Understanding The Self PDF

Socio-Anthropological Perspectives of the Self George Herbert Mead suggested that the self develops through a three-stage Social relationships define our self. role-taking process. These st...

Socio-Anthropological Perspectives of the Self George Herbert Mead suggested that the self develops through a three-stage Social relationships define our self. role-taking process. These stages How we think of ourselves is linked to include the preparatory stage, play the person we are with at the moment. stage, and game stage. Socialization - The interactive process through Stage 1: The Preparatory Stage (birth-about age which people learn; 2) - Children mimic or imitate those around them. Basic skills They start to learn language Values Stage 2: The Play Stage (from about age 2 to six) Beliefs - During this stage, children play pretend as the Behavior patterns of a society specific other. Within socialization, a person develops Stage 3: The Game Stage (from about age a sense of self. seven onwards.) - children begin to understand the most influential learning process and adhere to the rules of games. one can experience. ME SELF I SELF The SELF-CONCEPT - is the sum total of beliefs we each have about ourselves The social self Our response to the “Me” The Beginnings of the Self Concept RECOGNIZING ONESELF - recognize Object of experience Subject of experience themselves in the mirror when they are about two years old. Can be objectified in the Cannot be objectified present moment in the present moment Charles Horton Cooley (1902) conventional, habitual self Novel or creative Primary groups - parents, siblings, response to the playgroups, elders Me are the FOREMOST FORCE IN DEVELOPING A PERSON'S CHARACTER. Two Phases of Self: Me & I The Looking Glass Self - our self-image comes from our own self-reflection and from what The “I” and the “Me” has a dynamic others think of us. relationship that actually forms what we call the WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT TO THINK self. OF THEMSELVES This notion is especially applicable to PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF. the way children form their SELF- ESTEEM Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Using social interaction as a type of “mirror,” Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology people use the judgments they receive from 3 Core Assumptions of the Psychodynamic others to MEASURE THEIR OWN Perspective WORTH, VALUES, AND BEHAVIOR. 1. Assumption 1: Primacy of the the OPINIONS OF FAMILY AND CLOSE Unconscious RELATIONSHIPS seem to be more contend that the majority of relevant to our self-concept THAN psychological processes take place THOSE OF STRANGERS. outside conscious awareness The process of the formation of our SELF the activities of the mind (or psyche) are presumed to be largely unconscious. 1. We Imagine how others SEE US - imagines how they appear to others 2. Assumption 2: Critical Importance of Early Experiences 2. We Imagine how others ASSESS U - judgment of that appearance posits that early childhood events play a role in shaping personality. 3. WE DEVELOP OUR SELF-VIEWS THROUGH first weeks or months of life THESE JUDGEMENTS - l develops feelings about 3. Assumption 3: Psychic Causality and responds to those perceived judgments psychodynamic theory points GEORGE MEAD (1863–1931) that nothing in mental life happens by chance—that there An American philosopher, sociologist, is no such thing as a random and psychologist thought, feeling, motive, or self-awareness and self-image. behavior. 3 STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY Sigmund Freud Right and wrong Develops at age 5 or 6 Austrian neurologist and Learned from others the founder of psychoanalysis Moral Ideals and Conscience Levels of Mental Life The cost of advanced civilization is the sense of Freud saw mental guilt. functioning as operating on three levels 1. unconscious, 2. preconscious, and 3. conscious. A. UNCONSCIOUS The unconscious includes drives and instincts that are beyond awareness but that motivate most human behaviors. FIXATIONS IN THE ORAL STAGE DRIVE - source of excitement ORAL AGGRESSIVE - shouting, nagger, ◎ These drives can only become conscious in sarcastic, argumentative disguised or distorted forms such as: ORAL RECEPTIVE - overeating, gullible, Dream Images smoking Slips of the Tongue (Freudian Slip) ANAL STAGE Neurotic Symptoms 1 Y/O to 3 Y/O B. PRECONSCIOUS Erogenous zone: anus images that are not in awareness but Derives great pleasure in bowel or that can become conscious either quite bladder control easily or with some level of difficulty. FIXATIONS IN THE ANAL STAGE C. CONSCIOUS ANAL-RETENTIVE - Obsessive in cleanliness, Consciousness plays a relatively minor stingy role in Freudian theory. ◎ ANAL REPULSIVE - Messy, lack of THE ICEBERG MODEL commitment PHALLIC STAGE 3 Y/O to 6 Y/O Erogenous zone: Genitals Child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences Conflict comes from erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear Oedipus complex while girls experience the Electra complex LATENCY STAGE ID (“it”) 6 Y/O to Puberty Latent means “hidden” Raw, unorganized, inborn part of Focused on school works, hobbies and personality friendships Primitive desires of hunger, sex, and aggression GENITAL STAGE Works with Pleasure Principle Puberty to Adulthood Satisfaction is the ultimate goal Restricted by social rules process called wish fulfillment FOR FREUD: EGO (“me”) Past experiences are the main Due to constant battle between an determinants of our present behavior id demanding instant gratification People have no choice in shaping their and a superego demanding personality Reality Principle INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY (Alfred Adler) SUPEREGO (“over-me”) BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE THEORY  Adler did not agree on Freud’s view that GETTING TYPE - dependent people who take all our present behaviors are rather than give. determined by our past experiences. PAMPERED STYLE OF LIFE (weak social interest) INFERIORITY They expect others to look after them, SELF- IDEAL - is an expression of the overprotect them, and satisfy their fictional goal of the personality, which is an needs. image of success AVOIDING TYPE - people who try to escapelife's “persons are always striving to find a problems situation in which they excel” SOCIALLY-USEFUL TYPE - people with a great INFERIORITY COMPLEX deal of social interest and activity. excessive feelings of inferiority (overcompensation) FAMILY CONSTELLATION - consisted of parents, children, and any extended family members -unhealthy; produces feelings of helplessness and feelings of BIRTH ORDER- position among siblings in the hopelessness. family. CREATIVE POWER people’s ability to freely shape their behavior and create their own personality. FINAL GOAL- to be big, complete, and strong. STRIVING FOR SUPERIORITY socially nonproductive attempt to gain personal superiority with little or no concern for others. STRIVING FOR SUCCESS people who are motivated by social interest and the success of all humankind capable of helping others without demanding or expecting a personal payoff PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY by Erik Erikson SOCIAL INTEREST- “social feeling” or German born psychoanalyst “community feeling,”; it means a feeling of theory is focused on social and oneness with all humanity. psychological development in the different life stages EGO IDENTITY- how we interact with others is what affects our sense of self. Epigenetic Principle Personality develops in a predetermined order through eight stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to adulthood. During each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality development. 1. Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to 1 y/o) STYLES OF LIFE The infant develops a sense of trust The term Adler used to refer to the when interactions provide reliability, flavor of a person’s life. It includes a care, and affection. person’s goal, self-concept, feelings for A lack of this will lead to mistrust, others, and attitude toward the world suspicion & anxiety RULING TYPE - aggressive, dominating 2. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 mos. to 2 people who don't have much social -3 y/o) interest or cultural perception. Children in this stage need to be allowed to explore and manipulate their environment in HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE - CARL ROGERS order to develop a sense of independence. LEARNING THEORIES - BF SKINNER 3. Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 5 y/o) HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE - A perspective that emphasizes looking at the whole individual and The child begins to assert control and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, power over their environment by and selfactualization. planning activities, accomplishing tasks and facing challenges. HUMANISM- The fundamental belief of If initiative is dismissed or discouraged, humanistic psychology is that people are either through criticism or control, innately good It focuses on helping people live children develop a sense of guilt. well, achieve personal growth, and make the world a better place. 4. Industry vs. Inferiority (5 y/o to 12 y/o) CARL RANSOM ROGERS (1902 – 1987) child’s peer group will gain greater significance and will become a major American Psychologist source of the child’s self-esteem. The child is coping with new learning Person-Centered Approach to Psychotherapy. and social demands. BASIC PREMISE “narrow virtuosity,” Rogers believed that humans are 5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (12 to 18 y/o) basically good. According to Erikson, this is important to He argued that we have an innate drive the process of forming a strong identity to reach an optimal sense of ourselves and developing a sense of direction in & satisfaction with our lives. life. A person who does this is what he calls “a reintegrated sense of self, of what a “Fully Functioning Person.” one wants to do or be, and of one’s EMERGENCE OF SELF CONCEPT appropriate sex role”. How I see myself 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (19 y/o to 40 y/o) As infants grow, they develop the need During this period, the major conflict for positive regard centers on forming intimate, loving Positive regard: Acceptance, love and relationships with other people. approval from others. Success leads to strong relationships, UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD while failure results in loneliness and isolation. Approval granted regardless of behavior Success in this stage will lead to the Eventually grant positive regard to virtue of love. ourselves 7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (approx. 40 y/o to Child does not receive positive regard: fails 65 y/o) to develop actualizing tendency fully. Generativity refers to "making your CONDITIONS OF WORTH mark" on the world through creating or nurturing things that will outlast an The emphasis is that love is given individual. conditionally People experience a need to create or Resulted from having conditional nurture things that will outlast them positive regard By failing to find a way to contribute, we OUR TWO SELVES become stagnant and feel unproductive (Rejectivity) 1. REAL SELF 2. IDEAL SELF 8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair (beyond 65 y/o) Example #1: My ideal self-image includes reflecting on one's life and either honesty moving into feeling satisfied and happy with one's life or feeling a deep sense of Example #2: My ideal self-image includes a regret. strong work ethics Erikson described ego integrity as “the acceptance of one’s one and only life SELF-ACTUALIZATION - Real Self and Ideal Self cycle as something that had to be” (1950, must be in a state of congruence. p. 268) and later as “a sense of coherence and wholeness” (1982, p. 65). Success at this stages leads to feelings of wisdom, while failure results in regret, bitterness, and despair.(Disdain) PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF BURRHUS FREDERICK SKINNER (1904 – 1990) Death Isolation American Psychologist Meaninglessness Developed the “Skinner Box” or the Operant Conditioning Chamber EXISTENTIAL PERSPECTIVE - Focused on the belief that the essence of humans is their Father of Operant Conditioning existence BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE - A theory of emphasizes about: psychology that states that human behaviors are learned, not innate. / The behaviorist approach the anxiety that is inherent in human asserts that personality traits are the result of a existence, person's environment and the cultural forces people's need for meaning in a that shape it. meaningless world, and BASIC PREMISE the importance for people to make their own choices according to their own Behavior is learned from the authentic desires. environment When born our mind is 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate). VIKTOR FRANKL (1905 – 1997) Psychology should be seen as a Science Behaviorism is primarily concerned Founded the school of LOGOTHERAPY with observable behavior psychiatrist and neurologist Author of Behavior is the result of stimulus- the book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” response (S-R) FRANKL’s DISCOVERY Life in the concentration camp taught Frankl THORNDIKE’S LAW OF EFFECT (1898) that our main drive or motivation in life is: According to this principle, behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to neither pleasure (Freud) nor power be repeated, and behavior followed by (Adler), but meaning! unpleasant consequences is less likely to be even in the most absurd, painful, and repeated. dispiriting of circumstances, life can be given a meaning, and so too can OPERANT CONDITIONING - is a method of suffering. learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. LOGOTHERAPY CATEGORIES OF REINFORCEMENT: Aim is to carry out an existential analysis of the person, and, in so doing, Reinforcement to help him uncover or discover Positive meaning for his life. Negative Frankl believed that humans are motivated by something called a "will Punishment to meaning," which equates to a desire Positive to find meaning in life. Negative METHODS OF FINDING MEANING: Extinction by creating a work or doing a deed Positive Reinforcement – providing a by experiencing something or consequence an individual finds rewarding encountering someone; and by the attitude we take toward Negative Reinforcement – it stops or remove an unavoidable suffering unpleasant experience BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF LOGOTHERAPY Positive Punishment – adding an undesirable stimulus to stop or decrease a behavior 1.BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT - The human being is an entity that consists of a body (soma), mind Negative Reinforcement – taking away a (psyche), and spirit (noos). Frankl argued that we pleasant stimulus to decrease or stop a behavior have abody and mind, but the spirit is what we are, or our essence. Extinction - is a process in which reinforcement that is provided for problem behavior is 2. LIFE HAS MEANING IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES - discontinued in order to decrease or eliminate This means that even when situations seem the behavior objectively terrible, there is a higher level of order that involves meaning. PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF- Studies how people come to terms with the basic 3. HUMANS HAVE A WILL TO MEANING meaning givens of human existence (Yalom, 1980) is our primary motivation for living and acting, and allows us to endure pain and suffering. Freedom and Responsibility 4. FREEDOM TO FIND MEANING -Frankl argues the worth and dignity of the human that in all circumstances, individuals have the being freedom to access that will to find meaning. The need today is to discover and affirm a new set of values 5. MEANING OF THE MOMENT - decisions to be meaningful, individuals must respond to the REDISCOVERING SELFHOOD demands of daily life in ways that match the values of society or their own conscience. May believed that consciousness of self is the unique mark of the human person 6. INDIVIDUALS ARE UNIQUE - Frankl believed Self-consciousness must be done that every individual is unique and irreplaceable. consciously through choice and Application of Logotherapy Principle: affirmation People need to rediscover their own Create Something feelings and desires Develop relationships Moving through 4 stages of Find purpose in pain consciousness Understand that life is not fair Freedom to find meaning Stages of Consciousness Focus on others Accept the worst Stage of Innocence ROLLO REECE MAY (1909 – 1994) Stage of Rebellion Stage of Ordinary Consciousness of the American Psychologist, Author of Self several books book: Stage of Creative Consciousness of the The Meaning of Anxiety Self Love and Will Power and Innocence INNOCENCE MAY’s EXISTENTIAL PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY before consciousness of self is born; characteristic of an infant Existence and freedom were the central themes of Rollo May’s analyses REBELLION - person wants freedom but does not He considered that conflict is the very yet have a good understanding of the essence of life responsibility that goes with it. POWERLESSNESS - feeling of powerlessness in ORDINARY - the normal adult ego learned the face of enormous problems responsibility, but finds it too demanding, so seeks refuge in conformity and traditional values. This impotence leads to anxiety and repression, leading in turn to apathy, CREATIVE -the authentic adult, the existential which a form of protection. stage, self-actualizing and transcending simple egocentrism ANXIETY - He described the world we live in as an age “apprehension cued off by a threat to some value that the individual holds essential to his or her existence as a person” Differentiated Anxiety vs. Fear Two Kinds of Anxiety Normal Anxiety - “which is proportionate to the threat, does not involve repression, and can be confronted constructively on the conscious level” (May, 1967) Neurotic Anxiety - “a reaction which is disproportionate to the threat, involves repression and other forms of intrapsychic conflict, and is managed by various kinds of blocking-off of activity and awareness” (May, 1967) LOSS OF VALUES The source of human dilemma lies in the loss of the center of values in our society Along with the loss of the dominant value of individualism, we lost a sense of