UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF
LESSON III

PREPARED BY: LYCA MORANO

prayer
prayer
The self as
cognitive
construct
LESSON III
OBJECTIVES
THE STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE:
1.Identify the different ideas in psychology
about the “self”;
2.Create your own definition of the “self” based
on the definitions from psychology; and
3.Analyze the effects of various factors
identified in psychology in the formation of
the “self”.
 “Your”
through
others’
eyes
“Your” through others’
eyes
FORM A BIG CIRCLE IN THE AREA (CLASSROOM);
LIST FIVE - TEN (5-10) UNIQUE QUALITIES OR THINGS THAT YOU
THINK DEFINE WHO YOU ARE OR THE PERSON AROUND YOU AS
THE HUMAN FIGURE REPRESENTING YOU;
THE STUDENTS WILL COMPARE HOW WE LOOK AT OURSELVES
AGAINST HOW PEOPLE PERCEIVE US DEPENDING ON HOW WE
PRESENT OURSELVES TO THEM.
“Your” through others’
eyes
 WRITE “I AM ___________”, (YOUR NAME),
WHO DO YOU THINK I AM BASED ON WHAT YOU SEE ME DO OR HEAR ME SAY?
 AS THE PIECE OF SHEET CIRCULATE. FOR (1-2) MINUTES FILL OUT THE PAPER OF
YOUR CLASSMATE, AS YOU FILL OUT THE PAPER OF YOUR CLASSMATE WRITE
BRIEFLY AND ONLY THOSE THAT YOU OBSERVE ABOUT THE PERSON. DO NOT USE
BAD WORDS AND DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME.
 AFTER THE CIRCULATION IS DONE, PASS ALL THE PAPERS TO THE INSTRUCTOR
AND DISTRIBUTE IT TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNER.
 THE STUDENTS WILL PRESENT THE QUALITIES LISTED ON THEIR PAPER.
ANALYSIS
Compare what you wrote about yourself to
those written by your classmates.
Which aspects are similar and which are not?
What aspects are always true to you? What
aspects are sometimes true or circumstantial?
What aspects do you think are not really part of
your personality? Write your answer on a 1
whole yellow pad.
 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.
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. (video)
 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. (e.g)
Self schema of self
Self schema of self
hobbies

family self religion

nationality
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.
Mental Constructs
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.
Mental Constructs
Theory of symbolic interactionism Mead argued that
the self is created and developed through human
interaction.
Mental Constructs
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. (first impressions video).
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
There are times when we are aware of our self concepts
(self awareness):

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.
▸ At other times especially when we are at large crowd, we
may experience de individuation or the " loss of individual
awareness and individual
Self 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.
 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).
The downward social comparison is the most common type
of comparing ourselves with others. We create
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.
 Self esteem
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.
 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 only to relationships serve
themselves.(hiangiani and Tarry, 2010)
 Conclusion
It's crucial to mindfully observe the comparisons we
formulate in our heads and remember that every
one of us is unique in our personalities, strengths,
weaknesses, and abilities. In this way, it's impossible
to accurately compare ourselves to others.

"A flower does not think of competing to the flower

next to it. It just blooms."
 QnA
Session
Thank
You
Thank
You