THE SELF IN THE

PSYCHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
 THE NATURE OF SELF

• Dual Structure
I Me

• The self that actively perceives and
thinks
• Subjective Part of the self
William
• The one that is being perceived, the
object of one’s attention, thought, and
perception
• Objective part of the self

James
I am a student
 • Refers to “people’s ideas about who they are and
what they are like” (Brown, 1998)
• Three components:

Material Self
Physical body and physical aspects, and other physical materials
ME
owned by the self,
It is an expression of who one is
Social Self
The self as ascribed by others, example “she is kind”
There can many social selves

Spiritual Self
Comprises the inner thoughts and dispositions
Includes consciousness, personality, core values, and conscience
 Carl Rogers
REAL VERSUS IDEAL SELF

• Real Self – person’s self-perception; what

the person really is
• Ideal Self- what the person aspires to be;
influenced by significant others such as
parents, friends, loved ones and society
• Possible selves- not only the other selves
that one hopes for but also those that one
does not wish to become
• Impression management- conscious effort to
influence how people perceive or view you.
 MULTIPLE SELVES VERSUS THE
UNIFIED SELF

Gordon Allport(1897-1967), Prescott Lecky(1892-1941)

• Unified Self - essentially connected to consciousness, awareness, and agency.
-integrated and unified.
-All aspect of personality

Gergen,1968; Mischel,1973; Vallacher,1980

• Multiple Self – we are multiple version rolled into one self.
-Different roles depending on interpersonal interaction.
-People act differently as interact with diverse group of people.
 CULTURAL VARIATIONS OF SELF

INDEPENDENT INTERDEPENDENT
-The individual is the primary unit -The individual sees oneself as
of consciousness; its goal is to being connected with others. It is
become independent from others defined according to how one is
and express one’s unique socially connected with other
attributes. people.
-Individualistic -Collectivistic
-Western Countries -More common in Eastern
countries
 THE SELF AS AGENT

• The self is not a passive entity, but rather an active agent as it adapts flexibly
in a certain situations and social interaction.
• Self has the capability to control and balance the different adaptations.
• An individual defines the self as according to how one constructs an idea of
who one is and how one interacts with one’s environment.
• The self has the capacity to control and make choices.