LESSON 4: THE SELF FROM THE

PERSPECTIVE OF PSYCHOLOGY

De la Pena, Christian
Gatchalian, Jay Dean
Relator, Prince
ELET-1201
PSYCHOLOGY
 Is the field of social sciences that deals with
the description, explanation, prediction
and control of behavior. (Ciccarelli and
Meyer. 2006)
 Believes that the world of materials things
including people exists independently of
the perceiving human mind
The mind and body problem of
philosophy is one of the issue in the
field of knowledge
Another, specifically for psychology
Nature-Nurture Controversy
Concept of the Self is connected to the
study of human behavior
William James (1842-1910)
 American Philosopher and Psychologist
 Professor of psychology and philosophy in
Harvard University
 One Of The Great Pragmatists
 Also known for his Theory of the Self
 Published several books, one is which is The
Principles of Psychology in 1890
THE ME AND I
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
one independent of consciousness self
5. Consciousness can focus on particular objects and
not others.
 James believed that the self is made up of two parts:
1. The ME self – separate object or individual
2. The I self – knows and recognize who they are and what they
have done
 James called the ME self as the empirical me and the I self the
Pure Ego or the thinking self

 THE ME SELF IS DIVIDED INTO THREE COMPONENTS

1. MATERIAL SELF
2. SOCIAL SELF
3. SPIRITUAL SELF
MATERIAL SELF
- Consist of things or objects that belong to the person or entitles
that a person belongs to.
- (persons body, his family, clothes, books, and even his money)
SOCIAL SELF
- Refers to who the person is in a particular social situation.
- (the person changes how he present himself when he is at home,
in school or with his friends.)
SPIRITUAL SELF
- Refers to the self that is more concrete or permanent when
compared to the material and social selves.
- (personality, values, and morals)
 THE I SELF is what William James called
the Pure Ego
 The Pure Ego is similar to the persons soul
or mind
 Comprises the totality of the persons
identity.
GLOBAL AND DIFFERENTIATED SELF
MODELS
 Global self represents the overall value that a
person places upon himself
 This affects how he views and feels about
himself
 Global self is the product of all experiences that
had in the society
Murray Bowen (1913-1990)
 American Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry
 Developed the Family Therapy and Systematic Therapy
 In his observation of the family he came up with the differentiated
self
 There are two forces affecting the person togetherness and the
individuality
 There should be a balance between this because too much
togetherness causes friction and conflict and too much
individuality causes distant and strange feelings towards family and
people
Differentiated self
 Has the ability to separate feelings and thoughts
 He realize that to self attainment can be attain if he have the will to
separate himself from the group
 Enables the person to develop and sustain his unique identity,
makes his own choices and accept responsibility for his behavior
and be emotionally connected to his family and friends
REAL AND IDEAL SELF CONCEPTS
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
 American Psychologist
 Proposed the theory known as Person CenteredTheory
 Self concept – used to refer how a person thinks about or
perceives himself.
 Two types of self concepts
1. Real self concept
2. Ideal self concept
Real self
 refers to all information and perception the personhas about
himself. Answers the question “Who Am I”.
 Model version of the person has of himself
 This is what the person aims for himself to be.
 “Who do I want to be”
Rogers stated that there should be congruence between the self in
order for the person to be happy and satisfied in his life
Self Discrepancy Theory of Higgins (1987)
- Stated that people use internalized standards to which they
compare themselves. These are called self guides that provides
direction for how the person present himself
Self discrepancy cause emotional discomfort to the individual and
can be manifested as guilt or worst as indifference.
MULTIPLE AND UNIFIED SELVES
 The Multiple Selves Theory – suggests that there exists in the
individual different aspects of the self.
 A unified being is essentially connected to consciousness,
awareness, and agency. To be a well adjusted person success and
failure should be accepted and understood, who is able to deal
with and accept complexities and the perceived unfairness that
exist in life. They manifest content with the present state of
affairs and continue to adjust, adapt, evolve and survive as an
individual with an integrated, unified multiple selves,
TRUE AND FALSE SELVES
D.W. Winnicott (1896-1971)
 English pediatrician and psychoanalyst who studied child
development,
 He looked ate significance of play in child development
 Through play he observed the false and true selves
TRUE SELF – is one in which the self is seen as creative ,
spontaneously experiencing each day of their lives appreciating
being alive, real, integrated and connected to the whole of
existence. Recognizes his strengths and accepts limitations, never
afraid to try all over again.
FALSE SELF
 may be manifested as a form of defence.
 Mask that hides the true person for the fear of the pain of rejection
and failure
 Enables the person to form superficial but productive social
relationships.
According to Winnicott, true and false selves are present in all
individuals. Two exists in a health individual they should be
functional for the advantage of both
A person that struggles to fit in but being force is maladjusted and
unhealthy
THE SELF AS PROACTIVE AND AGENTIC
Albert Bandura (1925-present)
 The Social Cognitive Theory – the person is seen as proactive and
agentic which means that he has the capacity to exercise control
over his life.
 The human agency is the essence of human being
 Triadic Reciprocal Paradigm – he explains how human beings are
affected by the interaction among the environmental events,
behavior, and personal factors.
 In his theory, the basic principle involved in human learning is
learning through observation
 Human nature as described by Bandura is plastic and flexible
The Social Cognitive Theory suggest that human beings are proactive, self
regulating, self reflective and self organizing/

FEATURES HUMAN AGENCY

Four Features of Human Agency
1. Intentionally – intentionally or with full awareness of his behavior
2. Forethought – persons anticipations of likely outcomes of his behavior
3. Self Reactiveness – motivated and regulates his behavior as he
observes his progress in achieving his goals
4. Self reflectiveness – person looking inward and evaluating his
motivations, values, life goals, and other people effect on him.
Important aspects of self reflectivess is self efficacy which the person
beliefs that he is capable of behavior that will have a positive result
SELF REGULATION
 The person engages in self regulated behavior when he reactively
attempts to minimize the discrepancies between what he has
already accomplished and what he still wants
 Allows the person to set goals that are better and higher than the
former, challenging his capabilities and making him a wiser and
self actualized individual.