The Self from

the
Psychological
Perspective
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
 Introduction

The self can be defined in many ways, in different contexts. In the context of psychology, the self can be
defined as a reflexive psychological process that starts when one identifies himself or herself as an object,
followed by describing oneself as a self- concept or self-feeling, and ends with saying that the self is
manifested in how one acts and presents himself or herself to others (Zhao, 2014). In this process, the self
is perceived through how one sees and understands himself or herself.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

 Objectives

01. Differentiate two self theories;

02. Compare and contrast real self and ideal self and true
self and false self; and
03. Assess yourself based on the global and differentiated
models of self

OBJECTIVES
 William James’
Self Theory

William James (1890), an American philosopher and psychologist, divided an individual's perception of
the self into two categories — Me and I.
For James, a human being has the capacity to be a thinking subject and the object of his or her
thinking at the same time.
James claims that in understanding the self, the self can be contextualized in three categories: the
constituents of the self; the feelings and emotions they arouse (self-feelings); and the actions they
prompt (self-seeking).

TYPOGRAPHY
 William James’
Self Theory
In the constituents of the self, the material self consists of one's body, clothes, family, home, and other
material possessions that he or she values and regards as his or her own.
The social self connotes the image of an individual in the eyes of the people around him or her which
determines his or her reputation in society.
The spiritual self includes one's thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.
The pure ego is the "most puzzling aspect of the self" according to James. It is conceived by
understanding that it can recognize its own thoughts and that these thoughts possess a particular
warmth that separate the ego.
Together they constitute what James calls the emipirical self.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 05
 Carl Roger’s Self
Theory

Carl Rogers’ believes that the self does not exist at birth; it is developed
gradually during childhood wherein one differentiates the self from non-self. He
proposed that by means of free choice and action, one can shape himself or
herself based on what he or she wants to be.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Carl Roger’s Self
Theory

The Real Self

The real self is who an individual actually is, intrinsically. It is the self that feels closest to how
one identifies with. It is how one thinks, feels, looks, and acts. It is the self that feels most
natural, comfortable, and true to what and who one really is. It is the self that one continuously
needs to accept, takes care of and improves. The real self is one’s self-image.

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 Carl Roger’s Self
Theory

The Ideal Self

The ideal self, on the other hand, is the perception of what a person would like to be or
thinks he or she would be. It is an idealized image that has developed over time based on the
influence of the environment and the people one interacts with. It is the self that one thinks he
or she should be, and that one feels others think he or she should be.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Self-Concept

When a human being is born into the world, the concept of self is presented to
him or her like a small dot whose size increases and develops as one gets older.
It is individual’s belief about himself or herself, including his or her attributes.

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 Self-Concept

Aspects of Self-Concept
The existential self begins when an individual recognizes his or her existence as a separate entity
from others and realizes that he or she will continue to exist over a period of time and space. The
existential self usually starts from infancy up to early childhood.
The categorical self starts after a child recognizes his or her existence as a separate entity and
becomes aware that he or she is an object in the world. Like objects with physical properties, one
begins to categorize himself or herself in terms of age, sex, height, weight.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09
 Self Concept

Three Components of Self-Concept

Rogers believed that the self is composed or concepts unique to every individual.
Self worth or self-esteem — is what one thinks about oneself. This develops in early childhood stage
resulting from the interaction of the child with his or her mother and father.
Self-image — is how one sees himself or herself, which is important for good psychological health.
Self-image includes the influence of body image on inner personality.
Ideal self — is the person that one wants to be. It consists of one's dreams and goals in life, and it is
continuously changing.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09
 Donald W. Winnicott's True
Self and False Self

True Self
The true self is also known as the real self, authentic self, original self, and vulnerable self. It is
the core of who you are, the original you, unshaped by the unbringing of society. It is one's
spontaneous and natural self-expression, a sense of being alive in mind and body that allows him
or her to be genuinely close to others. This is the state one is born in.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Donald W. Winnicott's True
Self and False Self

False Self
The false self, on the other hand, is also known as the fake self, ideal self, perfect self, and
pseudo self. This is composed of the parts of the self wherein behaviors are altered, feelings are
repressed, and one's needs are set aside in order to fit in with others. When a person has to
comply with mores, norms, fads, crazes, fashions, a false self is activated. The false self
constantly seeks to anticipate the demands and expectations of others in order to preserve and
improve relationships.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09
 Global versus Differentiated
Model

Global models look into a human being in his or her totality, as an indivisible entry that cannot be
broken down into parts. The two prominent schools of thought supporting this idea are Gestalt
psychology and humanistic psychology.

Gestalt psychology as a whole emphasizes the idea that perception is holistic, meaning that
we perceive objects and experiences as organized wholes rather than isolated elements.
Humanistic psychology is all about focusing on what makes people feel happy, fulfilled, and
grow as individuals. It believes that everyone has the potential to become the best version
of themselves.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09
 Global versus Differentiated
Model

The differentiated models look into a human being through examining its parts for it is divisible or
can be broken down into components. Psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung studied that
the human psyche and its structure that is essential in understanding personality and identity.

For Freud, the psyche is composed of three parts - id, ego, and superego. It appears that
the id is the devil within the self, the superego is the angel, and ego is the person in the
middle. These are often in conflict with each other.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Global versus Differentiated
Model

For Jung, the human psyche is divided into three parts - the ego, the personal unconscious,
and the collective unconscious. The ego is the person's sense of identity and existence. It
organized thoughts, feelings, senses and intuition. The personal unconscious includes the
repressed and forgotten experiences. The collective unconscious consists of the
fundamental elements of the human psyche that includes experiences all humans share or in
common.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Albert Bandura's Agentic
Theory of the Self

Albert Bandura suggests that humans have the ability to act and make things happen.
In his theory of the self, people are viewed as proactive agents of experiences.
Agency embodies the belief systems, self-regulatory capabilities, and structures and functions
through which personal influence is exercised, rather than the environment.
The main agentic features of agency are: intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness, and
self-reflectiveness.
a. Intentionality refers to acts done intentionally.
b. Forethought enables the person to anticipate the likely consequences of prospective actions.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Albert Bandura's Agentic
Theory of the Self

c. Self-reactiveness enables the person to make choices and choose appropriate courses
of action
d. Self-reflectiveness gives the person ability to reflect upon oneself of his thoughts and
actions.
Efficacy beliefs are the foundation of human agency
Self efficacy refers to the individual's belief that he or she is capable to perform a task

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF PAGE 09

 Thanks
for
listening!
Group 2

THANKS!
 Members

AMONGO, CHARLENE JOY

BUNTAG, KRISTEL ANNE
DUMANON, JULIUS RYLE
MANIEGO, PAULEEN JERI
REYES, DENNISE FRANCINE

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF