LECTURE 3: THE SELF as a COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT Psychological theories see the self and identity as mental

constructs, created and recreated in memory. Current researches At other times, we may experience “loss of individual self-
THIS LESSON PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE THEM ES OF point to the frontal lobe of the brain as the area associated with awareness and accountability in groups. A lot of people attune
PSYCHOLOGY REGARDING THE CONCEPT OF “SELF”. processes concerning the self. themselves with the emotions of their group. Being in a large crowd
may lessen our self-control.
Cognitive psychology - concerned with mental processes (as
One influential psychologist of our generation is Sigmund Freud, he
perception, thinking, learning, and memory) especially with respect
sees the self and the mind as a result of interaction between these 3 Social relationships affect or self-esteem through social
to the internal events occurring between sensing and the
parts: comparison. In this theory, we learn about ourselves, the
expression of behavior.
appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our status, by
Cognition - the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge &
Id - the instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and comparing ourselves to other people.
comprehension. It includes thinking, knowing, remembering,
aggressive drives and hidden memories. It is selfish and wishful in
judging and problem-solving.
nature. Illogical and fantasy oriented. Downward social comparison – is a common type of comparing
These are higher-level functions of the brain and encompass
Ego - the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id ourselves to others. We create a POSITIVE self-concept by
language, imagination, perception, and planning.
and the super-ego. Modified by the direct influence of the external comparing ourselves with those who are WORSE than us.
world. The decision-making component of personality.
In psychology, the self is defined as: “the sense of personal identity
Superego - operates as a moral conscience. Applies the values of Upward social comparison – is comparing ourselves with those who
and of who we are as individuals.”
society which are learned from one's parents and others. are better than us. It can be MOTIVATION for some, but it could
William James (1890) conceptualized the self as:
also LOWER YOUR SELF-ESTEEM because it shows your weaknesses.
“I” – the thinking, acting, and feeling self.
The theory of symbolic interactionism (G.H. Mead) argues that the
“Me” – the physical characteristics; capabilities
self is created & developed through human interaction. We are These also occur not only in individuals but also in groups.
social products because:
In Carl Rogers’ (1959) theory of personality: Social comparison is connected to the self-evaluation maintenance
1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing.
“I” – the one who acts and decides theory, which states that we feel THREATENED when someone out-
2. We need others to affirm and reinforce who we think we are.
“Me” – what you think or feel about yourself performs us, or does better than us. Especially when that person is
3. What’s important to us is influenced by our social/historical
context. a close peer/partner/friend.
Another concept of the self is IDENTITY /SELF-CONCEPT: We usually act in 3 ways in these situations:
Identity/Self-concept – composed of personal characteristics, social 1. we distance ourselves from the person.
When we are aware of our self-concepts, that is called SELF-
roles, responsibilities. 2. we reconsider the aspect or skill you were outperformed in.
AWARENESS. The 2 types of self we can be aware of are:
- it is what comes to your mind when asked about who you are. 3. we try to improve that aspect of ourselves.
1. The private self – your internal private thoughts and feelings
- it is not fixed in one time frame
2. The public self/image – geared to having a good presentation of
yourself to others. But then, sometimes to increase or maintain self-esteem, some may
Rogers captured this idea in his concept of SELF-SCHEMA, our become NARCISSISTIC. Meaning: overly high self-esteem, self-
- Carver & Scheier (1981)
organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are. admiration, self-centeredness.
The self-schema includes your hobbies, family, religion, nationality,
Self-awareness presents us three other self-schema:
interests, work, course, age name, etc, There is a difference between self-esteem and narcissism. People
1. Actual self – who you are at the moment
As you grow and adapt to the changes around you, they also with high self-esteem are usually outgoing, adventurous, adaptable
2. Ideal self – who you like to be
change. in a lot of situations. But they could also be bullies and experiment
3.Ought self – who you think you should be (responsibilities, etc)
They actively shape and affect how you see, think, and feel about on abusive behavior, drugs, alcohol, etc.
things.
Self-awareness may be positive or negative.
Source: Understanding the Self (Alata, Caslib, Serafica, Pawilen, 2018.)