GE1 Module 4: Psychology of Self PDF

4 **CHAPTER I: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES** **D. PSYCHOLOGY** The **psychology of self** studies either the cognitive or affective representation of one's identity, or the subject of experience. This module provides an overview of some theories that is related to the development of indivi...

4 **CHAPTER I: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES** **D. PSYCHOLOGY** The **psychology of self** studies either the cognitive or affective representation of one's identity, or the subject of experience. This module provides an overview of some theories that is related to the development of individual's self-concept. 1. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the different psychological theories in the study of the self; 2. Expound the self as a cognitive construction; and 3. Examine the self as proactive and agentic. I. **The Self As A Cognitive Construction** **Jean Piaget**'s *theory of cognitive development* is a comprehensive theory about the development of human intelligence. This theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself; and how humans gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it. According to Piaget, cognitive development is a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from biological maturation and environmental experience. Three basic components to Piaget's cognitive theory: 1. Schemas/schemes. These are mental organizations that individuals use to understand their environments and designate action. The knowledge children acquire is organized into schemas (scheme) or groupings of similar actions or thoughts. 2. Adaptation. It involves the child's learning process to meet situational demand- *assimilation* which is the application of previous concepts to new concepts; and *accommodation* which happens when people encounter completely new information or when existing ideas are challenged. 3. Stages of Cognitive Development. They reflect the increasing sophistication of the child's thought process. They progress through 4 stages and they all do so in the same order: (1)Sensorimotor stage at age 0-2. The child learns by doing: looking, touching, sucking; with primitive understanding of cause-and-effect relationships. (2)Preoperational stage at age 2-7. The child uses language and symbols, including letters and numbers. (3)Concrete Operations at age 7-11. The child demonstrates conservation, reversibility, serial ordering, and a mature understanding of cause-and-effect relationship. (4)Formal Operations at age 12 and up. The individual demonstrates abstract thinking at this stage is still concrete. **II. William James and the Me-Self, I-Self** William James (1890) distinguished two understanding of the self represented by the self as "**Me**", and the self as "**I**". The former corresponds to the self as an object of experience (self as object) or the self as known, the latter refers to the self as a subject of experience (self as subject) or the self as knower that is considered to be pure ego and the consciousness itself. In James' view, "Me" reflects "all things" which has the power to produce excitement of a certain particular source, an experiential quality of me-ness, mine-ness, and some similar form, and consists of three components: material, social, and spiritual. The **material self** according to James, is the component of "Me" that a person tends to be most affected with, as he/she invests with things such as clothes, family, and home. Man's **social self** is assembled based on man's interaction with the society and the reactions of others that are analyzed in order to contribute to our idea of a social self. Thus, actions manifested by people will depend on the social situation they are interacting with. With the diverse social situations that an individual may encounter and participate in, it is then assumed that one may manifest a number of selves depending on the situation. The **spiritual self** is said by James to be the most intimate self. It is who we are at our core and something that is permanent: personality, core values, conscience, etc. James considered the spiritual self to be the most intimate version because the satisfaction experienced when one thinks of his/her "ability to argue and discriminate, one's moral sensibility and conscience, and of one's indomitable will" (James 1890, 164) which is more pure than other sentiments of satisfaction. **III. Real and Ideal Self Concept** **Karen Horney** believed that people experience anxiety, and it is through such experience that they develop strategies to be able to reduce and cope with the anxiety. Thus, people tend to create an **idealized self** - an imaginary picture of self having an unlimited power or qualities which the **actual self** - who we actually are, has failed to fulfill. Underlying both the idealized and actual self is the **real self,** which is revealed only when a person starts to find ways to deal and resolve anxiety and conflicts. With Carl Rogers belief, humans have one basic motive, that is to be self-actualized. To achieve such motive, individual's **real self** (actual behavior) and **ideal self** (i.e. who you would like to become) must be in a state of congruence. When the environment is right, one may reach his / her full potential. People, according to Rogers, are inherently good and creative, it is only when the poor self concept overrides the valuing process that they become destructive. Such that, when gaps between the real and ideal self exist, an unhealthy personality arises. **IV. True Self versus False Self** **Donald W. Winnicott** explained his theory about the **True Self** (the unshaped you) and the **False Self** in the paper he wrote in 1960. As he expounded, false self may develop to protect the inner, and more vulnerable true self. When a child is reared in an environment with supportive caretakers and whose needs are satisfied then true self may develop. However, there are instances that the environment does not have enough resources to gratify the needs of the child for certain reasons. In this situation, a child may feel that his/her truest needs is unacceptable, becoming unconsciously *compliant* and adjust his / her behavior. A false self may at times appear to be **Healthy False Self** - that is becoming compliant but without the feeling that the true self is betrayed, and at times **Unhealthy False Self** - that which promotes the feeling of being forced to comply with the demands of a situation. **V. Self as Proactive and Agentic** People as viewed by the Social Cognitive Theory, are capable of controlling their own lives. They are proactive, and reflective, and influential to their own actions to produce desired consequences. The **agent self** resides over everything that involves decision making, self-control, taking charge in situations, and actively responding. As such, a person has the power to choose which option is to be selected, or what action is to be done. Our capacity to distinguish those that we are capable of accomplishing, and those that we are not capable of accomplishing describes the quality of **self-efficacy** a person has. Some may manifest high self-efficacy, and some will be associated with low self-efficacy. **ESSAY** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Which among the theories of the "Self" explains best your personality dynamics? Write down your thoughts and feelings in no less than 300 words. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Base on Salvacion Villafuerte's Understanding the Self Essay Activity. p.50 The representation of one's identity come in the cognitive and affective aspect of an individual. Currently, psychology views the self as playing an integral part in the motivation of people's rational, affective, and social identity. The self then, has various features that help make up integral part of it, like awareness and knowledge of the self to which people are capable to modify to obtain social acceptance. **REFERENCES** Alata, E., et. al. (2018), **Understanding the Self**, Rex Book Store, Inc. (RBSI), Quezon City Aldana, C. (2018), **Psychological Perspective of the Self**, https://prezi.com Cuevo, F., et. al. (2018), **Understanding the Self**, St. Andrew Publishing House, Bulacan Gallinero, W.,et.al. (2018). **Understanding the Self.** Mutya Publishing House, Inc. Malabon City. Villafuerte, S., et. al. (2018), **Understanding the Self**, Nieme Publishing House Co. Ltd. Quezon City Wozniak, M.(2020), **"I" and "Me": The Self in the Context of Consciousness**, [[www.frontiersin.org,]](http://www.frontiersin.org,) retrieved August 16, 2020­ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02Ucd6monY