The Psychology of

the Self
EMMANUEL R. SANTOS, LPT, MBA
TEACHER
 Nota bene: This Instructional material (IM) is not
entirely written by the course specialist but is just a
compilation of reading materials only for purposes of
research and study of the course UNDERSTANDING
THE SELF. The attached materials are credited to the
author of said articles as properly acknowledged in
the parenthetical citation, relevant links in the slides
and reference page. This material is not for sale.
Students are not allowed to reproduce or duplicate
the same. For strict confidentiality and compliance.
At the end of the lesson, you will be
able to:

 Evaluate the various concepts of the self as define by psychology

 Explore how the distinct psychological factors contribute to the

development of the self

 Create your own definition of the self based on the definition from
psychology
After philosophical, sociological
and anthropological perspective…
 Each discipline has their own
representations and
conceptualizations of the self.
 Similarities and differences may
have been identified.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9cM_kUvg9c

 But then again, one cannot deny

the fact that there are cognitive
and affective aspects of one’s
identity that still contribute in the
development of one’s self rather
than just pointing out to the
relation of the mind and soul, or of https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/maki
ng-change/201308/all-self-improvement-starts-

the society or culture to the “self”. here

https://www.lifecoachcode.com/2017/02/12/real-reality/the-self-2/
What is Psychology?

 The scientific study of the human

mind and its function, especially
those affecting behavior in a https://www.self.com/story/take-
given context. (English Oxford Living Dictionary) care-of-your-mental-health

 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)
https://utsged101portfolio.wordpre
ss.com/module-6-2/
 In this lesson, we will explore the https://www.technologynetwor
ks.com/neuroscience/articles/

‘’self’’ using the perspective of the what-if-consciousness-is-not-

what-drives-the-human-mind-

mental, emotional and spiritual 307159

aspect of one’s personality.

https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.c
om/managing-diabetes/emotional-
health/spiritual-self-care-and-the-use-of-
prayer/
William James
 Known as the father of American
Psychology.
 He believed that the self has two
aspects: “I Self” and “Me Self”
 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.
 Me Self- represents an individual’s
reflection about himself or herself
(e.g. branding oneself as risk-taker,
intelligent, kind)
http://www.philosopher.eu/others-writings/william-
james-does-consciousness-exist/
Carl Rogers
 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)
 SELF- IMAGE- how we view
ourselves.
https://www.britannica.com
 SELF-ESTEEM- refers to a person’s /biography/Carl-Rogers

overall sense of his or her value or

worth. It can be considered a sort
of measure of how much a person
“values, approves of, appreciates,
prizes, or likes him or herself”(Adler &
Stewart, 2004).

 IDEAL SELF- is the person that you

aspire to be. (McLeod, 2008)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-
https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/10-ways- change/201512/five-ways-help-become-your-ideal-self
that-will-instantly-boost-your-self-esteem.html
 Self-Esteem and Social Comparison

 One of the ways in which our

social relationship affects our self-
esteem is through social
comparison.

https://cassdunn.com/dont-let-comparison-steal-joy/
 According to social comparison
theory, we learn about ourselves,
the appropriateness of our
behaviors, as well as our social
status by comparing aspects of
ourselves with other people (Jhangiani and
Tarry 2014: Hogg and Vaughan 2010)
https://www.superwoman.school/blog/5-ways-
to-stop-obsessing-over-what-others-think-of-you

https://dailyillini.com/wpcontent/uploads/2019/03/Comparison-01-900x900.png
Self-Esteem and Social Comparison
 The downward social comparison
is the more common type of
comparing ourselves with others.
As the name implies, we create a
positive self-concept by
comparing ourselves with those
who are worse off than us. (Jhangiani and
Tarry 2014)

 The upward social comparison is

comparing ourselves with those
who are better off than us. (Jhangiani and
Tarry 2014)

https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-truth-about-body-positive-activists-on-social-media/
Self-Esteem and Self-Evaluation
Maintenance Theory
 We can feel threatened when someone
outperforms us, especially when that person
is close to us (i.e. a friend or a family) (Tesser 1988 in
Jhangiani and Tarry 2014)

 In this case we usually react in 3 ways:

1. We distance ourselves from that person or
redefine our relationship with them. (Jhangiani and
Tarry 2014);

2. We may also reconsider the importance of

the aspect or skill in which you were
outperformed. (Jhangiani and Tarry 2014);
3. We may also strengthen our resolve to
improve that certain aspect of ourselves.
(Jhangiano and Tarry 2014)
https://dorkdiaries.com/2014/05/when-your-best-friend-is-better-than-you/
Self-Esteem and Narcissism

 However, in our attempt to increase or

maintain self-esteem, some people
become narcissistic.

 Narcissism is a “trait characterized by

overly high self-esteem, self-admiration,
and self-centeredness. (Jhangiani and Tarry 2014)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201609/meet-the-real-
narcissists-theyre-not-what-you-think
Sigmund Freud
 According to Freud, human
personality is complex and has
more than a single component.
https://www.verywellmind.co
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sig https://www.verywellmind.com/books-by-
m/freudian-theory-2795845
mund-Freud sigmund-freud-2795862
 In his famous psychoanalytic
theory, Freud states that
personality is composed of three
elements known as the id, the ego,
and the superego. These elements
work together to create complex
human behaviors. (Boag, S. 2014)

 Each component adds its own

unique contribution to personality
and the three interact in ways that
have a powerful influence on an
individual. (verywellmind.com)

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-id-ego-and-superego-2795951
Sigmund Freud- Id
 The first part of the self to develop.
 Known as the seat of all our desires
and wants.
 In a nutshell, collection of urges that
need to be fulfilled. https://medium.com/one-table-one-world/the-
ultimate-bubble-tea-handbook-cce7f8fc8b01

 This part of the self has no awareness

other than it wants what it wants.
 There is an instant 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.
https://vocal.media/filthy/how-the-darkness-of-your-sexual-
(Cruz, B. 2018) desires-can-shed-light-on-vaginismus
Sigmund Freud- Ego

 It is the part of us that functions in

reality.
 While id, is totally irrational , the
ego has the capability to
distinguish what is right or wrong
based on the given context.
 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.

https://fractalenlightenment.com/31071/issu
es/the-illusion-of-right-and-wrong
Sigmund Freud- Superego

 The super ego 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 the little
angel whispering on our shoulder
that plagues us with shame and
guilt when we fail to meet its
standards.
 The superego can be rigid and
punishing as it is irrational in its view
of perfection.

https://cbtworld.wordpress.com/cbtmo/cbt-move-on-sigmund-freud-id-ego-superego/
UNIFIED SELF VS MULTIPLE SELF
 Theorists such as Descartes and Locke,
view the self as unified.
 An individual, including the things that he
or she thinks, wants, hopes and so on
and so forth, are all part of a unified
being.
 The unified self theory states that the
identity of a person develops in a
continuity of consciousness. https://caringpeopleinc.com/blog/caregiver-shortage-
alert-who-is-caring-for-our-seniors/

 What makes me “me” is the network of

memories, hopes, 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)
http://www.khabar.com/magazine/features
https://www.kotatv.com/content/news/Finding-the-
/views-the-great-canadian-dream
abilities-in-people-with-challenges-401344935.html
UNIFIED SELF VS MULTIPLE SELF
 The question is, is there just one
“self” in each person or are we
really consist of many different
selves?
 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
multiple self.
 Remember that our sense of self
identity has developed out of past
experiences. Other parts of our
“self” may even be hidden or
masked.
https://livingmeanings.com/fragmentation-lives-identities/
UNIFIED SELF VS MULTIPLE SELF
 According to Sedikedes & Spences
(2007) and Katoch & Katoch (2017),
some describe the multiple self as
having separate domains:
1. 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.
2. Private self- the “interpreter” part of
your being that narrates and makes
sense of what is going on.
3. Public self- the person that you
attempt to project to others, which in https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/07/10/740214

turn, interacts with how other people 086/the-famous-big-5-personality-test-might-not-reveal-the-true-

you

see you.
PETA 3
 Curious to know your character strengths?
Try this character strength test on this link:
https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/acc
ount/register
 Capture the result. (TOP 4 character
strengths and answer the following:
1. Do you completely agree, partly agree or
completely disagree with the result? Share
your thoughts by giving examples.
2. If you agree with the result, cite some
examples on how you can use these to
make our place a better world.
3. If you do not agree with the result, choose
among the options for yourself and cite
some examples on how you can use
these to make our place a better world.
Reference List:

1. Alata EJP, Caslib BN, Serafica JPJ & Pawilen, RA. Understanding the Self. Manila: Rex Publishing.

2. Baumeister, R. & Bushman, B (2011). “The Self”. Social Psychology and Human Nature. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA:
Cengage Learning.

3. Cherry, K. (2019). Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego. Retrieved on 05 August 2020 from:

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-id-ego-and-superego-2795951

4. Cruz, B.L. (2018). Understanding the Self, First Edition. Paranaque: JTCA Publishing.

5. Dash, B. & Tripathy, G. (2012). Essentials of General Psychology. New Delhi: Wisdom Press.

6. Hogg, M. & Vaughan, G. (2010). Essentials of Social Psychology. Italy: Pearson Educated Ltd.

7. Jhangiani, R. & Tarry, H. (2014). Principles of Social Psychology. Retrieved on 12 October 2017 from:

https://pzacadpitzer.edu/-hfairchi/courses/Spring2015/Psych%20103/Principles-of-Social-Psychology-lst-International-
Edition-1415042666.pdf

8. Katoch, S. & Katoch, K. (2017). Understanding the Self. India: Shipra Publication.

9. Lexico.com. Oxford English and Spanish Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Spanish to English Translator. Retrieved on 05
August 2020 from:

https://www.lexico.com/definition/psychology

10. McLeod (2008). Self Concept. Retrieved from

www.simplypsychology.org/self-concept.html
Reference List:

11. Rogers, C. (1959). “A Theory of therapy, personality, relationships as developed in the client-centered framework.”
In (Ed) S. Koch. Psychology: A study of science. Vol. 3: Formulations of the person and the social context. New York:
McGraw Hill.

12. Sedikides, C. & Spencer, S.J. (Eds.) (2007). The Self. New York: Psychology Press