OUR SELF-CONCEPT.
∞I” IS THE ONE WHO ACTS AND DECIDES WHILE THE
∞“ME” IS WHAT YOU THINK OR FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF AS AN
OBJECT.
 SELF-SCHEMA

Hobbies
As you grow and adapt
to changes around your
world your schemas also
change. When someone Family SELF Religion
states your first name,
even he's not talking
about you, your
attention will be drawn Nationality
to him
 SELF AS A MENTAL PROCESS
SIGMUND FREUD
the id is the primitive and
FREUD SAW THE SELF AS A instinctual part of the mind that
contains sexual and aggressive
MENTAL PROCESS AND drives and hidden memories
ONE’S BEHAVIOR IS THE
RESULT OF THE
the super-ego operates as
INTERACTION OF THE
a moral conscience,
THE ID, EGO, AND THE
SUPEREGO ego is the realistic part that
mediates between the desires of
the id and the super-ego.
 SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
UNDER THE THEORY OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM, G.H. MEAD
ARGUED THAT THE SELF IS CREATED AND DEVELOPED THROUGH HUMAN
INTERACTION
PEOPLE'S SELVES ARE SOCIAL PRODUCTS, BUT THAT THESE SELVES
ARE ALSO PURPOSIVE AND CREATIVE. THE SELF IS SOMETHING WHICH HAS
A DEVELOPMENT; IT IS NOT INITIALLY THERE, AT BIRTH, BUT ARISES IN THE
PROCESS OF SOCIAL EXPERIENCE AND ACTIVITY, THAT IS, DEVELOPS IN THE
GIVEN INDIVIDUAL AS A RESULT OF HIS RELATIONS TO THAT PROCESS AS A
WHOLE AND TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS .
 SELF-AWARENESS THEORY

WHEN WE ARE AWARE OF OUR SELF-CONCEPT ,THIS IS CALLED SOCIAL

AWARENESS. SELF-AWARENESS IS ONE OF THE FIRST COMPONENTS OF
THE SELF-CONCEPT TO EMERGE. WHILE SELF-AWARENESS IS
SOMETHING THAT IS CENTRAL TO WHO YOU ARE, IT IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE ACUTELY FOCUSED ON AT EVERY MOMENT
OF EVERY DAY. INSTEAD, SELF-AWARENESS BECOMES WOVEN INTO THE
FABRIC OF WHO YOU ARE AND EMERGES AT DIFFERENT POINTS
DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION AND YOUR PERSONALITY.
 SELF-AWARENESS THEORY
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF SELF THAT WE CAN BE
AWARE OF:
1)THE PRIVATE SELF OR YOUR INTERNAL
STANDARDS AND PRIVATE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
AND 2)PUBLIC SELF OR PUBLIC IMAGE COMMONLY
GEARED TOWARD HAVING A GOOD PRESENTATION OF
YOURSELF TO OTHERS.
 SELF-AWARENESS THEORY
PUBLIC SELF-AWARENESS EMERGES WHEN PEOPLE ARE AWARE
OF HOW THEY APPEAR TO OTHERS. PUBLIC SELF-AWARENESS OFTEN
EMERGES IN SITUATIONS WHEN PEOPLE ARE AT THE CENTER OF
ATTENTION, SUCH AS WHEN GIVING A PRESENTATION OR TALKING TO
A GROUP OF FRIENDS. THIS TYPE OF SELF-AWARENESS OFTEN COMPELS
PEOPLE TO ADHERE TO SOCIAL NORMS. WHEN WE ARE AWARE THAT
WE ARE BEING WATCHED AND EVALUATED, WE OFTEN TRY TO BEHAVE
IN WAYS THAT ARE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE AND DESIRABLE. PUBLIC SELF-
AWARENESS CAN ALSO LEAD TO EVALUATION ANXIETY IN WHICH
PEOPLE BECOME DISTRESSED, ANXIOUS, OR WORRIED ABOUT HOW
THEY ARE PERCEIVED BY OTHERS.
 SELF-AWARENESS THEORY

PRIVATE SELF-AWARENESS HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE BECOME AWARE OF

SOME ASPECTS OF THEMSELVES, BUT ONLY IN A PRIVATE WAY. FOR
EXAMPLE, SEEING YOUR FACE IN THE MIRROR IS A TYPE OF PRIVATE
SELF-AWARENESS. FEELING YOUR STOMACH LURCH WHEN YOU REALIZE
YOU FORGOT TO STUDY FOR AN IMPORTANT TEST OR FEELING YOUR
HEART FLUTTER WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO ARE
ALSO EXAMPLES OF PRIVATE SELF-AWARENESS
 SELF-AWARENESS THEORY

SELF-AWARENESS MAY BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND OUR

NEXT COURSE OF ACTION. SOMETIMES, PEOPLE CAN BECOME OVERLY SELF-AWARE AND VEER INTO
WHAT IS KNOWN AS SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. PEOPLE WHO ARE PRIVATELY SELF-CONSCIOUS HAVE A
HIGHER LEVEL OF PRIVATE SELF-AWARENESS, WHICH CAN BE BOTH A GOOD AND BAD THING. THESE
PEOPLE TEND TO BE MORE AWARE OF THEIR FEELINGS AND BELIEFS, AND ARE THEREFORE MORE LIKELY
TO STICK TO THEIR PERSONAL VALUES. HOWEVER, THEY ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM
NEGATIVE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES SUCH AS INCREASED STRESS AND ANXIETY. PEOPLE WHO ARE
PUBLICLY SELF-CONSCIOUS HAVE A HIGHER LEVEL OF PUBLIC SELF-AWARENESS. THEY TEND TO THINK
MORE ABOUT HOW OTHER PEOPLE VIEW THEM AND ARE OFTEN CONCERNED THAT OTHER PEOPLE
MIGHT BE JUDGING THEM BASED ON THEIR LOOKS OR THEIR ACTIONS. AS A RESULT, THESE
INDIVIDUALS TEND TO STICK TO GROUP NORMS AND TRY TO AVOID SITUATIONS IN WHICH THEY
MIGHT LOOK BAD OR FEEL EMBARRASSED. SELF-AWARENESS PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN HOW WE
UNDERSTAND OURSELVES AND HOW WE RELATE TO OTHERS AND THE WORLD. BEING SELF-AWARE
ALLOWS YOU TO EVALUATE YOURSELF IN RELATION TO OTHERS.
 SELF-ESTEEM
SELF-ESTEEM IS USED TO DESCRIBE A PERSON'S OVERALL
SENSE OF SELF-WORTH OR PERSONAL VALUE. IN OTHER
WORDS, HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE AND LIKE YOURSELF. IT
INVOLVES A VARIETY OF BELIEFS ABOUT YOURSELF, SUCH AS THE
APPRAISAL OF YOUR OWN APPEARANCE, BELIEFS, EMOTIONS,
AND BEHAVIORS. SELF-ESTEEM OFTEN SEEN AS A PERSONALITY
TRAIT, WHICH MEANS THAT IT TENDS TO BE STABLE AND
ENDURING. MANY THEORISTS HAVE WRITTEN ON THE DYNAMICS
INVOLVED IN SELF-ESTEEM.
 SELF-ESTEEM

THE NEED FOR SELF-ESTEEM PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN

PSYCHOLOGIST ABRAHAM MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS, WHICH
DEPICTS SELF-ESTEEM AS ONE OF THE BASIC HUMAN MOTIVATIONS.
MANY FACTORS INFLUENCE SELF-ESTEEM. YOUR INNER THINKING, AGE,
ANY POTENTIAL ILLNESSES, DISABILITIES, OR PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS,
AND YOUR JOB CAN AFFECT YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. ADDITIONALLY,
GENETIC FACTORS THAT HELP SHAPE A PERSON'S PERSONALITY CAN
PLAY A ROLE, BUT IT IS OFTEN OUR EXPERIENCES THAT FORM THE BASIS
FOR OVERALL SELF-ESTEEM.
 SOCIAL COMPARISON

WE ALL COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHERS IN OUR SOCIAL WORLDS,

WHETHER IT IS COMPARING OUR LOOKS TO THOSE OF CELEBRITIES WE
SEE IN THE MEDIA OR OUR TALENTS TO THOSE OF OUR COWORKERS.
IN PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL COMPARISON THEORY IS ONE EXPLANATION
FOR THIS TENDENCY WE HAVE TO MAKE COMPARISONS BETWEEN
OURSELVES AND OTHERS.
TWO KINDS OF SOCIAL COMPARISON:
UPWARD SOCIAL COMPARISON.
THIS TAKES PLACE WHEN WE COMPARE OURSELVES WITH THOSE WHO
WE BELIEVE ARE BETTER THAN US. THESE UPWARD COMPARISONS
OFTEN FOCUS ON THE DESIRE TO IMPROVE OUR CURRENT STATUS OR
LEVEL OF ABILITY. WE MIGHT COMPARE OURSELVES TO SOMEONE
BETTER OFF AND LOOK FOR WAYS THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE SIMILAR
RESULTS
TWO KINDS OF SOCIAL COMPARISON:
DOWNWARD SOCIAL COMPARISON.
THIS TAKES PLACE WHEN WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHERS
WHO ARE WORSE OFF THAN US. SUCH DOWNWARD
COMPARISONS ARE OFTEN CENTERED ON MAKING OURSELVES
FEEL BETTER ABOUT OUR ABILITIES OR TRAITS. WE MIGHT NOT BE
GREAT AT SOMETHING, BUT AT LEAST WE ARE BETTER OFF THAN
SOMEONE ELSE.