The Self
William James: Two Perspectives on the Self
ALOT OF WAYS OF DEFINING THE SELF.ACOUPLE OF PERSEPECTIVES.
WILLIAM, THE FATHER OFAMERICAN PSYCHOLOGY, OFERED 2 PERSPECTIVES
OF THE SELF. PROPOSED THEREARE 2 WAS WE PERCIEVE THE SELF.
WILLIAM JAMES: DUALITY OF OUR SELF PERCEPTION.
The self is composed of our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, or what James called the
“known” or “me”
The self is also the active processor of information, the “knower,” or “I.”
ME IS THEASCPECT OF URSELF THAT U PRESENT WHEN YOU ARE GETTING
FEEDBACK FROM WHAT UARE DOING OR MAYBE WATCHING URSELFDO THING.
AND THE IS THE PRT OF YOURSELF YOU BECOMEAWARE OF. WHEN UARE
REFECTING ON YOUR PROCESS.
In modern terms, we refer to the known aspect is the self concept, and the knower aspect as
self-awareness.
SELF CONCEPT: ME
SELF-AWARENESS: I
ACCORDING TO JAMES WHEN U PUT THIS 2 TOGETHER IS WHEN U GET A
COHERENT SENSE OF YOUR IDENTITY AND WHO U ARE.
These two aspects of the self combine to create a coherent sense of identity:
THINK OF SELFAS BOOK (FULL OF CONTENTS OVER TIME), MEAS CONTENT OF
THAT BOOKAND READER OF THE BOOK WILL BE THE I
Charles Horton Cooley: The Looking Glass Self
SOCIOLOGIST, COINED THE LOOKING GLASS SELF.
Self can’t be understood in isolation--must be studied in interaction with others.
Self is not an inherent property of human nature, but a socially constructed entity
WHO UARE IS FORMED BYTHE INTERACTIONS U HAVE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
THE IDEAOF THE SELF HAS THINGNESS BUT THE THINGNESS ISALWAYS
CHANGING. THE THINGNESS IS NOTAPROPERTY OF NATURE. SO U DON’T HAVEA
SELFAS APART OF BEINGAHUMAN BEING U HAVE ASELF BCOS THE CONCEPT
OF SELF WAS SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED BY OTHER PEOPLEAND SOCIETY.
Sense of self is built upon seeing ourselves through the eyes of others
THE LOOKING GLASS SELF IS THE SELF U THINK OTHER PEOPLE SEE.
********************************************************************* CHART SHOWS HOW SENSE OF SELF DEVELOPS WITHAGE. WHEN THE INFANT IS
YOUNG THEY DEVELOP PHYSICALSELF-AWARNESSAND RECOGNIZE THEREARE
BOUNDERIES TO THE SELF. RECOGNIZE THERE IS ADISTINCTION BTWN SELFAND
ENVIROMENT. WHEN INFANT IS FIRST BORN THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THERE IS
THE SELFAND ENVIROMENTARE NOT THE SELFAND THIS IS WAYTHEYARE SO
FASINCATED WITH GRABING THINGS. THIS IS AGOOD SIGN, SHOWS INFANT IS
DEVELOPING
SELF RECOG: INFANT UNDERSTANDS THE DIFF BTW THEMSELVESAND OTHER
PEOPLE. THEY UNDERSTNADING THERE ISAMEAND OTHER PEOPLE. NOT JUSTA
MEAND NOT ME.
BEYOND THAT THEY DEVELOPATHEORY OF MIND. THEY UNDERSTAND OTHER
PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHTSAND IDEAS THATARE SEPARATE FROM THEIR OWN,
THEY START DOING THINGS LIKE INTERNALIZATION OF STANDARDS OF
BEHAVIOUR. GAININGABILITIESAND DEMONSTARTING THEM. WHICH HELPS
THEM FURTHER DIFF THEMSELVES FROM OTHERSAND DEVACONCEPT OF SELF.
EVENTUALLYTHEY DEVAPRIVATE SELF CONCEPT WHERE THEY REALIZE THAT
THEREARE THINGSABOUT THE SELF THAT THEY KNOW THAT OTHER PEOPLE
DON’TAND THEY DON’T HAVE TO DISCLOSE TO OTHER PEOPLE. THIS IS WHEN
THEY START TO HAVE FRIENDS THEY DISCLOSE CERTAIN THINGS TO
WHEN THEY GET TO ADOLESENCE THEY BECOMEAWARE OF WHAT OTHER
PEOPLE THINGABOUT THEM AND START TO INCORPERATE THATAS PART OF SELF
CONCEPT
ANADULT USUALLYASASTABLE SENSE OF SELF.ANDAV THE HABIT IF
INTERNALIZING SOCIETYAS PART OF THEIR SELF CONCEPT. INTERNALIZING
SOCIETY STANDARDSAS SENSE OF SELF.
ACHILD YOUNGER THAN 18MNTHS DOESN’T MAKE THE CONNECTION BTWN
THEMANS SELF.
Self-Concept
All the beliefs people have about the self
THE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS, THINGS ABOUT URSELF U BELIEVE TO BE TRUE. A NETWORK OF IDEAS
THAT ORGANIZES THE THINGS U SEE AROUND YOU
• Organizes and provides coherence for how we experience the self
• Provides sense of continuity
IMAGINE SOMEONE OF MULTIPLE PERSONALITY D. THEY DON’T HAVE ASENSE
OF CONTINUITY.
Development of Self-Concept
• Child’s self-concept is concrete, with observable characteristics • Becomes more complex with age.
• more emphasis on psychological states, opinions of others
LESS EMPHASIS ON PHYSICAL THINGS AND MORE ON THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND IN ADOLESCNES
MORE EMPHASIS ON THE OPINION OF OTHER PEOPLE.
How does self-concept develop?
How does self-concept develop?
BIRTH- 1YR: PHYSICAL AWARENESS
2-3: RECOGNIZE SELF IN THE MIRROR AND PICTURES. USE LANGUAGE TO DEMONSTARTE SELF
AWARENESS
3-4: SKILLS AND ABILITIES THAT ARE DIFF FROM WHAT PEOPLE HAVE. START TO USE PERSONALITY
TRAITS WHEN THEY DESCRIBE THEMSELVES OR OTHER PEOPLE.
5-6: COMPARE THEMSELVES TO THEIR PEERS. INCLUDE IN THEIR SELF CONCEPT THE DIFF BTW
THEMSLEVES AND OTHERS, WHAT ARE MY SOCIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES.
• Private sense of self develops
• More concrete self-concept
THINGS ABOUT THEMSELVES THEY DON’T NEED TO SHARE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
9-10: RECOGINZE AND UNDERSTAND TRAITS OF SELF THAT HAVE CONTINITY.
IN ADDOLSCENTS: PEOPLE BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO THE OPINIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE AND
BECOME MORE SELF-CONCIOUS. AND START TO USE REFECTIVE APPRASIALS THE IDEA OF PEOPLE
HAVING AN OPINION ABOUT THEM AND WHAT THAT OPINION IS. UNDERSTANDING URSELF IN TERMS
OF WHAT U THINK OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT U. SO IF U THINK PEOPLE THINK U ARE SLIGHTLY
NEUROTIC IT BECOMES PART OF UR SELF CONCEPT. THEY ALSO START TO INCORPORATE ABSTRACT
CONCEPTS INTO THEIR SELF CONCEPT. START TO THINK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MOTIVATE THEM,
WHAT THEIR DESIRES ARE AND ALL. WHAT U ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. ACTIVELY AND IMPLICITLY
QUESTIONING THEIR IDENTITY. GENERALIZED OTHER AS TO DO WITH WHAT THE PERSON
UNDERSTANDS AS THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIETY. INTERNALIZATION OF WHAT THE
SOCIETY THINKS THAT PEOPLE IN CERTAIN POSITIONS OUGHT TO DO. DO THINGS CONSISTENT WITH
WHAT SOCIETY EXPECTS FROM U
ADULT HOOD: GENERALLY HAVE STABLE SELF CONCEPT AND FAIRLY STABLE SELF ESTEEM.
How does self-concept develop?
WHAT DO PEOPLE USE TO DEV SELF CONCEPT?
OTHERS IMAGE OF YOU: THE LOOKING GLASS SELF, REFELCTED APPRASIALS AND WHAT PEOPLE TELL U
ABOUT YOURSELF.
SOCIAL COMPARISM: EITHER DOWNWARD OR UPWARD (SUPERIOR/INFERIOR; SAME/DIFF). U’LL
RECOGNIZE AT SOME POINT SOME PEOPLE CAN DO THINGS U CAN’T. CULTURE IS ANOTHER THING
THAT HELPS DEFINE US. More abstract motivations and personality charact
More
Less
