Psychological and Sociological Perspectives of the Self

Psychological perspective

focuses on the individual's thoughts, emotions, personality,

behavior, experiences, and development.

Sigmund Freud – Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud explained the self through three parts of personality

· Id – the part that seeks immediate pleasure and satisfaction.

· Ego – the rational part that makes decisions based on reality.

· Superego – the part that represents morals, values, and conscience.

· Id – the instinctive part. It seeks immediate pleasure and satisfaction.

Carl Jung – Analytical Psychology

Jung believed that people have both a conscious and unconscious aspect of the self. He also

emphasized the importance of understanding ones inner personality and experiences.

Erik Erikson – Psychosocial Development

Erikson proposed that people develop their identity through different stages of life. During

adolescence, an important challenge is identity vs. role confusion.

Example: A teenager may ask, “Who am I?”, “What do I want to become?”, and “What values

do I believe in?”

Carl Rogers – Humanistic Perspective

Rogers emphasized the importance of self-concept—how a person sees and understands

themselves.

He identified ideas such as:

· Real self – who you believe you actually are.

· Ideal self – who you would like to become.

· Congruence – when the real self and ideal self are reasonably consistent.

Albert Bandura – Social Cognitive Theory

Bandura emphasized that people learn through observation, imitation, experience, and

interaction with their environment.

Example: A student may develop good study habits after observing a classmate who regularly

studies and succeeds.

Sociological Perspective of the Self

The sociological perspective explains that the self is developed through interaction with

other people, groups, culture, and society.

Charles Horton Cooley – Looking-Glass Self

Cooley proposed that people develop their self-image partly from how they think others see

and judge them.

The process involves:

1. We imagine how we appear to others.

2. We imagine how others judge us.

3. We develop feelings about ourselves based on these imagined judgments.

Example: If classmates regularly tell a student that they are a good speaker, the student may

become more confident in speaking.

George Herbert Mead – Social Self

Mead explained that the self develops through social interaction.

He identified:

· “I” – the spontaneous and personal aspect of the self.

· “Me” – the part of the self that understands society’s expectations and rules.

Example: You may personally want to speak freely (“I”), but you may also consider classroom

rules and what is appropriate (“Me”).

Erving Goffman – Dramaturgical Perspective

Goffman compared social life to a theater performance. People may present themselves

differently depending on the situation.

· Front stage – how we behave when we are in front of other people.

· Back stage – how we behave when we are more relaxed and away from public observation.

Example: A student may behave formally during a classroom presentation but act more

casually with close friends.