LESSON 3

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SELF

Lesson Objectives:
a. Evaluate the various concepts of the ‘self’ as define by psychology.
b. Explore how the distinct psychological factors contribute to the development of the ‘self.’
c. Form one’s own self-construct.

ACTIVATE
Let’s explore your thoughts and feelings. Open-up and share them to your classmates.
Complete the worksheet below in the way that feels right to you. This will help you get an idea of
your general outlook on life and see how things change over time.

1. My best friend is...

2. Sometimes I wish I could...

3. The thing I fear most is…

4. Today I would like to…

5. I feel my future is…

6. I gain strength from…

7. I would never…

8. I get angry when...

9. I secretly enjoy...

10. I don’t like to admit...

We have understood the philosophical, sociological and anthropological perspectives of the self
in the previous lessons. As discussed, each discipline has their own representations and
conceptualizations of the self. Similarities and differences may have been identified but then again,
one cannot deny the fact that there are cognitive and affective aspects of one’s identity that can
still contribute in the development of one’s self rather than just pointing out to the relation of the
mind and the soul, or of the society or culture to the ‘self.’
This lesson provides a brief overview of the psychological theories that explains how the concept
of the ‘self’ is formed.

Understanding the Self Unit 1: The Self from Various Disciplinal Perspectives
 EMPOWER
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting
behavior in a given context (Source: English Oxford Living Dictionaries). In this lesson, we will explore
the ’self’ using the perspective of the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of one’s personality.
The ’self’ has been defined several times as one’s personal identity that characterizes who we
are as a human being (Jhangiani & Tarry 2014). Other definitions say that the ‘self’ entails an
individual’s conscious and unconscious aspects, his or her personality, cognitions or thoughts and
feelings. All these traits or aspects combine together into the person's core identity (Myers, 2009).
In psychology, the sense of self is defined as “the way a person thinks about and views his or her
traits, beliefs, and purpose within the world” (Dash & Tripathy, 2012).

William James, known as the “Father of American Psychology,” was

one of the first to propose a theory of the ‘self’ in the Principles of
Psychology (James, 1983). According to James, the self has two
aspects: the “I Self” and the “Me Self.” The ‘I Self’ is a reflection of
what people see in one’s actions in the physical world (e.g., recognizing
that one is reading, running or drinking). The ‘Me Self,’ on the other
hand, represents an individual’s reflections about himself or herself (e.g.
branding oneself as risk-taker, intelligent, kind).
Basically, the ‘I Self’ is the thinking, acting and feeling self whereas
the ‘Me Self’ constitutes the physical and psychological capabilities that
make who you are (Gleitman et. Al., 2011 and Hogg et. Al, 2010). https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=william+james&rlz=1C1CHBD_
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Can you say that you are the same person now as compared to when
you were six years old? You might probably say that you are, in some
ways, because you may still have the same hobbies or interests as before.
But there might be a part of you that tells you that you are not entirely
the same simply because as you grow, do does your sense of self.
Carl Rogers is a Humanist Psychologist who contributed a great deal
about the development of the self. He believed that there are three
contributing components to the development of the sense of self:
self-image, self-esteem and the ideal self (Rogers, 1959).
How we view ourselves talks about our self-image, which includes
personality traits and physical descriptions. For example, are you tall or
https://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.
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PBv0Q_B0I9AEwCg member, or the youngest in the family. Regardless of the characteristics
that you have for yourself, or the roles that you play, they all contribute to your self-image. Note
that a person's self-image is not always true. A person suffering from bulimia may have the
self-image that they are extremely overweight, even if they are not in reality.

Understanding the Self Unit 1: The Self from Various Disciplinal Perspectives
 Do you believe in yourself? Do you love who you are? Do you want to be more good-looking or
more intelligent? Perhaps, there are times when you wish you were someone else. How you answer
these questions is an indication of how much value you put on yourself. If you are the type of
person who believes that ‘the grass is greener in other’s pasture’ or that the glass is half-empty
(instead of half-full), then you may have a low self-esteem, often experiencing feelings of
uncertainty and insecurity. On the contrary, if you
feel confident and believe that you are doing
something positive to the world, then you most likely
have high self-esteem, feeling worthy of the kind of
life that you have.
The ideal self is the person that you aspire to
be (McLeod, 2008). While self-esteem and
self-image influence the development of the self,
the ideal self is what urges us forward. It is an “How much
idealized image that we have developed over time
for the
mirror?”
on the basis of what we have learned and
experienced. It can even include components of https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=how+much+for+the+mirror+cartoon+stock&rlz=1C1CHBD_enPH767PH767&source=lnms
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what our parents have taught us such as what we

admire in others, what our society promotes, and what we think is in our best interest.
The interrelationship between these three components is vital as it can influence the outcome of
your life. For instance, you have always seen yourself as the President of the Student Council of
your school, but you lack the academic excellence necessary to qualify for the position. You have
high self-esteem and you believe that you have what it takes to be the President of the student
body. In addition to these, you also have a positive self-image and are confident that you can win
because you have the leadership skills and you have many connections in the school community.
Having this self-esteem and self-image coupled with the vision of your ideal self inspires you to
exert more effort and excel academically in order to satisfy the criteria for the position that you
want.
Remember that your ideal self is not always consistent with your real self (McLeod, 2008). This
is who you actually are and not who you strive to be. It is how we think, feel, look, and act. The real
self can be seen by others, but because we have no way of truly knowing how others view us, the
real self is our self-image. In the example above, you may always strive to study harder to meet
the academic requirements for the said position in the Student Council and never become the
President. To someone with low self-esteem or self-image, this is a failure. But for someone with
high self-esteem and self-image, this mentality could lead you to an entirely new perception of
yourself and possibly a new ideal self like perhaps, you may end up being the President of a course
organization or the boss of a company that you single-handedly put up.
While other theories assert that the ‘self’ is also characterized as self-view, self-image, self-
schema, and self-concept, it is essential to note that these are basically your knowledge (the
personal characteristics (such as your name, age, hobbies, interests), social roles and
responsibilities, or affiliations) about who you are. In short, it is something that comes to your mind
when you are asked who you are (Elmore, et. Al, 2012).
Also worth taking note is the fact that the ‘self’ is not fixed in one time span. When asked to
describe yourself, you probably can say, ”I was a Class President in 4th grade,” or “I am a first
year college student,” or “I am the future Senator of the Philippines.”

Understanding the Self Unit 1: The Self from Various Disciplinal Perspectives
 Again, as you grow and embrace the changes that take place around you, your self-view (self-
image, self-schema and self-concept) also changes and can dynamically form your identity. As a
result, it affects how you picture everything around you — how you see, feel, act and think about
things.
More and more psychologists, especially during the earlier development of Psychology, tried to
postulate theories about the development of the ‘self’ since it actively shapes one’s personality.

Among the most influential psychologists who theorized about the

self is Sigmund Freud, founder of Psychoanalysis (a clinical method for
treating psychopathology through dialogue with the patient). He
postulated that there are three layers of self within us all: the id, the
ego and the superego (Stevens, 1996).
According to Freud, the first part of the self to develop is the id,
known as the seat of all our desires and wants. In a nutshell, id is a
collection of urges that need to be fulfilled. This part of the self has no
awareness other than it wants what it wants. There is a need for
instant gratification as it deals more on a person’s instincts. The
problem is, it does not care about morals or societal norms. As they
say, id is the little devil on everyone’s shoulder.
Imagine a baby who just starts to cry when he or she is hungry.
For teenagers like you waiting for your class to finish before taking
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your lunch break, you simply take a look at your watch and realize that
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there is still one hour before you can satisfy your hunger. But to a baby who has no consciousness
of time, he or she will only cry to say ’feed me now’ no
matter how inconvenient it gets for the person who can
hear the baby’s cry. Since the infant does not have the
capacity to reason that food is all that matters at the
moment, he or she will continue to cry out loud until
somebody feeds him or her. Just the same, our id, which
holds our unconscious collection of urges, does not reason.
It just wants what it wants and that is all there is to it.
Most certainly, as the baby advances into childhood, he
or she begins to understand that not every need can
immediately be met. As the child matures, he or she also https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=id,+ego+and+superego&rlz=1C1CHBD_enPH767P H767&source=ln
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realizes that there are some needs that should not be met,
especially if those needs are illegal or immoral. This realization forms another layer of the self
known as the ego (Carducci, 2015).
According to Freud, ego is the part of us that functions in reality. While the id is totally
irrational, the ego has the capability to distinguish what is right or wrong based on the given
context. Using the previous example, the ego is at work when a teenager decides to wait for the
right time to eat, rather than cutting class to eat or violate the rule of eating something inside the
classroom, which can spoil his or her appetite.
This leads us to our superego. Freud asserts that the superego seeks to attain the ideal of a
perfect ego. If the id is the little devil on everyone’s shoulder, the superego is often portrayed as

Understanding the Self Unit 1: The Self from Various Disciplinal Perspectives
 the little angel whispering on our shoulder that plagues us with shame and
guilt when we fail to meet its standards. Take note, the superego,
according to Freud, can be rigid and punishing as it is irrational in its views
of perfection. In other words, no one can ever live up to the standards
of the superego. Interestingly, Freud believed that the superego is
formed by the repressive rules of our parents. Using our example
above, the superego would shame you even for the idea of wanting to eat
immediately before waiting for the right time. For the superego, it would
be a shame if you do not control your appetite even for a single hour.
Because of the rigidity of the superego and the uncontrolled passions
of the id, the ego somewhat acts as the gatekeeper for both, which
maintains the balance between the two. In short, a mentally healthy ego
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knows when it is right to give in to id’s desires but makes judgments when
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it is time to give the floor to superego. Since most psychological theories define the self as mental
constructs, we will examine other perspectives on the ‘self’ as a product of social interaction. This
way, we do not discount the other forces in the formation of who we think we are.

Many young individuals like you are in the process of establishing your
roles, responsibilities, and your sense of self. Given the fact that changes
are inevitable, your self-identity is also not stable as it keeps on growing
one way or another.
Theorists, such as Descartes and Locke, view the self as unified — an
individual, including the things that the he or she thinks, wants, hopes, and
so on and so forth, are all part of a unified being. The unified self theory https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=multiple+self+image&rlz=1C1C
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states that the identity of a person develops in a continuity of

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expectations, fantasies, convictions, and other thoughts that comprise my own consciousness. In
other words, we think of ourselves as one person, whose thoughts, hopes, expectations and feelings
are just a part of who we are (Baumeister, et. Al., 2011).
The question is, is there just one ‘self’ in each person or are we really consist of many different
selves? As our sense of personhood continuously transforms, seeking new areas of growth, and even
our self seems to be stable, the self can still branch out and find new areas to develop. This might
not be apparent to us but when we are faced with the most challenging of tasks, we encounter new
problems that shake our stability and move us to growth. When we feel depressed or angry at life,
fearful or being frozen in our actions, our core self tends to change. There are times when you
believe that you can accomplish difficult tasks easily but there are also times when you might
withdraw from them because of the feeling that you cannot handle it. This changes a part of our
self-concept. How can we take back the self from this limitation, for example? Part of the answer
to this question is to understand that the self is not one thing, but a complex of multiple definitions
and parts — in short, we develop a divided self or a multiple self. Remember that our sense of
identity has developed out of our past experiences. Other parts of our ‘self’ may even be hidden or
masked. For instance, we might behave in one way when we are with our friends but we might
behave differently when we are with strangers. Part of your ’self’ might even consist of dreams or

Understanding the Self Unit 1: The Self from Various Disciplinal Perspectives
wishes that guide us at times. When you drink to excess occasionally and then act rude, then your
core self is in conflict with the other parts of your ‘self.’
According to Sedikides & Spencer (2007) and Katoch & Katoch (2017), some describe the multiple
self as having separate domains: the experiential self (the part of you that ‘disappears’ when you
enter a deep sleep and flashes on and off as you dream and then come back again as you wake
up), the private self (the ‘interpreter’ part of your being that narrates and makes sense of what is
going on), and the public self (the persona that you attempt to project to others, which in turn, in-
teracts with how other people actually see you).

Another discussion on the concept of the ‘self’ is given by

an English psychoanalyst, Dr. Donald Winnicott and his idea of a
true self as opposed to false self in his article entitled, "Ego
Distortion in Terms of True and False Self" (1960). According to
Winnicott, the true self is rooted from early infancy. The
baby’s spontaneous, non-verbal gestures are derived from his
or her instincts — his sense of ‘reality.’ If the mother responds
to the baby, then the true self may continue to develop. The
idea is that, infants depend on their primary caregiver not only
to meet their most basic needs for survival, but also for
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reliable, accurate, and empathic emotional responses. When

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these emotional needs are either unmet, or met unreliably, the infant gradually learns not only not
to trust the environment, but also not to trust the self. If good parenting is not in place, the
grown-up baby’s spontaneity is in danger, which results to developing the need to comply with the
parents’ expectations. This causes the creation of the false self, where other people’s
expectations can become too overriding or contradicting with the original sense of self. In the end,
the person develops a false set of relationships, trying to conceal what is true and real.
Simply, the true self (or the authentic self) is consist of thoughts, beliefs, words, and actions
that come from a deep-seated place within ourselves, with a unique combination of a multitude of
talents, skills, interests and abilities. There is no disparity between values and lived values because
the ‘self’ is genuine.
Conversely, the false self is when a person puts on a façade with others that may result in an
internal sensation of being depleted, drained or emotionally numb. One’s actions may feel forced,
alienated or detached, and there are possible tendencies to turn to mood-altering substances in
order to feel ‘different.’
How does this apply to us as adults? To Winnicott, the false self may serve many adaptive
purposes. Admit it or not, we all struggle from time to time to project what we believe to be the
“true” or “authentic” self. In many ways, wearing a social mask in becomes a solution to keep our
authentic selves from being scrutinized. When we protect our true self, we avoid being rejected or
hurt. The downside is, we may miss out on the opportunity to have genuine connections with other
people.
While there is a clear distinction between the true self and the false self, our awareness of our
social masks and our core values is essential. When we are aware of the many sides of ourselves,
we are able to own our identity. When we are in control of what part of ourselves we choose to
show, the social mask we use becomes integrated with our sense of self. Hence, we are whole.

Understanding the Self Unit 1: The Self from Various Disciplinal Perspectives