Motivational Activity: Kokology

Kokology - the study of kokoro Japanese word for "mind" or "spirit.“ This is a relational psychology
test.

Relational psychology is a branch of psychoanalysis wherein the subject is asked to imagine a situation
and then led through it with the help of a series of questions pertinent to the scene being described.
The questions directly stimulate the subject’s subconscious mind thus revealing aspects of their
personality through their responses.

You are a superstar about to release a new album. What do you want for the album cover?

A. Beautiful landscape
B. Cartoonish picture
C. Picture of yourself
D. Abstract picture, some artistic stuff

Psychological self
Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Perspective

Psychodynamic perspective is an approach emphasizing the interaction of the emotional and

motivational forces that affect behavior and mental states, especially on a subconscious level
Psychoanalysis a psychological theory and therapeutic method developed by Sigmund Freud, based
on the ideas that mental life functions on both conscious and unconscious levels and that childhood
events have a powerful psychological influence throughout life. (Encarta, 2009)
The Self as a Psychological Construct according to Selected Psychologists

The cornerstone of human behavior is the SELF.

In psychology, the Self is defined as the way a person thinks and perceives his or her traits, beliefs,
and purposes in the environment he or she lives in.
It is our sense of personal identity of who we are as individuals.

William James' duality theory of self could be categorized into the self as an agent that observes,
which is referred to as the perceiver, the "I;“ and the person's mental picture of self as an object that
can be observed, the "Me.”
George Herbert Mead also developed the concept of self, he explained that one's identity emerges
from external and social interactions and internal feelings of one's self. Self is not evident at birth, but
it emerges over time through language, play, and games as discussed in Topic 2, the Social Self.

Self is truly dynamic and intricate. According to James and Mead, who we are refers to our actual self,
and it is the balance of both the 'me' and the 'I'.

I
- The subjective knower
- Response to the me
- Thinks about what those things mean
- The doer, experiencer
- The individual's identity
- The self that knows who they are and what they have done in their life
- Pure ego
- The “Thinking Self”

Me
- The object that is known
- The “Social Self”
- How we believe the generalized “other” sees us
- Learn through interactions with others
- The “Narrative Self”
- The society's view ·
- Describing their personal experiences
- Empirical "me

REAL Self and IDEAL Self

Humanistic Psychologist, Carl Rogers, was the proponent of the Self Theory. He believed that
Self is the humanistic term for who we really are as a person. This is made of many perceptions and
personality characteristics that are consistent with one another. To be aware of one's self is to have
a concept of oneself, or otherwise known as SELF-CONCEPT.

The answer to "WHO AM I?" is self-concept. It expresses all our thoughts and feelings about
ourselves.

Different components of SELF-CONCEPT:

Self-image (how you see yourself)

Self-image influences how an individual thinks, feels, and behaves in an environment. However, it
does not necessarily indicate reality. We might perceive ourselves as either arrogant or kind or
beautiful or ugly. A person's self-image is influenced by many factors, such as physical characteristics,
personality traits, parental influences, and social roles.
Example: Carla, an 80-year-old grandmother, believes that she is still strong and alert, but in reality,
she is quite weak and clumsy.
A teenage girl looks thin, but in reality, may have a self-image of being obese.

Self-Esteem / Self-Worth (how much value you place on yourself)

This includes how we compare ourselves to others and how others respond to us.

If we receive a positive response, we are more likely develop positive self-esteem, and if others
perceive us as inadequate, our self¬-esteem is negatively affected.

A positive view of ourselves, disregarding what others may think, conveys confidence in our abilities
and manifests self-acceptance, and thus, induces us to develop high self- esteem. On the contrary, if
we view ourselves negatively, this inclines the opposite, which are lack of self-confidence, pessimism,
insecurity, worrying about what others might think.

2 Kinds of Selves

Real self - represents actual experiences about what and who we really are, how we think, and how
we feel and act; it makes us most comfortable by simply being us.

Ideal self - our conception of who we want to be and what we want to become. It consists of our goals
and ambitions in life and is dynamic.

If your ideal-self characteristics are close to your real-self characteristics, then, you are consistent or
congruent, thus, you have a higher sense of self-worth and you are more likely to have a healthier
self-esteem.

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. For example, the act of lying shows
misalignment or incongruence between real self and ideal self, which may result to mental distress
brought by your negative feeling.

The earliest roots of incongruence are in childhood. This is when the parents' affection for
their children must also live up with the parents' expectations, and the children begin to misrepresent
the memories that leave them feeling unworthy of their parent's love.
On the contrary, unconditional love helps foster congruence and children will feel that
they are loved and accepted as they are.
A preference to see ourselves consistently with our self-image may make us use defense
mechanisms, like denial or repression, to feel less threatened by undesirable feelings.
 TRUE Self and FALSE Self
Dr. Donald W. Winnicott was an English psychoanalyst who introduced the concepts of TRUE
SELF and FALSE SELF in human personality.
TRUE SELF - also referred to as authentic self: it describes the core of who you are, a sense of
conscious, instinctive, and authentic experience.
This is the part of you that is aware that, "I, myself, feel this; I, myself, want this," which
makes the experience uniquely yours, and therefore, TRUE.
At the same time, it is strongly guarded by the false self and, at first, might be difficult to
reach.

FALSE SELF - also referred to as a social mask and adapted self: it is a part of self that has modified
behavior, inhibited feelings, and drives your needs aside to fit in with others.

This includes the values, feelings, and thoughts that are not your own, which conforms to societal and
family standards.

At our center lies our true self, which is enclosed by another circle we developed through our lives as
protection. This outer layer is our false self.

Signs of a Fully Functioning Person

According to Rogers, people who exhibit this tendency have a self-image that is congruent
with reality. They understand their strengths, but they also recognize and acknowledge that they have
weaknesses. Even as they continue to build upon their personal strengths, they work on taking on
challenges and experiences that allow them to grow and gain new understanding. These individuals
realize that they are not perfect, but they are still happy and satisfied with themselves. This
contentment does not indicate idleness, however, for these individuals are always striving to achieve
their best possible selves.