UNDERSTANDING

THE
SELF

LESSON IV
P S Y C H O LO G I C A L
PERSPECTIVE OF
THE SELF
• Usually, whenever we talk about the “self”, it pertains to
one’s personality, one’s physical appearance and other
attributes, how we see one’s self, or how we would like to
see ourselves, among many others.
• Various psychological perspectives offer different
conceptualizations about the self.
WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD
PSYCHOLOGY…
Psychology comes from Greek words…

Psyche – soul or mind

Logos – study of…
• The scientific study of human behavior and mental
processes.

• Psychology as a science, is concerned with how we

developed our sense of self over the course of its
development.

• It also recognizes the different forces that help us shape

how we see, think and feel about ourselves.
ME – SELF
AND
I - SELF
ME – SELF AND I - SELF

• The self is the “sum total of all that he can call his, not only his
body and physic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife
and children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and
works, his lands and horses, and yacht and bank account”
(William James, 1890).
• Such definition suggests the notion that the self is a
construct that encompasses all aspects of the person – both
tangible and observable and even the internal and more
private aspects of the self.
• W. James proposed the duality of the self:
- I – self
- Me – self
 I – SELF ME - SELF
• Also called pure ego • Also called the empirical
self
• The processor of the • Divided into 3
information or the thinker constituents:
which allows one to be - Material self
aware of the environment - Social self
and one’s existence within - Spiritual self
that environment.
James further distinguished three components of the "Me Self"
1.The material self
- Tangible objects or possessions we collect for ourselves
2. the social self
- How we interact and portray ourselves within different groups, situations, or
persons
3. The spiritual self
- Internal dispositions

• The components of the "I Self"

1.Individual self – individual traits, abilities, and possessions;
2.Relational self – other people with whom we have a personal relationship; and
3.Collective self – social roles, social categories, and social group membership.
• The physical self is shaped by biological and
environmental factors.
• Brain - neurotransmitters
• Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the body. Their job
is to transmit signals from nerve cells to target cells. These target
cells may be in muscles, glands, or other nerves. The brain needs
neurotransmitters to regulate many necessary functions, including:
✓ heart rate
✓ breathing
✓ sleep cycles
✓ digestion
✓ mood
✓ concentration
✓ appetite
✓ muscle movement
• As humans, we constantly grow throughout our lifespans, from
conception to death. Understanding the concept of the self in
the perspective of Psychology strive to understand and explain
how and why people change throughout life. While many of
these changes are normal and expected, they can still pose
challenges that people sometimes need extra assistance to
manage.
SIGMUND FREUD

• Id, ego, superego

• Psychosexual stages of
development
 ERIK ERIKSON
PSYCHOSOCIAL
STAGES OF
DEVELOPMENT
ARE YOU UNSURE OF YOUR ROLE
IN LIFE?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON'T
KNOW THE 'REAL YOU'?
 IF YOU ANSWER YES TO THE
PREVIOUS QUESTIONS, YOU MAY
BE EXPERIENCING AN IDENTITY
CRISIS
• Theorist Erik Erikson coined the term identity
crisis and believed that it was one of the most
important conflicts people face in
development.
• According to Erikson, an identity crisis is a
time of intensive analysis and
exploration of different ways of looking at
oneself.
 ERIKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGES OF
DEVELOPMENT
• Emphasis on the quality of social relations people
establish at various areas in life.
• Every stage, two things occur which puts the
individual into a crisis which is an opportunity for
growth and integration.
• When crisis is resolved, the individual develops
virtues.
1. Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 year)
- We depend on our primary caregivers and come to expect
that our environments will or will not meet our needs.
2.Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years old)
- During this period, their relationships with parents and
friends can encourage the development of self-direction and
initiative, or feelings of shame or guilt.
- Children in this stage need to develop feeling of self-control
over physical functions.
3. Initiative vs. Guilt (3-5 years old)
- Children begin to assert control over the environment and
strive to master adult skills.

4. Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years old)

- Children meet academic and social challenges in school. A
positive outcome contributes to the sense of industry, whereas
setbacks can lead to feelings of inferiority.
5. Ego identity vs. Role confusion (12-18 years old)
- The individual wants to belong to a society and fit in.

- This is a major stage in development where the child has to

learn the roles he will occupy as an adult. It is during this
stage that the adolescent will re-examine his identity and
try to find out exactly who he or she is.

- Role confusion involves the individual not being sure about

themselves or their place in society.
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-40 years old)
- We begin to share ourselves more intimately with others. We
explore relationships leading toward longer term commitments
with someone other than a family member.
- Successful completion (comfortable relationships and a sense of
commitment, safety, and care within a relationship.)
Avoiding intimacy, fearing commitment and relationships can
lead to isolation, loneliness, and sometimes depression.
7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65 years old)
- Middle adulthood
- We establish our careers, settle down within a relationship,
begin our own families and develop a sense of being a part
of the bigger picture.
- Failing to achieve these objectives, we become stagnant and
feel unproductive.
8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair (65+)
- It is during this time that we contemplate our
accomplishments and are able to develop integrity if we
see ourselves as leading a successful life.
- If we see our lives as unproductive, feel guilt about our
past, or feel that we did not accomplish our life goals, we
become dissatisfied with life and develop despair, often
leading to depression and hopelessness.
CARL GUSTAV
JUNG
A N A LY T I C A L T H E O RY
• An early supporter of Freud because of their shared interest in
the unconscious.
• The collective unconscious
–He believed that human beings are connected to each other
and their ancestors through a shared set of experiences. We
use this to give meaning to the world.
STAGES OF LIFE
• Childhood
– Anarchic
– Monarchic
– Dualistic
• Youth
• Middle Life
• Old Age
K AREN HORNEY
P S Y C H O A N A LY T I C S O C I A L T H E O R Y
• Built on the assumption that social and cultural conditions,
especially childhood experiences, are largely responsible for
shaping personality.
• People who do not have their needs for love and affection satisfied
during childhood develop basic hostility toward their parents
and, as a consequence, suffer from basic anxiety.
• Horney theorized that people combat basic anxiety by adopting
one of three fundamental styles of relating to others:
1. Moving toward people – compliant
2. Moving against people – aggressive
3. Moving away from people – detached

Normal individuals may use any of these modes of relating to other people, but neurotics
are compelled to rigidly rely on only one. Their compulsive behavior generates a basic
intrapsychic conflict that may take the form of either an idealized self-image or self-hatred.
• The idealized self-image is expressed as (1) neurotic search for
glory, (2) neurotic claims, or (3) neurotic pride.

• Self-hatred is expressed as either self-contempt or alienation

from self.
REAL SELF VS IDEAL SELF

• The real self and the ideal self are terms used to describe
personality domains.
– The real self is who we actually are.
– It is how we think, how we feel, look, and act.
– The real self can be seen by others, but because we have no way
of truly knowing how others view us, the real self is our self-
image.
• The ideal self, on the other hand, is how we want to be.
– It is an idealized image that we have developed over time, based
on what we have learned and experienced.
– The ideal self could include components of what our parents
have taught us, what we admire in others, what our society
promotes, and what we think is in our best interest.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ALIGNMENT

• If the way that I am (the real self) is aligned with the way that I
want to be (the ideal self), then I will feel a sense of mental well-
being or peace of mind.
• If the way that I am is not aligned with how I want to be, the
incongruence, or lack of alignment, will result in mental distress
or anxiety.
** The greater the level of incongruence between the ideal self and the
real self, the greater the level of resulting distress.
CARL ROGERS
P E R S O N - C E N T E R E D T H E O RY
CARL ROGERS (1902-1987)
• A humanistic psychologist who agreed with the main
assumptions of Abraham Maslow.
• However, Rogers (1959) added that for a person to "grow", they
need an environment that provides them with genuineness
(openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with
unconditional positive regard), and empathy (being listened to
and understood).
• Central to Rogers' personality theory is the notion of self or self-
concept.
– This is defined as "the organized, consistent set of perceptions and
beliefs about oneself.
• Rogers believed that every person could achieve their goals,
wishes, and desires in life. When, or rather if they did so, self-
actualization took place.
– The development of congruence is dependent on unconditional
positive regard.
– Carl Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-
actualization they must be in a state of congruence.
• According to Rogers, we want to feel, experience, and behave
in ways which are consistent with our self-image, and which reflect
what we would like to be like, our ideal-self.

• The closer our self-image and ideal self are to each other, the
more consistent or congruent we are and the higher our 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.
• Incongruence
- A discrepancy between the actual experience of the organism
and the self-picture of the individual insofar as it represents that
experience.
• As we prefer to see ourselves in ways that are consistent with
our self-image, we may use defense mechanisms like denial or
repression in order 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.