The Psychological Self

Dr. Au Q. Pestaño
 At the end of the lesson, you are expected to

1. describe the sense of self in psychology;

2. differentiate the basic aspect of ME-self and I-self;
3. understand the difference between REAL self and
IDEAL self;
4. contrast TRUE self from FALSE self; and
5. demonstrate critical and reflective thought in
analyzing the development of one’s psychological
self and identity by developing a Theory of the Self.
 The cornerstone of human behavior is the SELF.
In psychology this 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
• a person’s mental picture
of self as an object that can be observed; the “Me”

• the self as an agent that observes,

which is referred to as the perceiver; the “I”.
George Herbert Mead

• 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
 Language
• develops the self by allowing individuals to communicate with the
linguistic act via significant symbols such as gestures, words, symbols, and
sounds (Mind, Self and Society 160-161).
• It expresses others’ attitudes and persuasions toward an individual.
• Happiness, mental disarray, and anger are emotions conveyed through
language.
 Play
• develops the self by allowing the individual to perform different roles,
pretend, and express expectation.
• It allows the individual to internalize other’s view and create an
understanding of how others feel about them
(The Philosophy of the Present 169)
 Games
• develop the self by one’s knowledge that an individual must comprehend
the rules of the game to gain success in the activity
(Mind, Self and Society 151)
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’
 ‘Me’ Self ‘I’ Self
- The object that is known The subjective knower
- The social self - Response to the me
- How we believe generalized other sees us - Thinks about what those things mean
- Learn through interactions with others - The doer, experiencer
- The narrative self - The individual’s identity
- The society’s view - The self that knows who they are and what
- Describing their personal experiences they have done in their life
- Empirical “me” - Pure ego
- The thinking self
 Carl Rogers
• Humanistic Psychologist
• Self Theory.
• Self is the humanistic term for who we really are as a
person.
– made of many perceptions and personality
characteristics consistent with one another
– aware of one’s self is to have a concept of oneself,
known as SELF-CONCEPT
The answer to “WHO AM I?” is the
Self Concept.
It expresses all our thoughts
and
feelings about ourselves.
Different components of SELF-CONCEPT:

• Self-image (how you see yourself)

– it does not necessarily indicate reality.
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.
– if we view ourselves negatively, this inclines the
opposite, which are lack of self-confidence,
pessimism, insecurity, worrying about what others
might think.
 Kinds of Selves:
REAL self vs IDEAL self
• Real self –
– actual experiences about what and who we really are,
how we think, and how we feel and act;
– makes us most comfortable by simply being us.
• Ideal self
– who we want to be and what we want to become.
– our goals and ambitions in life and is dynamic
• If ideal-self characteristics are close to real-self characteristics,
then it is consistent or congruent=> higher sense of self-worth
& more likely have a healthier self-esteem
real self =ideal self are aligned or congruent = good selfworth &
mental well-being.
Real Self: I am honest
Lying=misalignment/incongruence between real self&ideal self
=>mental distress 2’ negative feeling.
• roots of incongruence are in childhood
– must live up with parents’
expectations=>misrepresent memories=>give
feelings worthiness of parent’s love
• unconditional love helps foster congruence and
children will feel that they are love and accepted as
they are.
 Dr. Donald W. Winnicott
• English psychoanalyst
• introduced TRUE SELF and FALSE SELF
 TRUE self vs FALSE self
TRUE self
• authentic self:
• 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 feels this,
I, myself,
• wants this,” which makes the experience uniquely yours, &
therefore, TRUE.
• strongly guarded by the false self & at first might be difficult
to reach.
FALSE self
• also referred to as a social mask or adapted self:
• it is a part of self with modified behavior, inhibited
feelings, and drives your needs aside to fit in with
others.
• includes the values, feelings and thoughts not your
own but conforms to societal & family standards.
Thanks…

Dr. Au Q. Pestaño