Understanding the Self

1. CHAPTER- I
Lesson 3
The Self as Cognitive
Construct

2. INTRODUCTION
Modern researchers acknowledge the
contribution of different fields of
studies about the self ranging from the
study of the self from a larger context
to (nature and society) down to the
individual. Psychology may focus on the
individual and the cognitive functions
but it does not discount the context
and other possible factors that affect
the individual.

3. Someone may sharply say “I am who I am”.
Yet one may ask, “If you are who you are, then who
are you that makes you who you are?”
Self is defined in several interchangeable concepts
but simply put, self is the sense of personal
identity and who we are as individuals. William
James (1890) conceptualized the self as having two
aspects, the “I” and the “me”. The I-is the thinking,
acting and feeling self (Hogg and Vaughan 2010).
The me is the physical characteristics as well as
psychological capabilities that make who you are
(Gleitman et. al , 2011)Carl Roger’s(1959) theory of
personality also used the I as the one who acts
and decides while me is what you think or feel
about yourself as an object.

4. Identity and Self Concept
Other concepts similar to self are identity and
self concept. Identity is composed of personal
characteristics, social roles as well as affiliations
that define who one is (Oysemen, Elmore and
Smith 2012). Self concept is what basically
comes to your mind when you are asked
who you are.
Self identity and self concept are not fixed
in one time frame. You may identify
yourself based from who you are years
back, at present or in the future.

5. Self
Hobbies
religion
Nationality
Family
The Self –Schema Concept

6. Mental Constructs
Theories generally points out the self and
identity as mental constructs created and
recreated in memory. Researchers point
out to the frontal lobe of the brain as the
specific area in the brain associated with
the process concerning the self.
Sigmund Freud saw the self, its mental
processes and one’s behavior as the
results of the interaction between the id,
the ego and the superego.
Under the theory of symbolic
interactionism Mead argued that the self is
created and developed through human
interaction.

7. According to Oyserman, Elmore and Smith
(2012) there are three reasons why the self is
created and developed through human
interactions:
1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing.
Society helps in creating the foundations of
who we are even if we make our choices, we
still operate in our social and historical
contexts in one way or the other.
2. Whether we like it or not we need others to
affirm or reinforce who we think we are.
3. What we think is important to us may also have
been influenced by what is important in our
social or historical context.

8. There are times when we are aware of our self
concepts (self awareness):
1. The private self of your internal standards
and private thoughts and feelings
2. The public self of your public image
commonly geared toward having a good
presentation of yourself to others(Hogg and
Vaughan, 2010)
Self awareness also presents us at least three
other self schema: actual, ideal, and ought
self. The actual self is who you are at the
moment, the ideal self is who you like to be
and the ought self is who you think you should
be.

9. Self awareness may be positive or negative
depending on the circumstances and our
next course of action. Self awareness can
keep you from doing something
dangerous; it can help remind you that
you have important things to do when
tempted to do something else.
Self awareness also sometimes can be too
much that that we may be concerned
about being observed and criticized by
others, also called self consciousness.

10.  At other times especially when we are
at large crowd, we may experience de
individuation or the “ loss of individual
self awareness and individual
accountability in groups. A lot of
people will attune themselves with the
emotion of their group and because
the large crowd also provides some
kind of anonymity, we may lessen self
control and act in ways that we will
not do when we are alone.

11. Self Esteem
One of the common concepts associated with
the self is self esteem. It is defined as our
own positive and negative perception or
evaluation of ourselves (Jhangiani and
tarry,(2014). One of the ways in which our
social relationship affects our self esteem is
through comparison. According to the social
comparison theory we learn about ourselves,
the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well
as our status by comparing aspects of
ourselves with other people (Hoggs and
Vaughan, 2010).

12.  The downward social comparison is the
most common type of comparing
ourselves with others. We create a
positive self concept if we compare
ourselves with those who are worse off
than us. By having the advantage we
raise our self- esteem . The upward
social comparison is comparing oneself
with those who are better off than
himself. While it can be a motivation for
some, some may feel having a lower
self- esteem as they highlight more of
their weaknesses and inequities.

13. Narcissism
In one’s attempt to maintain or increase
self –esteem he may resort to Narcissism. It
is a trait characterized by overly high self –
esteem, self admiration and self-
centeredness. One often takes care of his
image includes interpersonal relationships by
looking for better partners, better
acquaintances, as well as people who will
appreciate them a lot. This makes one a bad
romantic partner or friend since they engage
in relationships only to serve
themselves.(Jhiangiani and Tarry, 2010)

14. People with high self-esteem are
usually outgoing, adventurous and
adaptable to a lot of situations. They
initiate or build relationships with
people. However, they may leave a
relationship or activities that do not
conform or boost their self concept.
Because of so high regard for
themselves, they usually become
bullies, usually try to experiment in
doing things such as drugs, alcohol and
sex.