PSYCHOLOGY

- PRINCESS NICOLE H. MONFORTE -

PSYCHOLOGY
• Psychology is the scientific study of how people
behave, think, and feel.
• It includes topics, such as how the brain works,
how our memory is organized, how people
interact in groups, and how children learn
about the world.
• Everything that concerns the human being is a
concern of Psychology. From the basic
workings of the human brain to consciousness,
memory, reasoning and language, to
personality and mental health, and everything
about human experience.
The Self As A Cognitive Structure

• Cognitive is defined as “of, relating to, being or

involving conscious intellectual activity, such as
thinking, reasoning, or remembering”

“Cognitive development is a progressive

reorganization of mental process resulting from
biological maturation and environmental
experience.” –Jean Piaget
The Self As A Cognitive Structure
Three basic components to Piaget’s cognitive theory:
• Schemas/schemes – are the building blocks of
knowledge. Schemes are mental organizations
that individuals use to understand their
environments and designate action.
• Adaptation – involves the child’s learning
progress to meet situational demands. This
1. happens through:
Assimilation – is the application of previous
concepts to new concepts.
2. Accommodation – happens when people
encounter completely new information or when
existing ideas are challenged.
The Self As A Cognitive Structure
• Stages of Cognitive Development – they reflect
the increasing sophistication of the child’s
1.thought process.
Sensorimotor – The child learns by doing: looking,
touching, sucking. The child also has a primitive
understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
2. Preoperational – The child uses language and
symbols, including letters and numbers.
Egocentrism is also evident.
3. Concrete Operations – The child demonstrates
conversation, reversibility, serial ordering, and a
mature understanding of cause-and-effect
relationships.
The Self As A Cognitive Structure

4. Formal Operations – The individual demonstrates

abstract thinking at this stage.
Harter’s Self-Development Concept
1. Early Childhood – The child describes the “self” in
terms of concrete, observable characteristics, such
as physical attributes, material possessions,
behaviors, and preferences.
2. Middle to Later Childhood – The self is described
in terms of trait-like constructs that would require
the type of hierarchical organizational skills and
characteristic of logical thought development.
3. Adolescence – According to Harter, this is the
emergence of more abstract self-definitions, such
as inner thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and motives.
Harter’s Self-Development Concept

4. Emerging Adults – The marked characteristic of

“self” is having a vision of a “possible self.”
William James and The Me-Self; I-Self

“The art of being wise is knowing what to

overlook.”
–William James, The Principles of Psychology
“The “self” has two elements: the I-Self and the
Me-Self.” (James, 1950)
William James and The Me-Self; I-Self
• I-Self – is the pure ego. It is the subjective self. It
is the “self” that is aware of its own actions. It has
four features which are:
1. A sense of being the agent or initiator of
behavior.
“I believe my actions have an impact, that I cause an
effect in my of
2. A sense environment.”
being unique.
“This is how I am different from everything in my
environment.”
3. A sense of continuity.
“I am the same person from day to day.”
4. A sense of awareness about being aware.
“I understand what is going on in me and around
William James and The Me-Self; I-Self
• Me-Self – is the self that is the object. It is the
“self” that you can describe, such as your
physical characteristics, personalities, social role,
or relationships, thoughts, feelings.
• James called it the Empirical Self.
William James and The Me-Self; I-Self
The dimensions of the me-self include:

1. Material – physical appearance and extension

of it such as clothing, immediate family, and
home;
2. Social – social skills and significant
interpersonal relationships; and
3. Spiritual – personality, character, defining
values.
Real and Ideal Self-Concepts
• Self concept – is an organized, fluid, conceptual
pattern of concepts and values related to the
self.
• If the person holds a positive self-concept, he or
she would tend to feel good about himself or
herself, and would generally see the world as a
safe and positive place.
• If the person holds a negative self-concept, then
he or she may feel unhappy with who he/she is.

“All behavior is motivated by self-actualizing

tendencies and these tendencies drive you to reach
your full potential.”
–Carl Rogers
Real and Ideal Self-Concepts

Ideal Self vs. Real Self

• Ideal Self – is the person that you would like
yourself to be; it is your concept of the “best me”
who is worthy of admiration. The ideal self could
1. include:
Notions influenced by your parents.
2. What you admire in others;
3. What the society sees as acceptable; and
4. What you think is in your best interest.
• Real Self – is the person you actually are. It is
how you behave right at the moment of a
situation. It is who you are in reality – how you
think, feel, or act at present.
Real and Ideal Self-Concepts

The Importance of Alignment

“if the way that I am (the real self) is aligned with

the way that I want to be (the ideal self), then I
will feel a sense of mental well-being or peace of
mind.
-Carl Rogers
“High congruence leads to a greater sense of self-
worth and a healthy, productive life.”
Multiple Selves
“Properly speaking, a man has many social selves
as there are individuals who recognize him and
carry an image of him in their head.” -William
James