PYSCHOLOGICAL SELF

Understanding the Self

What is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior
and mental processes.
Four goals of psychology:
◦ Describe- what the person is doing
◦ Explain- why is s/he doing that?
◦ Predict- what is he going to do?
◦ Modify- how can he change the behavior?
 Psychology is concerned with

How individuals Concepts such as How the individual

develop and mature consciousness, and his environment
at different life memory, and shaped his
stages. reasoning. personality.

How we think, Character strengths,

Mental health and
behave and feel in coping, happiness
mental illnesses.
certain situations. and well-being.
 Psychologist Jean Piaget was a
Swiss clinical psychologist known for his
pioneering work in child development.
He pioneered the “theory of cognitive
Theory of development”, a comprehensive theory
Cognitive about the development of human
intelligence.
Development The theory deals with the nature
of knowledge itself and how humans
gradually come to acquire , construct,
and use it.
 Theory of Cognitive Development

According to Piaget, cognitive development is a progressive

reorganization of mental processes resulting from biological
maturation and environmental experience.
Piaget observed how children processed and made sense of the
world around them and eventually developed a four-stage model of
how the mind processes knew information encountered.
Theory of Cognitive Development

There are three basic components to Piaget's

cognitive theory.
• Schemas/schemes. These are the building blocks of knowledge.
Schemes are mental organizations that individuals use to
understand their environments and designate action.
• Adaptation. It involves the child's learning processes to meet
situational demands.
• Stages of cognitive development. They reflect the increasing
sophistication of the child's thought process.
Theory of Cognitive Development

Assimilation Accommodation

The application of When existing ideas

previous concepts to are challenged
new concepts
Theory of Cognitive Development
 THEORY OF
COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT

Object Permanence-
The ability to realize that
objects still exist when
they are not being
sensed.
THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Pre-operational stage…
Animistic Thinking- Believing that inanimate objects
are alive.
Egocentrism- not being capable of seeing things from
another person’s perspective.
Conservation- Recognition that when some properties
(such as shape) of an object change, other properties (such
as volume) remain constant.
Harter’s Self-Development Concept
Early childhood. The child describes himself in terms of concrete, observable
characteristic's, material possessions, behaviors and preferences.

Middle to later childhood. The self is described with the use of trade like
constructs ( e.g. shy, smart honest, friendly).

Adolescence. Emergence of a more abstract self definition such as inner

thoughts, emotions, attitudes and motives.

Emerging adults. Characterized by having a vision of a possible self.

 James is known as the
father of American
psychology.
William James
and the Me-self
and I-self Two sides of the self:
Me-self and I-selfyes
 Me-self Is the self that is the object. It is
the self that you can describe, such as your
physical characteristics, personalities, social role,

William or relationships, thoughts, feelings.

Three Dimension
James and 1. Material- physical appearance an extensions
the Me-self of it such as clothing, immediate family, and
home
and I-self 2. Social- social skills and significant
interpersonal relationships
3. Spiritual-personality, character, defining
values
 William James and the Me-self and I-self

I-self is the pure ego. I-self is subjective self that is aware of its own actions.
1. A sense of being the agent or initiator of behavior. I believe my actions have
an impact; That I cause an effect in my environment.
2. A sense of being unique. This is how I am different from everything in my
environment.
3. A sense of continuity. I am the same person from day to day.
4. A sense of awareness about being aware. I understand what is going on in me
and around me.
 Carl Rogers and Humanistic Psychology
Humanism emphasized the active role of the individual in shaping
their internal and their external worlds.
This approach highlighted the individuals innate drive towards self
actualization and the process of realizing and expressing one's own
capabilities and creativity.
Rogers believed that the person is an active being who lives in the
present .
Rogers coined the term actualizing tendency, which refers to a
person’s basic instinct to succeed at his or her highest possible capacity.
Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Theory

◦ Ideal self- Who or what you want to be. It is your concept of

the best me who is worthy of admiration.
◦ The ideal self could include :
◦ 1. notions influenced by your parents;
◦ 2. what do you admire in others;
◦ 3. what the society sees as acceptable; and
◦ 4. what you think is in your best interest.
Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Theory

◦ Real self- The person you actually are. It is how you behave
right at the moment of a situation it is who you are in reality-
how you think, feel, or act at present.
◦ Congruence- The alignment of the real cells and the ideal
self
◦ Incongruence- happens when there is inconsistency
between the real self and ideal self
 Eric Berne’s Ego States

Parent ego state- the voice of authority

Adult ego state- the rational person

Child ego state- can be spontaneous but can

also be impulsive.
◦ False Self-
◦A product of early
experiences ; A defensive
organization formed the
cause of inadequate
parenting. Winnicott’s
◦ The self that is obedient to
parents’ wishes and demands. true vs. False
◦ The healthy false self is still
connected to the true self.
Self
◦ The unhealthy false self makes
one continually adjust his
behavior to fit in.
 Winnicott’s true vs.
False Self
◦ True Self
◦ True self flourishes in infancy if
the mother is positively
responsive to the child
spontaneous expressions.
◦ Creative, spontaneous and real.
◦ Spontaneous authentic
experience