Psychological Self

What is Psychology?
• Psychology gives emphasis on how humans think, feel, and behave.
• It concerns everything that concerns human beings, from consciousness,
memory, reasoning, motivation, personality, mental health, and other
human experiences.
• The so-called Science of Self is rooted in various psychological theories
and principles, and the self has been used as an object of several
psychological constructs.
Psychoanalytic Perspective

• One of psychology's famous and most influential thinkers is

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).
• The most important contribution of Freud was
psychoanalysis, which was based on the theory that
behavior is determined by powerful inner forces, most of
which are buried in the unconscious mind. This work of
Freud became the first to answer questions about the
human psyche.
• Psyche means the totality of the human mind that,
includes the conscious and unconscious in psychology
(Reshetnikov, 2023; Otig, 2018).
Psychoanalytic Perspective
*Freud distinguished three levels of human mental life and used Iceberg as an analogy to describe it

•Levels of Mental Life •Levels of Mental Life

• 1. Conscious Mind. It consists • 3. Unconscious Mind. It
of all the mental processes of comprises mental processes that
which you are aware, and this is are inaccessible to
seen in the tip of the iceberg. For consciousness but influences
example, you may be feeling your judgments, feelings, or
hungry at this moment, and you behavior (Wilson, 2002). For
decide to get food to eat. Freud, this level of the mind is
• 2. Preconscious Mind. It the primary source of human
contains thoughts and feelings behavior. Like an iceberg, the
that you are currently aware of most important part of the mind
but can easily be brought to is the part that you cannot see.
consciousness (1924). This Your past experiences are
would refer to our "memory". For strongly influenced by your
example, you are not thinking feelings, motives, and decisions
about your mobile phone number and stored in the unconscious.
but when you are asked about it
you can recall it easily.
To easily remember the terms, refer to the table below:

CONSCIOUS PRECONSCIOUS UNCONSCIOUS

Present Can easily be made Beyond awareness
Awareness conscious Includes drives, urges,
Direct memory Available memory or instincts
Memories (requires Source of motivation
retrieval)
P.A.D. C.A.M. B.I.S.
Provinces of the Mind
•Freud introduced a three-part structural model in the 1920s. This division of the mind did
not replace the topographic model into three provinces.
•However, it did assist Freud in explaining mental images in terms of their purposes or
functions.
•Furthermore, these provinces or regions are purely conceptual constructs with no territorial
existence.
•Three-part structural model:
• The ego cuts across different topographic levels and has conscious, preconscious, and unconscious
components.
• In contrast, the superego is both preconscious and unconscious, and
• the id is entirely unconscious due to its interaction with the three levels of mental life (Feist et al., 2018).
In a gist, we can classify the three provinces using the table below:
ID (das es) EGO (das ich) SUPEREGO (das uber ich)
-Most primitive -Aroused from the ID during -Grows out of the EGO (5-7
-Chaotic infancy years old)
-Inaccessible to consciousness -The only region in contact -Represents moral and ideal
with reality aspects
-Unchangeable
-Sole source of -No contact with the outside
-Amoral communication with the world
-Illogical external world -Unrealistic in its demands for
-Unorganized perfection

Filled with energy from basic Balances the opposing 2 aspects

drives demands of ID and SUPEREGO - Conscience (shouldn’t do
- Sex but you did otherwise)
- Aggression -Ego-ideal (should do but
you did not otherwise)

Pleasure Principle Reality Principle Moral Principle

• EGO is always caught in the middle of the battles between the
SUPEREGO’S desires for moral behavior and the ID’s desires for
immediate gratification. When EGO can barely control ID impulses, it
creates neurotic anxiety. It can be manifested through phobias,
performance anxiety, obsessions, and compulsion. On the other hand,
when SUPEREGO threatens EGO with punishment, it creates moral
anxiety.
Defense Mechanism
EGO uses defense mechanisms to distort reality and protect a person from anxiety. Although defense mechanisms are normal and universally used, when
carried to an extreme would lead to compulsive, repetitive, and neurotic behavior. The principal defense mechanisms are shown in the table below:

Defense Mechanism Function

1. Fixation “remain” – permanent attachment to earlier stage of life
2. Reaction Formation “disgust” – exaggerated opposite reaction
3. Repression “forget” – most basic defense mechanism
4. Regression “go back” – brief detachment to earlier stage of life to feel safe

5. Introjection “copy” – own others’ standards to reduce feeling of inferiority

6. Displacement “redirect” – put towards others

7. Projection “mirror out” – undesired-self project to others
Paranoia – extreme type of projection
8. Sublimation “socially accepted” – produce rewarding things/ accomplishments
Psychosocial Perspective

• Known for his ground-breaking theory of psychosocial development,

eminent psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson (1902-1994) is
revered today. Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stages were the foundation for
Erikson's theory, which builds on them
• Erikson proposed the three interrelated aspects of the Ego
1. Body ego. It refers to the experiences with our body, way of seeing physical
self as different from other people.
2. Ego ideal. It represents the image we have of ourselves in comparison with
an established ideal.
3. Ego identity: It is the image we have of ourselves in the variety of social
roles we play.
 Erikson's theory strongly emphasizes the lifelong process of human
growth and development, which includes a range of psychosocial challenges
individuals encounter at various stages of their lives. Following the epigenetic
principle, the psychosocial stages of development occur in the correct order
and at the appropriate times for each stage. One stage develops from and
builds on another but does not replace the earlier stage. Every stage is
characterized by an identity crisis, which needs to be successfully managed
to encourage the development of an upbeat personality. It is crucial to
experience the interaction of opposites in each stage (Chen, 2021). However,
personality development does not occur as a result of earlier events.
Therefore, it is a combination of connected past, present, and events that a
person has anticipated.
 Stage Favorable Too much Unfavorable Too much Conflict produce
Experience Favorable Experience Unfavorable strength
Experience Experience
Infancy Trust Sensory Mistrust Withdrawal Hope
Distortion
Early Childhood Autonomy Impulsivity Shame & Doubt Compulsion Will
Play Age Initiative Ruthlessness Guilt Inhibition Purpose
School Age Industry Narrow Virtuosity Inferiority Inertia Competence
Adolescence Identity Fanaticism Identity Role Repudiation Fidelity
Confusion
Young Adulthood Intimacy Promiscuity Isolation Exclusivity Love
Adulthood Generativity Overextension Stagnation Rejective Care
Old Age Integrity Presumption Despair Disdain Wisdom
Theory of the Self
• William James (1842-1910) is known as the father of American
Psychology and wrote the famous “The Principles of Psychology,” a book
considered one of the most important and influential in the history of
Psychology.
• In his theory of the self, he proposed that the self has two elements: I-
self and Meself (Halliwell, 2019)
• The I-self is what he called the subjective self or pure ego. This part of the
self knows who you are and what you have done. This is further
characterized as the initiator of your actions, having a sense of identity
(aware of being unique from others), continuity ('I am the same self that I
was yesterday,') and awareness (aware of what is going on in the
environment).
Theory of the Self

•The ME-self is the objective or empirical self. Thus, it can be thought of as a

separate object or individual a person refers to when describing their
experiences. James conceptualized three different but interrelated aspects of
the Me self:
1. the material self (all those aspects of material existence in which we feel a
strong sense of ownership, our bodies, our families, our possessions),
2. the social self (our felt social relations), and
3. the spiritual self (our feelings of our own subjectivity).
• Now, what is the self of all the other selves?
• James stated “A man has as many social selves as there are
individuals who recognize him and carry an image of him in
their mind. To hurt one of these images is to hurt him.”
Hierarchy of Needs
• Famous humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) is best known for the hierarchy of
needs and his theory of self-actualization. Maslow's theory of motivation is based on his conviction
that every person has an innate desire for self-actualization, fulfillment, and growth
• Maslow's theory is based on self-actualization, the highest state of psychological development and
realizing one's full potential. Maslow contends that self-actualization—the process of striving to
become the best possible version of oneself while maximizing one's skills and talents—is the
ultimate aim of human life (Feist et al., 2018).
The Hierarchy of Needs is composed of (read from bottom to top):
5. Self-Actualization. At the top of the hierarchy, is the desire to
realize one's potential, experience personal growth, and improve
oneself while pursuing meaningful and fulfilling experiences.
4. Esteem. People pursue self-esteem, recognition, and respect
after their lower-level needs are met in an effort to improve their
self-image and win the respect of others.
3. Love and Belonging. As humans look for companionship and
affection from others, this level encompasses the need for social
connections, relationships, and a sense of belonging.
2. Safety. To feel safe from harm and danger, people seek safety,
security, and stability in their surroundings.
1.Physiological. The fundamental biological necessities for survival
include things like food, water, shelter, and sleep.
Self-Actualization Framework
• Carl Rogers (1902-1987) is regarded as one of the pioneers of
humanistic psychology. Rogers significantly impacted the fields of
psychology, counseling, and education.
• He is renowned for his compassionate approach to therapy and ground-
breaking theories on human behavior. Throughout his career, he
consistently emphasized the value of appreciating and fostering people's
innate capacity for development and self-actualization.
• Carl Rogers had a significant impact on counseling and therapy, but he
also contributed significantly to the definition and comprehension of the
idea of the self.
• Rogers' emphasis on the self-concept, which he saw as a crucial
component of psychological health and personal development, was at the
heart of his humanistic perspective (Feist et al., 2018; Miller & Moyers,
2017).
Carl Rogers
He believed that human is motivated to fulfill one’s potential and achieve the
highest level of being-ness, which he coined “actualizing tendency.” The
actualizing tendency is the fundamental force of life – we are always trying to
better ourselves somehow. Also, he further divided the self into two
categories: the ideal self and the authentic self.

1. The IDEAL SELF is the person that you would like yourself to be; it is your
concept of the” best me” who is worthy of admiration.

2. The REAL SELF is the person you actually are. It is how you behave right
at the moment of a situation. It is who you are in reality-how you think, feel, or
act at present.
Carl Rogers
• For Rogers (1959), how you want to feel, experience, and behave consistently with your self-image
reflects what you would like to be, your ideal self. The closer your self-image and ideal self, the more
congruent you are, and the higher your sense of self-worth. A person is said to be in a state of
incongruence if some of the totality of their experience is unacceptable to them and is denied or distorted
in the self-image.
• As we prefer to see ourselves in ways consistent with our self-image, we may use defense
mechanisms to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings. A person
whose self-concept is incongruent with her or his real feelings and experiences will defend himself
because the truth hurts (Mcleod, 2014). The two chief defenses are:
1. Distortion happens when a person misinterprets an experience to fit it into some aspect of his/her self-
concept. The person perceives the experience in awareness but fails to understand its true meaning.
•
1. Denial is when an individual refuses to perceive an experience in awareness, or at least keep some
aspect of it from reaching symbolization.
True and False Self
• To attain self-actualization, one should be aligned with the actual self
or real or true self, as proposed by Carl Rogers in the previous topic.
However, what is the true and authentic self? How can you connect
to such a self?
• Dr. Donald Winnicott (1896-1971), a British psychoanalyst and
prominent pediatrician, proposed the theory of the true and false self
in his paper in 1960. He asserted that a person has two selves, the
true self and the false self (Parker & Davis, 2009)
1. The True Self refers to a sense of self; who you really are; and the
one who experiences/feels the moment of being alive.
2. 2. The False Self is the protective shield of the vulnerable true self.
Its behaviors are leant and controlled by the environment that
surrounds you.
True and False Self
• However, how did you develop the false self? According to Winnicott,
developing false self starts when you are a baby and highlights the
importance of the "mother" as your primary caretaker. As a baby, you cry,
laugh, and react to things spontaneously and genuinely; you are simply
being you. However, as a baby, you are being controlled to be yourself by
your mother or caretaker. Then, you start to feel that your need and
desires are unacceptable; thus, you now learn to be "compliant," to modify
and adjust your impulses and behavior, hiding your true self and starting to
construct the false self.