UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF
Lesson 1
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Describe the nature and elements of the self

2. Identify the concepts, principles and theories of the self, including the factors
that contribute to its development.
3. Appreciate the importance of understanding the self and at the same time
develop self-awareness.

Understanding the Self

WHO AM I?

Understanding the Self

 THE SELF
,
Very little attention is given to the understanding of one’s self
The Self is one of the most complex notions. There is more to you
than what it seems.
The Self can be viewed differently from different perspectives, it is
dynamic and ever changing.
Understanding the Self
 NATURE OF THE SELF
,
Have you ever asked yourself, ‘Who am I really?’
-The multiple roles we play (e.g., friend, lover, professional, student)

-All your identities, everything you believe yourself to be, are practically true in itself. But how
do we really know which is true and which is just a play of personas?

-Distinguishing between genuine self and mere personas can be challenging.

Understanding the Self

Social Context
-Interaction with others reveal different
,
sides of self. We show different sides of
ourselves depending on who we are with.
Uniqueness & Identity
-Though we all apparently look similar, yet we all are unique in our own ways. The
uniqueness gives us an identity.
Self Identity
-Your Personal Identity or the understanding of who you are, influences everything you do.
-Understanding the self is a lifetime process.
-The concept/identity of the self has a dynamic characteristic which means that it often
changes and evolves over time.
Dr. Paul Thagard (2014)
“The Self is a system of social, , psychological, neutral, and molecular mechanisms”.
Self is a product of a complex process of combinations and integration of traits and
characteristics from various possible sources. Some of these traits/aspects are acquired
consciously and voluntarily, while others are acquired unconsciously and involuntarily.

The Self is a key construct in several schools of psychology (the systematic study of human
behaviour and mental process), referring either the cognitive and affective representation of
one’s identity or the subject of experience.
Duality of the Self
Self-Concept "I" (subjective ,knower)
Refers to the subjective knowledge about oneself—thoughts and beliefs about who
we are.
Self-Awareness "Me" (object that is known)
Refers to the processor of information—what we are becoming.
William James
American philosopher and psychologist who introduced the concept of Duality of the
Self
First educator to offer a psychology course in the United States
Development of Self-Concept
,
Infancy and Childhood: Human infants start with a rudimentary self-concept,
which becomes more complex as they age. By around age 2, children begin to
develop a more defined self-concept.

Tabula Rasa: John Locke’s concept of the blank slate suggests that early
experiences significantly shape the development of the self.
- He believed that at a young age, individuals rapidly develop the different
aspects of physical, mental and psychological qualities, implying that the best way to
train up a child is when they are of younger age.
Self Concept Clarity
,
Definition: Self-concept clarity is the extent to which one’s knowledge about
the self is clearly and consistently defined.

Implications: Individuals with low self-concept clarity may experience higher

neuroticism, lower self-esteem, and less awareness of their internal state
(Campbell et al., 1996).
Functions of the Self
,
Managerial function: Informing us of our relationship to the physical and social
world, organizing our behaviour, and helping us to plan for the future.

Organizational function: Acting as a schema that helps us interpret and recall

information about ourselves and the social world.

Emotional function: Helping to determine our emotional responses.

 Elements of the Self
The Self Theory emphasizes on the set of
perceptions an individual has for himself
and the perceptions of the relationships he
has with others and the other aspects of
life.

Carl Rogers: the Self theory is composed of

several perceptions of “I” or “me” and the
perception of relationships of “I” and “me”
to others.
Self Image
,
Self-Image can be characterized as a set of
beliefs about one’s self. It is the impression
you have of yourself that forms a collective
representation of your assets and liabilities.
Ideal Self
,
The Ideal-Self is defined as the way an individual
would like to be. contrasting with the self-image,
which reflects their current reality an individual
perceives.
The Ideal-Self is shaped by personal
experiences, parental influence, societal
norms, and admired traits, potentially
creating a gap between how one wants to be
and how one perceives themselves..
Looking Glass Self
, Looking-Glass-Self is characterized as an
individual’s perception of how others are
perceiving his qualities or feeling about him.
Simply, it is the perception of other’s perception,
i.e. being viewed as a happy go lucky person, but
actually you prefer being alone and being home.

The Looking Glass Self is perceiving what

others perceive about yourself and not see
what actually you are.
Real Self
,Real-Self is what others show you with respect to
your self-image.

The real self is who we actually are. It is how

we think, how we feel, look, and act. This is
taken as feedback from the environment that
helps an individual to adjusts his self-image
accordingly and be in line with the cues he
had received.
Self-Esteem
Self-Esteem
In Psychology, the term self-esteem, is used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or
personal value. In other words, how much you appreciate and like yourself
Self-esteem is often seen as a personality trait, which means that it tends to be stable and enduring.
Self-esteem can involve a variety of beliefs about yourself, such as the appraisal of your own
appearance, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.
Why is Self-Esteem Important?
,
Self-esteem can play a significant role in your motivation and success throughout your life.
Low self-esteem may hold you back from succeeding at school or work because you don't believe you
to be capable of success
By contrast, having a healthy self-esteem can help you achieve because you navigate life
with a positive, assertive attitude and believe you can accomplish your goals
The need for self-esteem plays an important role in psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy
of needs, which depicts self-esteem as one of the basic human motivations
 ,

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is

a motivational theory in
psychology comprising a five-tier
model of human needs, often
depicted as hierarchical levels
within a pyramid.

Needs lower down in the

hierarchy must be satisfied
before individuals can attend to
needs higher up.
Factors that Influence Self-Esteem
,
Genetics
Negative assessments from
caregivers, family members and
friends
Inner thinking, age, potential illnesses,
disabilities, physical limitations, jo
Self-Awareness
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is the ability to focus, on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or
don't align with your internal standards.
If you're highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align
your behavior with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you.

This can be done, through introspection, through observation of our own behaviour and through
understanding Self Schemas.
A. Introspection
A method that can be used to know yourself. Introspection is the process whereby people look
inward and examine their own thoughts, feelings, and motives.
Self-Awareness Theory. When we focus on ourselves, we compare our current
behaviour against internal standards and values, according to self-awareness
theory. This can lead to positive or negative thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

Negative Thoughts. Introspection can lead to negative thoughts because it

can be painful, and possibly can make you feel anxious and angry when you don’t
live up to our internal standards. Often times when it’s too hard to understand,
people are often geared towards avoiding the thought themselves by engaging in
distracting activities (e.g., watching TV, reading a book), or escaping (e.g., getting
drunk, or in the extreme case committing suicide).

Positive Thoughts. Introspection may also lead to positive thoughts, feelings

and behaviour, as in the case of satisfaction at achieving a life goal (receiving a
university degree), or experiencing a major success (e.g., winning an Olympic gold
medal).
 Self-Awareness: Rumination vs Reflection
,
Rumination is an involuntary, neurotic form of self- focus associated with threat or uncertainty. It
involves repeatedly dwelling on negative experiences, which can intensify distress and bring up
unpleasant memories.

Reflection is an emotionally positive form of self- focus that involves an openness to self-
exploration and an intellectual curiosity about the self.

Implications for Handling Negative Life Events

Reflection: When self-awareness takes the form of reflection, individuals are more likely to explore their negative
feelings constructively. They may develop strategies to alleviate these feelings, such as recalling positive experiences to
improve their mood.

Rumination: In contrast, rumination often reinforces negative emotions. People engaged in rumination are less likely
to find relief and may instead revisit memories that match their negative mood, such as failures or unhappy times.
B. Observation of one’s own behavior

Self- Perception Theory- Another source of self-knowledge is observations of

our own behaviour described by self-perception theory. According to Bem’s
self-perception theory, we find out how we feel by observing what we do.

Bem’s (1972) self-perception theory argues that when our attitudes and
feelings are uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by observing our
behaviour and the situation in which it occurs. It should be noted that we
infer our inner feelings from behaviour only when we are not sure how we
feel.
Motivation Types: Self-perception theory is closely linked to
concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation:

Intrinsic Motivation: This is the drive to engage in an activity

for its own sake because we find it enjoyable or interesting.

Extrinsic Motivation: This involves participating in an activity

due to external rewards or pressures.
C. Self-Schemas
Organized knowledge structures about ourselves, based on past experience,
which help us understand, explain, and predict our own behaviour.

Influence how we interpret new things that happen to us.

Help us organize our pasts, by influencing what we remember about ourselves

—our autobiographical memories.
Self-Schemas: Impact on Memory
Reconstructive Memory: Our memories are not always accurate
reflections of the past. Instead, they are reconstructed in ways that align
with our current self-schemas and theories. This phenomenon has been
supported by research, such as the Waterloo studies (Ross et al., 1988,
1989).

Motivational Influences: Motivational factors, like the desire to view

ourselves positively, affect the types of memories we access and recall. We
are more likely to remember and emphasize desirable traits over
undesirable ones (Kunda & Fong, 1990).
THANK YOU