BATAAN HEROES MEMORIAL COLLEGE

GENERAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF I GILLIAN ROSE R. SALVADOR, LPT

Chapter 4 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the chapter, you should be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the following concepts:
a. Real and Ideal Self according to Carl Rogers’ Self Theory; and
b. Donald W. Winnicott’s True and False Self;
2. Analyze yourself according to the above-mentioned concepts;

Carl Rogers
1. Self-theory
- He believes that the self does not exist at birth; it is developed gradually during childhood
wherein one differentiates the self from non-self.
- He proposed that by means of free choice and action, one can shape himself based on what
he wants to be. The choices an individual makes are based on his set of values.
- “Self as the center of experience.”- the self is one’s ongoing sense of who and what he is
and how and why he responds to the environment.
A. Real Self - “Self-image”- is who an individual actually is, intrinsically. It is the self that feels
closest to how one identifies with. It is how one thinks, feels, looks, and acts.
- Despite the difficulty of an individual to truly know how others see him, his real self can still
possibly seen. One’s significant other may tell almost exactly his real self.
B. Ideal Self- Ídealized image”- is the perception of what a person would like to be or thinks
he would be.
- Has developed over time based on the influence of the environment and the people one
interacts with. This self is a product of expectations and pressures from other people, and
arises from the need to be loved and accepted by others. It is dynamic and forever changing.
For instance, someone who is not a good singer (real self) desires to be someone who can sing well
(ideal self). The greater the difference between the real self and ideal self, the greater the frustration
and distress one will experience. Self-worth is high when the real self and ideal self are close to each
other.
2. Self-Concept- defined as the totality of complex, organized, and dynamic system of learned
beliefs, attitudes, and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal
existence.
A. Aspects of Self-Concept
 Existential Self- begins when an individual recognizes his existence as a separate entity
from others and realizes that he will continue to exist over a period of time and space. This
is manifested for instance, when he responds to the clapping of hands or when he touches
an object and the object moves.
 Categorical Self- starts after a child recognizes his existence as a separate entity and
become aware that he or she is an object in the world. Like objects with physical properties,
one begins to categorize himself in terms of age, sex, height, weight.
B. Three Components of Self-Concept
 Self -Worth/ Self-Esteem- is what one thinks about oneself. This develops in early
childhood stage resulting from the interaction of the child with his mother and father.
 Self-Image- is how one sees himself, which is important for good psychological health.
Self-image includes the influence of body image on inner personality. At a simple level, one
might look at oneself as either good or bad, beautiful or ugly, self-image has and effect on
how a person thinks, feels, and behaves in the world.
 Ideal Self- is the person that one wants to be. It consists of one’s dreams and goals in life,
and it is continuously changing. To illustrate, the ideal self during childhood is not the same
ideal during adulthood.
BATAAN HEROES MEMORIAL COLLEGE
GENERAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF I GILLIAN ROSE R. SALVADOR, LPT

Donald W. Winnicott’s True and False Self

1. True Self – real self, authentic self, original self, and vulnerable self. It is the core of who you
are, the original you, unshaped by the upbringing of society.
2. False Self- fake self, ideal self, and pseudo self. The false self constantly seeks to anticipate
the demands and expectations of others in order to preserve and improve relationships. This
may happen during childhood when one is restricted by the rules of his parents, or when one is
not allowed to explore, be adventurous, or be aggressive. When a child’s demands are denied
or rejected, he could not insist thinking that he has no right to argue and might be called
disrespectful. When one reaches adolescence, he begins to wear a social mask.
Social mask- helps one to interact properly in a larger variety of interpersonal contexts.
Most people do not easily present the different sides of themselves for others to see. They may
possibly reveal particular sides of themselves depending on the situation. Generally, people
would avoid cracking green jokes when in big gatherings as they would like to show that they
are refined and educated.
COMMON TRUE SELF BEHAVIORAL COMMON FALSE SELF BEHAVIORAL
TRAITS TRAITS
Optimistic Pessimistic
Proactive Blaming
Confident Insecure
Focused Confused
Patient Impatient
Honest Dishonest
Active Timid
Responsible Irresponsible
Loving Jealous
Calm Worried

Corpuz, R. M., Estoque, R. S., & Tabotabo, C. V. (2019). Understanding the Self. Quezon City: C & E
Publishing, Inc.