PSYCHOLOGICA

L PERSPECTIVES
OF THE SELF
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

OBJECTIVES
a. Discuss the different representations
and conceptualizations of the self from
various psychological perspectives
b. Examine the different influences,
factors and psychological forces that
shape the self
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

Kokology - the study of kokoro Japanese word for "mind" or
"spirit.“ This is a relational psychology test.

Relational psychology is a branch of psychoanalysis wherein

the subject is asked to imagine a situation and then led
through it with the help of a series of questions pertinent
to the scene being described. The questions directly
stimulate the subject’s subconscious mind thus revealing
aspects of their personality through their responses.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Hypothetical situations will be flashed on screen.
• Choose the letter of the best answer that applies to you.
• Show the sign of the letter of your choice
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

1. You are a superstar about to release a new album.
What do you want for the album cover?

A. Beautiful landscape
B. Cartoonish picture
C. Abstract picture, some artistic stuff
D. Picture of yourself
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

1. The question stands for what you see as the most
charming attitude in yourself and would like to express
it for everyone to see. If you choose:
A - You see yourself as a gentle and well-mannered
person
B - You love social life and always entertain people
surrounding you
C - You are skillful, very talented and very creative
D - You have a high self-confidence and love to be leader
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

2. Which part of the cake you are eager to eat?

A. The strawberry part

B. The uneatable decoration part
C. The sugary-decoration part
D. The chocolate part
E. The decorating wafer part
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

2. The question stands for your attitude. If you choose:
A - Your life is based on morality. You will not do anything
against righteousness
B - You are fashionable and you always fascinate people around
you
C - You care about other people's feeling and you love to be in
the crowd
D - You are reasonable and a natural born leader. You love to be
in control
E - You are sensitive, romantic and always dream of happy
wedding
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

3. There is an egg in front of you. What kind of egg is
that?

A. Snake egg
B. Turtle egg
C. Dinosaur egg
D. Chicken egg
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

3. The question stands for your expectation towards your
own child. If you choose:
A - Wealth and intelligence
B - Healthy and live long
C - Uniqueness and outstanding
D - You just want your child to be safe and happy
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

4. You are in 5 stars hotel room with a blue sky view.
You fell asleep and take a nap for a couple hours.
What do you expect to see outside the window
once you wake up?
A. Midday sun shines above the marine blue sea
B. Dark blue sea reflexes stars on the sky
C. Cold blue sea barely see in the mist
D. The sun is setting at the end of the line where
sky and sea has met
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

Motivational Activity: Kokology

4. The question stands for what do you want from love.
If you choose:
A - You want a high-voltage love
B - You believe the importance of honesty between
lovers
C - You want your lover to be your best friend
D - You are looking for a perfect love. Ideal and romantic
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE

The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the dynamic

relations between the conscious and unconscious mind
and explores how these psychological forces might relate
to early childhood experiences.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE
Psychodynamic psychology originated with Sigmund Freud
in the late 19th century. Freud suggested that
psychological processes are flows of psychosexual energy
(libido) within a complex brain.
Freud's theory of psychoanalysis holds two major
assumptions: (1) that much of mental life is unconscious,
and (2) that past experiences, especially those from early
childhood, shape how a person feels and behaves
throughout life.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE
Freud's structural model of personality divides the
personality into three parts: the id, the ego, and the
superego. When these parts are in conflict, the imbalance
manifests as psychological distress.
Freud also proposed the psychosexual theory of
development, in which he asserted that children develop
through different pleasure-seeking urges focused on
different areas of the body, called erogenous zones.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE
Carl Jung expanded upon Freud's theories, introducing the
concepts of the archetype, the collective unconscious, and
individuation.
Modern psychodynamic theory is an evolving
multidisciplinary field that continues to analyze and study
human thought processes, response patterns, and
influences.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE
Behaviorism is an approach to psychology that
focuses on observable behaviors that people learn
from their environments.
Behaviorism emerged in the early 20th century as a
reaction to the psychoanalytic theory of the time,
and focused on observable behaviors rather than on
unconscious inner states.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE
The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov is widely known for
describing the phenomenon now known as classical
conditioning in his experiments with dogs.
John B. Watson was an American psychologist best
known for his controversial "Little Albert" experiment
using classical conditioning.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE
Edward Lee Thorndike was an American psychologist
whose work on animal behavior and the learning
process led him to discover what he termed the "law of
effect."
B. F. Skinner coined the term "operant conditioning,"
which describes the strengthening or attenuation of a
voluntary response based on association with positive
or negative consequences.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

Cognitive psychology examines internal mental

processes such as problem-solving, memory, and
language
"Cognition" refers to thinking and memory
processes, and "cognitive development" refers to
long-term changes in these processes.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
The cognitive perspective had its foundations in the
Gestalt psychology of Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang
Köhler, and Kurt Koffka, and in contemporary
advancements in technology and computer science.
Jean Piaget, an influential leader of cognitive
psychology, studied intellectual development in
children and is most widely known for his stage
theory of cognitive development.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Humanistic psychology adopts a holistic view of
human existence through explorations of meaning,
human potential, and self-actualization.
Humanistic psychology is a psychological
perspective that rose to prominence in the
mid-20th century. It draws on the philosophies of
existentialism and phenomenology, as well as
Eastern philosophy.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Early humanistic psychologists focused on uniquely
human issues such as the self, self-actualization,
health, hope, love, creativity, nature, being,
becoming, individuality, and meaning.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) is considered the
founder of humanistic psychology and is noted for
his conceptualization of the hierarchy of human
needs.
Carl Rogers (1902–1987) is best known for his
person-centered approach to therapy, as well as
his emphasis on unconditional positive regard.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Rollo May (1909–1994) focused on existential
ideas, the importance of human choice, and the
tragic dimensions of human existence.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Humanistic psychology has led to advances in
positive, educational, and industrial psychology,
and has been successfully applied to
psychotherapy and social issues; however, it has
also been criticized for its subjectivity and lack of
evidence.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

EVOLUTIONARY PERPECTIVES
Evolutionary psychology seeks to understand
human behavior as the result of psychological
adaptation and natural selection.
Evolutionary psychology is an approach in the
social and natural sciences that examines
psychological traits such as memory, perception,
and language from a modern evolutionary
perspective.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

EVOLUTIONARY PERPECTIVES
Just as evolutionary physiology has worked to
identify physical adaptations of the body that
represent "human physiological nature,"
evolutionary psychology works to identify evolved
emotional and cognitive adaptations that
represent "human psychological nature."
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

EVOLUTIONARY PERPECTIVES
The field of evolutionary psychology has its
historical roots in Charles Darwin's theory of
natural selection, but it has also been heavily
influenced by fields such as ethology, evolutionary
biology, artificial intelligence, genetics, and
anthropology.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

EVOLUTIONARY PERPECTIVES
According to evolutionary psychology, the brain
has evolved specialized neural mechanisms that
are specially designed for solving problems that
have recurred over evolutionary time.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

EVOLUTIONARY PERPECTIVES
Evolutionary psychologists hypothesize that
humans have inherited special mental capacities
for adaptations such as acquiring language,
inferring others' emotions, discerning kin from
non-kin, identifying healthier mates, and
cooperating with others.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF

KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

• Theory that the self is the center of psychological

motivation, organization, and change in personality.
• It also assumes that psychological damage to the self
produces psychopathology.
• Objects-Relations Theory - the course of human
development depends on the quality of the
relationships established between individuals,
particularly between parents and their children.
• Self-objects - representations of psychologically
important people who can help us cope with and
resolve problems.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

• Theory that the self is the center of psychological

motivation, organization, and change in personality.
• It also assumes that psychological damage to the self
produces psychopathology.
• Objects-Relations Theory - the course of human
development depends on the quality of the
relationships established between individuals,
particularly between parents and their children.
• Self-objects - representations of psychologically
important people who can help us cope with and
resolve problems.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Personality Development
• Primary Narcissism - initial state of well-being and
satisfaction in which all of the infant’s needs are gratified
and the infant feels an oceanic perfection and bliss.
• Grandiose self - primitive view of oneself as great;
- need to be mirrored - a yearning for admiration and approval.
• Idealized Parental Image - children’s initial view of their
parents as perfect that is, as all-knowing and all-powerful
- need to idealize - need to seek security by identifying with
all-powerful figures, usually parents.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Personality Development
• Empathic Parents - parents capable of assuming the
perspective of the child, to know and understand his
or her experiences.
• Optimal Frustrations - ideal, non-traumatic, frustration
of a person’s needs (by parents) that fosters new
learning and personal growth.
• Transmuting Internalizations - process whereby
individuals learn more realistic and effective ways of
thinking, feeling, and behaving as a consequence of
interactions with empathic parents.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Personality Development
• Nuclear Self - foundation of personality, established
through a learning process initiated by empathic
parents, in which individuals modify their unrealistic
beliefs about themselves and their caretakers.
• Cohesive Self - personality that is organized, healthy
and functions effectively, because its narcissistic
energies are primarily invested in the pursuit of
realistic goals.
• Autonomous Self - self of an individual who has
achieved optimal mental health.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Impairments with Internalization of Self Objects

Without positive self-object experiences, internalization of
a “healthy self” cannot occur
-Shame, humiliation, helplessness the result of self-object failure

True Self development is hindered when child sacrifices

in expressing needs because self-object support is
perceived as unavailable
-Person complies with needs of others at the expense of her/his True Self
development (merger bond)
-Failure to bond with caregiver leaves individual feeling isolated and depressed
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Impairments with Internalization of Self Objects

• When early narcissistic needs are unmet, child (adult)
is continually searching for nurturing and validating
self-object experiences
• If self becomes strengthened through self-object
responsiveness (i.e. through therapy) the person will
feel less shameful about needs for vulnerability and
nurturing
- Will be able to give to others emotionally, without feeling anxiety about
another’s needs
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Disturbances to the Self . Kohut assumes that psychological

damage to the self produces psychopathology
• Psychosis - severe disturbance of the self in which defenses do
not cover major defects in the self.
• Borderline States - disorders of the self in which damage to the
self is permanent or protracted. In contrast to the psychoses, the
central defect is better covered by major defenses.
o schizoid personality disorders - defective self structures are
protected against further damage by aloofness and superficial
involvement in relationships.
o paranoid personality disorders - deficiencies in self structures
are shielded against further damage by using hostility and
suspicion to keep potentially injurious objects at a safe
distance.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Disturbances to the Self . Kohut assumes that

psychological damage to the self produces
psychopathology
Narcissistic Personality Disorders
o understimulated self - individuals feel empty, bored,
and depressed because their parents have failed to
respond empathically to their mirroring and idealizing
needs.
o fragmenting self - person feels uncoordinated, in
some cases, the person may feel tired, mentally slow,
and awkward following threatening experiences.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Disturbances to the Self . Kohut assumes that

psychological damage to the self produces
psychopathology
Narcissistic Personality Disorders
o overstimulated self - individuals exposed to excessive
stimulation in childhood, because their fantasies of
greatness were continually reinforced by unempathic
caregivers.
o overburdened self - person has not had an opportunity to
merge with the calmness of an omnipotent self-object,
usually a parent. Result is lack of the self-soothing
capacity that could have been learned through such
contact.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Disturbances to the Self . Kohut assumes that

psychological damage to the self produces
psychopathology
Narcissistic Behavior Disorders
o mirror-hungry personalities - individuals who crave
self-objects whose confirming and admiring
responses will increase their feelings of self-worth.
o ideal-hungry personalities - individuals who
experience themselves as worthwhile as long as they
can relate to people they can admire.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY
Disturbances to the Self . Kohut assumes that
psychological damage to the self produces
psychopathology
Narcissistic Behavior Disorders
o alter-ego personalities - individuals who feel worthwhile only
if they have a relationship with a self-object who looks and
dresses like them and has similar opinions and values.
o merger-hungry personalities - individuals who experience
others as their own self.
o contact-shunning personalities - intense longing to merge
with self-objects, such individuals are highly sensitive to
rejection. To avoid this pain, they avoid social contact.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

- Narcissistic psychopathology is a result of parental

lack of empathy during development.
- As a result, the individual does not develop full
capacity to regulate self esteem.
- The narcissistic adult, according to Kohut's
concepts, vacillates between an irrational
overestimation of the self and irrational feelings of
inferiority, and relies on others to regulate his self
esteem and give him a sense of value.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Goal of therapy is to redirect narcissistic energies

from the unrealistic self structures to the nuclear self
and ego.

Kohut proposes that the therapist should

empathically experience the world from the patient's
point of view (temporary indwelling) so that the
patient feels understood.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF
KOHUT’S SELF PSYCHOLOGY

Development of the Healthy Self

Autonomous Self - self of an individual who has achieved

optimal mental health and a freedom from inhibitions that
interfere with his or her ability to act productively.
.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE
SELF