Learning Module 1

Understanding the Self

 
Learning Packet 4

Psychological Perspective
Learning Packet 4

Psychological Perspective
 
Introduction

This learning packet will discuss how Psychology theorizes the formation of the self.
It will give you a short history of how personality became a subject of study in
psychology. Notable psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Erik Erickson will be
discussed in this learning packet. You will delve into their theories of personality.
Other more contemporary psychologists like Alfred Alder, Carl Jung, and Karen
Horney will be discussed too. Lastly, you will be tested about your knowledge of the
course at the end of the learning packet. 
 
Objectives

At the end of the learning packet, you are expected to identify the psychological
perspective in understanding the self, demonstrate critical thinking skills in analyzing
the formation of the self-regarding this discipline and to adopt the concepts the self-
regarding psychology.
 
Learning Management System
(Provide the link for the class as used in Google Classroom. Likewise, share links of
other learning materials stored using the Google Drive. In the event that a
commercial LMS will be made available by the University, links shall be
refreshed/updated and also be shared.)
 
Duration
 
 Topic 04: Psychological Perspective = 3 hours (1.5 hours self-directed learning
with practical exercises and 1.5 hours
assessment)

Delivery Mode

This learning module will be delivered through online, both asynchronous and
synchronous.
 
Assessment with Rubrics

A short essay will serve as your assessment at the end of this learning packet. You can
access the rubrics for the assessment below.
 
Requirement with Rubrics

A short essay will serve as your assessment at the end of this learning packet. You can
access the rubrics for the assessment below.
 
 NGEC 0213: Understanding the Self

Readings

Reading No. 4: Psychology (OpenStax College, Psychology. OpenStax College. 8

December 2014. <http://cnx.org/content/col11629/latest/>.)

The required reading talks about how personality builds the self. It discusses
the different theories of personality, of the most famous psychologists and the modern
ones. The reading will help you to understand the perspective of each psychologist. It
will give you an in-depth understanding of their theories. It will also help you to
compare and contrast the different stand each psychologist has.

Introduction Key Points:

This learning packet will discuss how Psychology -William James
-Carl Rogers
theorizes the formation of the self. It will give you a short -Sigmund Freud
history of how personality became a subject of study in - Erik Erikson
psychology. Notable psychologists like Sigmund Freud and -Alfred Adler
Erik Erickson will be discussed in this learning packet. We
will delve into their theories of personality. Other more Definition of Terms:
contemporary psychologists like Alfred Alder, Carl Jung, “Me”- a person refers
and Karen Horney will be discussed too. Lastly, you will to when talking
be tested about your knowledge of the subject at the end of about their personal
the course packet.  experiences.
"I"- capable of
Pre-Assessment thinking and
reflecting
Describe yourself using this statement this question, “If Humanism- active
you are who you are, then who are you that makes you
role of the individual
who you are? “
in shaping their
Lesson Proper internal and their
external worlds.
● Review.
Self-concept- how
How is yourself influence by culture? someone thinks
Can you say that your behavior is a reflection of your about, evaluates or

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 NGEC 0213: Understanding the Self

culture? Why? perceives

themselves
● Activity
Global self-worth -
Write five characteristics of yourself. Ask your sister or overall appraisal of
brother list five description of you. one’s worth or value
as a person
● Processing of the Activity.
Self-reactiveness -
Compare the list you have with that of your brother or involves making
sister. What did you find out about yourself? choices.
Self-reflectiveness-
● Brief Lesson. ability to reflect on
our decisions,
Psychology choices and
According to the American Psychological Association, consequences
psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior.
It is multidisciplinary. In this course packet we will capture
various concepts and theories about the self from
psychological perspectives.

Definition of Self
People often say that I am who I am, but “If you are who
you are, then who are you that makes you who you are? “.
What makes you, you? According to Jhangiani and Tarry
(2014), "Self is the sense of personal identity and of who
we are as individuals.”

Theories of the Self

William James’ Concept of the Self
James theorized the components of the self, which he
divided into two categories: “Me” and “I.” The “Me” is a
separate individual a person refers to when talking about
their personal experiences. On the other hand, the “I” is the
part of the self that knows who they are and what they have
accomplished in life (Pomerleau, 2014).

For example, in the statement "I know it was me who ate

the cookie,” the "Me" is the empirical self, the one who
does the acting, whereas the "I" is the self that is capable of
thinking and reflecting (Cooper, 1992). The “I-Self” refers
to the self that knows who he or she is.

The “I” is the pure ego – it reflects the soul of a person and
it is what provides continuity between past, present, and
future, allowing us to view ourselves to have a consistent,
individual identity, one brought about by the stream of
consciousness that James first defined (Hunt, 1920).
Although the “I” self cannot be further divided, the “Me”

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 NGEC 0213: Understanding the Self

can be further broken down into three sub-categories: a

material, social, and spiritual self.
• The material self consists of what belongs to a
person, such as the body, family, clothes, or money.
• The social self-marks who you are in a specific
social situation. We tend to change our actions,
thoughts, emotions, words, and mannerisms based
on the current social situation or the people with
whom we are interacting.
 For example, we act differently when at work as
opposed to when out with friends, as do we when
talking to our boss as opposed to a coworker.
• Finally, our spiritual self is who we are at our core,
including our personality, values, and conscience.
Our spiritual self typically remains relatively stable
throughout our lifetime (Green, 1997).

Together, these aspects form the self – the conscious entity

capable of experiencing physiological responses, emotions,
and thoughts. William James’ contributions to the field of
psychology run unparalleled to most other players in this
field.

His theories, written works, and foundational school of

thought paved the way for decades of research and
intellectual pursuits to come.

“A man’s Self is the sum total of all that he can call his, not
only his body and psychic powers, but his clothes and his
house.” – William James
 
Carl Rogers and Humanistic Psychology
Humanism emphasized the active role of the individual in
shaping their internal and their external worlds.

Roger believed that the person is an active being who lives

in the present. According to Roger, what’s important is that
the individual lives in the present and not in their past or in
their future. This is opposed to psychologists who gives
importance and emphasis to the past like Sigmund Freud.
For example, For Freud, you behave aggressively because
of what happened in a specific scenario in your childhood,
but Rogers would say that you behave in such a manner
because you have that free will and that you decided to act
upon a situation based on your choices in the present.

Carl Rogers (1959) believed that humans have one basic

motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize - i.e., to fulfill
one's potential and achieve the highest level of 'human-

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beingness' we can.

Like a flower that will grow to its full potential if the

conditions are right, but which is constrained by its
environment, so people will flourish and reach their
potential if their environment is good enough.

However, unlike a flower, the potential of the individual

human is unique, and we are meant to develop in different
ways according to our personality. Rogers believed that
people are inherently good and creative.

They become destructive only when a poor self-concept or

external constraints override the valuing process. Carl
Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-
actualization they must be in a state of congruence.

This means that self-actualization occurs when a person’s

“ideal self” (i.e., who they would like to be) is congruent
with their actual behavior (self-image).

Rogers describes an individual who is actualizing as a fully

functioning person. The main determinant of whether we
will become self-actualized is childhood experience.

Self-Concept
The self-concept is a general term used to refer to how
someone thinks about, evaluates, or perceives themselves.
To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself.
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)

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. Rogers believed that for a
person to achieve self-actualization they must be in a state
of congruence.

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I

am, then I can change” – Carl R. Rogers

Theories of Personality

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Personality is the long-standing traits and patterns that

move people to consistently think, feel, and behave is a
certain way. Personalities are said to be long term, stable,
and not easily changed. The study of personality can be
traced as far as 370 BCE. Hippocrates believed that
personality traits and human behaviors are based on four
temperaments: choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and
phlegmatic. After some centuries, a Greek physician and
philosopher named Galen suggested that those
temperaments are associated with specific traits and
behaviors. For example, a melancholic person is reserved,
anxious, and unhappy while a choleric person is
passionate, ambitious, and bold. Galen’s theory was
widespread for 1,000 years up to the Middle Ages.

The first comprehensive theory of personality is from

Sigmund Freud. Freud (1856-1939), Austrian physician
and psychologist, founded the psychodynamic approach to
understanding personality. Freud believed that all
behaviors are predetermined by motivations, either
consciously or unconsciously. Freud argued that most of
the time we do not understand why we do what we do. For
him, our mind is like an iceberg where the unconscious
part is the larger part.

According to Freud, the mind is divided into three

components; id, ego, and superego. When these
components interact, our personalities are created. The id
forms the basis of our most primitive impulses and it is
entirely unconscious. It is driven by the pleasure principle.
Superego, on the other hand, represents our sense of
morality and thoughts. Superego tells us what we should
not do or the duties and obligations of society. The
superego is driven by perfection. The ego is based on the
reality principle. The ego is the decision-maker of
personality. The ego balances the id and superego.

Freud’s explanation of personality development was the

most controversial and least scientifically valid part of his
theory. This is called Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual
Development. It argues that personality is developed
through a series of psychosexual stages wherein each stage
focuses on pleasure from a different part of the body.

The first stage is called the oral stage. It begins from birth
and lasts until 18 months of age. In this stage, the infant
gets sexual pleasure by sucking and drinking. When infants
receive either too little or too much gratification, they
become fixated in the oral stage. If a child receives too
little oral gratification, the child will become orally
dependent as an adult and be likely to manipulate others. A
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Activity Sheet

Activity 01. “You” through other’s eyes

For the First Part, list ten (10) qualities or things that you think defines who you are.

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

9. 10.

For the second part, ask your friends or family to describe you. Please tell them not to
use any bad words. Who do you think I am based on what you see me do or hear me
say?

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

9. 10.

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Assessment

Discuss the following answer to the questions below. Please refer to the rubrics before
answering the questions.

1. What theory of personality do you think explains the development of our

personalities the best? Why?

2. Do our personalities represent our whole self?

Rubrics:

Category 5 4-3 2-1

The arguments The arguments

The arguments
and thoughts of and thoughts of
and thoughts of
the student are the student are
the students are
Organization very well somewhat
not organized
and Structure organized and organized and
and the question
the question was the question was
was not
completely mostly
answered.
answered. answered.

The student
The student The student
moves from one
Sentence moves smoothly lacks clear
idea to the next
Fluency form one idea to connections
but there is little
the next. between ideas.
variety.

The student
The student The student
makes more
Grammar and makes no errors makes 1-2 errors
than 3 errors in
Spelling in grammar or in grammar or
grammar and
spelling. spelling.
spelling.

Based from: https://sites.google.com/a/dmps.k12.ia.us/part-time-indian-final-project/

evaluation/essay-rubric

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 NGEC 0213: Understanding the Self

References

McLeod, S. A. (n.d.). Self Concept. Retrieved from Simply Psychology:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-concept.html

Ruhl, C. (2020, August 7). Simply Psychology. Retrieved from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/william-james.html

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2005). Theories of Personality. USA: Wadsworth.

OpenStax College. (2014, December 8.) OpenStax College. Retrieved from

http://cnx.org/content/col11629/latest>.

Self
http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/self/

Irina Burchard Erdvik, Tommy Haugen, Andreas Ivarsson & Reidar Säfvenbom
(2020) Global Self-Worth among Adolescents: The Role of Basic Psychological Need
Satisfaction in Physical Education, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research,
64:5, 768-781, DOI: 10.1080/00313831.2019.1600578
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00313831.2019.1600578

Differentiation of Self
https://www.thebowencenter.org/differentiation-of-self

Albert Bandura- The self as Proactive and Agentic

https://michellerngrace.wordpress.com/2018/10/31/albert-bandura-the-self-as-
proactive-and-agentic/

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Learner’s Feedback Form

 
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