MODULE 3

Unit 1: DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF AND IDENTITY

Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Discuss the development of self from psychological and sociological perspectives (CLO1).
2. Examine and explain the different psychosocial influences, factors, and forces that shape the self (CLO1).
3. Demonstrate critical and reflective though in analyzing the development of one’s self and identity by
developing a theory of the self (CLO1).

Time element: 12 hours

Lesson 1: The Development of Self from Psychological and Sociological Perspectives

Name: ___________________________________ Course & Yr.: _______________ Section: _____

Lesson Preparation/ Review/Preview

Who are you? What makes you “you?”. You might answer with “I’m a student” or, “I’m a cook,” or maybe, “I’m a
believer,” “I’m a good friend,” “I’m a brother.” Maybe you answer with, “I am good in my talent,” “I’m an accomplished
musician,” or “I’m a successful athlete.”

Other responses might fall into the category of traits: “I’m a kind-hearted person,” “I’m intelligent and hard-working,”
or “I’m laid-back and easy-going.”

These responses come from your internal sense of who you are. This sense is developed early in life, but it goes
through constant evaluation and adjustment throughout the lifespan.

In psychology, this sense of self has a specific term: self-concept.

When we are born, we have a genetic makeup and biological traits. However, who we are as human beings develops
through social interaction. Many scholars, both in the fields of psychology and in sociology, have described the process of
self-development as a precursor to understanding how that “self” becomes socialized.

This lesson will help you define how your “Self” developed from the psychological and sociological view.

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 2

 TASK NO. 1:
“YOU” Through the Eyes of Others

This activity has three parts that intends to compare how we look at ourselves against how people perceived us
depending on how we present ourselves to them.

Part 1: Write down fifteen (15) qualities or things, around the human figure below, that define who you are and thus may
represent you.

Part 2: The box below contains a message, send this message to at least 15 persons like your friends and classmates and
let them answer. Then retrieve the responses.

• I am____________________________________________ (your name).

• Based on what you see me do or what you hear me say, who do you think I am?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

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Part 3: Compare what you wrote to those written by your friends and classmates. Classify the responses as to the following:

Aspects that are similar Aspects that are true to me

____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Aspects that are sometimes true or circumstantial Aspects I think is not part of my personality

____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

From the activities, how do you define the “self”?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Concept Notes Presentation
In confidence or in an attempt to avoid further analytical discussions, a lot of people say, “I am who I am.” Yet, this
statement still begs the question “If you are what you are, then who are you that makes you who you are?”

There are various definitions of the “self” and other similar or interchangeable concepts in psychology. Simply put,
“self” is “the sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals (Jhangiani and Tarry, 2014).

SOCIOLOGY OR PSYCHOLOGY: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

You might be wondering: if sociologists and psychologists are both interested in people and their behavior, how are
these two disciplines different? What do they agree on, and where do their ideas diverge? The answers are complicated, but
the distinction is important to scholars in both fields.
As a general difference, we might say that while both disciplines are interested in human behavior, psychologists are
focused on how the mind influences that behavior, while sociologists study the role of society in shaping behavior.
Psychologists are interested in people’s mental development and how their minds process their world. Sociologists are more
likely to focus on how different aspects of society contribute to an individual’s relationship with his world. Another way to think
of the difference is that psychologists tend to look inward (mental health, emotional processes), while sociologists tend to look
outward (social institutions, cultural norms, interactions with others) to understand human behavior.

Sociological Theories of Self-Development

Émile Durkheim (1958–1917) was the first to make this distinction in

research, when he attributed differences in suicide rates among people to social
causes (religious differences) rather than to psychological causes (like their mental
wellbeing) (Durkheim 1897). Today, we see this same distinction. Sometimes
sociologists and psychologists have collaborated to increase knowledge. In recent
decades, however, their fields have become more clearly separated as sociologists
increasingly focus on large societal issues and patterns, while psychologists remain
honed in on the human mind. Both disciplines make valuable contributions through
different approaches that provide us with different types of useful insights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Durkheim

One of the pioneering contributors to sociological perspectives was

Charles Cooley (1864–1929). He asserted that people’s self understanding is
constructed, in part, by their perception of how others view them—a process termed
“the looking glass self” (Cooley 1902). He is perhaps best known for his concept
of the looking-glass self, which is the concept that a person's self grows out of
society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cooley

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 George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) studied the self, a person’s distinct
identity that is developed through social interaction. In order to engage in this process
of “self,” an individual has to be able to view him or herself through the eyes of others.
That’s not an ability that we are born with (Mead 1934). Through socialization we learn
to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and look at the world through their
perspective. This assists us in becoming self-aware, as we look at ourselves from the
perspective of the “other.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herbert_Mead

The case of Danielle, for example, illustrates what happens when social
interaction is absent from early experience: Danielle had no ability to see herself as
others would see her. From Mead’s point of view, she had no “self.”

How do we go from being newborns to being humans with “selves?” Mead believed that there is a specific path of
development that all people go through. During the preparatory stage, children are only capable of imitation: they have no
ability to imagine how others see things. They copy the actions of people with whom they regularly interact, such as their
mothers and fathers. This is followed by the play stage, during which children begin to take on the role that one other person
might have. Thus, children might try on a parent’s point of view by acting out “grownup” behavior, like playing “dress up” and
acting out the “mom” role, or talking on a toy telephone the way they see their father do.

During the game stage, children learn to consider several roles at the same time and how those roles interact with
each other. They learn to understand interactions involving different people with a variety of purposes. For example, a child
at this stage is likely to be aware of the different responsibilities of people in a restaurant who together make for a smooth
dining experience (someone seats you, another takes your order, someone else cooks the food, while yet another clears
away dirty dishes).

Finally, children develop, understand, and learn the idea of the generalized other, the common behavioral
expectations of general society. By this stage of development, an individual is able to imagine how he or she is viewed by one
or many others—and thus, from a sociological perspective, to have a “self” (Mead 1934; Mead 1964).

Other concepts similar to self are identity and self-concept. Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social
roles, and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who one is (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith, 2012). Self-concept is
what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about who you are (Oyserman, Elmore, and Smith, 2012).

Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed in one-time frame. For example, when you are asked about who you are,
you can say “I was a varsity player in 5th Grade” which pertains to the past, “a college student” which may be the present and
“a future politician” which is the future. They are not also fixed for life nor are they ever-changing at every moment. Think of a
malleable metal, strong, and hard but can be bent and molded in other shapes. Think about water. It can take any shape of
the container, but at its core, it is still the same element.

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Psychological Perspectives on Self-Development

Psychologist Erik Erikson (1902–1994) created a theory of

personality development based, in part, on the work of Freud. However,
Erikson believed the personality continued to change over time and was
never truly finished. His theory includes eight stages of development,
beginning with birth and ending with death. According to Erikson, people
move through these stages throughout their lives. In contrast to Freud’s
focus on psychosexual stages and basic human urges, Erikson’s view
of self-development gave credit to more social aspects, like the way we
negotiate between our own base desires and what is socially accepted
(Erikson 1982).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Erikson

Explore to know more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYCBdZLCDBQ

Jean Piaget (1896–1980) was a psychologist who specialized in child

development who focused specifically on the role of social interactions in their
development. He recognized that the development of self-evolved through a
negotiation between the world as it exists in one’s mind and the world that exists
as it is experienced socially (Piaget 1954). All three of these thinkers have
contributed to our modern understanding of self-development.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget

Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was one of the most

influential modern scientists to put forth a theory about how people develop a
sense of self. He believed that personality and sexual development were closely
linked, and he divided the maturation process into psychosexual stages: oral,
anal, phallic, latency, and genital. He posited that people’s self-development is
closely linked to early stages of development, like breastfeeding, toilet training,
and sexual awareness (Freud 1905). According to Freud, failure to properly
engage in or disengage from a specific stage results in emotional and
psychological consequences throughout adulthood.

An adult with an oral fixation may indulge in overeating or binge drinking.

An anal fixation may produce a neat freak (hence the term “anal retentive”), while
a person stuck in the phallic stage may be promiscuous or emotionally immature.
Although no solid empirical evidence supports Freud’s theory, his ideas continue
to contribute to the work of scholars in a variety of disciplines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud

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 Carl Rogers captured this idea in this concept of self-schema or our
organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are. This includes
your hobbies, family, religion, and nationality. It may also include your interests,
work, course, age, name, and physical characteristics among others. As you
grow and adapt to the changes around you, they also change. But they are not
passive receivers, they actively shape and effect how you see, think and feel
about things. For example, when someone states your name even if they are not
talking about you, your attention is drawn to them. If you have a provincial
language and you hear someone using it, it catches your attention. If you
consider yourself a book-lover, a bookstore may always entice you out of all
other stores in a mall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Rogers

Carl Rogers (1959) believes that the self-concept has three different components:
• The view you have of yourself (self-image)
• How much value you place on yourself (self-esteem or self-worth)
• What you wish you were really like (ideal-self)

1. Self-image (how you see yourself)

This does not necessarily have to reflect reality. Indeed, a person with anorexia who is thin may have a self-image in
which the person believes they are fat. A person's self-image is affected by many factors, such as parental influences,
friends, the media etc. The list of answers to the question “Who Am I?” probably include examples of each of the following
four types of responses:
- Physical Description: I’m tall, have blue eyes...etc.
- Social Roles: We are all social beings whose behavior is shaped to some extent by the roles we play. Such roles
as student, housewife, or member of the football team not only help others to recognize us but also help us to know what
is expected of us in various situations.
- Personal Traits: These are the third dimension of our self-descriptions. “I’m impulsive...I’m generous...I tend to
worry a lot…”, etc.
- Existential Statements (abstract ones): These can range from "I’m a child of the universe" to "I’m a human being"
to "I’m a spiritual being"...etc.

Typically young people describe themselves more in terms of personal traits, whereas older people feel defined to a
greater extent by their social roles.

2. Self-esteem (the extent to which you value yourself)

Self-esteem (also known as self-worth) refers to the extent to which we like, accept or approve of ourselves, or how
much we value ourselves. Self-esteem always involves a degree of evaluation and we may have either a positive or a
negative view of ourselves.
High self-esteem (having a positive view of ourselves) leads to:
• Confidence in our own abilities
• Self-acceptance
• Not worrying about what others think
• Optimism

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 Low self-esteem (having a negative view of ourselves) leads to:

• Lack of confidence
• Want to be/look like someone else
• Always worrying what others might think
• Pessimism

3. Ideal Self (what you'd like to be)

If there is a mismatch between how you see yourself (e.g., your self-image) and what you’d like to be (e.g., your ideal-
self) then this is likely to affect how much you value yourself. Therefore, there is an intimate relationship between self-
image, ego-ideal and self-esteem. Humanistic psychologists study this using the Q-Sort Method.
A person’s ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in the life and experiences of the person.
Hence, a difference may exist between a person’s ideal self and actual experience. This is called incongruence.
Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. Rarely,
if ever does a total state of congruence exist; all people experience a certain amount of incongruence. The development
of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. Roger’s believed that for a person to achieve self-
actualization they must be in a state of congruence.

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Guided Practice
TASK NO.2:
This Made My “SELF”

Directions: Based from Carl Rogers’ Concept of Self-schema, identify your “Self” by filling up the schema below. Then
answer the questions the follows.

Hobbies
Family

SELF

Nationality Religion

Interests

1. “I am who I am” means…

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

2. “ Self” is defined as …
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 TASK NO.3:
My “SELF” Concept

Directions: Identify your “self” below.

My Self- image
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________

My Ideal Self
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
__

My Self-esteem
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

My “Self” therefore…

____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Performance

TASK NO.4:
Directions: Explain how the various psychologists explained and developed the theory of the “self “. Give your own critical
and reflective thought.

PSYCHOLOGIST THEORY ABOUT SELF CRITICAL AND REFLECTIVE THOUGHT

George Herbert Mead

Jean Piaget

Charles Cooley

Sigmund Freud

Émile Durkheim

Erik Erikson

Closing quote:
Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.
- Judy Garland -

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Lesson 2: The Psychological View of the Self

Lesson Preparation/ Review/Preview

The development of self is influenced by different factors. The psychosocial (psychological and social) factors are
among the various forces that shape the self.

How do you define yourself? Some people may define themselves based on their physical appearance. Others may
define themselves based on their values and personality traits. A few may define themselves based on their role in the family
or status in the society. How about you? What is your view or concept of self?

To help you understand how a person defines his or her self, click the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzPbY9ufnQY

TASK NO. 1:
My Autobiography

Autobiography is writing by the author, about the author. It is a work of reflection and discovery of one's self by sharing
one's life details, experiences, and lessons.

Directions: Write a short autobiography. Focus on the areas listed below. Reflect on what and who you really are.

MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I was born on ___________________________ in ______________________________________________.

As a young child I _________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
What I truly enjoy _________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
Something I am proud of in my life ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
What I like about myself________ ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

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Concept Notes Presentation
The term "self" is defined in many ways. Self is a unified being and is essentially connected to consciousness,
awareness, and agency or with the faculty of rational choice. Self is the condition of identity that makes one subject of
experience distinct from all others. Self is exhibited and inferred in the conduct and discourse that emanate from the individual
alone. Self is the person regarded as an individual apart from all others (Ariola, 2018).

The development of self is influenced by various factors. Sociologists and psychologists have coined different views
and concepts of the self.

The Psychological View of the Self

Sigmund Freud proposes the structural model to understand human personality. According to him, personality is
divided into the id, ego, and superego. This is the time when we say, “one part of me wants to do one thing, and another part
wants to do otherwise.” Freud conceives this too that is why he came up with the concept of the personality that is made up
of parts often not at peace with one another:

Freud’s Structure of Personality

v Id is the selfish part of us which develop at birth, the raw unorganized part of personality, concerned with satisfying
our personal desires and irrational impulses such as hunger, thirst aggression and sex and strove to constantly
reduce tension. The actions taken by id are based on the pleasure principle. This means that it only concerns
bringing immediate personal satisfaction regardless of physical or social limitations (Burger, 2015)

Id is also viewed as illogical and can simultaneously entertain incompatible ideas and cannot make value
judgment or distinguish between good and evil. It has to be noted the id is not immoral, merely amoral. All of Id’s
energies are spent for one purpose; to seek pleasure without regard for what is proper or just (Feist et.al., 2013)

For instance, when a baby sees something he wants he will reach for it. It doesn’t matter if the object belongs to
someone or if it is harmful.

v Ego serves as the balance between the demand of the ID and the realities of the outside world. It is the only
region of the mind in contact with reality. It grows out of the Id during infancy and becomes a person’s sole source
of communication with the external world. It is governed by the reality principle. The Ego controls the instinctual
demand of the person and helps him integrate in the social group. For instance, a young child who is angry may
get food from his parent’s plate without permission, but the ego cautions him not to either because the food is not
good for him.

v Superego represents society’s, and, in particular, the parent’s values and standards. The superego places more
restrictions on what we can and cannot do.

The superego has two components – the conscience and ego-ideal. The conscience prevents a person form
doing morally bad things, while the ego-ideal inspires a person to do what is morally proper. It appears that the
superego together with the ID works through the ego system. The superego pushes the person towards greater
virtue that if not checked the person may become perfectionist who cannot balance the demand that life requires.
In the same manner, an unchecked Id would create in the person primitive pleasure –selfish desires seeking
immediate fulfillment. It is the ego that must compromise the demand of the superego and ID.

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 Psychosexual Stages of Development

Freud asserts that personality develops through a series of stages in which the energies of the id are focused on
certain erogenous areas. The psychosexual energy or libido, is described as the driving force behind behavior.

Stage Age Characteristics

Oral Stage Birth to 1 An infant’s primary interaction with the world is through the mouth. The mouth is vital for
year eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation and through gratifying activities
such as tasting and sucking. If this need is not met the child may develop an oral fixation
later in life. Examples of which include thumb-sucking, smoking, fingernail biting, and
overeating.
Anal Stage 1 to 3 years Freud believes that the primary focus of the libido is on controlling bladder and bowel
movements. Toilet training is a primary issue with children and parents. Too much pressure
can result in an excessive need for order or cleanliness later in life, while too little pressure
from parents can lead to messy or destructive behavior later in life.
Phallic 3 to 6 years Freud suggest that the primary focus of the id’s energy is on genitals. According to Freud,
Stage boys experience an Oedipal Complex and girls experience an Electra Complex, or an
attraction to the opposite sex parent. To cope with this conflict, children adopt the values
and characteristics of the same-sex parent, thus forming the superego.
Latent Stage 6 to 11 During this stage, the superego continues to develop while the id’s energies are
years suppressed. Children develop social skills, values and relationships with peers and adults
outside of the family.
Genital 11 to 18 The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again. During this stage,
Stage years people develop a strong interest in the opposite. If development has been successful to
this point, the individual will continue to develop into a well balance person

Types of Personality
Ø Sanguine – This personality is optimistic tending to see the bright side of life. A sanguine is warm-hearted,
cheerful and makes friends easily. Its body fluid is blood.

Ø Melancholic - A melancholic person is easily depressed. He is moody, seldom smile and seems to see the
dark side of life. The prominent body fluid is bile.

Ø Phlegmatic - Phlegmatic personality is slow and calm in its behavior. He is cautious and deliberates carefully
before taking an action. The body fluid is phlegm.

Ø Choleric – This is a personality that is of the nervous type. They are easily provoked and behave aggressively
when they fail to accomplish their goals. They prominent body fluid is the yellow bile.

Defense Mechanisms

In Psychoanalytic theory, defense mechanisms represent an unconscious mediation by the ego of id impulses
which are in conflict with the wishes and needs of the ego and/or superego. By altering and distorting one’s awareness
of the original impulse, one makes it more tolerable.

Because of anxiety provoking demands created by id, superego, and reality, the ego has developed a number of
defense mechanisms to cope with anxiety. Although we may knowingly use these mechanisms, in many cases
these defenses work unconsciously to distort reality. The most common defense mechanisms are rationalization,
denial, repression, projection, reaction, formation, displacement, and sublimation.

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 15

 Rationalization means finding reasonable explanations for unreasonable or unacceptable behavior to make
them sound logical and acceptable or putting something into a different light or offering a different explanation for
one’s perceptions or behaviors in the face of a changing reality. For instance, a student might say, “I cut classes
because other students are doing it.”

Denial is done when a person refuses to accept the reality of fact, acting as if thought or feeling did not exist. For
instance, a teenager may deny that he or she is having a problem interacting with people, thus telling his or her
parents, “I’m not interested in people.

Repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses. In this mechanism,
the ego involuntarily excludes from consciousness any painful thoughts, feelings, memories, or impulses.

Projection means attributing one’s own undesired thoughts, feelings or impulses to another person who does
not have those thoughts, feelings, or impulses. So, a lady who is tempted to have an affair with another man begins
to suspect her partner of being unfaithful. Projection is often the result of a lack of insight and acknowledgement of
one’s own motivation and feelings.

Reaction Formation refers to a denial and reversal of one’s feelings. For instance, a student who is very angry
with his teacher and would like to stop attending the class may instead be overly kind to his teacher and express
desire to continue to attend his classes until the end of the semester. Or a person who is unconsciously attracted to
the same sex may develop an intense hatred of gays.

Sublimation is the channeling of unacceptable impulses, thoughts, and emotions into more acceptable ones.
For instance, a child who wants to get the attention of his or her parents will have a drive to do well in school.

Displacement is the channeling of energy away from one person or object to an alternative. People tend to use
this mechanism because they cannot express their feelings in a safe manner to the person they are directed at. A
student who has a hard day at school may come home and yell at the dog. The student is redirecting his anger
from his studies to his dog.

While they can be unhealthy, all defense mechanisms can also be adaptive and allow us to function normally.
The greatest problems arise when defense mechanisms are overused in order to avoid dealing with problems.

Psychosocial Stages of Development

Erik Erikson conceptualizes life span according to eight stages, each of which deals with a pertinent psychosocial
issue or crises. Each psychosexual issue is important throughout the life span, but is paramount or particularly critical at a
specific developmental stage. Moreover, the resolution of the crisis at one stage affects the individuals functioning at
succeeding stages of development.

Stage Basic Conflict Important Events Outcome

Infancy (birth to Trust vs. Mistrust Feeding Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers
18 months) provide reliability, care, and affection. A lack of this will
lead to mistrust.
Early childhood Autonomy vs. Toilet Training Children need to develop a sense of personal control over
(2 to 3 years) Shame and Doubt physical skills and a sense of independence. Success
leads to feelings of autonomy; failure results in feelings of
shame and doubt.

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 Preschool (3 to 5 Initiative vs. Guilt Exploration Children need to begin asserting control and power over
years) the environment. Success in this stage leads to a sense
of purpose. Children who try to exert too much power
experience disapproval. Resulting in a sense of guilt.
School Age (6 to Industry vs. School Children need to cope with new social and academic
11 years) Inferiority demands. Success leads to a sense of competence,
while failure results in feeling of inferiority
Adolescence (12 Identity vs. Role Social Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal
to 18 years) Confusion Relationships identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to oneself,
while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of
self.
Young Intimacy vs. Isolation Relationships Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships
Adulthood (19 to with other people. Success leads to strong relationships,
40 years) while failure results in loneliness and isolation
Middle Generativity vs. Work and Adults need to create or nurture things that will outlast
Adulthood (40 to Stagnation Parenthood them, often by having children or creating a positive
65 years) change that benefits other people. Success leads to
feelings of usefulness and accomplishment, while failure
results in shallow involvement in the world.
Maturity (65 to Ego Integrity vs. Reflection on Life Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of
death) Despair fulfillment. Success at this leads to feeling of wisdom,
while failure results in regret, bitterness, and despair.

The “I” and “Me” by William James

William James proposes four elements that constitute the self: the material self, the social self, the spiritualself, and
the pure ego. The first three constituents are aspects of the “Empirical Self” which is called “me”. The “me” can be thought of
as a separate object or individual a person refers to when describing their personal experiences.

The Ego is conceptualized as the knower; the “I”, the abstract sense of personal identity. It is the self that knows who
they are and what they have done with their lives.

The Real Self and Ideal Self by Carl Rogers

Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist, believes that we all own a real self and an ideal self. The real self is what
we, the self, feel most true to what and who we really are. The ideal self, on the other hand, is the self that we think we want
to be, that we strive to be, and what we feel we expected to be. This self is borne out of the influences outside of us and holds
values absorbed from others. It is created out of what we have learned from our life experiences. This is the self that
accommodates the expectations of others to gain more acceptance and love.

All of us want to adhere to the ideal self we hold and see to it that we can be the best of what we can be. However, it
will become problematic when our ideal selves are not consistent with who we really are. If the inconsistency is not addressed,
this would lead to stress and anxiety because the real self would have difficulty attaining the real self.

Real Self and False Self by Donald Winnicott

There are times when we wear masks to survive in a difficult conversation and to interact appropriately in a wide
variety of our interpersonal experiences. At some point in our lives, we show the different side of ourselves. We may think,
feel, and act differently when we are with our family, friends, classmates, or acquaintances. However, it is very important to

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 17

be aware of these different social masks to help us manage our lives because, if not, we are at risk of feeling disconnected
from ourselves.

Dr. Donald Winnicott, an English psychoanalyst, proposes that the false self develops when an infant’s emotional
needs are either unmet or met unrealiably. When this happens, it’s not only the environment that they don’t trust as they grow
up but also themselves. This basic mistrust develops because infants depend not only on their primary needs to their
caregivers but also on reliable, accurate, and emphatic emotional responses. Moreover, infants rely on their primary
caregivers to accurately mirror their emotional experiences. It is through this accurate mirroring that infants learn how to label
their own emotions and trust the validity of their internal experiences.

For adults, most of us struggle at times to project what we believe to be the “true” self. Most often, wearing a social
mask protects our true selves from being constantly exposed to the never ending demands of our interpersonal environment.
This is usually the natural tendency of people to protect the selves from the scrutiny of the outside world to avoid being
rejected or hurt.

This avoidance somehow helps us temporarily but by doing this often, we may lose the opportunity to have genuine
connections with other people.

Explore to know more!

The Self from the Perspective of Psychology – Understanding the Self

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIe0euhvZeI

Guided Practice
TASK NO. 2:

Directions: Complete the table by giving the concept of self from the psychologists' perspective.
Psychologist Concept/View of Self

Sigmund Freud

Erik Erikson

William James

Carl Rogers

Donald Winnicott

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 18

Performance

TASK NO.3:
I. Multiple Choice. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Who is the proponent of the structural model of personality?
A. Carl Rogers C. William James
B. Sigmund Freud D.. Erik Erikson
2. Who introduces the development of personality according to psychosocial stages?
A. Erik Erikson C. Carl Rogers
B. Sigmund Freud D. Donald Winnicott
3. According to Freud, it is the only region in the mind that is in contact with reality.
A. Id C. Superego
B. Ego D. Conscience
4. He proposes that the false self develops when an infant's emotional needs are either unmet or met unreliably.
A. William James C. Carl Rogers
B. Donald Winnicott D. Sigmund Freud
5. It is the self that we think we want to be and what we strive to be.
A. Real self C. Spiritual self
B. Social self D. Ideal self
6. According to William James, it can be thought of as a separate object or individual a person refers to when
describing their personal experiences.
A. Me C. Ego
B. I D. Id
7. Adolescents need develop a sense of self and personal identity.
A. Industry vs Inferiority C. Initiative vs Guilt
B. Intimacy vs Isolation D. Identity vs Role Confusion
8. Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment.
A. Initiative vs Guilt C. Industry vs Inferiority
B. Identity vs Role Confusion D. Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
9. During this stage, the primary issue of parents and children is toilet training.
A. Anal Stage C. Phallic Stage
B. Oral Stage D. Genital Stage
10. During this stage, people develop a strong interest in the opposite sex.
A. Anal Stage C. Phallic Stage
B. Oral Stage D. Genital Stage

II. A. Identification. (Defense Mechanism). Write the correct answer on the space provided.
_________________1. Martin had a hard day in school, came home and yelled at his younger brother.
_________________2. Maria is having difficulty in solving mathematical problems, then tells her parents, "I don't like Math".
_________________3. Mike wants to get the attention of his parents and strives to do well in school.
_________________4. Meika does not remember the painful memories of her childhood.
_________________5. Monique cut classes and reasons out that her classmates are doing it.
_________________6. Mon is tempted to have an affair with another woman and suspects his wife to be unfaithful

B. Identification (Type of Personality). Write the correct answer on the space provided.
_________________7. Easily provoked and behaved aggressively when they fail to accomplish their goals.
_________________8. Easily depressed, moody, seldom smile and seems to see the dark side of life.
_________________9. Cautious and deliberates carefully before taking an action.
_________________10. Warm-hearted, cheerful and makes friends easily.

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 19

III. Essay . How does Sigmund Freud's concept of self differ with Erik Erikson's?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Criteria:
Assertion and Content --- 15 points
Organization of Thoughts --- 10 points
Choice of Words --- 5points
TOTAL --- 30 points

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 20

Assignment

TASK NO.4:
Reflection Figure

Directions: Complete the reflection figure below by filling in what is being asked in each part.

IDEAL SELF

Your Ideal Self

What do you think you want to be?

SOCIAL SELF REAL SELF

Your Social Self

What others say/think about you ?
Your Real Self
What/who you really are?

What can you do to become the

person you want to be?
Who can help you? How can they
ACTION PLAN help you?

Closing quote:
Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.
- Coco Chanel -

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 21

Lesson 3: The Self and Society

Lesson Preparation/ Review/Preview

The Story of the Lion and the Sheep (https://www.outofstress.com/self-realization-short-stories/)

There was once a pregnant lion that was on its last legs. She dies soon after giving birth. The newborn not knowing
what to do, makes its way into a nearby field and mingles with a herd of sheep. The mother sheep sees the cub and decides
to raise it as its own.

And so the lion cub grows up along with the other sheep and starts thinking and acting just like a sheep. It would
bleat like a sheep and even eat grass!

But it was never truly happy. For one, it always felt that there was something missing. And secondly, the other sheep
would constantly make fun of it for being so different.

They would say, “You are so ugly and your voice sounds so weird. Why can’t you bleat properly like the rest of us?
You are a disgrace to the sheep community!”

The lion would just stand there and take in all these remarks feeling extremely sad. It felt it had let down the sheep
community by being so different and that it was a waste of space.

One day, an older lion from a far off jungle sees the herd of sheep and decides to attack it. While attacking, it sees
the young lion running away along with the other sheep.

Curious as to what was happening, the older lion decides to stop chasing the sheep and pursues the younger lion
instead. It pounces on the lion and growls asking it why it is running away with the sheep?

The younger lion shakes in fear and says, “please don’t eat me, I am just a young sheep. Please let me go!”.

Upon hearing this, the older lion growls, “That’s nonsense! You are not a sheep, you are a lion, just like me!”.

The younger lion simply repeats, “I know I am a sheep, please let me go”.

At this point the older lion gets an idea. It drags the younger lion to a river nearby and asks it to look at its reflection.
Upon looking at the reflection, the lion much to its own astonishment realizes who it really was; it was not a sheep, it
was a mighty lion!

The young lion feels so thrilled that it lets out a mighty roar. The roar echoes from all corners of the jungle and
frightens the living daylights out of all the sheep that were hiding behind the bushes to see what was happening. They all flee
away.

No longer will the sheep be able to make fun of the lion or even stand close to it for the lion had found its true nature
and its true herd.

In this lesson, we will explore the social factors and forces that shape the self. We will learn about the
influence of society and culture to the development of self.

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 22

 TASK NO.1
The Big Five Personality Test
(from personality-testing.info courtesy ipip.ori.org)
This is a personality test which will help you understand why you act the way that you do and how your personality
is structured. Please follow the instructions and scoring below.

Directions: In the table below, for each statement 1-50 mark how much you agree with on the scale 1-5, where 1=disagree,
2=slightly disagree, 3=neutral, 4=slightly agree and 5=agree, in the box to the left of it.

Rating I... Rating I...

1. Am the life of the party 26. Have little to say
2. Feel little concern for others 27. Have a soft heart.
28. Often forget to put things back in their proper
3. Am always prepared
place
4. Get stressed out easily 29. Get upset easily.
5. Have a rich vocabulary 30. Don't have a good imagination.
6. Don't talk a lot. 31. Talk to a lot of different people at parties.
7. Am interested in people. 32. Am not really interested in others.
8. Leave my belongings around. 33. Like order.
9. Am relaxed most of the time. 34. Change my mood a lot.
10. Have difficulty understanding abstract
35. Am quick to understand things.
ideas.
11. Feel comfortable around people. 36. Don't like to draw attention to myself.
12. Insult people. 37. Take time out for others.
13. Pay attention to details. 38. Shirk my duties.
14. Worry about things. 39. Have frequent mood swings.
15. Have a vivid imagination. 40. Use difficult words.
16. Keep in the background. 41. Don't mind being the center of attention.
17. Sympathize with other's feelings. 42. Feel other's emotions.
18. Make a mess of things. 43. Follow a schedule.
19. Seldom feel blue. 44. Get irritated easily.
20. Am not interested in abstract ideas. 45. Spend time reflecting on things.
21. Start conversations. 46. Am quiet around strangers.
22. Am not interested in other people's
47. Make people feel at ease.
problems.
23. Get chores done right away. 48. Am exacting in my work.
24. Am easily disturbed. 49. Often feel blue.
25. Have excellent ideas. 50. Am full of ideas.

E = 20 + (1) ___ - (6) ___ + (11) ___ - (16) ___ + (21) ___ - (26) ___ + (31) ___ - (36) ___ + (41) ___ - (46) ___ = _____
A = 14 - (2) ___ + (7) ___ - (12) ___ + (17) ___ - (22) ___ + (27) ___ - (32) ___ + (37) ___ + (42) ___ + (47) ___ = _____
C = 14 + (3) ___ - (8) ___ + (13) ___ - (18) ___ + (23) ___ - (28) ___ + (33) ___ - (38) ___ + (43) ___ + (48) ___ = _____
N = 38 - (4) ___ + (9) ___ - (14) ___ + (19) ___ - (24) ___ - (29) ___ - (34) ___ - (39) ___ - (44) ___ - (49) ___ = _____
O = 8 + (5) ___ - (10) ___ + (15) ___ - (20) ___ + (25) ___ - (30) ___ + (35) ___ + (40) ___ + (45) ___ + (50) ___ = _____

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 23

The scores you calculate should be between zero and forty. Below is a description of each trait.

Ø Extroversion (E) is the personality trait of seeking fulfillment from sources outside the self or in community. High
scorers tend to be very social while low scorers prefer to work on their projects alone.

Ø Agreeableness (A) reflects much individuals adjust their behavior to suit others. High scorers are typically polite
and like people. Low scorers tend to 'tell it like it is'.

Ø Conscientiousness (C) is the personality trait of being honest and hardworking. High scorers tend to follow rules
and prefer clean homes. Low scorers may be messy and cheat others

Ø Neuroticism (N) is the personality trait of being emotional.

Ø Openness to Experience (O) is the personality trait of seeking new experience and intellectual pursuits. High scores
may day dream a lot. Low scorers may be very down to earth.

Concept Notes Presentation

George Herbert Mead–a sociologist, is known for his theory of the social self. He postulates that our concept of who
are emerges as we interact with others. He thinks that the self is a distinct identity that sets us apart from others. It’s not a
static phenomenon, but continues to develop and change. This means that the self is constructed and reconstructed in the
process of social experience and activity.

To understand how an individual develops and modifies the sense of self as a result of social interaction, the work of
Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead pioneered the interactionist approach. Cooley believes that we learn who are by
interacting with others. This means that our view of ourselves comes not only from direct contemplation of our personal
qualities but also from our impressions of how others perceive us. As a product of our social interaction, the self is termed by
Cooley as the looking-glass self.

However, Mead and Cooley differ on how they thought this one might happen. For Cooley, everyone people encounter
during their entire lifespan could influence their self-identity in some way or another. While Mead’s idea about it is more
restricted, he thought that only certain people could influence our perception of self and only during certain periods of life, and
he also thought that the way others influence us changes across the lifespan.

Three phases of developing self-identity or self-concept.

1. The imagination of how we present ourselves from others, our parents, friends, and strangers.
2. The imagination of how others evaluate us (intelligent, charismatic, and cheerful.)
3. The development of some sort of feeling about ourselves as a result of these impressions.

The crucial thing in Cooley’s looking glass self is when we develop an imagination of how others view us. As a result,
we can develop self-identities based on incorrect perception of how others see us.

For example, we may be hurt when we hear some neighbors say that nobody will be attracted to us because we’re
dark-skinned. The shame and embarrassment we experience might contribute to making wrong decisions to think and feel
our neighbor sees us as unattractive; hence, unlovable. Worse, this misperception may be converted into a negative self-
identity. Yet self-identifies are also subject to change. If you find a person who gets attracted to you and loves you, you will
probably feel that you are attractive.

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 24

 Stages of the self that are useful for the understanding of how the self emerges, according to Mead.

I. The Preparation Stage (about age two or less)

In this stage, children merely imitate the people around them, especially those they often interact. When she sees
her mother ironing the clothes, the little girl will most likely imitate her mother. When you hear a child say foul words in a
conversation, most often than not, he/she might have heard these words from those in his/her direct environment.

As they grow, children become more skillful at using symbols which include gestures and words that form the basis
of human interaction. With constant interaction with people as well as exposures to media or other sources of information.
They will now start to understand symbols. These symbols will continually be used as their way of communicating with
people.

II. The Play Stage (about age two through six)

When they develop skill in communicating through symbols, children increasingly aware of social relationships. Thus,
during play stage, they start to pretend to be other people. Mead asserts that the most important aspect of the play stage
is role-playing. It is in this stage where role-taking, the process of mentally assuming the perspective of another and
responding from the imagined viewpoint, takes place. Even though this might seem like imitation the kind we saw in
preparatory stage, this activity goes way beyond it because the children are able to respond, they’re not simply capable
of mimicking social interactions they’re capable of creating them.

III. The Game Stage (about age seven and up)

At this stage, children no longer just play roles but start to consider several tasks and relationships simultaneously.
They now grasp not only their own social positions but also those of others around them.

Children’s understanding of social interactions become even more developed so during the play stage children
become able to consider the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of the individuals who are closest to them but during the
game stage they start to understand the attitude beliefs and behaviors of what Mead refer to as the generalized other or
society as a whole with this comes a whole new understanding of society. For example children start to realize that people
not only perform in ways based on what they personally believe but also based on what society more broadly expects of
them. They also start to understand that someone can take multiple roles that people aren’t simply moms or doctors etc.
that they can be multiple things at once.

With this understanding they would know that people must have opinions about them and that those perceptions are
influenced by how they act and what they say. So in response they themselves begin to be influenced by these perceptions
and they start to be concerned about the reactions of others to what they do but they don’t really care about the
perceptions of everyone they come across, they’re mainly focused on the perceptions of the significant others in their life,
people who have important relationships to that individual.

According to Mead the self is made up of two components: The “I” is the part of you that exist in the world. The
response to the “Me” is the subject of action. It’s what you would commonly think of as yourself. The “me” is the aggregated
combined image of yourself that has been given to you from interacting with society. Thus, the “me” is the self as object,
while the “I” is the self as subject.

The “me” is the social self, it is how we believe the generalized other sees us it is what we learn through
interactions with others. The “I” is the response to Social self or the “me”. The “I” thinks about what those things means
so as an example, the “me” might understand that people in the U.S typically go from high school directly to college but
the “I” might wonder if that is the best, if maybe it would be best if some people travel or work for a few years.

These terms are a bit confusing so just think of it this way. “Me” is the society’s view and “I” is the individual identity
stepping in our personal responses to what society thinks and even if we have these two parts and they might seem like
they’re conflicting, Mead would say that who we are, our actual self is the balance of both the “I” and the “Me”
GEC US Understanding the Self Page 25
The Self and Culture

Cooley and Mead proposed that the development of the self is a critical aspect of the early years of one’s life. How
each child develops this sense of self can vary from one society to another (Schaefer, 2010).

People born in a certain locality have distinct practices, belief system, and set of behaviors that may be different from
what other people from another locality have. These practices, belief system, and sets of behaviors which are passed down
from one generation to the next is referred to as culture.

Culture affects the way we think, feel and behave. The consistency of doing things as adherence to what is practiced
in the family and the society in general would certainly help shape a person’s notion of the self.

Explore to know more!

From the Perspective of Sociology - Understanding the Self

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+self+from+the+perspective+of+sociology

Guided Practice
TASK NO. 2:

Directions: Complete the table by filling in what is asked in each part.

1.Compare and contrast

George Herbert Mead's Horton Cooley's
Concept of Self Concept of Self
Similarities

Differences

2. How does each unit of society influence the development of self? (Give concrete examples)
FAMILY SCHOOL COMMUNITY

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 26

Performance

TASK NO.3:
I. Multiple Choice. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. He coined the term looking glass self.
A. Horton Cooley C. Carl Rogers
B. George Mead D. William James

2. He pioneered the theory of the social self.

A. Horton Cooley C. Carl Rogers
B. George Mead D. William James

3. The following are the three phases of developing self-identity or self-concept, except:
A. The imagination of how we present ourselves from others, our parents, and strangers.
B. The imagination of how others evaluate us
C. The development of thoughts and perceptions about ourselves
D. The development of some sort of feelings about ourselves as a result of these impressions

4. According to Mead, the following are the stages of self that are useful for the understanding of how the self
emerges, except:
A. Preparation stage C. Play stage
B. Pre-operational stage D. Game stage

5. It is the social self, it is what we learn through interaction with others.

A. Person C. I
B. Self D. Me

6. All of the following statements are true, EXCEPT…

A. The self is developed through social interaction.
B. The self is the sum of what we think about ourselves and what others think of us.
C. The self is not directly influenced by others.
D. The self is affected by our experiences with others.

7. This is the stage when children start to pretend to be other people.

A. Preparation stage C. Play stage
B. Pre-operational stage D. Game stage

8. For Cooley, everyone people encounter during their entire lifespan could influence their self-identity in some way or
another.
II. For Mead, only certain people could influence our perception of self and only during certain periods of life.
III. Both Cooley and Mead believe that the self is a product of social interaction.
A. Both I and II are true. C. Only III is true.
B. I, II, and III are true. D. Only III is not true.

9. At this stage, children no longer just play roles but start to consider several tasks and relationships simultaneously.
A. Preparation stage C. Play stage
B. Pre-operational stage D. Game stage

10. It is the response to the social self.

A. Person C. I
B. Self D. Me
GEC US Understanding the Self Page 27
II. Essay. How does society and culture influence the development of a person?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Criteria:
Assertion and Content --- 10 points
Organization of Thoughts --- 5 points
Choice of Words --- 5 points
TOTAL --- 20 points

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 28

Assignment

TASK NO.4:
Reflection Diagram

Directions: Complete the reflection diagram below by filling in what is being asked in each part.

How does your family influence

your development as a person?

How do your friends influence

your development as a person?

How does your school influence

your development as a person?

How does your community

influence your development as
a person?

Closing quote:
To know what that true self is without social pressure is to know your true nature.
- Martha Beck -

GEC US Understanding the Self Page 29