Self - Sense of personal identity, who we are as individual
Identity - Concept of an individual about one's self, "self-identity"
Self-Identity - One's self belief of what they think and feels about them. Can be influenced by how others perceive an individual
Self-Development - A continuous process through one's lifespan
Self-Representation - has important implications for socio-emotional functioning throughout the lifespan.
William James
American Psychologist and Philosopher
Conceptualized the self as having two aspects:
"I"
subjective and active aspect of the self
Non-Reflective
The self in action
is the thinking, acting, feeling self
Self in process, in the moment
Impulsive, spontaneous and indeterminate part of the self
Part of the self that produces individuality
"Me"
objective and social aspect of the self
The self as an object in the world
The structured and determinate part of the self
The product of our interactions and conscious reflection
We know the "I' through the "me"
Physical characteristics and psychological capabilities that makes you who you are
"Me" further broken down into:
Material self - What belongs to a person (ex. body, family, clothes, or money)
Social self - Who we are in a social situation, we change our actions, thoughts, emotions, words and mannerisms based on social situation or the people we interact with
Spiritual self - Who we are at our core, including our personality, values, conscience. One's spiritual self typically don't change throughout our life
Assumptions on the self:
"I" is the thinking, acting, feeling self
"Me" is the physical characteristics as well psychological capabilities that makes who you are.
Carl Rogers
American Psychologist
Proponent of Humanistic Psychology and Nondirective Psychotherapy or Person-Centered Therapy
The "I" as the one who acts and decides while the "Me" is what you think or feel about yourself as an object.
Self-Schema - The organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are, may include interests, work, course, age, name, and physical characteristics. As you grow and adapt to changes, it also changes
Unconditional Positive Regard - Accepting and supporting others exactly as they are, without judging them
Identity - Composed of personal characteristics, social roles, responsibilities and affiliations that defines who we are
Roles - Part of an individual's identity (ex. work, academic, social standing, and birth order in the family)
Self-Concept - How one perceive self. Individual's belief about himself, including the person's attributes and who and what the self is
Experiences of the Self:
The existential self
Subjective (I)
Concept that you are unique/different from others
Persian poet RUMI "Who am I in the midst of all this thought traffic?"
The Categorical self
Objective (Me)
Concept (and the concept of others) tends to focus on his own visible characteristics
Self-Concept/Self-Schema Composed of:
Self-Image(Real Self) - "Who you are at the moment"
Ideal Self - "Who you like to be"
Ought Self (Self-Esteem/Self-worth) - "Who you think you should be"
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth - refers to which we like, accept, or approve of ourselves; or how much we value ourselves
Self-Esteem - always involves a degree of evaluation, and we may have a positive or negative view of ourselves
Social Comparison Theory - By comparing aspects of ourselves with other people, we learn about ourselves, the appropriateness of our behaviors and our social status
Self-actualization - refers to the need for personal growth and development throughout one's life. It is the highest level of Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of needs". Once you are self-actualized, you've met you full potential as an individual
Types of Social Comparison
Downward Social Comparison - We raise our self-esteem, by comparing ourselves to those who are "Worse off" than us
Upwards Social Comparison - It can either motivate us or highlight more of our weakness or inequities, by comparing ourselves to those who are "Better off" than us
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory
We distance ourselves from that person or redefine our relation ship with them
Reconsider the importance of the aspect or skill in which you were out-performed
Strengthen or resolve to improve that certain aspect of ourselves. Achieving your goal through hard work may increase your self-esteem, too.
Hierarchy of Needs
Physiological - Food, Water, Rest
Safety - Security
Love & Belonging - Intimate relationships, Friends
Esteem - Feeling of Accomplishment
Self-Actualization - Achieving Personal Potential
Self-Transcendence - Fulfillment
Charles Carver & Michael Scheier
Identified 2 types of self:
The Private self - Your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings
The Public self - Public imaged geared as a good presentation of yourself to others
Self-consciousness: Being concerned about being observed and criticized by others
Looking Outside
Seeing and Comparing ourselves to others who are and dreaming of achieving the same
May lead to; self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, poor self-esteem, "impostor syndrome"
Looking Inside
Reflecting on out desires and aspirations, understanding what truly drives us from within, is a critical aspect of "self-awareness"
We can align our true selves by acknowledging our inner motivations and passions
Sigmund Freud
Austrian Neurologist who introduced "Psychoanalysis"
"Father of Psychoanalysis"
Psychoanalysis treats through "psychopathology" through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalysis
Free Association - Verbalize every thought that come to mind, doesn't matter if irrelevant or repugnant it may appear
Dreams - Rich source of unconscious material
Libido - Sexual Drive
True Self vs False Self
True Self - Authentic, Genuine, and innate aspects of a person's personality, values and beliefs
False Self - Persona or facade that an individual presents to others, often response to social or situational pressures
Levels of mental life:
Conscious - Awareness
Unconscious
Pre-conscious - Not in current awareness but can be brought to consciousness
Unconscious proper - Inaccessible Thoughts
Provinces of the mind:
Id - Pleasure Principle
Ego - Realistic Principle
Superego - Moral Principle
Psychosexual Stages
Oral-dependent personality - A passive person who takes more than he gives
Oral-aggressive personality - A hostile vocal person who is always exploitative
Anal-expulsive personality - A disorderly, messy person (Oscar of "The Old Couple")
Anal-retentive personality - A stingy, compulsive "neat nick" (Felix of "The Old Couple")
Phallic-personality - A person who is vain, narcissistic, and exhibitionistic