Psychology Lesson 4 PDF

# PSYCHOLOGY LESSON 4 ## INTRODUCTION The next perspective to be tackled is the Psychological View of the Self. The following ideas and principles are derived from the theories of different psychologists who theorized about the concept of Self. Let us see how you will be able interpret your own e...

# PSYCHOLOGY LESSON 4 ## INTRODUCTION The next perspective to be tackled is the Psychological View of the Self. The following ideas and principles are derived from the theories of different psychologists who theorized about the concept of Self. Let us see how you will be able interpret your own experiences through Psychology. ## LESSON PROPER Psychology delves in the Physiological having to with an organism's physical processes and the Cognitive having to do with an organism's thinking. Learning psychology can help you gain better understanding of your own behavior and give useful insight thereof said behaviors. It is derived from two Greek words, psyche meaning soul/mind; and logos meaning "study". Literally, psychology means the study of souls but now it is study of mind. Psychology primarily studies WHO and WHAT we are, WHY we act and think in a particular manner and what our potential as an individual. Study of psychology is concerned with specific study of behavior and mental process. Psychology focus on the individual, cognitive functions and other possible factors that affect the individual. ### Who am I? A lot of people say, "I am who I am", yet this statement still begs the question "if you are who you are, then who are you that makes who you are?" * **"SELF"** is the "sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals (Jhangiani and Tarry 2014)." * **Identity** - concept of an individual about himself and often referred to as "self-identity." "Self-identity" - is the belief of what the individuals thinks and feels about him. And can also be influenced by how others perceive an individual * **Self-development** is a continuous process throughout the lifespan; one's sense of self may change, at least somewhat, throughout one's life. * **Self-representation** has important implications for socio-emotional functioning throughout the lifespan. ## WILLIAM JAMES (1890) William James was one of the earliest psychologists to study the self and conceptualized the self as having 2 aspects: the "I" and the "me." Both "me" and "I" are 1st person singular pronouns, which means that they are used by one person to refer to himself or herself. Difference is: * While "me" is the object pronoun, which means that it is used as the object of the verb. * The "Me" is the social self and the "I" is the response to the "Me." In other words, the "I" is the response of an individual to the attitudes of others, while the "me" is the organized set of attitudes of others which an individual assumes. Mead develops William James' distinction between the "I" and the "me." E.g. "Don't wait for ME, I will be gone for long time." Furthermore, according to James, the "I" is the thinking, acting, feeling self. While the "me" is the physical characteristics as well psychological capabilities that makes who you are. James's further assumptions on the self: | **I** (the self in action) | **Me** (the self as an object in the world) | |:----------:|:---------------------------------------:| | Self in process, in the moment | The structured and determinate part of the self| | The impulsive, spontaneous, and indeterminate part of the self | A product of interaction and conscious reflection | | Non-reflective | We know the "I" only through the "me" | | Part of the self that produces individuality | **Attitudinal Change** Quoting William James himself "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of the mind". He meant that with just the simple change of attitude anyone even you can change your life for better or for worse. ## CARL ROGERS "When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic." - Carl Rogers Carl Rogers's theory of personality also used the same terms like William James. According to his theory, the "I" as the one who acts and decides while the "me" is what you think or feel about yourself as an object. * The **I Self** reflects what people see or perceive themselves doing in the physical world (e.g., recognizing that one is walking, eating, writing), in other words, the one who acts and decides. * **Meanwhile, the Me Self** is a more subjective and psychological phenomenon, referring to individuals' reflections about themselves (e.g. characterizing oneself as athletic, smart, cooperative). Therefore, it is what you think or feel about yourself. **Self-schema** - is our organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are. It may also include our interests, work, course, age, name, and physical characteristics. As you grow and adapt to the changes around you, self-schema also changes. Example: * When someone states your first name even if they are not talking about you, your attention is drawn to them. * If you have provincial language and you hear someone using it, it catches your attention. * If you consider yourself a book-lover, a bookstore may always entice you out of all other stores in a mall. ## Unconditional Positive Regard Unconditional positive regard, sometimes referred to as "UPR", is a term attributed to Carl Rogers, the creator of person-centered counseling and one of the founders of humanistic therapy. UPR refers to accepting and supporting another exactly as they are, without evaluating or judging them. ## Identity and Self Concept Overview * **Identity** is composed of personal characteristics, social roles and responsibilities, as well as affiliations that define who one is. * **SELF-CONCEPT** - how someone thinks about or perceives themselves. "the individual's belief about himself or herself, including the person's attributes and who and what the self is." * **Identity**-concept of an individual about himself and often referred to as "self-identity" or the self- belief of what the individuals thinks and feels about himself. And can also be influenced by how others perceive an individual * **Roles**- are also part of his identity. (E.g. birth order in the family, nature of work, occupation or title, academic and social standing) **SELF, IDENTITY, and SELF-CONCEPT are NOT FIXED in one-time frame.** For example, when you are asked about who you are, you can say * "I was a varsity player in 5th grade" which pertains to the past, * "a college student" which may be the present, and * "a future politician" which is the future. They are not also fixed for life nor are they ever-changing at every moment. Think of a malleable metal, strong and hard but can be bent and molded in other shapes. Think about water. It can take any shape of the container, but at its core, it is still the same element. ## Experiences of the Self The Self-concept includes two different experiences of the self: 1. **The existential self** - The concept that you are unique/different from others (Persian poet RUMI pondered, "Who am I in the midst of all this thought traffic?"), Subjective (1). 2. **The Categorical self-concept** (and the concept of others) tends to focus on his or her own visible characteristics, Objective (ME). ## Self-Concept The real self is **WHO WE ACTUALLY ARE**. It is **HOW WE THINK, HOW WE FEEL, LOOK, AND ACT**. The real self can be seen by others, but because we have no way of truly knowing how others view us, the real self is our self-image. **Self-Concept/Self-Schema Composed of 3 Things:** 1. **Self-Image(Real Self)** - who you are at the moment (e.g. - as a student you are interested in basketball but academically challenge in most of your subjects), Self image includes: Physical description, Social Roles, Personal traits, existential statements 2. **Ideal Self** - who you like to be (e.g.- to practice more and play with the varsity team) is how we want to be. It is an idealized image that we have developed over time, based on what we have learned and experienced. Could include components of what our parents have taught us, what we admire in others, what our society promotes, and what we think is in our best interest. 3. **Ought Self (Self-Esteem/Self-worth)** - who you think you should be (e.g. - to pass your subjects as a responsible student) Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our SELF-ESTEEM, one of the common concepts associated with the "self. It is defined as our own positive and negative perception or evaluation of ourselves. A person's ideal self may not be consistent with their actual experience (real self), or what is even possible. This is called incongruence. One has to find solution to such discrepancies to avoid agitation, dejection, or other negative emotions. In some instances, however, all 3 may be in line with one another. **Self-actualization** refers to the need for personal growth and development throughout one's life. It is the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which was developed by psychologist Abraham Maslow. Once you are self-actualized, you've met your full potential as an individual. **Self-Esteem and Self-Worth** refers to the extent to which we like, accept, or approve of ourselves; or how much we value ourselves. Self-esteem always involves a degree of evaluation, and we may have either a positive or a negative view of ourselves ## Social Comparison Theory One of the ways in which our social relationship affects our self-esteem is through social comparison. According to the Social Comparison Theory, we learn about ourselves, the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our social status by comparing aspects of ourselves with other people. There are types of social comparison: 1. **Downward Social Comparison** - is the more common type of comparing ourselves with others. We create a positive self-concept by comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us. By having the advantage, we can raise our self-esteem. 2. **Upward Social Comparison** - comparing ourselves with those who are better off than us. While it can be a form of motivation for some, a lot of those who do this actually felt lower self-esteem as they highlight more of their weakness or inequities. **SOCIAL COMPARISON also entails what is called Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory.** In this theory, we can feel threatened when someone out-performs us, especially when that person is close to us (i.e, a family or a friend). In this case, we usually react in 3 ways: * We distance ourselves from that person or redefine our relationship with them. Some will resort to the silent treatment, change of friends, while some may also redefine by being closer to that person, hoping that some association may give him some kind of acknowledgment also. * Reconsider the importance of the aspect or skill in which you were outperformed. If you got beaten in a drawing competition, you might think drawing is not really for you and you will find a hobby where you could excel, thus, preserving self-esteem. * Strengthen or resolve to improve that certain aspect of ourselves. Instead of quitting drawing, you might join seminars, practice more often, read books about it, and add some elements in your drawings that makes it unique, among others. Achieving your goal through hardwork may increase your self-esteem, too. ## CARVER AND SCHEIER (1981) Carver and Scheier have identified 2 types of self that we can be aware of: 1. **The Private self** - your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings 2. **The Public self** - public image commonly geared toward having a good presentation of yourself to others. One must find solution to such discrepancies to avoid agitation, dejection, or other negative emotions. In some instances, however, all 3 may be in line with one another. ## Self-consciousness Self-consciousness is when self awareness can be too much that we are concerned about being observed and criticized by others. At other times, especially with large crowds, we may experience deindividuation or the "loss of individual self-awareness and individual accountability in groups" when we attuned ourselves with the emotions of our group and because the large crowd also provides some kind of anonymity, we may lessen our self-control and act in ways that we will not do when we are alone (e.g. mass demonstration erupting into a riot). * Looking outside e.g. seeing other people who are better and dreaming to become the same. * Looking inside - reflecting on what the heart desires ## SIGMUND FREUD Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, the clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. Psychoanalysis is a method through which an analyst unpacks unconscious conflicts based on the free associations, dreams and fantasies of the patient. Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud, the influential German psychologist of the early 20th century, provided not only a revolutionary way of understanding human personality but also how society affects our psychology. Freud's theory of human personality revealed another facet of society. Based on Freud's formulation, the individual human mind-the source of our subjectivity is created by social and cultural forces that operate beneath the level of the unconscious self. It is like saying that even in our minds, there are facets of ourselves. In Freudian perspective, "socialization", the lifelong process of learning the ways and behaviors appropriate to particular society, is not only an external or structural process but also an internal, mental process. There, in the inner psyche the individual-the unconscious and conscious self-societal presence is constantly being engaged with by the person. This is what makes up the totality of the person; and society is very much part of it. Freud further concluded that mental disorder might be caused purely by psychological factor rather than organic factors. He also proposed that dreams are the disguised expressions of unconscious wishes and emphasized libidinal (sex) urges of a person. ## Freud's view of human nature Freud's view of human nature is that human beings are biological organisms motivated by the satisfaction of bodily needs and with motivating forces that drive behavior. His theory suggests that personality (mind) is composed of the id, the ego, and the superego. ## True Self Vs False Self The concept of true self and false self can be found in many psychological and spiritual circles, and it can mean different things in each. Inside each of us are 2 wolves: One is evil and one is good. Which wolf wins? The one you feed most. The true self is the core of you who are, the original you, unshaped by upbringing or society. This is the state you were born in and it is a state that still exists inside you. Your false self can also be called your adapted self. This is the parts of you that have altered behavior, repressed feelings and pushed your needs aside to fit in with others. ## SUMMARY * Study of psychology is concerned with specific study of behavior and mental process. Psychology focus on the individual, cognitive functions and other possible factors that affect the individual * William James was one of the earliest psychologists to study the self and conceptualized the self as having 2 aspects - the "I" and the "me". the "I" is the thinking, acting, feeling self. While the "me" is the physical characteristics as well psychological capabilities that makes who you are. Carl Rogers's theory of personality also used the same terms "I" and "me". The "I" as the one who acts and decides while the "me" is what you think or feel about yourself as an object. * Carver and Scheier have identified 2 types of self that we can be aware of: The Private self - your internal standards and private thoughts and feelings and the Public self - public image commonly geared toward having a good presentation of yourself to others. In the concept of True Self vs. False Self, the true self is the core of you who are, the original you, unshaped by upbringing or society. This is the state you were born in and it is a state that still exists inside you. Your false self can also be called your adapted self. This is the parts of you that have altered behavior, repressed feelings, and pushed your needs aside to fit in with others.