• Psychology is the scientific

study of how people behave,

think and feel.
• Online dictionaries define
the term cognitive as “of,
relating to, being, or
involving conscious
intellectual activity such as
thinking, reasoning, or
remembering”
• JEAN PIAGET was best known for
his pioneering work in child
development.

• He also pioneered the “Theory of

Cognitive Development”, a
comprehensive theory about the
development of human intelligence
 3 Basic Components to Piaget’s Cognitive
Theory
1. Schemas/schemes – are mental organizations that individuals use to
understand his or her environment and designate action.

2. Adaptation - involves the child's learning processes to meet situational

demands.

3. Stages of Cognitive Development - reflects the increasing sophistication of

the child's thought process.
PROCESSES USED BY AN
INDIVIDUAL IN ITS
ATTEMPT TO ADAPT
• Assimilation is the application of
previous concepts to new concepts.
• Accommodation happens when
people encounter completely new
information or when existing ideas
are challenged.
• Dr. Susan Harter (1999)
detailed the emergence of
self-concept and asserted
that the broad developmental
changes observed across
early childhood, later
childhood, and adolescence
could be interpreted within a
Piagetian framework.
 The development of self-concept according to Harter is as
follows:

• Early childhood - the child described the “self” in terms

Harter’s Self- of concrete, observable characteristics such as physical
attributes, material possessions and preferences.
Development
Concept • Middle to later childhood - the self was described in
terms of trait like constructs that would require the
type of hierarchical organizational skills characteristic
of logical thought development.
• Adolescence – according
to Harter, this is the
emergence of a more
abstract self-definitions
such as inner thoughts,
emotions, attitudes and
motives.

• Emerging adults – the

marked characteristic of
“self” for emerging adults
is having a vision of a
“possible self”. It is the
“age of possibilities”.
William James and The Me-Self; I-Self
• I-self is the pure ego. It is
the subjective self. It is the
“self” that is aware of its
own actions.

• me-self is the self that is

the object. It is the “self”
that you can describe such
has your physical
characteristics,
personalities, social role, or
relationships, thoughts,
feelings
The dimensions of the me-self
include:

• Material – physical appearance and

extensions of it such as clothing,
immediate family, and home
 
• Social – social skills and significant
interpersonal relationships
 
• Spiritual - personality, character,
defining values
• Carl Ransom Rogers
was an American
psychologist and
among the founders
of the humanistic
approach to
psychology
 Ideal Self vs. Real Self
The ideal self could include:
• Notions influenced by your
parents
• What you admire in others
• What the society sees as
acceptable
• What you think is in your
best interest

The real self is the person

you actually are. It is how
you behave right at the
moment of a situation. It is
who you are in reality, how
you think, feel, or act at
present
 The Importance of
Alignment

• When there is a great inconsistency

between your ideal and real selves
or if the way you are is not aligned
with what you want to be, then you
experience a state Rogers called
incongruence.

• He added that incongruence could

lead to maladjustment.
True vs False Selves
False self is the product of early experience.
It is a defensive organization formed by
the infant because of inadequate
mothering or failures in empathy.

Healthy false self - when the person has

false self but can still function both as an
individual and in the society.

Unhealthy false self - an individual who

may seem happy and comfortable in his
or her environment but actually feels
forced to fit in and constantly needs to
adjust his or her behavior to adapt to the
social situation is said to have an
unhealthy false self.
• True self
flourishes in
infancy if the
mother is
positively
responsive to
the child’s
spontaneous
expressions
EASTERN AND • Richard Shweder, wrote “cultural
traditions and social practices regulate,
WESTERN express, and transform the human
CONCEPT OF psyche, resulting less in psychic unity for
humankind than in ethnic divergences in
THE SELF mind, self, and emotion (1991).”
 Western Concept of Self
• In Medieval times, philosopher and saint,
Thomas Aquinas believed that the body
constitutes individuality
• The individual was the focus of Renaissance
thought, with Rene Descartes famous “I
think, therefore I am” as the epitome of
Western idea of self.
• The western tradition is generally
acknowledged to be “imbued with a style of
thinking based on dichotomy and binary
opposition”
Psychiatrist and professor,
Frank Johnson (1985) outlined
four categories on how the term
“self” is used in contemporary
Western discussion.
 
• Analytical
• Monotheistic
• Individualistic
• Materialistic/rationalistic
• analytic, Johnson meant the “tendency to
see reality as an aggregate of parts.” The
“self” is an observer separate and distinct
from external objects (Me versus Other).

• Monotheism according to Johnson involved

the tendency toward unitary explanations
of phenomena and a closed-system view
of “self” as modeled after a unitary,
omnipotent power (“Man was created by
God, in His image)

• Individualism on the other hand, is a quality

of Western thinking where self-expression
and self-actualization are important ways
of establishing who one is as well as in
finding satisfaction in the world.
• materialistic/
rationalistic
Western thinking
tends to discredit
explanations that
do not use
analytic-
deductive modes
of thinking
 HINDUISM
• The earliest religious writings in the
East are the Vedas . It formed the
Hindu philosophy and dharma (the
principle of cosmic order). The chants
and hymns in the Vedas illustrate the
Eastern mindset of a non-dual
universe but rather a creation that
is completely unified with the
creator, with no distinction
• true nature of humans is
described as “Brahman”
which is the divine
universal consciousness
encompassing the
universe. The Brahman is
the Self that is all within
us

• Hinduism - “change your

perception of the world
to perceive the Brahman
in oneself and in others
• Buddhism is composed of the
teachings of Buddha. In Buddhist
traditions, the “self” is not an entity,
a substance, or essence. Rather, the
“self” is a dynamic process. It is
interdependent and ever changing.

• Anatta, which is often defined as "no-

self or no-soul". Annata is a concept
that the sense of being a permanent,
autonomous “self” is an illusion. It is
the teaching that there is no eternal,
unchanging "self/soul" inhabiting
our bodies or living our lives. 
• Buddhism takes a great interest in
how people experience their “self”,
rather than just their abstract idea of
it, because Buddhist practices are
designed to lead to a new (correct)
experience of self
• In Confucianism, the quest for the
“self” in terms of substance, of spirit,
of body, or of essence does not exist .
• The form which Confucius’ wrote
about the concept of “self” is that of
personality. The qualities that form a
person’s character not something
that exists inherently. Rather, in
Confucian thought it is something
that is formed through upbringing
and the environment
• Confucian philosophy presented the idea that
every person is born with four beginnings.
However, these do not yet comprise the
concept of “self”, but when perceived together
it could be explained in Western terms as a
“pre-self” or a “potential self”. These four
beginnings are:

• • Heart of compassion that leads to Jen

• • Heart of righteousness that leads to Yi
• • Heart of propriety that leads to Li
• • Heart of wisdom that leads to Chih
• Jen means goodwill, sympathy
towards others, politeness, and
generosity.
• Yi means rightness and the respect
of duty (you must respect your
position as a guardian towards
nature and humanity).
• Li means having the right to practice
propriety in all that you do. Propriety
involves not demonstrating your
inner attitude in your outer
expression.
• Chih means wisdom, this wisdom is
expressed by putting jen, yi, and li
into practice (Quinlan, 2001;
Chinavoc, 2007).
• Personality (in the Confucian
perception) is an achieved
state of moral excellence
rather than a given human
condition. However, such
achieved personality, or
self, is not to be understood
as primarily an individual
entity. The Confucian
concept of self is deeply
embedded within the family
and society, and it is only in
that context that the self
comes to be what it is
• Taoism does not regard the “self” as
an extension of (or defined by) social
relationships. Rather, the “self” is
but one of the countless
manifestations of the Tao.
• According to Chuang-tzu,"The
perfect man has no self; the
spiritual man has no achievement;
the true sage has no name". The
ideal is thus
selflessness.In sum, Chuang-tzu's
conception of selfhood entails
conscious self-transformation
leading to the attributes of a
balanced life in harmony with both
nature and society.
• The Arabic word for the word
“self” is Nafs written in the
Holy Qur'an. It pertains to the
psyche (the totality of
the conscious and unconsciou
s human mind) or the soul.

• Instead the “nafs/self” is

something which has to be
nurtured and self-regulated,
so that it can progress into
becoming 'good' (or
conversely, 'evil') through its
thoughts and actions
Individualistic vs Collective Self
Individualistic self

• Individualists encourage
asserting one's goals and desires;
they highly value independence
and self-reliance. They insist
that the interests of the
individual should take
precedence over the state or a
social group. They also strongly
oppose external interference by
society or institutions (such as
the government) upon one's own
interests
Collective self

• Eastern culture practiced by

countries in Asia (i.e. the Philippines)
base their values and self-concept in
a collectivist view. People in
collectivistic culture emphasize the
interdependence and harmonious
relatedness with one another (e.g.
the family, co-workers, friends,
etc.). It is of utmost importance to
be part of and maintain social
networks, maintain good
relationships, and fulfill obligations
Closing the gap

• Baumeister (1986) proposed that self-

concept could be organized in three
aspects:
 
• Private – refers to the mental processes
that perceive one’s own traits or
behaviors (e.g. I am honest)
• Public – refers to the generalized view of
self, such as the perception of how others
view you (e.g. People think I’m honest)
• Collective – refers to the view of self in a
collective concept (e.g. My family expects
me to be honest)
 
• It is assumed that these three aspects exist
in every person. However, a dominant
aspect would probably present itself
depending on one’s culture