PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

This topic presents the psychological theories Carl Rogers’ Self Theory: Real and Ideal Self
that influence the way people understand the  Self-concept refers to the image of
self and the growth process to live life to the full. oneself.
Understanding of the self is highest when the  Rogers defined the self as a flexible and
different parts of the self become integrative. changing perception of personal
An important aspect of understanding the self identity.
is self-awareness.  The self develops from interactions with
significant people and self-awareness.
William James' Concept of Self: The Me-Self  Humans are always striving for self-
and the I-Self fulfillment or self-actualization.
 The self is divided into two categories:  When the needs of the self are denied,
the "I-Self" and the "Me-Self." severe anxiety may result.
 The "I-Self" refers to the self that knows  Two components of self-concept:
who he or she is. o Real self: Includes awareness of
 James believed that the "I-Self" is the "what I am" and "what I can do."
thinking self. o Ideal self: Conception of what
 The "I-Self" reflects the soul of a person one should be or wants to be.
or what is now thought of as the mind  The closer the ideal self is to the real self
and is called the pure ego. (congruence), the more fulfilled and
 The "Me-Self" is the empirical self, happy the individual becomes; the
describing personal experiences and farther (incongruence), the more
further divided into sub-categories: unhappy and dissatisfied.
o Material self: Things that belong
to a person such as the body, Multiple Versus Unified Self
clothes, house, etc.  Adolescents conceptualize the self as
o Social self: How a person acts in multiple or unified, true or false.
social situations.  The construction of multiple selves
o Spiritual self: The most intimate varies across different roles and
and important part, including relationships.
purpose, motives, emotions,  Coping with different selves constitutes
values, conscience, and moral a challenge.
behavior.  These challenges contribute to the
 The path to understanding the spiritual struggle for a unified self.
self is through introspection.
True Versus False Self o Ego: Conscious mind, includes
 Winnicott suggests that the self is perceptions, thoughts, feelings,
composed of the true self and the false and memories.
self. o Personal unconscious:
 The false self hides and protects the true Repressed and forgotten
self. experiences.
 People display a false self to impress o Collective unconscious:
others. Fundamental human experiences
 The self changes depending on shared by all.
situations.  Archetypes: Universal thought forms
responding to the world in certain ways.
The Self as Proactive and Agentic (Albert o Persona: Social roles presented
Bandura) to others.
 Humans have the ability to act and make o Shadow: Repressed thoughts
things happen. (dark side of the psyche).
 People are proactive agents of o a male (anima) and masculine
experiences. side of a female (animus).
 Main agentic features: o Self: Central archetype uniting all
o Intentionality: Acts done parts of the psyche.
intentionally.
o Forethought: Anticipating the Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self and
likely consequences of actions. Personality
o Self-reactiveness: Making  Three structures of personality:
choices, motivating, and o Id: Pleasure-seeking, impulsive,
regulating actions. and immature.
o Self-reflectiveness: Ability to o Ego: Reality principle, controls
reflect upon oneself. the id, delays pleasure, and
 Self-efficacy: One’s belief in their conforms to society.
capability to perform a task. o Superego: Conscience and moral
 Efficacy beliefs influence judge.
optimism/pessimism and play a central  The id, ego, and superego are often in
role in self-regulation. conflict.
 Ego strength: The ego's ability to resolve
The Self as the Central Archetype (Carl Jung) conflict between the three structures.
 The psyche continues to develop  Psychosexual stages of development:
throughout life but shows form during 1. Oral stage (birth–1 year):
adolescence. Deriving pleasure from oral
 Main systems of personality (psyche): activities (sucking, biting).
 2. Anal stage (2 years): Deriving
pleasure from elimination of
body wastes.
3. Phallic stage (3–6 years):
Curiosity about gender
differences.
4. Latency stage (7–12 years):
Sexual energy is repressed; focus
on school and social activities.
5. Genital stage (adolescence–
adulthood): Seeking to satisfy
sexual drives through
relationships.

The Role of Erik Erikson’s Theory in

Understanding the Self
 Identity development occurs in
adolescence.
 Identity formation requires distancing
from expectations imposed by parents
and family.
 To achieve an individual identity, one
must create a vision of the self that is
authentic and meaningful.
 Eight psychosocial stages of
development:
o Each stage has developmental
tasks and crises.
o The ego helps form identity and
lays the foundation for strengths
and virtues.