THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES:

PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY
 Comes from the words “psyche” which
means soul/mind and “logos” which
means “study”

 It is the scientific study of how people

behave, think, and feel.
Ψ Harter’s Self-development
Concept
Ψ Sigmund Freud’s Personality
Structures
Ψ Carl Rogers’ Real and Ideal
Self
 HARTER’S SELF-DEVELOPMENT
CONCEPT
The development of self-concept according to Harter is as follows:

EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE TO LATER ADOLESCENCE EMERGING

CHILDHOOD ADULTHOOD
The child describes the The child is described The emergence of
“self” in terms of in terms of trait-like more abstract self- The age of possibilities.
concrete, observable constructs (e.g. smart, definitions, such as Has a vision of a
characteristics, such as honest, friendly, shy) inner thoughts, “possible self”.
physical attributes, emotions, attitudes,
material possessions, and motives
behaviors, and
preferences
SIGMUND FREUD
A physician considered as the Father of
the Psychoanalytic Theory (theory
which asserts that unconscious
thoughts and childhood experiences
are important in the development of
personality).
 Levels of Personality
Conscious
 Plays a relatively minor role and includes
those mental elements in awareness at any
given point in time

Preconscious/Subconscious
 Contains all elements that are not conscious
but can become conscious either quite
readily or with some difficulty

Unconscious
 Contains all drives, urges, or instincts that are
beyond our awareness but that nevertheless
motivate most of our words, feelings, and
actions.
 Personality Structures

ID
Motivated entirely by the pleasure
principle
Ego
Motivated by the reality principle

SUPEREGO
Motivated by the morality principle
REAL VS IDEAL SELF
(CARL ROGERS)
 Rogers' personality theory is basically focusing
on the notion of self or self-concept.
 Self-concept includes all those aspects of
one’s being and one’s experiences that are
perceived in awareness by the individual.
 Experiences that are inconsistent with their self-
concept usually are either denied or distorted.
 REAL VS IDEAL SELF
(CARL ROGERS)
REAL SELF IDEAL SELF
How we see ourselves One’s view of self as
one wishes to be
It’s the self that feels
most true to what and Contains attributes,
who we really are. usually positive, that
people aspire to
It may not be perfect, possess
but it’s the part of us
that feels most real
REAL VS IDEAL SELF
(CARL ROGERS)
A wide gap between the ideal self and the self-concept indicates
incongruence and an unhealthy personality.

Psychologically healthy individuals perceive little discrepancy between

their self – concept and what they ideally would like to be.