Lesson 3

The Self From the Perspective of

Psychology
The Self as a Cognitive Construction
• Theories generally see the self and identity as mental
constructs, created and recreated (Oyserman, Elmore &
Smith, 2012). Current researches point to the frontal
lobe of the brain as the specific area in the brain
associated with processes concerning the self.
• Freud saw the self, its mental processes, and one’s
behavior as the results of the interaction between the id,
ego, and superego.
The Self as a Proactive and Agentic
• More than his givenness (personality, tendencies,
propensities, among others), one is believed to be in
active participation in the shaping of the self.
• Most often, we think the human persons are just
passive actors in the whole process of shaping the
selves. That men and women are born with peculiarities
that they can no longer change.
• Recent researches indicate that men and women in
their own growth and development engage in active
shaping of the self.
• Language as both a publicly shared and privately
utilized symbol system is the site where the individual
and the social make and remake each other (Schwartz,
White & Lutz, 1993).
The Self in Western and Eastern Thought
• In this lesson, we will look at religious beliefs and
political philosophies that greatly influenced the
mindset of each nation or culture.
• Since almost all the theories also came from the
Western scientific research, we will highlight the Eastern
thoughts in this lesson.
o Confucianism

• Confucianism can be seen as code of ethical standards;

hence, the identity and self-concept of the individual are
interwoven with the identity and status of the community
or culture.
• Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life,
where a man of virtue (chun-tzu) in the light of subdued
self repressed the personal needs for the good of
others.
o Taoism
• The self is not just an extension of the family or the
community; it is part of the universe, one of the forms
and manifestations of the Tao (Ho, 1995).
• The ideal self is selflessness in:
living a balanced life with society and nature,
being open and accepting to change,
forgetting about prejudices and egocentric ideas,
and
thinking about equality as well as complementary
among humans as well as other beings.
o Buddhism
• The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of
trying to hold and control things, or human-centered
things; thus, the self is also the source of all sufferings.
• Thus the quest to forget about the self, forget the
cravings of the self, break the attachments with the
world, and renounce the self as source of sufferings.
• Attain the state of Nirvana.
The Self in Western and Eastern Thought
• Western perspective does not discount the role of
environment and society in the formation of the self but
the focus is always looking toward the self.
• The Americans talk about more their personal
attribute when describing the self.
• The Western culture is what we would call an
individualistic culture since their focus is on the
person.
• By valuing the individual, Westerners may seem
to have loose associations or even loyalty to their
groups.
• They also emphasize more on the value of
equality even if they see that the individual can
rise above everything else.