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DEFINING
THE
SELF
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 Lesson 4

THE
SELF
as a
Cognitive
Construct
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If you are who you are,
then who are you that
makes you who you are?
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 And
Scientific Human
Mental
study of Behavior Processes
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 The SELF having two aspects:
“I and ME”

“I” thinking, acting and

feeling self

William James physical characteristics

One of the Earliest
Psychologist to study “ME” and psychological
capabilities
the self

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 Freud saw THE SELF, its mental processes, and
one’s behavior as the results of the interaction
between the Id, Ego and Superego.

Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalytic Theory
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 Carl Rogers
Humanistic Approach
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 SELF
CONCEPT
The term self concept is
a general term used to
refer to how someone
thinks about, perceives
and evaluates
themselves...
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 Self-concept is your
idea of who you are
(Self) based on your
personal beliefs and
your perceived notion
of how other people
see you.

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A new born
have no
sense of self.
(Freud and
Piaget)

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Self-Concept is developed from
Infancy to Adolescence.

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2 ASPECTS OF
SELF-CONCEPT

1. EXISTENTIAL SELF
-sense of being separate
and distinct from others.
-understanding and
having awareness that
the self is constant.
-awareness of the
existential self begins as
young as 2-3 months old. ma.glendabarcelon_UTS
 2. CATEGORICAL
SELF
-categorizes oneself
by age, gender. skills,
etc.
-awareness of the
categorical self
develops in early
childhood.

age “I am 3”
gender “I am a girl”
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 SELF-CONCEPT
HAS 3 COMPONENTS

Carl Rogers ma.glendabarcelon_UTS

the view we have what we wish to
of ourselves. be.
it's what we
believe we are.
how much value
do we place on
ourselves.
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 SELF A person's self image is
affected by many
IMAGE factors, such as parental
influences, friends, the
media etc.

 Physical Description: I’m tall, have brown eyes...etc.

 Social Roles: student, housewife, or member of the basketball varsity
 Personal Traits: “I’m impulsive...I’m generous...I tend to worry a lot”...etc.
 Existential Statements (abstract ones): These can range from "I’m a child of the universe" to "I’m a human being"
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to "I’m a spiritual being"...etc.
SELF WORTH
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 HIGH SELF-ESTEEM
(Positive view of ourselves)

Confidence in our own

abilities
Self-acceptance
Not worrying about what
others think
Optimism
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LOW SELF-ESTEEM
(negative view of ourselves)

Lack of confidence
Want to be/look like someone else
Always worrying what others might
think
Pessimism

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 4 Major Factors that
Influence Self-Esteem
1. The Reaction of Others
-If people admire us, flatter us,
seek out our company, listen
attentively and agree with us we
tend to develop a positive self-
esteem.
-If they avoid us, neglect us, tell
us things about ourselves that
we don’t want to hear we
develop a negative self-esteem.
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 4 Major Factors that
Influence Self-Esteem
2. Comparison with Others
If the people we compare
ourselves with (our reference
group) appear to be more
successful, happier, richer,
better looking than ourselves
we tend to develop a
negative self-image BUT if
they are less successful than
us our image will be positive.
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 4 Major Factors that
Influence Self-Esteem
3. Social Roles
-Some social roles carry prestige
e.g., doctor, pilot, artist,
engineer and this promotes self-
esteem.
-Other roles carry stigma.
E.g., a prisoner, mental hospital
patient, unemployed person.

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 4 Major Factors that
Influence Self-Esteem
4. Identification
-Roles aren’t just “out there.”
They also become part of our
personality i.e. we identity
with the positions we occupy,
the roles we play and the
groups we belong to.

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 EMBRACE AND
LOVE YOURSELF!
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To possess a healthy self-
concept you must:

Know yourself
Love yourself
Be true to
yourself
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ma.glendabarcelon_UTS
 CARL ROGERS
Self-Concept as the organized,
consistent set of perceptions and beliefs
about oneself which has 3 parts:
Self-Image, Ideal Self and Self-
Worth

WILLIAM JAMES
SIGMUND FREUD
The Self as the sum total of all that a person
can call his or hers. Who are Freud saw the self, its mental
processes, and one’s behavior as the
2 Models of the Self:
“Me”: Objective Self
you? results of the interaction between the
Id, Ego and Superego.
“I”: Subjective Self
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