Psychology of self

The psychology of self is the study of either the cognitive, conative or affective representation
of one' s identity, or the subject of experience. The earliest formulation of the self in modern
psychology derived from the distinction between the self as I, the subjective knower, and the self
as Me, the object that is known.[1]
Self Definition

In psychology, the notion of the self refers to a person’s experience as a single, unitary,
autonomous being that is separate from others, experienced with continuity through
time and place. The experience of the self includes consciousness of one’s physicality
as well as one’s inner character and emotional life.

People experience their selves in two senses. The first is as an active agent who acts
on the world as well as being influenced by that world. This type of self is usually
referred to as the I, and focuses on how people experience themselves as doers. The
second is as an object of reflection and evaluation. In this type of self, people turn their
attention to their physical and psychological attributes to contemplate the constellation
of skills, traits, attitudes, opinions, and feelings that they may have. This type of self is
referred to as the me, and focuses on how people observe themselves from the outside
looking in, much like people monitor and contemplate the competence and character of
other people.

Implications of the Self

A sense of self also influences the emotions people feel. People do not feel merely bad
or good, but experience an entire panoply of emotions. Some emotions arise because
people view that they authored the actions that produced them. When students study
hard and do well on tests, they feel happy and proud. If they wrong a friend, they do not
feel unhappy; they feel guilty. If they are worried about how their action looks to others,
they feel shame, or perhaps embarrassment. Many emotions involve self-
consciousness, and the experience of all these emotions requires a sense of self.

1. Heinz Kohut initially proposed a bipolar self compromising two systems

of narcissistic perfection: 1) a system of ambitions and, 2) a system of ideals. Kohut called
the pole of ambitions the narcissistic self (later, the grandiose self[), while the pole of ideals
was designated the idealized parental imago. According to Kohut, these poles of the self
represented natural progressions in the psychic life of infants and toddlers.
2. Donald Winnicott distinguished what he called the "true self" from the "false self" in the human
personality, considering the true self as one based on the individual's sense of being, not doing,
something which was rooted in the experiencing body.
FIVE LEVELS OF FALSE SELF ORGANIZATION WERE IDENTIFIED BY WINNICOTT, RUNNING
ALONG A KIND OF CONTINUUM
1. In the most severe instance, the false self completely replaces and ousts the true self,
leaving the latter a mere possibility.
2. Less severely, the false self protects the true self, which remains unactualised - for Winnicott
a clear example of a clinical condition organised for the positive goal of preserving the
individual in spite of abnormal environmental conditions of the environment.
3. Closer to health, the false self supports the individual's search for conditions that will allow
the true self to recover its well-being - its own identity.
4. Even closer to health, we find the false self "... established on the basis of identifications".
5. Finally, in a healthy person, the false self is composed of that which facilitates social
behavior, the manners and courtesy that allows for a smooth social life, with emotions
expressed in socially acceptable forms.

3.