THE SELF FROM THE

PERSPECTIVE OF
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology – deals with the description, explanation,
prediction and control of behavior
- believes that the world of material things
including people exists independently of
the perceiving human mind

Nature-Nurture Controversy
Experts in the field of human behavior have sought
for ways to best explain the causes of human behavior
only to discover that both nature and nurture influence
behavior, each one to a greater or lesser degree.
William James
Five characteristics of thoughts:

1. All human thoughts are owned by some personal self.

2. All thoughts are constantly changing or are never static.
3. There is a continuity of thoughts as its focus shifts from one
object to another.
4. Thoughts deal with objects that are different from and
independent of consciousness itself.
5. Consciousness can focus on particular objects and not others.
The “Me” and the “I”

The self is made up of two part: the Me self and the I self. The Me self can
be considered as a separate object or individual that the person refers to
when discussing or describing their personal experiences.
Example: The gifts were sent to me.
The person is smiling at me.

The I self is the self that knows and recognizes who they are and what they
have done.
Example: I borrowed the book from the library.
I won the game.

James called the ME self as the empirical ME and the I self the Pure Ego or
the thinking self.
The ME self is further divided into three components namely: the material self,
the social self and the spiritual self.

1. The Material Self consists of the things or objects that belong to the person
or entities that a person belongs to. Examples: person’s body, family, clothes,
books, money.
2. The Social Self refers to who the person is in a particular social situation.
Changes in behavior usually result from the different social situations the
person finds himself in. James believed that people have many social selves
because of the many social situations they find themselves in.
3. The Spiritual Self refers to the self that is more concrete or permanents
when compared to the material and social selves. This self is the most
subjective and intimate part of the self. It includes aspects like the
individual’s personality, values and morals that are usually stable and
constant. The spiritual self is always engaging in the process of introspection
(self-observation). This is a method that includes reflecting or looking
inward to study and understand the how and why of the self.
The Other Selves in Psychology:

Global and Differentiated Self Models

Real and Ideal Self-Concepts
Multiple and Unified Selves
True and False Selves
The Self as Proactive and Agentic
Global and Differentiated Self Models
Global Self – represents the overall value that a person places upon himself. This affects
how he views and feels about himself. It is inevitable for a person to be born and to grow up
in the presence of the people. The groups of people that he interacts with everyday of his
life strongly influence him. He turns to them for support and seeks their approval in the
journey of finding himself. His global self is the product of all experiences that he had in
the society which accounts for the kind of person he presently is.

Differentiated Self – has the ability to separate feelings and thoughts. The person
recognizes that he has his own personality and therefore endowed with unique
characteristics not found in other members of the group. With this knowledge he realizes
that for him to attain self-fulfillment, he should have the will to separate himself from the
group, live his own life and fulfill his destiny. Being able to free himself from the influence
of others allows him to define himself.
Two forces affecting the person:
a. Togetherness – too much togetherness creates friction and conflict and prevents the
development of the person’s sense of self
b. Individuality – too much individuality results in distant and estrange feelings towards
family and other people
Real and Ideal Self-Concepts

Self-concept – refers to how a person thinks about or perceives himself

Real Self-Concept – refers to all information and perception the person has
about himself. This is who actually is and answers the question “Who am I?”

Ideal Self-Concept – is the model version the person has of himself. This
idealized view was borne out of his experiences, standards and demands of
society and the heroes and models which he chooses to imitate. The ideal self
is what the person aims for himself to be. It answers the question of who he
wants to become or “Who do I want to be?”

Congruence – the sameness or equality between the real self and the ideal self
in order for the person to be happy and satisfied with his life. If the real self is
very different from the ideal self the person will experience dissatisfaction and
may see himself as a failure or a loser (self-discrepancy).
Multiple and Unified Self

Multiple Selves Theory – suggests that there exits in the individual

different aspects of the self. It makes sense that the self is a whole
made up of parts. These parts of the self may manifest themselves
when situations call for it.

A unified being is essentially connected to consciousness,

awareness and agency. To be considered a well-adjusted person,
success and failures should be accepted and understood. This is a
person who is able to deal with and accept the complexities and the
perceived unfairness that exist in life. They manifest content with
the present state of affairs and continue to adjust, adapt, evolve and
survive as an individual with an integrated, unified multiple selves.
True and False Selves

True Self – the self is seen as creative, spontaneously experiencing each day
of their lives , appreciating being alive, real, integrated and connected to the
whole of existence. It is further characterized by the high level of awareness
in the person of who he is, what he is capable of and is not afraid to let
others know his weaknesses and imperfections. The true self is the
individual who recognizes his strengths and accepts his limitations, enjoys
wining and success and learns from mistakes and failures. Never afraid to
try all over again.

False Self – a form of defense. It lacks spontaneity, is dead and empty. It is

the mask that hides the true person for fear of the pain of rejection and
failure. False selves usually surface when the person is forced to comply
with existing social norms and standards. At times, false selves enable the
person to form superficial but productive social relationships.
The Self as Proactive and Agentic
- The person has the capacity to exercise control over his life.

The Social Cognitive Theory – suggested that human beings are proactive, self-regulating,
self-reflective and self-organizing. People have the ability to influence their own behavior
which may lead to desired outcomes.

Features of Human Agency

1. Intentionality – actions performed by the person intentionally or with full awareness of
his behavior. This feature involves planning with awareness of the possible
consequences of actions.
2. Forethought – refers to the person’s anticipation of likely outcomes of his behavior.
This allows him to select from a repertoire of behaviors and determine which one will
most likely lead to a positive outcome.
3. Self-reactiveness – refers to the process in which the person is motivated and regulates
his behavior as he observes his progress in achieving his goals. The goals that the
person wants to reach should be clear and specific and within his ability to achieve. The
person should be realistic, aware of his potentials and capabilities to fulfill his goals.
4. Self-reflectiveness – refers to the person looking inward and evaluating his motivations,
values, life goals and other people’s effect on him. An important aspect of self-
reflectiveness is self-efficacy which is the person’s belief that he is capable of behavior
that will produce the desired positive results.
Self-Regulation

- Allows the person to set goals that are better

and higher than the former, challenging his
capabilities and making him a wiser and self-
actualized individual.