Psychological Perspective of the Self PDF

Psychological Perspective of the Self Prepared by: Jennifer G. Joseph, RPm Psychology It is the study of the mind and behavior; specifically about how it works and how it affects...

Psychological Perspective of the Self Prepared by: Jennifer G. Joseph, RPm Psychology It is the study of the mind and behavior; specifically about how it works and how it affects behavior William James’ Concept of Self Two Categories of the Self I-Self – self that knows who he/she is which is also called as the thinking self – reflects the soul of a person or the mind w hich is also the pure ego William James’ Concept of Self Two Categories of the Self Me-Self – empirical self that refers to the person’s personal experiences – has sub-categories; material self, social self, and spiritual self William James’ Concept of Self Subcategories of Me-Self: Material Self – attributed to an individuals’ physical attributes and material possessions that contribute to one’s self-image William James’ Concept of Self Subcategories of Me-Self: Social Self – refers to who a person is and how he or she acts in social situations – people have different social selves depending on the context of social situation William James’ Concept of Self Subcategories of Me-Self: Spiritual Self – refers to the most intimate and important part of the self that includes the person’s purpose, core values, conscience, and moral behavior – the path to understanding the spiritual self is requires introspection Carl Roger’s Self Theory ❑ Self-concept – image of oneself; an important aspect of self-understanding ❑ Self – a flexible and changing perception of personal identity; center of experience ❑ Self develops from interactions with significant people and awareness of one’s own charac- teristics and level of functioning  Carl Roger’s Self Theory ❑ Human beings are always striving for self-fulfillment or self-actualization ❑ When the needs of the self are denied; severe anxiety may arise ❑ Central to achieving self-actualization is the develop ment of the self-concept  Carl Roger’s Self Theory Two Components of Self-Concept: Real Self Ideal Self consists of all the ideas person’s conception including the of what one should be awareness of what or what one aspires to one is and what one be including one’s can do goals and ambitions in life Carl Roger’s Self Theory ✓ The closer the ideal sel f to the real self, the more fulfilled and happy the individual becomes ✓ When ideal self is far from the real self, the person becomes unhappy and dissatisfied  Multiple Versus Unified Self ❑ The construction of multiple selves varies across different interpersonal and intrapersonal roles and relationships ❑ Coping with different selves constitutes a formidable task among adolescents ❑ These challenges contribute heavily to the young person’s struggle for a unified self. Multiple Versus Unified Self ❑ The task of integrating one’s multiple selves naturally causes concern ❑ Given the enormous challenges of self-integration, adolescents must be supported in their effort to create a consistent, coherent, and unified theory of the self Winnicott’s True and False Self True Self False Self A sense of self based A defensive façade; on spontaneous to hide and protect authentic experience, the true self; lacking and a feeling of being spontaneity, and alive; having a “real s feeling dead and elf” empty The Self as Proactive and Agentic Albert Bandura ❑ Human, through their agency, are perceived as proactive agents of experiences ❑ Agency – embodies the endowments, belief systems, self- regulatory capabilities, and distributed structures and functions through which personal influence is exercised, rather than reside as a discrete entity ❑ Proactive – creating / controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to after it has happened The Self as Proactive and Agentic Main Features of Human Agency ❑ The core features of agency enable people to play a part in their self-development, adaptation and self-renewal 1. Intentionality 2. Forethought 3. Self-Reactiveness 4. Self-Reflectiveness The Self as Proactive and Agentic Main Features of Human Agency Intentionality – acts done intentionally – Intentions center on plans of action with the anticipation of possible outcomes The Self as Proactive and Agentic Main Features of Human Agency Forethought – enables the person to anticipate the likely consequences of prospective actions – through the exercise of forethought, people are guided in their actions in the anticipation of future events The Self as Proactive and Agentic Main Features of Human Agency Self-Reactiveness – involves making choices and choosing appropriate courses of action as well as motivating and regulating them The Self as Proactive and Agentic Main Features of Human Agency Self-Reflectiveness – gives the person the ability to reflect upon and the adequa cy of his/her thoughts and actions. The Self as Proactive and Agentic Efficacy beliefs – foundation of human agency Self-Efficacy – individual’s belief that he or she is capable to perform a task which influences whether he/she will think pessimistically or optimistically and in ways that are self enhancing or self- hindering The Self as the Central Archetype Carl Jung ❑ Self is the concept of archetypes ❑ Archetypes – universal models after which roles are patterned ❑ It represents the hidden potentia- lities of the psyche, or total perso- nality. The Self as the Central Archetype Archetypes ❑ Reside in the personal unconscious (forgotten experiences) that is common to all human beings, known as the collective unconscious ❑ There are 4 major types of Archetypes  Four Major Archetypes Persona Anima social roles that Feminine side of the individuals present to male psyche others Shadow Animus Repressed thoughts Masculine side of that are socially the female psyche unacceptable; dark side of the psyche Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Three Structures of the Mind Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Three Structures of the Mind ID – Pleasure Principle ❑ Has the need to satisfy basic urges and desires ❑ Pleasure–seeking side, impulsive, child-like, and demands instant gratification Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Three Structures of the Mind EGO – Reality Principle ❑ Refers to the “I” ❑ Can conform with existing societal consideration Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Three Structures of the Mind SUPEREGO – Morality Principle ❑ “conscience” and “moral judge” ❑ Violation of rules leads to feelings of guilt ❑ Strives for perfection rather than pleasure Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Psychosexual Stages of Development Psychosexual Stages of Development ❑ each stage is associated with conflicts that the individual must resolve so that he/she can successfully move on to the next stage ❑ Each stage has needs and that the dissatisfaction of needs may result in fixation which could have lasting negative effects on one’s personality Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Oral Stage Birth – 1 year old ❑ Babies derive pleasure from oral activities like sucking and biting ❑ Overindulgence: over-eating, smoking, and alcoholism ❑ Dissatisfaction: oral aggressive personality disorder - sarcasm and tactlessness Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Anal Stage 1– 3 years old ❑ Child derives pleasures from the elimination of body wastes ❑ Through toilet training, the child learns the basic rules of society ❑ Anal retentive – obsession with cleanliness, orderly, organize, tidy ❑ Anal expulsion – clumsiness, messy, untidy, disorganize, ❑ stubborn Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Phallic Stage 3-6 years old ❑ Children during this stage derive pleasure from examining, touching, fondling, or displaying their genitals ❑ Sex curiosity – anatomical structures (man and woman), sex, and how babies are made ❑ Fixations may lead to abnormal sex behaviors in later life ❑ Parents and teachers to educate them about sexuality Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Latency Stage 7 - 12 years old (Puberty) ❑ Sexual energy is repressed because children become occupied with school ❑ Socialization Sigmund Freud’s Construction of Self Genital Stage Adolescence - Adulthood ❑ Pleasure is derived from the genital area and individuals seek to satisfy their sexual drives from sexual relationships ❑ Sexual problems may result as a consequence of inappropriate sex behaviors Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self ❑ Adolescence – period of identity development ❑ Identity formation – a process that requires adolescents to distance themselves from the strong expectations and definitions imposed by parents and other family members ❑ Erikson emphasized the development of the ego – a positive force that contributes to identity formation and lays the foundation for certain strengths and virtues in life (hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care and wisdom) Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Trust versus Mistrust ❑ Infant – 18 months | Hope ❑ Child will develop trust if he/she is properly cared for ❑ If not well-cared for, mistrust is likely to develop Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt ❑ 18 months – 3 years old| Will ❑ Autonomy – independence of thought and confidence to think and act for oneself ❑ If children are allowed to explore – more confident and se cure in their own abilities ❑ Parents are overprotective – overly dependent on parents, shame and doubt on their abilities Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Initiative versus Guilt ❑ 3 – 5 years old| Purpose ❑ Developing a sense of responsibility among children lead to the development of initiative ❑ A child who is made to feel irresponsible might develop feelings of guilt Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Industry versus Inferiority ❑ 5 – 13 years old| Competency ❑ Children face the task of developing knowledge and skills usually taught in schools ❑ When children are encouraged in their efforts – develop a sense of industry ❑ No encouragement – children will doubt their own abilities and develop inferiority Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Identity Formation vs Identity Confusion ❑ 13 - 21years old| Fidelity ❑ Adolescents face the task of finding out who they are, what they are, and what they want in life ❑ Confronted with many roles and responsibilities ❑ With proper support – positive identity ❑ Not adequately supported – Insecure, identity confusion Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Intimacy versus Isolation ❑ 21 – 39 years old| Love ❑ It is vital that people develop intimate relationships with others ❑ Success in this stage – stable and successful relationships ❑ Inability to have intimate relationships – mistrust and isolation Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Generativity versus Stagnation ❑ 40 – 65 years old| Care ❑ A person’s desire to contribute to the world by teaching, leading, and guiding the next generation and doing activities that will benefit the community ❑ Failure to attain generativity will lead to feeling of worthlessness Erik Erikson’s Theory in Understanding the Self Integrity versus Despair ❑ 65 and older years old| Wisdom ❑ Focused on self reflection in one’s life; important events of their lives ❑ If they feel satisfied and proud of their accomplishments – sense of integrity ❑ Those who are not – feel that their life has been wasted, will experience regrets and despair