4. Psychological Self

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

"I-Self" (The Knower/Pure Ego):

The self as subject; the consciousness that thinks and is aware. Provides continuity between past, present, and future.

"Me-Self" (The Known/Empirical Self):

The self as object; all things that have an experiential quality of "me-ness" or "mine-ness."

Material Self
Social Self
Spiritual Self

Constituents of the "Me-Self":

Material Self

Body, clothes, immediate family, home. This is the innermost layer.

Social Self

How we are regarded and recognized by others; our reputation. (A person has multiple social selves).

Spiritual Self

Our inner psychological self; self-perceived abilities, attitudes, emotions, values, and conscience.

Carl Rogers: (Humanistic Psychology)

Believed people are motivated by self-actualization tendencies.

Self-Concept

The belief, evaluation, and mental picture of who you are.

Real-Self

The self that is intrinsically what and who we really are; the honest, comfortable self.

Ideal Self

The self we think we want to be or are expected to be; borne out of external influences.

Congruence

High consistency between the Real Self and Ideal Self. Leads to high self-worth and a healthy life.

Incongruence

A large gap between the Real Self and Ideal Self. Leads to anxiety, dissatisfaction, and depression.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Unconditional love (e.g., from parents) helps a child achieve congruence.

Self-Efficacy

Your belief in your capacity to perform necessary actions to achieve a specific performance goal. It is task-specific.

Human Agency

The human capacity to influence one's functioning and life events. We are proactive agents.

Intentionality

Forethought

Self-Reactiveness

Self-Reflectiveness

Four Features of Human Agency:

Intentionality

Creating plans and strategies.

Forethought

Setting goals and anticipating outcomes.

Self-Reactiveness

Constructing and regulating the execution of actions.

Self-Reflectiveness

Examining and correcting actions.