Psychological Self

Psychological Perspective on Self
Psychological Perspective on Self
• The psychological viewpoint revolves around the nature of self as it is

both cognitively and socially constructed, where the person actively
processes their internal ideas of self and meaningfully assimilates the
self in the social environment.
Objectives
1. Distinguish the different psychological facets of self,
2. Be acquainted with how a person constructs the self,
3. Examine the active role of this self in processing information and
regulating behaviors,
4. Recognize the multidimensionality of the self (or the multifaceted
nature of self).
Activity 1:
1. If someone would ask you, who you are? What would you tell
them?
2. How would you like to introduce yourself?
Nature of Self
• William James – Dual structure of the self as he distinguishes between the
self as I and the self as ME.
• I in self - Refers to the aspect of the self that actively perceives and thinks,
the one that is aware of one’s experience, and the part of the self that
organizes and interprets these experiences. It is the subjective part of the
self.
• ME in self - the one that is being perceived, the object of one’s attention,
thought, and perception. It is the objective part of the self.
• Example: I am a teacher … I is the one perceiving or describing the ME as a
teacher. The ME is the objective quality of the I, who subjectively perceives
and organizes the qualities of the Me.
Three components of the ME
• The Material Self
• The Social Self
• The Spiritual Self
• The Material Self
• It refers to the physical body of the self, including all other physical materials
owned by the self.
• The Social Self
• Are the attributes of the self as ascribed by others (e.g., “she is kind”, “he is
generous”)
• There can be “as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize
him and carry an image of him in their mind” (p.190)
• There can be multiple social selves and each of these doesn’t even have to be
in consonant with each other all the time. It is possible that one’s social selves
are harmonious.
• The Spiritual Self

• It comprises the inner thoughts and dispositions or generally the internal
frame of mind of a person
Reflections:
• Go back to the sheet where you identified 20 characteristics of your

Self, can you identify which of those belong to the material self, social
self, and spiritual self? How many can you identify under material
self? Social self? Or spiritual self?
Real Self versus Ideal Self
• William James’ distinction between the different elements of the

Self–I, Me-material, social, and spiritual–demonstrates the
multidimensionality model of the self.
• Carl Rogers proposed the notion that people can have an idea of who
they are, yet can think of a self which is ideal, who they aspire to be.
This is what they refer as the Real Self and the Ideal Self respectively.
Real Self versus Ideal Self
• Real Self usually refers to how the person perceives their self to be, or
who they actually are.
• Ideal Self is how they would like to be.

• It is considered as an idealized version of the self created out of experiences that
include what we admire in others, what society expects, and even expectations
from significant others (i.e. parents, friends, love ones).
• It is a difference between what one is (the actual) and what one wants to be
(what one aspires or pretends to be).
• Many scholars recognized that there can be discrepancies between the two
selves and this differentiation is developmentally influenced. It has been
observed that individuals that are at higher developmental levels can maintain
various categories of selves, but the difference between them from those in
the lower developmental level is on the ability to make finer distinctions and
be able to regulate each version of the self. One possible reason behind this
process is that after a period of differentiation, the individual begins to learn
how to integrate and consolidate the different self-concepts into a more
coherent whole (Harter, 1983, 1986; Oosterwegel and Oppenheimer, 1993).
Real Self and Possible Selves
• Possible Selves does not only include those other selves that one hopes for
(e.g. being accepted and loved by others, being able to achieve one’s goals)
but also includes those that one doesn’t wish to become (e.g. unemployed,
socially ignored).
• The function of these opposing selves is to motivate the person to direct

their actions to achieve their desired self and avoid being the self that they
abhor.
Reflections:
• In the sheet you answered earlier, is there a characteristic that you

considered more of an Ideal Self than a Real Self?
Multiple Selves versus Unified Self
While a number of psychologists have recognized the multiplicity nature of the self,
others believed in a concept of a self that is integrated and unified (Allport, 1955;
Horney, 1950; Jung, 1928; Lecky, 1945; Maslow, 1954, 1961, 1971; Rogers, 1950).
Allport (1955), for instance, defines the self as one that “… includes all aspects of
personality that make for a sense of inward unity” (p. 38). Likewise, Lecky (1945)
presupposes a theory that revolves around the concept of self-consistency wherein
people are motivated to maintain the integrity of the self by exerting an effort to
preserve the consistency and unity of the self.
In contrast, several social psychologists have argued for a concept of

self that takes into account the multiple social roles one individual may
hold (Gergen, 1968; Mischel, 1973; Vallacher, 1980). People do have
different roles depending on the nature of the interpersonal interaction
one is particularly engaged in. These different selves vary as a function
of the different social roles in various social contexts.
People act differently depending on who they are interacting with;

like one acts in a different manner when interacting with parents, or
even differently when talking to one’s dad as when you talk to one’s
mom. A person may project a different self when they are with close
friends, and probably a different self when relating with classmates and
soon after may shift to another self when interacting to their teacher.
These interactions with various groups of people entail different ways of dealing with
each type of group, therefore may also require different character of selves for the
different interactions. This variety depends on the nature of the interpersonal relationship
a person has with these individuals and that this is dependent on the role one has relative
to the other person. When one interacts with either of one’s parents, one is taking the
role of a son/daughter, when with friends one will take the role of a friend, and when
interacting with one’s teacher, one is taking the role of a student. The self, then, adjusts
itself to these different roles thereby showing various versions of the self.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the psychological view of self features a self that is

multifaceted in nature. How one defines one’s self may reflect the
different aspects of self according to how one constructs an idea of
who one is and how one interacts with their own environment.
Conclusion
As you may see in your 20 statements or characteristics about your self in the activity,
the qualities and attributes reflect the different aspects of self. There are qualities of the
self that describes personal traits and abilities based on who you think you are (e.g.
intelligent, smart). There are also descriptions of self that reflects what others think or
the qualities of yourself as ascribed by others (e.g. kind, generous). And characteristics of
self that are anchored on your social roles (e.g. sister, good student). There can be various
versions of the self as well, like, there can be a self as it is currently experienced and
observed (real self) and a self that is considered ideal–who you aspire to be.

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Psychological Perspective on Self

Psychological Perspective on Self

• The psychological viewpoint revolves around the nature of self as it is

• The Spiritual Self

• Go back to the sheet where you identified 20 characteristics of your

• William James’ distinction between the different elements of the

• Ideal Self is how they would like to be.

• The function of these opposing selves is to motivate the person to direct

• In the sheet you answered earlier, is there a characteristic that you

In contrast, several social psychologists have argued for a concept of

People act differently depending on who they are interacting with;

In conclusion, the psychological view of self features a self that is

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