Chapter 4:

The Self From The

Perspective Of
Psychology
Questions to ponder:

Why are there What role do

many versions individual
of the self in differences
psychology?
play in the
determination
of the self?

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William James
(1842-1910)

American
Philosopher
and Psychologist

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WILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910)
• Professor of Psychology and Philosophy at
Harvard University

• One of the great pragmatists

• “Theory of the Self”

• Wrote a book entitled “The principles of

Psychology”
 1. All human thoughts are owned by some personal self.
2. All thoughts are constantly changing or are never static.
3. There is a continuity of thoughts as its focus shifts from
one object to another.
4. Thoughts deal with objects that are different from and
independent of consciousness itself.
5. Consciousness can focus on a particular object and not
others.

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 SELF

ME I
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The “ME” Self
╸ A separate object or individual that
the person to when discussing or
describing their personal
experiences.

Examples:
1.The gifts were sent to ME.
2.The person is smiling at ME.

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1. The material self
╸ Consists of the things or objects
that belong to the person or
entities that a person belongs to.

(e.g. The person’s body, his family, clothes, his money)

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2. The social self
╸ Refers to the person is in a
particular social situation

╸ Changes in behavior usually

result from the different social
situations the person finds
himself in.

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3. The spiritual self
╸ Refers to the self that is more
concrete or permanent when
compared to the material and social
selves.

╸ the most subjective and intimate

part of the self.

╸ Always engaging in the process of

introspection (self-observation).

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The “I” self
• Pure Ego =
person’s soul or
mind

• Comprises the
totality of the
person’s identity

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 Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
•Proposed a personality theory known
as the ‘Person-Centered Theory’

•Self-concept – used to refer how a

person thinks about or perceives
himself.

Two types of self-concept:

a. The real-self concept
b. The ideal-self concept

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 Who am I?

The real self-concept - Refers to

all information and perception the
person has about himself.

The ideal self-concept - Refers to

what the person aims for himself to
be
Who do I
want to be?

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The real self-
concept CONGRUENCE The ideal self-concept

Happy and satisfied

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 MULTIPLE VERSUS UNIFIED SELF

The construction of multiple selves varies

across different roles and relationships.

Coping with different selves constitutes a

formidable task among adolescents.

These challenges contribute heavily to the

young person’s struggle for a unified self.

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TRUE VERSUS FALSE SELF

• Donald Woods Winnicott suggests that the self is

composed of the true self and the false self.

• The function of the false self is to hide and protect the

true self.

• People tend to display a false self to impress others.

• The self can change depending on situations.

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The self as proactive and agentic
Albert Bandura (1925 – present)

The Social Cognitive Theory

- - learning through observation

- - suggested that human beings are

proactive, self regulating, self-reflective,
and self-organizing

- - The human agency is the essence of

being human
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FEATURES
OF HUMAN
AGENCY

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1. Intentionality
Actions performed by the person with full
awareness of his behavior.
Example: Kenneth went online to apply for a
passport because he wants to travel outside his
country.

2. Forethought
Person’s anticipation of likely outcomes of his behavior.
Example: Kenneth chose an interview date for
his passport application where most likely he will
be on-leave.

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3. Self-reactiveness
Process in which the person is motivated and regulates his
behavior as he observes his progress in achieving his goals.
Example: Kenneth saves a larger portion of his salary in
the bank so he can have enough cash to travel to
Japan.

4. Self-reflectiveness
The person looking inward and evaluating his
motivations, values, life goals, and other people’s effect
on him.
Example: Kenneth believes that he has to
enjoy and experience life a little while still able
and capable.

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THE SELF AS THE CENTRAL
ARCHETYPE
Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)

Central to Carl Jung’s theory of the self is the concept of

archetype.

The archetype represents the hidden potentialities of the

psyche, or total personality.

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For Jung, there are four major archetypes:
persona, shadow, animus/anima, and self.

The persona refers to social roles that

individuals present to others.

The shadow refers to the repressed

thoughts that are unacceptable. This
archetype is often considered as the dark
side of the psyche.

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The anima is the feminine side of the
male psyche while the animus is the
masculine side of the female psyche.

The self is the central archetype that

unites all parts of the psyche. The ego is
the individual’s conscious perception of
the self.

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SIGMUND FREUD’S CONSTRUCTION OF
SELF AND PERSONALITY

According to Sigmund Freud, there are three

structures of personality: id, ego, and superego.

The id is the pleasure-seeking side, immature,

impulsive, child-like and cannot delay gratification.

It has no regard of others and the law.

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The ego refers to the “I” and works on the reality principle,
controls the id, and can delay pleasure.

The ego can conform with existing societal consideration.

The superego refers to the “conscience” and “moral judge”

of conduct. • Violation of rules lead to guilt feelings.

It strives for perfection rather than pleasure.

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Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

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THE ROLE OF ERIK ERIKSON’S THEORY
IN UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

In Erik Erikson’s theory, adolescence stage is a

period of identity development.

Identity formation is usually viewed as a process that

requires adolescents to distance themselves from the
strong expectations and definitions imposed by
parents and other family members.

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Erikson’s theory proposes that individuals go
through eight psychosocial stages of development.

Each stage consists of developmental tasks that

one needs to accomplish in order to develop
successfully.

During each stage, the person experiences life crisis

which could have negative consequences if not
properly resolved.

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