Psychology: William James and Carl Rogers Self Theories

William James’s Concept of Self

• William James, a philosopher and psychologist, developed a theory of self-consciousness in his work, Principles of Psychology in 1890.
• The main concept of self has two parts: the Me-self and the I-self.
• Me-self is the empirical self, or the self as known.
• I-self is the thinking self, self that knows who he or she is.
• The "Me-Self" is further divided into subcategories:
  • Material Self: Encompasses everything a person values and desires materially.
  • Social Self: Refers to how a person acts in social situations.
  • Spiritual Self: The most intimate and important part of the self, encompassing purpose, motives, emotions, values, conscience, and moral behaviour.

Carl Roger’s Self Theory

• Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, defined the self as a flexible and changing perception of personal identity.
• The self develops from interactions with significant people and self-awareness.
• Human beings strive for self-fulfillment or self-actualization.
• There are two types of self-concept:
  • Real Self-concept: Awareness of "what I am and what I can do" (self-image).
  • Ideal Self-concept: Person's conception of what one should be or wants to be, including goals and ambitions.
• The discrepancy between real and ideal self can lead to unhappiness or satisfaction.

Multiple Self and Unified Self

• David Lester proposed the concept of Multiple Self, wherein the mind is composed of subselves representing different sets of psychological processes (dreams, desires, emotions, and memories).
• These subselves vary across different roles and relationships.
• The integration of these subselves into one is the Unified Self.

Walter Mishcel's Take

• Walter Mishcel believed that people behave differently based on the situations they find themselves in and their different histories of learning.

True Self and False Self

• D. W. Winnicott, an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst, believed the self is composed of the True Self and the False Self.
• True Self represents real feelings and desires.
• False Self involves a change in behaviour, repressed feelings, and putting aside needs to survive.

Self as an Onion

• The self is often compared to an onion, representing layers of self-awareness, social roles, and personal values.

The Self as Proactive and Agentic

• Albert Bandura, a psychologist, suggested that humans have the ability to act and make things happen.
• He views people as proactive agents of their experiences.
• Agency encompasses endowments, belief systems, self-regulatory capabilities, and structures and functions of the self.

Main Agentic Features

• Intentional: Actions performed with full awareness of behavior.
• Forethought: Anticipating the consequences of prospective actions.
• Self-Reactiveness: Choosing appropriate courses of action.
• Self-Reflectiveness: Reflecting upon oneself and the adequacy of thoughts and actions.

Self-Efficacy

• Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one's ability to perform a task.
• It plays a central role in self-regulation.

The Self as the Central Archetype

• Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, conceived the structure of personality (psyche) as a complex network of interacting systems striving for harmony.
• The Ego is the conscious mind, including perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and memories.