PSY415 Psychology of the Self Week 1 Introduction Week 1 Introduction.
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Transcript of PSY415 Psychology of the Self Week 1 Introduction Week 1 Introduction.
PSY415Psychology of the SelfPSY415Psychology of the Self
Week 1Introduction
Week 1Introduction
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 2
Who am I?Who am I?
“Imagine you want someone to know who you are really like. You can tell this person 20 things about yourself. These can include … anything that helps the person know what you are really like. What would you tell them?” (Brown, 1998, p. 20)
What did you ask yourself in your mind and/or considered in writing these statements?
“Imagine you want someone to know who you are really like. You can tell this person 20 things about yourself. These can include … anything that helps the person know what you are really like. What would you tell them?” (Brown, 1998, p. 20)
What did you ask yourself in your mind and/or considered in writing these statements?
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 3
The I and METhe I and ME
I see the BOARD vs. I see METhe self as I is the agent of action,
the subject It is not only the mental processes
involved in knowing or our affection toward ourselves, but the awareness of this process of knowing and feeling
ME is the object of one’s attention or knowledge of himself / herself
I see the BOARD vs. I see METhe self as I is the agent of action,
the subject It is not only the mental processes
involved in knowing or our affection toward ourselves, but the awareness of this process of knowing and feeling
ME is the object of one’s attention or knowledge of himself / herself
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 4
What Psychologists Mean by Self
What Psychologists Mean by Self
ME is also subjective It refers to people’s ideas, beliefs,
thoughts about themselves aboutWHO THEY ARE &WHAT THEY ARE LIKE
These ideas or beliefs are called self-referent thoughts
ME is also subjective It refers to people’s ideas, beliefs,
thoughts about themselves aboutWHO THEY ARE &WHAT THEY ARE LIKE
These ideas or beliefs are called self-referent thoughts
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 5
What Psychologists Mean by Self
What Psychologists Mean by Self
There are two aspects of the METhe way we think about ourselves is
the cognitive component of the self, which is called the self-concept
The way we feel about ourselves is the affective component of the self, which is called the self-esteem
The self is both the I and the ME
There are two aspects of the METhe way we think about ourselves is
the cognitive component of the self, which is called the self-concept
The way we feel about ourselves is the affective component of the self, which is called the self-esteem
The self is both the I and the ME
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 6
Self-Concept vs. Self-Esteem
Self-Concept vs. Self-Esteem
“Self-concept is the totality of the individual’s thoughts and feelings with reference to himself as an object, which eventually explains himself, and the world at large, to himself.”(Rosenberg, 1979, p. ix; Steele, 1988, p. 262)
“Self-esteem ... is a positive or negative attitude toward a particular object, namely, the self.”(Rosenberg, 1965, p. 30)
“Self-concept is the totality of the individual’s thoughts and feelings with reference to himself as an object, which eventually explains himself, and the world at large, to himself.”(Rosenberg, 1979, p. ix; Steele, 1988, p. 262)
“Self-esteem ... is a positive or negative attitude toward a particular object, namely, the self.”(Rosenberg, 1965, p. 30)
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 7
What is the Self?What is the Self?
There is no consensus on a conceptual definition
Baumeister (1998) highlights three roots of selfhoodReflexive ConsciousnessInterpersonal AspectExecutive Function
There is no consensus on a conceptual definition
Baumeister (1998) highlights three roots of selfhoodReflexive ConsciousnessInterpersonal AspectExecutive Function
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 8
Reflexive ConsciousnessReflexive Consciousness
It is the subjective experience of “conscious attention turning back toward its own source and gradually constructing a concept of oneself” (Baumeister, 1998, p. 680)
The self has unity and temporal continuity
It is the subjective experience of “conscious attention turning back toward its own source and gradually constructing a concept of oneself” (Baumeister, 1998, p. 680)
The self has unity and temporal continuity
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 9
Interpersonal AspectInterpersonal Aspect
The self is not only constructed subjectively, but it is affected by the social context as well
Self is “vital for making interpersonal relationships and interactions possible” (Baumeister, 1998, p. 680)
The self is not only constructed subjectively, but it is affected by the social context as well
Self is “vital for making interpersonal relationships and interactions possible” (Baumeister, 1998, p. 680)
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 10
Executive FunctionExecutive Function
The self is the agent of all actions and the decision-maker (Baumeister, 1998)
Original meaning of the self, as first appeared as a noun in the 14th century English, is “sinner” (Danziger, 1997) What do you think about why it meant so?
Volution, Agency, Responsibility It is the essential source of motivation
to activate or inhibit actions
The self is the agent of all actions and the decision-maker (Baumeister, 1998)
Original meaning of the self, as first appeared as a noun in the 14th century English, is “sinner” (Danziger, 1997) What do you think about why it meant so?
Volution, Agency, Responsibility It is the essential source of motivation
to activate or inhibit actions
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 11
Self-Psychology and Personality: The Difference
Self-Psychology and Personality: The Difference
Self-psychology is concerned with subjective experience, whereas personality psychology is more concerned with the objective experience
“I think I am an extraverted person”vs.
“My BFI score indicates that I am extraverted”
Asch (1952) Ego is the representation of the organism Self is the awareness of ego
Self-psychology is concerned with subjective experience, whereas personality psychology is more concerned with the objective experience
“I think I am an extraverted person”vs.
“My BFI score indicates that I am extraverted”
Asch (1952) Ego is the representation of the organism Self is the awareness of ego
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 12
Self-Psychology and Personality: The Similarities
Self-Psychology and Personality: The Similarities
What we really are influences how we think about ourselves – not always! Self-aggrandization
What we really are influences how we feel about ourselves Temperament
Self is one aspect of personality cf. individual differences
Self-report is often used to measure personality Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale
What we really are influences how we think about ourselves – not always! Self-aggrandization
What we really are influences how we feel about ourselves Temperament
Self is one aspect of personality cf. individual differences
Self-report is often used to measure personality Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 13
Self-Psychology and Phenomenology
Self-Psychology and Phenomenology
Not the objective but the subjective reality determines our consciousness at a given moment Wertheimer’s (1912) Apparent Movement
Experiment Lewin (1951) argued that objective
world is important to the extent that it affects our subjective perceptions
Our thoughts and feelings about ourselves are subjective as well – the self as perceived
Not the objective but the subjective reality determines our consciousness at a given moment Wertheimer’s (1912) Apparent Movement
Experiment Lewin (1951) argued that objective
world is important to the extent that it affects our subjective perceptions
Our thoughts and feelings about ourselves are subjective as well – the self as perceived
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 14
The Study of Self in American PsychologyThe Study of Self in
American Psychology
The Behaviorist MovementPsychology is an experimental
branch of natural science which aims at predicting and controlling behavior by carefully observing phenomena objectively
Positivism and mechanism led the rejection of self as a legitimate subject matter of psychology
The Behaviorist MovementPsychology is an experimental
branch of natural science which aims at predicting and controlling behavior by carefully observing phenomena objectively
Positivism and mechanism led the rejection of self as a legitimate subject matter of psychology
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 15
The Study of Self in American PsychologyThe Study of Self in
American PsychologyThe Decline of Behaviorism
Cooley (1902) – The Looking-Glass SelfOthers serve as mirrors from which we see
ourselves reflected – perspective takingMead (1934) – Symbolic Interactionism
It is the socialization process in which the self develops – perspective-taking
Maslow (1954) – Self-ActualizationThere is an inborn striving in humans for
growth, which lead to realize the potentialPersonality Theorists – The Concept of
Ego
The Decline of BehaviorismCooley (1902) – The Looking-Glass Self
Others serve as mirrors from which we see ourselves reflected – perspective taking
Mead (1934) – Symbolic InteractionismIt is the socialization process in which the
self develops – perspective-takingMaslow (1954) – Self-Actualization
There is an inborn striving in humans for growth, which lead to realize the potential
Personality Theorists – The Concept of Ego
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 16
The Study of Self in American PsychologyThe Study of Self in
American Psychology
The Cognitive Revolution“Behavior reeks of purpose.” (Tolman,
1932, p. 12)Whereas behaviorism emphasized
the past history of reinforcement as a determinant of behavior, cognitivism emphasized future planning, choice, and expectations
Self became a legitimate subject matter
The Cognitive Revolution“Behavior reeks of purpose.” (Tolman,
1932, p. 12)Whereas behaviorism emphasized
the past history of reinforcement as a determinant of behavior, cognitivism emphasized future planning, choice, and expectations
Self became a legitimate subject matter
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 17
Is there a Self?Is there a Self?
Hilgard (1949) proposed that all (defense) mechanisms imply self-reference (p. 375) Defense mechanisms are defenses against
anxiety – guilt feelings – self as an agent of good or bad choices
Defense mechanisms are self-deceptive – bolstering self-esteem as through self-deception
Self can be investigated in awareness introspectively
Self can be investigated as an external object – Inferred Self “… a pattern of existing habits and attitudes”
(p. 378)
Hilgard (1949) proposed that all (defense) mechanisms imply self-reference (p. 375) Defense mechanisms are defenses against
anxiety – guilt feelings – self as an agent of good or bad choices
Defense mechanisms are self-deceptive – bolstering self-esteem as through self-deception
Self can be investigated in awareness introspectively
Self can be investigated as an external object – Inferred Self “… a pattern of existing habits and attitudes”
(p. 378)
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 18
The Functions of the IThe Functions of the I
Our awareness of ourselves is functional indistinguishing ourselves from othersmotivating behavior, exerting control
over environment and other peopleproviding us with a sense of
continuity and unity
Our awareness of ourselves is functional indistinguishing ourselves from othersmotivating behavior, exerting control
over environment and other peopleproviding us with a sense of
continuity and unity
Spring 2010 Kürşad Demirutku, Ph.D. 19
The Functions of the METhe Functions of the ME
Our thoughts about ourselves has a cognitive function and influence the
way we perceive and process information
a self-regulatory function and guide our behaviors
a motivational function and helps us to direct our behaviors to achieve certain ends
Our thoughts about ourselves has a cognitive function and influence the
way we perceive and process information
a self-regulatory function and guide our behaviors
a motivational function and helps us to direct our behaviors to achieve certain ends