MODULE 1 LESSON 3 The Self As Cognitive Construct

LE SS O N 3
TH E S E LF A S
C OG N ITIV E
C ON S TRUC T
RICHARD N. BRIONES, MAGC, RGC

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
AT THE END OF THE LESSON, THE STUDENTS SHALL
BE ABLE TO:
1. Identify the different ideas in psychology about

the “self”
2. Create their own definition of the “self” based
on the definition from psychology
3. Analyze the effects of various factors identified
in psychology in the formation of the “self”
PSYCHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
In cognitive psychology the self is
understood as contextual, or ecological,
intertwining cognitive capacities with
social experiences and Bernard's analysis
affirms the novel's narrative where
the self develops through cognitive and
cultural interconnections.
Cognitive-Construction, also known as Constructivism,
was pioneered by Jean Piaget. Constructivists purport
that people construct their own understanding and
knowledge of the world through their experiences and
their reflections upon these experiences.
In psychology, the notion of the self refers to a person's
experience as a single, unitary, autonomous being that is
separate from others, experienced with continuity
through time and place. The experience of
the self includes consciousness of one's physicality as
well as one's inner character and emotional life.
PROPONENTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
INQUIRY
William James (1890)
Subjective ‘I’ & objective ‘me’
Sigmund Freud (1930s) Carl Jung (1930s,40s)

Ego, Id, Super-ego self and shadow
(psycho-sexual dev.)
Melanie Klein (1940s, 50s)

Fragmented self, reintegrated
Erikson (Late 1950s-70s)
Self & identity in the life-cycle
(psycho-social dev)
SELF, IDENTITY,
AND THE
ADOLESCENT
Expanded by Marcia (1987):
Four identity statuses (patterns)
1. Identity Diffusion:
The adolescent has not
yet experienced an
identity crisis or
explored alternatives
ERIKSON’S and is not committed
to an identity.
“IDENTITY 2. Identity Foreclosure:
CRISIS” The adolescent has not
experienced a crisis
but had adopted an
identity (occupation,
ideology, etc.) that has
been imposed by
others (often the
same-sex parent)
Four identity statuses (patterns)
3. Identity Moratorium:
The adolescent
experiences an identity
crisis and actively
explores alternative
identities. During this
ERIKSON’S period, an adolescent
exhibits a high degree of
“IDENTITY confusion, discontent
and rebelliousness.
CRISIS” 4. Identity achievement:
Adolescents who have
resolved the identity
crisis by evaluating
alternatives and
committing to an identity
are “identity achieved”
Resolution: partially
resolved by the shift from
dependence to increasing
independence.
– Strategies used in early
childhood to achieve
ERIKSON’S separation may return
“IDENTITY during this process – e.g.,
negativism, or resisting
CRISIS” any form of control, may
reflect an adolescent's
renewed efforts to assert
their independence.
– There may also be
rebelliousness and acting
out
• Parent factors associated with
successful adolescent identity
formation include:
– A willingness to negotiate
ERIKSON’S with their teenager.

– Providing the teenager with
“IDENTITY support and reassurance.
CRISIS” – Allowing the teenager to

develop his own point of
view.
– A family atmosphere that
promotes individuation
Hauser et al., 1987
DEVELOPMENT OF
GENDER IDENTITY
beware of confusing ‘role’ with ‘identity’,
they may well be interrelated and
interdependent but they aren’t the same
thing;
beware of using sex and sexuality as

synonymous with gender;
beware of assuming that transsexuality

is the same as transgendered identity.
APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT OF
GENDER
• Freudian psychodynamics
Fast, I. (1993) Aspects of early gender development: A psychodynamic approach. In
The Psychology of Gender, ed. A.E.Beall & R.J. Sternberg. New York, 173-193.
• Social learning
Jacklin, C.N. & C. Reynolds (1993) Gender and childhood socialization. In The
Psychology of Gender (as above), 197-214
• Cognitive development
Kessler, S.J. & W. McKenna (1978) Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach.
New York.
• Systems approach
Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000) Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of
Sexuality. New York
FREUDIAN
PERSPECTIVE
• Child becomes aware of
own genitals, this
awareness leads to erotic
fantasies;
• This in turn leads to

identification with a suitable
adult and the development
of appropriate gender role.
Is this a bit one-sided?

• Main assumption – adult
awareness of the child’s
genitals leads to differential
reinforcement;
• This leads adults to offer

SOCIAL
gender appropriate models
LEARNING
which the child then
internalizes.
Does a child have any ‘agency’ in

the process of gender identity
construction?
• DRIVE THEORY (Clark Hull) Personality is
form based on our interaction with other people.
• OPERANT-LEARNING THEORY (B.F.
Skinner) Man’s behavior is motivated by external
forces.
• COGNITIVE-SOCIAL LEARNING
SOCIAL THEORY (Albert Bandura) behavioral patterns
LEARNING are learned through traditional learning
(reinforcement) and observational learning
THEORIES (modeling)
• SITUATION-INTERACTION THEORY
(Walker Mischel) the determinants of behavior
are in the interaction of the person and the
environment
• Basic assumption: same
as social learning in terms
of adult perception of
child’s genitals as critical.
COGNITIVE • Person other than the child

labels child’s gender and
DEVELOPMENT gives them a gender
identity.
• This is followed by child

acquiring appropriate
gender role.
JEAN PIAGET FOUR STAGES OF
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
• Gender is represented
within both social
institutions and within
individuals.
• Gender identity is
effectively constructed
SYSTEMS within a self-
perpetuating feed-back
APPROACH loop from institution to
individual.
How do social context

and daily practice of both
adults and children
generate meaning?
Urie Bronfenbrenner
THE
CONSCIOUSNESS WILLIAM JAMES
(1890)
OF SELF
THE CONSCIOUSNESS
OF SELF
1. I: knows
2. Me: what I
Self divided things,
know about
into two parts: including
myself
oneself
=
= Pure ego Empirical
self
Can we say anything
about a self that exists
over and above our
experiences?
THE PURE
EGO
James’ conclusion:
Nothing of the If it exists, pure
pure ego we can ego cannot
observe observe itself
THE EMPIRICAL SELF
Divided into three parts:
• The Material Self
= All those things you would call yours
• The Social Self
= Tied to those occasions when other people recognize us
• The Spiritual Self
= A person’s inner or subjective being (≠ Soul)
Success
Self  esteem 
Prentions
THE COLLECTIVE CARL JUNG
UNCONSCIOUS (1930S,40S)
Jung wrote: ‘there exists a second psychic system of a
T HE collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is
COLL ECT IVE identical in all individuals. The collective
UNCONS CIO U S
unconscious does not develop individually but is
inherited.’
• Carl Jung understood archetypes as universal,
archaic patterns and images that derive from the
collective unconscious and are the psychic
ARCHETYPES counterpart of instinct. They are inherited
potentials which are actualized when they enter
consciousness as images or manifest in behavior on
interaction with the outside world
• The three most important archetypes Jung called
the anima, animus and shadow.
• The anima is the unconscious image of the
feminine that every man has within himself.
• Jung wrote: ‘Every man carries with him the
THE eternal image of woman. This image is
ANIMA fundamentally unconscious, an imprint of all the
ancestral experiences of the female, a deposit of all
the impressions ever made by woman.’
• To explain the existence of the anima Jung invoked
the persona by which he means ‘the formation of
the mask behind which most people live.’
• Jung maintained that ‘a compensatory relationship
exists between persona and anima.’ He explained:
• ‘The persona is a complicated system of relations
between individual consciousness and society, a
kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a
definite impression upon others, and, on the other,
PERSONA
to conceal the true nature of the individual.’
• ‘Society expects every individual to play the part
assigned to him, so that a man who is a parson
must not only carry out his official functions, but at
all times and in all circumstances play the role of
parson in a flawless manner.’
• Jung explained: ‘The persona, the ideal
picture of a man as he should be, is
inwardly compensated by feminine
weakness, and as the individual outwardly
plays the strong man, so he becomes
inwardly a woman, i.e., the anima, for it is
THE the anima that reacts to the persona.’
COMPENSATORY • Jung considered the anima to be a
RELATIONSHIP personality which is easily projected upon
BETWEEN a woman.
PERSONA AND • This projection means that a man can
ANIMA transfer to his wife the protective role that
his mother played in his early life. This
places the marriage ‘permanently on the
brink of explosion’ .
• Similar to a man, every woman carries within her the eternal
image of a man.
• In the same way that man has an unconscious anima, woman
has an unconscious animus which consists of “masculine”
characteristics. The animus is also an active force on the
woman who is unconscious of its presence.
ANIMUS
• The way to remove the negativity of the animus and to live
in harmony with him is for woman to differentiate between
her ego and the animus instead of assuming them to be one
as she unconsciously does. Similarly, the man has to
differentiate between his ego and the anima. This is
achieved by individuation dealt with later.
• The inferior being in ourselves is what Jung calls
the shadow. It consists of all that we are ashamed
of and that we do not want to know about
ourselves.
• It constitutes part of our personal unconscious, but
we also have an archetypal shadow in the realm of
SHADOW our collective unconscious. It represents an
encounter with evil and facing it can be a shattering
experience.
• The shadow of every person has to be firmly
grasped and acknowledged for a person to achieve
a state of wholeness.
APPLICATION AND
ASSESSMENT
Learning Activity #7
Make an artistic representation of yourself
based on your learning from today’s
discussion.

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LE SS O N 3

RICHARD N. BRIONES, MAGC, RGC

1. Identify the different ideas in psychology about

Sigmund Freud (1930s) Carl Jung (1930s,40s)

Melanie Klein (1940s, 50s)

ERIKSON’S with their teenager.

CRISIS” – Allowing the teenager to

beware of using sex and sexuality as

beware of assuming that transsexuality

• This in turn leads to

Is this a bit one-sided?

• This leads adults to offer

Does a child have any ‘agency’ in

COGNITIVE • Person other than the child

• This is followed by child

How do social context

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