Understanding the Self PDF

UNDERSTANDING the Self WHO AM I?  THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF “SELF” WILLIAM JAMES THEORY OF SELF James (1890) distinguished two “I-SELF” Self that knows who he or she is understandings of the self, the self as “Me...

UNDERSTANDING the Self WHO AM I?  THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF “SELF” WILLIAM JAMES THEORY OF SELF James (1890) distinguished two “I-SELF” Self that knows who he or she is understandings of the self, the self as “Me” Reflects to the soul of a person or and the self as “I”(Mateusz Woźniak, 2018). what is now thought of as the mind The ‘I’ is the self that thinks, acts, and has and called the pure ego experienced (the subjective self), while the “ME-SELF” ‘Me’ is the self as an object of knowledge, including the sum of a person’s thoughts, feelings, social roles, and recognition is the empirical self. Refers to from others (the objective self). His theory describing persons personal emphasizes the dynamic and social nature of experiences. the self-concept(William James Contribution External to Psychology, 2023). ME-SELF  SELF-CONCEPT who am I? is the image we have of ourselves. It is influenced by many forces, including our interaction with the important people in our lives. It is how we perceive our behaviors, abilities, and unique characteristics. For example, beliefs such as "I am a good friend" or "I am a kind person" are part of an overall self-concept (Cherry,2024). CARL ROGERS SELF THEORY: REAL AND IDEAL SELF Rogers defined the self as a flexible and changing perception of personal identity.The self develops from interaction with significant people and self-awareness. Additionally, he believed that humans strive for self- actualization Two Components of Self-concept: Real Self- Consists of all ideas and awarness of ‘what i am’ Ideal Self- the person they aspire to be SELF-ESTEEM VS SELF-CONCEPT Self-esteem is not self-concept, although self-esteem may be a part of self-concept. Self-concept is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question “Who am I?” It is knowing about one’s own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits, hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness. Put simply, the awareness of who we are is our concept of our self(Ackerman, 2018). According to Carl Rogers, founder of client-centered therapy, self-concept is an overarching construct that self-esteem is one of the components of it (McLeod, 2008). DR. D.W. WINNICOTT:THE TRUE & FALSE SELF Dr. Winnicott expounded on the idea that people may develop a False Self to protect their inner, more vulnerable True Self—and that they might even do it at a very young age, without even knowing it.Winnicott coined the term ‘the good-enough mother’.Needing help and reassurance, Winnicott argues, is the essential stuff of our True Selves, which our good-enough mom does her best to make sense of and gratify. Nothing’s perfect, but as long as our parents are trying and are successful most of the time, that response strengthens our belief that if we cry out, then someone will hear us, understand us, and do their best to help us. This strengthens our trust that our most basic and honest needs and desires are okay—that we are relatable and our feelings are manageable. A person with this kind of reassurance grows up feeling confident enough to put their True Self out there in the real world, living openly, according to their heart.  But in some cases, children start out having spontaneous desires and needs, but their parent can’t respond sufficiently (maybe due to illness, or depression, or the demand of others’ needs). The child will start to feel like their basic and truest needs and desires are not acceptable or manageable. In a case like this, the child will become what Winnicott calls compliant—that is, the child will adjust their behavior, without even thinking consciously about it. This conformity to their environment is the child’s attempt to protect themselves from further inadequacy or disappointment—but it is a covering up of the original, true desire. This is the birth of the False Self (Dr. D.W. Winnicott: The True & False Self, 2019). ACCEPTING understanding our self WELCOME TO MY CLASS