LESSON 4

PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

Overview:

The development of self-understanding in adolescence involves a number

of theories about the self, identity, and personality. Theories about the self give
away for the identification of which characteristics of the self are relevant and the
understanding of how these characteristics are related to each other. They foster
discourse on the different conceptualizations of identity based on different
sociocultural context (Santrock, 2002). This lesson outlines the psychological
theories that influence the way people understand the self. As the following
theories illustrate, adolescents construct their own understanding of their selves
well by integrating the information into their lives. Understanding of the self is
highest when the different parts of the self become integrative. Consistent with
Carl Roger’s theory of self, an important aspect of understanding the self is self-
awareness—how much an adolescent is aware of his or her own psychological
make-up, what makes him or her unique as a person, as well as his or her
strengths and weaknesses.

Peace Concept: self-understanding and inner peace on the psychological

perspective

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, the students can:

1. Define and describe the different psychological concepts of self;
2. Differentiate the various concepts of the self and identify their
interrelationships;
3. Explain how the concepts of self influence behavior; and
4. Apply concepts of the self in one’s life to develop self-
awareness and self-understanding.

Materials Needed:
 Module
 Internet Connection
 Laptop

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Duration: 3 hours

Learning Content:

William James’ Concept of Self: The ME-Self and the I-Self

William James suggests that the self is divided into two categories: the I-
Self and the Me-Self. The I-Self refers to the self that knows who he or she is
which is called the thinking self. It also reflects the soul of a person which is also
called the pure ego. The Me-Self refers to is the empirical self which refers to the
person’s personal experiences and is further divided into sub-categories:
o Material self (attributed to an individual’s physical attributes and material
possessions that contribute to one’s self-image)
o Social self (refers to who a person is and how he/she acts in social
situations)
o Spiritual self (refers to the most intimate and important part of the self that
includes the person’s purpose, core values, conscience, and moral
behavior)

Carl Rogers’ Self Theory: Real and Ideal Self

Self-concept refers to the image of oneself. Psychologist Carl Rogers

defines the self as a flexible and changing perception of personal identity. The
self is the center of experience (Rathus, 2017). He suggests that the self
develops from interactions with significant people and awareness of one’s own
characteristics and level of functioning. He thought that human beings are always
striving for self-fulfillment or self-actualization. When the needs of the self are
denied, severe anxiety may arise. Central to achieving self-actualization is the
development of self-concept.
Rogers suggests two components of self-concept:
 Real self – consists of all the ideas, including the awareness of what one
is and what one can do
 Ideal self – is the person’s conception of what one should be or what one
aspires to be which includes one’s goals and ambitions in life

Multiple vs. Unified Self

 Multiple selves are the capacities we carry within us from multiple
relationships. These are not discovered but created in our relationships
with other people.
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  Unified selves as strongly pointed out the traditional psychology
emphasizes that well-being comes when our personality dynamics are
congruent, cohesive and consistent.
True vs. False Self
 introduced into psychoanalysis in 1960 by Donald Winnicott
 He used true self to describe a sense of self based on spontaneous
authentic experience, and a feeling of being alive, having a real self.
 The function of the false self is to hide and protect the true self.

The Self as Proactive and Agentic (Albert Bandura, 2001)

Proactive behavior refers to anticipatory, change-oriented and self-

initiated behavior in situations. It involves acting in advance of a future situation,
rather than just reacting. It means taking control and making things happen
rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen.
Example: A proactive employee generally doesn’t need to be asked to act,
nor do he/she require detailed instructions.
Agentic self is the capacity for human beings to make choices in the world.
We see the world as agents of change. We believe that we have choices over
our actions and we strive to enable others to make informed, responsible
decisions.

The Self as the Central Archetype (Carl Jung)

 Archetypes are the universal models after which roles are patterned.
 The archetype represents the hidden potentialities of the psyche, or the
total personality.
 Jung suggests that the psyche continues to develop throughout life, but
the psyche starts to show a definite form and context during adolescence.
 According to Jung, archetypes reside in the personal unconscious
(forgotten experiences) that is common to all human beings, known as the
collective unconscious.

Four Major Archetypes:

 The Persona
The persona (or mask) is the outward
face we present to the world. It

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 conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the “conformity”
archetype.

 The Shadow
The shadow is the animal side of
our personality (like the id in Freud).

 The Animus/Anima
The “anima/animus” is the mirror image of our
biological sex, that is, the unconscious
feminine side in males and the masculine tendencies in
women.

 The Self
The self provides a sense of unity in experience. For
Jung, the ultimate aim of every individual is to achieve a state
of selfhood (similar to self-actualization).

Sigmund Freud’s Construction of the Self and Personality

The Unconscious Mind

Freud makes a distinction among the three components of the personality:

id, ego, superego.
 Id - characterized by the need to satisfy basic urges and desires
 Ego - operates on the reality principle and controls the Id

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  Superego - the conscience or moral judge of one’s conduct

When talking about the id, the ego, and the superego, it is important to
remember that these are not three separate entities with clearly defined
boundaries. These aspects are dynamic and always interacting to influence an
individual's overall personality and behavior.

With many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict might arise
between the id, ego, and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to
the ego's ability to function despite these dueling forces.
A person who has good ego strength can effectively manage these
pressures, while a person with too much or too little ego strength can be
unyielding or disruptive.

Defense Mechanisms

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Psychosexual Stages of Development

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  Oral Stage – babies derive pleasure from oral activities like sucking and
biting; overindulgence may lead to overeating, smoking, and alcoholism;
dissatisfaction may lead to sarcasm and tactlessness.
 Anal Stage – the child derives pleasure from the elimination of body
wastes. Fixations can lead to having obsessions to cleanliness or
clumsiness.
 Phallic Stage – children derive pleasure from examining, touching,
fondling, or displaying their genitals. Parents and teachers need to
properly educate children about sexuality. Fixations may lead to abnormal
sex behaviors later in life.
 Latency Stage – sexual energy is repressed at this stage as children
become occupied with school.
 Genital Stage – pleasure again derived from the genital area and seeks to
satisfy sexual desires from sexual relationships.

Fixation

The Role of Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self

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 In Erik Erikson’s theory, to achieve an individual identity, one must create
a vision of the self that is authentic.

 Trust vs Mistrust – a child will develop trust if well-taken cared for, mistrust
if not
 Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt – if parents allow children to explore, they
will become more confident and secure in their own abilities.
 Initiative vs Guilt – developing a sense of responsibility among children
leads to a development of initiative, a child who is made to feel
irresponsible might develop feelings of guilt.
 Industry vs Inferiority – when children are encouraged on their efforts,
industry will develop, if children receive little to no encouragement from
parents or teachers, they will doubt their own abilities and likely develop
inferiority
 Identity vs role confusion – if parents provide proper support, adolescents
will develop positive identity; if not, they will feel insecure and role
confusion will likely develop.
 Intimacy vs Isolation – those who are successful In this stage will likely
form relationships that are stable and successful; inability to develop
these, will lead to isolation.
 Generativity vs Stagnation – generativity involves a person’s desire to
contribute activities that will benefit the community; those who fail to attain
these will feel worthless.
 Integrity vs Despair – at this stage, individuals reflect on the important
events of their lives. If they are satisfied and proud of their
accomplishments, they will feel a sense of integrity; those unsuccessful
will feel that their life has been wasted and will feel regrets.

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