Understanding the Self: Comprehensive Notes (Psychology)

Lesson Objectives and Context

• Understand the different ideas about the self in psychology.

• Create our own definition of the self based on psychological definitions.

• Analyze how various factors identified in psychology influence the formation of the self.

• At the end of the lecture, be able to articulate the self from multiple psychological perspectives (GEUTS01X – Understanding the Self).

Keywords and Core Concepts

• Congruence: alignment between ideal self and real self.

• Ideal self: who we want to be.

• Incongruence: misalignment between ideal self and real self.

• Real self: who we really are.

• Self-concept: an organized, consistent set of perceptions of and beliefs about oneself.

• Self-efficacy: how one performs or believes one can perform tasks.

• Self-esteem: one’s overall assessment of worth as a person.

• Self-schemas: perceptions and beliefs that comprise our self-concept.

I‑Self and Me‑Self (William James)

• “I – Self”

  • Refers to the self that knows who he or she is.

  • Involves thinking, acting, and feeling self.

  • Reflects the soul of a person, or what is now thought of as the mind; called the pure ego.

  • The self as the thinker; rational yet subjective.

• “Me – Self”

  • The empirical self.

  • Refers to describing the person’s personal experiences and is divided into sub-categories.

  • Sub-categories: Material Self, Social Self, Spiritual Self.

• Emphasis in James’ framework:

  • The I‑Self is the observing, thinking subject.

  • The Me‑Self is the object of knowledge (what we think about ourselves).

  • Tension and interaction between I‑Self and Me‑Self shape self-perception.

• Quotations to remember:

  • William James’ broader view on the self emphasizes both inner and outer aspects and the personalized experience of self.

The Me‑Self: Subcategories of the Empirical Self

• Material Self

  • Includes things that belong to us or that we belong to: family, clothes, body, money, possessions, and physical attributes.

• Social Self

  • How the self is expressed in social contexts; the self changes depending on social situations.

  • Configured based on interactions with society and people’s reactions to us.

• Spiritual Self

  • The subjective, most intimate self; the inner core.

  • Includes personality, core values, and conscience that do not typically change over a lifetime.

Multiple Selves vs Unified Self (David Lester)

• The construction of multiple selves varies across different roles and relationships.

• Multiple selves = the different identities and roles we play (e.g., student, son/daughter, friend, older sibling, etc.).

• Coping with different selves is a formidable task for adolescents; it contributes to the struggle for a unified self.

• Examples of multiple selves the self must manage (from the activity prompt):

  • You can be a student, a son or a daughter, a friend, an older brother or sister, a parent figure, etc.—all at the same time.

• Unified self

  • Refers to the composite persona or the self that contains all other personas within an interactional style.

  • Sometimes viewed as the response to our multiple selves.

  • Integration of multiple selves is a task for later life (not immediate/early adolescence).

True Self vs False Self (Winnicott)

• True Self (also called Real Self, Authentic Self, Original Self, Vulnerable Self)

  • The core sense of self that is authentic and genuine.

• False Self (also called Real Self’s protective mask; sometimes termed Ideal, Perfect, Superficial, Pseudo Self)

  • A defensive or protective layer that helps the person function in the social world but may hide the true self.

• Key idea

  • The function of the False Self is to hide and protect the True Self.

  • The True Self can sometimes be shown to trusted people.

  • People tend to display a False Self to impress others.

Incongruence and the Ideal Self (Carl Rogers) – Humanistic Perspective

• Healthy range of ideal self

  • It is healthy to have an ideal self to some extent.

• Problems arise with large incongruence

  • When the ideal self is far removed from the real self, individuals may feel demoralized and discouraged because the real self seems inadequate and the ideal self unattainable.

  • This gap can lead to stress and anxiety because the real self never seems good enough and the ideal self seems impossible to attain.

• Core implication

  • Cognitive and emotional distress can arise from persistent incongruence between who we are and who we think we should be.

• Source

  • Carl Rogers – Humanistic Psychology

Adolescent Coping with Multiple Selves and Implications for Education/Life

• Adolescents face formidable tasks in coping with multiple selves.

• The presence of multiple roles can contribute to identity confusion or stress during development.

• The goal is to move toward a unified self, though this integration is typically a gradual process across the lifespan.

End of Discussion and References

• Activity prompts and class engagement are part of the learning process (e.g., reflection on “I AM WHO I AM”).

• Reference: Gazinggan, L.B.; Porillo, J.E.; Velasco, V.V.; Villaluz, et al. (2018). Understanding the Self. Panday-Lahi Publishing House, Sucat, Muntinlupa City.

• End of discussion prompts: “Thank you for listening” and “Questions?”

Connections to Broader Theory and Real‑World Relevance

• Self-concept formation is rooted in a blend of internal reflections (I‑Self) and external feedback (Me‑Self), which together shape identity across contexts.

• Real-life relevance includes: choosing roles, managing social expectations, and maintaining mental health by reducing incongruence.

• Ethical and philosophical considerations

  • Authenticity vs. impression management: balancing the need to fit social norms with staying true to core values.

  • The pursuit of growth (toward a more integrated self) should consider personal well-being and societal context.

Practical Formulas and Notation (Notes for Recall)

• Self-concept definition example

  • ext{Self-concept} = igrace perceptions ext{ about self},eliefs ext{ about self}igrace

• Congruence concept (simplified)

  • $ext{Congruence} ext{ occurs when } d( ext{Ideal self}, ext{Real self}) o 0$

• Incongruence magnitude (distance between selves)

  • $ext{Incongruence} = \big<br>Vert ext{Ideal self} - ext{Real self} \big<br>Vert$

• Self-efficacy and self-esteem (definitions for quick recall)

  • $ext{Self-efficacy} = ext{belief in one’s ability to perform tasks}$

  • $ext{Self-esteem} = ext{overall assessment of one’s worth as a person}$

• Subcategories of the Me‑Self (as a quick map)

  • Material Self: belongings, body, possessions

  • Social Self: self in social contexts and roles

  • Spiritual Self: inner core, values, conscience

Note on Citations from the Source Material

• Jhangiani and Tarry (2014): Definition framing for “self” as sense of personal identity.

• William James: I‑Self and Me‑Self framework with empirical and experiential components.

• Winnicott: True Self vs False Self dynamics and protective function of the False Self.

• Carl Rogers: Incongruence and its impact on mental health; emphasis on the harmony between real and ideal selves.

• David Lester: Conceptualization of multiple vs unified selves and adolescent coping.

• Reference work: Gazinggan et al. (2018) Understanding the Self.

Summary Takeaways

• The self is multifaceted: an inner (I‑Self) and outer (Me‑Self) construction composed of material, social, and spiritual dimensions.

• People navigate multiple selves across different roles, with the challenge of achieving unity (integration) over time.

• Healthier psychological functioning involves balancing authenticity (true self) with adaptive social presentation (false self) while reducing incongruence between real and ideal selves.

• Adolescents face particular pressures as they negotiate multiple identities and strive toward a cohesive sense of self.