THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT

Lesson 3: The Self as a Cognitive Construct

OBJECTIVES:

1. Identify the different ideas in psychology about the “self”

2. Create your own definition of the “self” based on the definitions

from psychology

3. Analyze the effects of various factors identified in psychology in

the formation of the “self.”
 I am who I
am.

“ If you are who you are, then who

are you that makes you who you
are?”
 THE “I” AND “ME” SELF

♠ One of the earliest psychologists to study the self and conceptualized

the self as having two aspects:

♠ The “I” Self reflects what people see or perceive themselves doing
in the physical world ( Example: recognizing that one is walking,
eating, writing).
♠ The “Me” Self is more subjective and psychological phenomenon,
referring to individuals’ reflections about themselves ( Example:
characterizing oneself as athletic, smart, cooperative)

♠ COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVES suggest that one’s self representation

William James affects and gives meaning to experiences.
Other Concepts Similar to Self:

IDENTITY

- Is composed of personal characteristics,

social roles, and responsibilities, as well
as affiliations that define who one is.
 SELF- CONCEPT THEORY

● Our self-concept is our

subjective perception of
who we are & what we
are like.

CARL ROGERS
 TWO CONCEPTS OF THE SELF
THE REAL SELF THE IDEAL SELF

The person I think The person I wish

I am I were
DIFFICULTIES WITH THE
SELF & THE IDEAL SELF
1. Excessive Discrepancies Between the Real Self
and the Ideal Self can be Uncomfortable.
2. An inaccurate self- concept can cause
problems.
I am a lion, the king
of the jungle

Am wondering if there’s some-

thing wrong with that mirror
or with that cat.
3. We deny awareness to some of our feelings and
experiences as a result of our parents’ and
society’s reaction to our behavior.
 SELF AND IDENTITY

- As mental constructs, created

and recreated in memory.
- Current researchers point to
the frontal lobe of the brain as
the specific area in the brain
- associated with the process
concerning the self.
- It is therefore necessary to look
deeper into the mind of the
person to theorize about the
self, identity, self- concept and
one’s personality.
 THEORY OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

- Argued that the self is created

and developed through human
interaction.

George
Herbert Mead
REASONS WHY SELF AND IDENTITY ARE SOCIAL
PRODUCTS:

♠ We do not create ourselves out of nothing.

♠ We need others to affirm and reinforce who

think we are. We need them as reference
points of our identity.

♠ What we think is important to us may also

have been influenced by what is important
in our social or historical context.
♠ Social interaction and group affiliation
therefore, are vital factors in creating
our self-concept in the aspect of pro-
viding us with our social identity or
our perception of who we are based
on our membership to certain groups.
SELF AWARENESS
♠ Carver and Scheier identified two types of
self-awareness:

1. The Private Self or Internal Standards of

private thoughts and feelings.

2. The Public Self or your Public Image

commonly geared toward having a good
presentation of yourself to others.
SELF SCHEMA OF SELF- AWARENESS

1. The Actual Self – who you are at the

moment.

2. The Ideal Self – who you like to be

3. Ought Self – who you think you should

be.
THE SELF
- Defined as our own positive or negative perception or
evaluation of ourselves, it has a great impact on our
self-esteem.

♠ Social comparison in which we learn about ourselves,

the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our
social status by comparing aspects of ourselves with
other people.
TYPES OF SOCIAL COMPARISON:

A. Downward Social Comparison

♠ We create a positive self-concept by com-
paring ourselves with those who are
worse off than us thereby, increasing our
self- esteem.
B. Upward Social Comparison
♠ Comparing ourselves with those who are
better off than us. While it can motivate us, it
can highlight more of our weaknesses or
inequities.
Social comparison also entails Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory:

- States that we can feel threatened when someone out-

performs us especially when the person is close to us.

♠ We distance ourselves from that person or redefine our

relationship with them (i.e. silent treatment, change of
friends) While some may also redefine by being closer
to that person hoping that some association may give
us some acknowledgement.
♠ We may also reconsider the importance of the aspect or
skill in which you were outperformed. (i.e. if you got
beaten in a drawing competition, you might think that
drawing is not really for you and you’ll find another
hobby where you could excel thus, preserving your self-
esteem)

♠ We may strengthen our resolve to improve that certain

aspect of ourselves (i.e. instead of quitting drawing, you
might join seminars, practice more often, & add elements
to your drawing that makes it unique among others.
Achieving your goal through hard work may increase
your self-esteem)
NARCISSISM

- Is a trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-

admiration, and self- centeredness.
- They are often charismatic because of how they take
care of their image.
- They look for better partners, better acquaintances,
as well as people who appreciate them a lot.

- Makes them a bad romantic partner or friend since

they engage in relationships only to serve themselves.
♠ People with high self- esteem are commonly des-
cribbed as outgoing, adventurous, and adaptable
in a lot of situations

♠ They also initiate activities and building relation-

ship with people

♠ However, they may also dismiss activities that do

not conform to their self-concept or boost their
self-esteem. They may also be bullies.
 ON SECOND THOUGHT……..

1. Although self-esteem is a very important concept related to

the self, it only has a correlation, not causality to positive
outputs and outlook.

2. Healthy self-esteem may result to an overall good persona-

lity but it is not, and should not be, the only source of a
person’s healthy perspective of herself.
3. Research on self-esteem concluded that programs, activities
and parenting styles to boost self-esteem should only be
for rewarding good behavior and other achievements and
not for the purpose of merely trying to make children feel
better about themselves or to appease them when they get
angry or sad.
THE END