FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE1 - Understanding the Self with Personality Development Module No.4_

4
STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___

CHAPTER I: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

D. PSYCHOLOGY
MODULE OVERVIEW

The psychology of self studies either the cognitive or affective representation of one’s
identity, or the subject of experience.this module provides an overview of the themes some theories
that is related to the development of individual’s self concept.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the different psychological theories in the
study of the self;
2. Expound the self as a cognitive construction;
3. Examine the self as proactive and agentic.

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

I. William James and the Me-Self, I-Self

William James (1890) distinguished two understanding of the self represented by the self as
“Me”, and the self as “I”. The former corresponds to the self as an object of experience (self as object)
or the self as known, the latter refers to the self as a subject of experience (self as subject) or the self
as knower that is considered to be pure ego and the consciousness itself.

In James view, “Me” reflects “all things” which have the power to produce excitement of a
certain particular source, an experiential quality of me-ness, mine-ness, and some similar form, and is
consist with three components, material, social, spiritual.

The material self as according to James, is the component of “Me” that we tend to be most
affected with, as we invest our selves within these things such as clothes, family, and home.

Man’s social self is assembled based on our interactions with the society and the reactions of
others that are analyzed in order to contribute to our idea of a social self. Thus, actions manifested by
people will depend on the social situation they are interacting with. With the diverse social situations
that an individual may encounter and participate with, it is then assumed that one may manifest
number of selves depending on a situation.

The spiritual self is said by James to be the most intimate self. It is who we are at our core
and something that is permanent: personality, core values, conscience, etc. James considered the
spiritual self to be the most intimate version because the satisfaction experienced when one thinks of
his / her “ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility, and conscience, of one’s
indomitable will” (James 1890, 164) is more pure than other sentiments of satisfaction.

II. Real and Ideal Self Concept

Karen Horney believed that people experiences anxiety, and by such experience that they
develop strategies to be able to reduce and cope with the anxiety. Thus, people tend to create an
idealized self - an imaginary picture of self having an unlimited power or qualities which the actual

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE1 - Understanding the Self with Personality Development Module No.4_

self - who we actually are, has failed to fulfill. Underlying both the idealized and actual self is the real
self, which is revealed only when a person starts to find ways to deal and resolve anxiety and
conflicts.
With Carl Rogers belief, humans have one basic motive, that is to be self actualized. To
achieved such motive, individual’s real self (actual behavior) and ideal self (i.e. who you would like to
become) must be in a state of congruence. When the environment is right, one may reach his / her full
potential. People, according to Rogers, are inherently good and creative, it is only when poor self
concept overriding the valuing process that they become destructive. Such that, when gaps between
the real and ideal self exist that unhealthy personality arises.

III. True versus False Selves

Donald W. Winnicott explained his theory about the True Self (the unshaped you) and the
False Self in the paper he wrote in 1960. As he expounded, false self may develop to protect the
inner, and more vulnerable true self. When a child is reared in an environment with supportive
caretakers and whose needs are satisfied then true self may develop. Hence, there are instances that
the environment does have no enough resources to gratify the needs of the child for certain reasons.
In this situation, a child may feel that his / her truest needs is unacceptable, becoming unconsciously
compliant and adjust his / her behavior. A false self may at times appear to be Healthy False Self -
that is becoming compliant but without the feeling that the true self is betrayed, and at times
Unhealthy False Self - the which promotes the feeling of being forced to comply with the demands of
a situation.

IV. Self as Proactive and Agentic

People as viewed by the Social Cognitive Theory, are capable of controlling their own lives.
They are proactive, and reflective, and influential to their own actions to produce desired
consequences. The agent self resides over everything that involves decision making, self-control,
taking charge in situations, and actively responding. As such, people has the power to choose which
option is to be selected, or what action is to be done. Our capacity to distinguish those that we are
capable of accomplishing, and those that are not describes the quality of self-efficacy a person has.
Some may manifest with high self efficacy, and some will be associated with low self efficacy.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE1 - Understanding the Self with Personality Development Module No.4_

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

ESSAY

Which among the theories of the “Self” as cognitive Construction, explains best your personality
dynamics? Write down your thoughts and feelings in no less than 300 words.

Base on Salvacion Villafuerte’s Understanding the Self Essay Activity. p.50

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE1 - Understanding the Self with Personality Development Module No.4_

SUMMARY

The representation of one’s identity come in the cognitive and affective aspect of an individual.
Currently, psychology views the self as playing an integral part in the motivation of people’s rational,
affective, and social identity. The self then, has various feature that help make up integral part of it,
like awareness and knowledge of the self to which people are capable to modify to obtain social
acceptance.

REFERENCES

Alata, E., et. al. (2018), Understanding the Self, Rex Book Store, Inc. (RBSI), Quezon City
Aldana, C. (2018), Psychological Perspective of the Self, https://prezi.com
Cuevo, F., et. al. (2018), Understanding the Self, St. Andrew Publishing House, Bulacan
Villafuerte, S., et. al. (2018), Understanding the Self, Nieme Publishing House Co. Ltd.
Quezon City
Wozniak, M.(2020), “I” and “Me”: The Self in the Context of Consciousness, www.frontiersin.org, retrieved
August 16, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02Ucd6monY

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4