Understanding The Self

UNDERSTANDING
THE SELF
LESSON 4
THE SELF FROM THE PERSPECTIVE
OF PSYCHOLOGY
Lesson 4; The Self from the Perspective of
Psychology
• Psychology
Is the field of social sciences that deals
with the description, Explanation,
prediction and control of behavior.
( Ciccarelli and Meyer,2006)
In the Late 19th Century from the
discipline of philosophy they presume
the existence of the states of
consciousness in human beings.
Lesson 4; The Self from the Perspective of Psychology
• Psychology
Nature- Nurture Controversy
• Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is
influenced by genetic inheritance and other
biological factors.
• Nurture is generally taken as the influence of
external factors after conception, the product
of exposure, life experiences and learning on
an individual.
Philosophers and Psychologist

• William James
• 1842 – 1910 was an American
Philosophers and Psychologist a
professor at Harvard University
and was known for being the one
of the great pragmatists.
• He also known as for his " Theory
of the Self" The Self
Theory emphasizes on the set of
perceptions an individual has for
himself and the perceptions of the
relationships he has with others
and the other aspects of life.
• The "ME" AND THE "I"
• William James in his studies of human concluded that thoughts
have five characteristics;
1. All human thoughts are owned by some personal self.
2. All thoughts are constantly changing or never static.
3. There is a continuity or thoughts as its focus shifts from one
object to another.
4. Thoughts deals with objects that are different from and
independent consciousness itself.
5. Consciousness can focus on particular objects and not
others.
Psychology
Psychology
• The ME self is further divided into
three components namely; the
Material self, the Social self and the
Spiritual self.
• The Material self
Consist of the things or objects that
belong to the person or entities that
a person belongs to.
Psychology
• The Social Self
 Refers to who the person is in particular social situation.
Changes in behavior usually result from the different social
situations the person finds himself.
• The Spiritual self
 Refersto the person that is more concrete or permanent when
compared to the material and social selves. This is the most
subjective and intimate part of the self.
The I self is what William James called the Pure Ego. The Pure Ego
is similar to the person's souls or mind. Since this is considered to
be a non-substance, the self cannot be studied objectively.
OTHER SELVES IN
PSYCHOLOGY
 Psychology is rich in concepts and ideas about human
behaviour.
In psychology concept about the self has
been studied extensively.
Other psychologist and scientist also
have different theories, ideas and concept
about understanding the self.
GLOBAL & DIFFERENTIATED
MODELS
What is Global Self?
Global self represents the overall value
that a person places upon himself.
It affects the person views & feels about

himself.
Is the product of all experiences that the
person had in the society.
Murray Bowen
(31 January 1913- 9 October 1990)
Pioneer of Family Therapy and founded

Systematic Therapy.
Came up with the concept of
differentiated self
Differentiation (Bowen Theory)
Two forces affecting the person:
 Togetherness
 Individuality
 The balance between the two forces above should be

maintained.
Differentiated Self
 Has the ability to distinguish between the intellectual
process and the feeling process.
 Can separate thoughts from feelings.
 Can differentiate oneself from other people.
Differentiated Self
 Can be who he/she truly want to be rather than take the
identity that is being given to him/her by his/her family
& the society.
Differentiated Undifferentiated
• Ability to calm emotions • Emotional Reactive

• Thoughtful decisions • Difficulty saying no to people
• Don’t easily give in to • More critical & judgemental
pressure • Overly concern to approval
• Less vulnerable to stress • Dependent
• Independent
REAL AND IDEAL
SELF-CONCEPTS
© 2018 Slidefabric.com All rights reserved. P A G E 20

 C a r l Ro g e r s ( 1 9 0 2 - 1 9 8 7 ) w a s a n
american psychologists who
proposed the personality theory
kno w n a s the Pe rso n- Ce n te re d
T h e o r y. H e s t a t e d t h a t t h e t e r m
s e l f- c o n c e p t i s u s e d t o re f e r t o
how a person thinks about or
p e r c e i v e s h i m s e l f. T h e r e a r e t w o
t y p e s o f s e l f- c o n c e p t : t h e re a l
s e l f- c o n c e p t a n d t h e i d e a l s e l f-
concept.
 REAL SELF – the real self refers to all information
and perception the person has about himself.
 IDEAL SELF – According to Rogers, we want to feel,

experience and behave in ways which are consistent
with our self-image and which reflect that we would
like to be like, our ideal-self.

 Rogers stated that there
should be congruence
(sameness, equality) between
the real self and the ideal self in
order for the person to be
happy and satisfied will
experience dissatisfaction and
may see himself as a failure or
a loser (Feist and Feist, 2008)
 The Self-Discrepancy Theory of Higgins
(1987) stated that people use
internalized standards to which they
compare themselves. This are called
Self-guides which provide directions for
how the person should present himself.
When the self is found to be
deviating/diverting from theses guides,
the result is self-discrepancy.
MULTIPLE AND UNIFIED SELVES
MULTIPLE SELVES – The multiple selves theory
suggests that there exists in the individual
different aspects of the self. It makes sense that
the self is made up of parts.
UNIFIED SELVES – A unified being is essentially

connected to consciousness, awareness and
agency. To be considered a well-adjusted person,
success and failures should be accepted and
understood.
TRUE AND FALSE SELVES
D.W. Winnicott (1896 – 1971) was an
English Pediatrician and Psychoanalyst
who studied child development. He
looked into the significance of play in
child development. It is also through
play where he observed children/people
as having true and false selves.
TRUE SELF – The true self in individuals 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.
FALES SELF – A false self may be manifested as

a form of defense. It lacks spontaneity, is dead
and empty. It is the mask that hides the true
person for fear of the pain of rejection and
failure.
 According to Winnicott, true and false selves
are present in all individuals. For the two to
exist in a healthy individual., they should be
functional for the advantages of both the
person himself and his society. A person that
struggles to fit in but still experiences the
feeling of being forced to comply rather than
adapting gracefully to the situation is a
person whose self is maladjusted and
unhealthy.
 According to Winnicott, true and false
selves are present in all individuals. For
the two to exist in a healthy individual.,
they should be functional for the
advantages of both the person himself
and his society. A person that struggles
to fit in but still experiences the feeling
of being forced to comply rather than
adapting gracefully to the situation is a
person whose self is maladjusted and
unhealthy.
TRUE AND FALSE
SELVES
D. W. Winnicott (1896 - 1971)
 was an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst
 he observed children/people as having true and false selves

 Born: April 7, 1896 (Plymouth, England)
 Died: January 25, 1971 (London, England)
 His name Donald Woods Winnicott
TRUE SELVES
 Is a sense of being alive and real in one's mind and body, having feelings that are
spontaneous and unforced.
 Characterized by a high level of awareness in the person of who he is

 Individual who recognizes his strengths and accepts his limitations
 Never afraid to try all over again
“Only the true self can be creative and only the true self can feel real”
FALSE SELF
 Manifested as a form of defense

 It lacks spontaneity, is dead and empty
 It is the mask that hides the true person for fear of the pain of rejection and
failure.
 Usually surface when the person is forced to comply with existing social
norms and standards.
THE SELF AS PROACTIVE
AND AGENTIC
Albert Bandura (1925 – present)
 Is a Canadian-American psychologist
 Who is the David Starr Jordan Professor Emeritus of Social
Science in Psychology at Stanford University.
 Born in December 4, 1925 (age 93)

 Proponent of the personality theory know as The Social
Cognitive Theory
The Social Cognitive Theory
 In his theory, the person is seen as proactive and agentic which means that he
has the capacity to exercise control over his life.
 Triadic Reciprocals Causation Paradigm

 Suggested that human beings proactive, self-regulating, self-reflective and self-
organizing.
Features Of
Human Agency
Intentionality
• Refers to the actions performed by the

person intentionally or with awareness of
his behavior.
How to Live with Intention
• You get to decide how you are going to

think and behave.
• Set goals and prioritize
• Get rid of distractions
Forethought
• Refers to the person’s anticipation of likely

outcomes of his behavior.
Forethought Typically Involves
Two Processes:
• Task analysis, which could involves an individual
setting a goal or creating a strategic plan.
• Self-motivational beliefs, which could involve self

efficacy, setting outcome expectations, and setting
goal orientation.
Self-reactiveness
• Refers to the process in which the person is
motivated and regulates his behavior as he
observes his progress in achieving his goals.
• The goals that the person wants to reach should

be clear and specific
Self-reflectiveness
• Refers to the person looking inward and evaluating his
motivations, values, life goals and other people’s effect on
him.
• An important aspect of self-reflectiveness is self-efficacy

which is the person’s belief that he is capable of behavior
that will produce the desired positive results,
Self-regulation
• Self-regulation 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.
THANKS FOR YOUR
AT T E N T I O N
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UNDERSTANDING

Philosophers and Psychologist

It affects the person views & feels about

Pioneer of Family Therapy and founded

 The balance between the two forces above should be

• Ability to calm emotions • Emotional Reactive

© 2018 Slidefabric.com All rights reserved. P A G E 20

 IDEAL SELF – According to Rogers, we want to feel,

© 2018 Slidefabric.com All rights reserved. P A G E 22

UNIFIED SELVES – A unified being is essentially

FALES SELF – A false self may be manifested as

 was an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst

 he observed children/people as having true and false selves

 Characterized by a high level of awareness in the person of who he is

 Manifested as a form of defense

 Born in December 4, 1925 (age 93)

 Triadic Reciprocals Causation Paradigm

• Refers to the actions performed by the

• You get to decide how you are going to

• Refers to the person’s anticipation of likely

• Self-motivational beliefs, which could involve self

• The goals that the person wants to reach should

• An important aspect of self-reflectiveness is self-efficacy

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