Psychological Perspective of The Self

TOPIC 4: PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Dr. Jona Addatu, RGC
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves” – Carl
Jung
In the previous topics, you have uncovered the different conceptualizations about the “self” from
the viewpoints of philosophers, anthropologists and sociologists.
Indubitably, the self has been one of the prominent subjects of
investigations across time and discipline, including psychology.
As a science, psychology is particularly concerned with how the
self evolves as it interacts with various forces. It acknowledges
the self being stable and enduring through time but is also
susceptible to change depending on our encounters. It offered
ways of thinking about and viewing the self and these you will be
examining on the succeeding discourse for 4 hours.
https.medium.com/@evans.fishman LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. examine the self as a construct from a psychological stance;

2. compare and contrast the various psychological theories in terms of how they construed
the self;
3. gain understanding of the different facets of the self as expounded by psychological
perspectives;
4. create a personal conceptualization about what the self is, using the propositions of
psychology.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THE SELF
As you responded on the activity, you were able to contemplate on all the possible characteristics
and attributes you have, taking into account your different selves. You had the chance too to have
a grasp and figure out how you are perceived by others. More importantly, you were able to
validate your own self-concept with that of your identity based on how others view you. Then
perhaps you can say, “this is the real me” or you may claim, “I am who I am”. If so, what is it
that makes you “you”?
The ontology of the self has been one of the most immensely researched foci of psychology.
Established as a scientific discipline in 1879, psychology in its attempt to broaden theoretical
explanations on the self has been so fascinated in looking unto indispensable phenomena like
social interactions and individual difference variables which include personality, behavior and
mental processes. Postmodern psychologists also expounded on the multiplicity of the self by
exploring its subselves. These will all be tackled as we discuss each of the psychological
perspectives about the self.
1. William James’s Me-Self and I-Self
American philosopher and psychologist,

William James (1842-1910), extensively
explained the self and its aspects on his
1890 publication The Principles of
Psychology. According to James, a man's
self is the “sum total of all that he can call
his, not only his body and his psychic
powers, but his clothes and his house, his
wife and children, his ancestors and
friends, his reputation and works, his lands “Whenever two people meet, there are
and horses, and yacht and bank-account.” really six people present. There is each
man as he sees himself, each man as the
This suggests that the self is comprise of other person sees him, and each man as
everything the person has. he really is.” - William James
It embraces all his physical and corporeal possessions and extends even to the non-physical or
intangible aspects. As such, our sense of self pertains to all entities which we consider ours and
which we value as they are deemed extensions of us.
James proposed that the self has two facets: the I-Self and the Me-Self. The I-Self is said to be
the self in action or as subject; it is that aspect of the self that does the acting, thinking, and
feeling. It is also known as the self as the knower or perceiver. The Me-Self on the other hand
refers to the self as an object; it is that facet of the self which is the known or the perceived. Also
termed by James as the Empirical Self, the me is one’s accumulated understanding of one’s self.
Further, James suggests that the Me-Self or the Empirical Self has three components: the
Material Self which encompasses all of our important possessions as well as the people we
treasure; the. Social Self involved how we think we are viewed and
regarded by others and also our instinctive desire to be recognized; and the Spiritual Self
contains our subjective dispositions like our self-appraised abilities, beliefs, attitudes, emotions,
etc. For William James, these facets of the Me-Self help people define us; and aid us too in
defining and understanding ourselves. These may further bring about positive or negative self-
feelings that will motivate and direct our efforts to maintain, change, or improve ourselves.
2. Carl Rogers’s Real Self and Ideal Self
Known for being one of the pillars of

humanistic theory, American psychologist
Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987), posited about self-
concept. Self-concept simply speaks of how
we think and view of ourselves. It includes the
entire schema and the knowledge that we have
or that we are aware of about ourselves.
As we come to interact with others, we may

come across feedbacks or may be subjected to
“The curious paradox is that when I
accept myself just as I am, then I can
change.” -Carl Rogers
experiences which will challenge our self-concept. Once established however, we may have
difficulties changing our self-concept and thus, we are likely to deny or distort them whenever
there are incongruences. Rogers posited two essential components of the self: the real self and
the ideal self. According to him, the real self speaks of how we genuinely appraise ourselves. It
is the self that feels most true to what and who we really are. It may not be perfect but it is the
part of us that feel most real. The ideal self on the other hand, denotes one’s view of self as one
wishes to be. It contains attributes, usually positive, that people aspire to possess. Further,
Rogers suggests that a discrepancy between our ideal and real selves redounds to non-
equilibrium, indicating an unhealthy personality.
3. Albert Bandura’s Proactive and

Agentic Self
Albert Bandura (1925 – present) is a

renowned psychologist who advocated the “Self-belief does not
social cognitive theory of learning. This necessarily ensure
success, but self-
learning perspective contends that human disbelief assuredly
behavior results from vicarious learning, spawns failure.” -
through the experiences of other people. Albert Bandura
Bandura viewed people as agents or

originators of experience. We don’t just
merely observe and imitate behavior; we have cognitive faculties that enable us to discern unto
whether or not such behavior is worth emulating or if such can help us become better
individuals. One of the fundamental concepts espoused by social cognitive theory is self-
efficacy, which is defined as one’s conviction or belief that he or she can take on a certain task
successfully. With these emerged the concept of the self as proactive and agentic. The self as
proactive is constructive; it is optimistic that it can get through whatever adversities it may
encounter. Being proactive means having the capacity to recognize and take advantage of
opportunities that may be beneficial to our selves and to better our lives in general. An agentic
self is one who takes charge of his choices and actions; it is self-reflective and self-regulating.
Bandura views people as being more than just mere planners and fore thinkers. We are agents of
change; we can be actively involved in shaping our own lives because we are equipped with the
cognitive faculty and capacity to do so. We can be highly motivated and not easily discouraged
when he faced with challenges. An agentic and proactive self believes that no matter how big the
problem may seem to be, he or she can overcome it.
4. Murray Bowen’s Differentiated Self

Known for being one of the forerunners of
family therapy and notable for having “We all have an infant
developed a family systems theory, inside of us, but the
infant doesn’t have to
American psychiatrist Dr. Murray Bowen run the show.” -
(1913 – 1990), posited on the Murray Bowen
differentiation
of selves.
Differentiation of selves refers to the degree to which one is able to balance: (a) emotional and
intellectual functioning, and (b) intimacy and autonomy in relationship (Skowron & Friedlander,
1998).
On a more personal level, differentiation involves the ability to make clear boundaries between
our thoughts and feelings, and to choose which of the two will guide our behavior. Highly
differentiated individuals are able to balance autonomy and intimacy in their relationship. This
means that one is able to establish connection with others without losing one’s self in the
process. For instance, a highly differentiated person may be able to assert one’s self despite the
influence of peers.
Poorly differentiated individuals, on the other hand, may engage in fusion in their relationships.
This means that they become much attached to the roles they play in a relationship, they have
few firmly held beliefs, they are more likely to be compliant, and seek approval from others
before making major decision. Moreover, highly differentiated individuals are flexible and are
better able to adapt to stressful situations. Since they can set clear boundaries between their
thoughts and feelings, they can shift of being emotional to being rational (or vice versa)
depending on what the situation and may make impulsive decisions based on their current
emotional states. Thus differentiation of self is the capacity to achieve a clear, coherent sense of
self along with emotional relationships with important others. According to Bowen,
differentiation is a salient trait foe attaining mature development and psychological well-being
(Skowron & Friedlander, 1998).
5. Donald Woods Winnicott’s True and

False Selves
Donald Woods Winnicott (1896-1971 was an English psychoanalyst
who conceptualized the true and false selves. According to him the
true self is based on our authentic experiences as a person. This is
somehow similar to Roger’s concept of the real self. The feeling of
being alive, doing the things you want to do, and just being yourself
comprise the true self. On the other hand, the false self, which may
also referred to as a fake self or superficial self, is our defense
against the vulnerabilities or imperfections of our real self.
Our true self may have its own share of “With games, and only with games, can the
blemishes and weakness that sometimes child or the adult create, and use their whole
lowers our self-esteem. As a result, we try to personalities, and the individual only discovers
his personality when he becomes a creator.”
cover up these flaws and act “as if” we do not
have them. -Donald Woods Winnicott
The false self may start to surface as early as infancy, when we are put under the control of our
parents or early caregivers. As we grow old, we are taught different rules imposed by our
families, the school, or the society.
At times, we may have to put our true selves aside, just to abide by the demands of other people.
We do this to maintain harmony in social relationship. There are instances when it is necessary
for the false self to take over a certain situation. For instance, we need to follow norms of
conduct in various social setting and if we show the false self because of forced compliance to
others, then this may be unhealthy.
Continually suppressing our true selves may inhibit us from truly expressing who we are, which
may negatively impact our wellbeing.
Guide Questions:
I. Define the following terms:

1. I-self
2. Me-self
3. Real self
4. Ideal self
5. True self
6. False self
7. Proactive self
8. Agentic self
II. Do you think we only have one self or a multiplicity of selves? Why do you say so?

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How did William James conceptualize the self?

How did William James conceptualize the self?

What is differentiation of selves according to Bowen?

What is differentiation of selves according to Bowen?

TOPIC 4: PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Dr. Jona Addatu, RGC

https.medium.com/@evans.fishman LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. examine the self as a construct from a psychological stance;

PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THE SELF

American philosopher and psychologist,

2. Carl Rogers’s Real Self and Ideal Self

Known for being one of the pillars of

As we come to interact with others, we may

3. Albert Bandura’s Proactive and

Albert Bandura (1925 – present) is a

Bandura viewed people as agents or

4. Murray Bowen’s Differentiated Self

5. Donald Woods Winnicott’s True and

I. Define the following terms:

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