SAN JOSE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATON

SAN JOSE, MALILIPOT, ALBAY

GE 1: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

PRELIM MODULE 2

This module was designed to engage you, dear students. Learning and retention improve
when you participate actively in the learning process. Remember that learning is not confined
to the four walls of the classroom. Hence, this module was created for you.
This module will guide you as you continue learning in the comfort of your home. To optimize
your learning experience using this module, please:
1. Take time to read the learning materials given to you.
Note: You are NOT allowed to upload or share any of the learning materials given to you
on the internet.
2. Answer all the learning activities.
3. Do culminating tasks. Be guided by the task prompts and the rubrics.
4. Submit all learning activities on time. These activities are designed such that you
should work on them sequentially. Hence, finishing a prior activity or learning tasks is
necessary before moving on to the next one.
5. Be mindful of the time allocated for each module.
6. Extend your knowledge by searching for additional learning resources online or in any
available medium.

Lesson 2: Psychological View of the Self

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. Explain the concept of the “self” according to the following psychologists:
a. Sigmund Freud;
b. Carl Jung;
c. Erik Erikson; and
d. Carl Rogers
2. Illustrate the following concepts to real-life experiences:
a. Ideal self vs. Real self;
b. The provinces of the mind – id, ego, superego;
c. Psychosocial developmental theory; and
d. Archetypes.

Activity 2: About Me!

Instructions: Fill each box with at least five different answers that best describe your “self.”
(10 points)

Physical Characteristics Personality Traits

(Ex. “I am short”; “I am skinny.”) (Ex. “I am shy”; “I am respectful.”)

Socially defined Characteristics General Description

(Ex. “I am a student”; “I am a (Ex. “I am a human being.”)
brother.”)

Process Questions:
 1. What can you say about the
activity?

2. Would you have the same

description of yourself three years
ago? Why? Why not?

LET’S CONTINUE LEARNING!

Psychology is the science of behavior. It originates from two Greek words: psyche (soul)
and logos (study). It literally means the study of the soul/mind (Carson-Arenas 2011). Today,
psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes (Mann 2016).
The self has many aspects that help make up an integral part of it. Examples of these
are self-concept, self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-perception. Current views of the self in
psychology play an integral part in the development of one’s identity. The psychology of self,
either cognitive or affective, represents one’s identity.
Let us find out the ideas and views about the self of the following psychologists, and let
us try to reflect on and connect these concepts to our real-life experiences. Be amazed by the
ideas of Rogers, Freud, Erikson, and Jung.

SIGMUND FREUD: CARL JUNG: Major Jungian

Provinces of the mind Archetypes
Freud argued that self is Jung emphasized the
influenced by the interaction influences of archtypes on
of one's personality.
id, ego, and superego.

ERIK ERIKSON:
Psychosocial
Developmental Theory
CARL ROGERS: Self Theory
Erikson suggested that in
each life stage, an individual Rogers asserted the idea or
may experience a crisis or a real self vs. ideal self
challenge.

1. SIGMUND FREUD: PROVINCES OF THE MIND, PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT,

AND THE DEFENSE MECHANISMS

 Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian neurologist.

 He is considered the founder of psychoanalysis.
 Freud contended that the self is the outcome of the interaction
between the three structures of the mind: the id, ego, and superego
(Carson-Arenas 2011).
Characteristics of the Id, Ego and Superego
ID EGO SUPEREGO

Pleasure Principle Reality Principle Morality Principle

Seeks immediate Rational and Responsible for
gratification of Thoughtful society’s moral
impulses; ignores standards; feels
consequences guilty if rules are
disobeyed
“I want to do it “It’s not right to do
“I have a plan.”
now.” that”

Id and Superego are frequently in conflict, and the role of the ego is to satisfy both. According
to Freud, when the id’s desires and the superego’s rules cannot be satisfied, humans feel
anxiety, and to cope with this, people habitually and unconsciously distort reality using
defense mechanisms (Feist 2021).

Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development

According to Freud, children are born with powerful sexual and aggressive urges. His
theory explores the five psychosexual stages in which the person seeks pleasure from body
parts that are sexual in nature. He also emphasized that a child’s first five years are the most
critical developmental stage for social and personality development (Cherry 2016).

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Erogenous Successful
Stage Age Fixation
Zone Resolution
A person tends
to be talkative,
sarcastic, or
cursive (oral
aggressive); or
Birth up to 12 Infant’s mouth tends to suck on
Oral Weaning
months (feeding) his/her thumb,
smoke, overeat,
and drink
alcoholic
beverages (oral
passive).
Perfectionist,
meticulous,
overly tidy,
Toddler’s anus stubborn, stingy
One to three
Anal (bowel and Toilet training (anal retentive)
years old
bladder control) or disorganized,
distractive, and
clumsy (anal
expulsive)
Phallic Three to six Genitals Gender Oedipus
years old (masturbation) identification complex –
(mama’s boy)
son’s attraction
to his mother.
 Electra
complex –
(daddy’s girl)
daughter’s
affection for her
father
Dormant sex
instinct
sublimated in
Six years old to N/A (dormant
Latency Socialization school activities,
puberty sexual feelings)
hobbies, sports,
and making
friends
Fixation in the
prior stage could
Other people’s result in
Intimate
genitals or frigidity,
Puberty to relationships
Genital whole body impotence,
adulthood (dating and
(reproduction difficulty in
mating)
and pleasure) intimate
relationships,
etc.

Defense Mechanism
Defense mechanisms are unconscious techniques used by the ego to avoid confronting
aggressive and sexual urges, as well as to defend itself when anxiety becomes intolerable
(Feist et al. 2021). Despite their differences in detail, all defense mechanisms share these
common characteristics: denial or distortion of reality, occurring unconsciously (Schultz and
Schultz 2013). Below are some examples of defense mechanisms.

Some Examples of Defense Mechanisms

Defense Mechanism Description Example
The unconscious blocking of
You cannot remember your
Repression unacceptable thoughts and
mother’s funeral.
feelings
A person’s refusal to accept You are arrested for drinking
Denial reality due to a painful several times but deny you
experience have problems with alcohol.
An adolescent who is
overwhelmed with fear might
exhibit earlier childhood
Reverting to a less mature
behaviors he has long since
Regression way by adopting childish
overcome, such as bed-
behavior
wetting, looking for motherly
care, or eating comfort foods
from childhood.
You claim that your sister is
Attribution of unacceptable
mad at you, not knowing that
Projection thoughts or feelings to
you are the one who is really
someone or something else
mad at her.
Shifting a feeling, thought, or When you get mad at your
Displacement action toward a more sister, you kick the dog
vulnerable target instead.
Adopting beliefs, attitudes, Unconsciously laughing on
Reaction Formation and feelings that are directly the outside, crying on the
opposite to your own views inside
Rationalization Attempting to justify one’s You always cross the street
action to dismiss unpleasant using the pedestrian lane,
 but you know a lot of people
who violate the law, so it is
feelings
okay to do the same
sometimes.
Redirecting unacceptable Channeling your anxiety
Sublimation drives into personally and through painting or
socially acceptable channels exercising.
When your neighbor tops the
Incorporating positive board exam, you share
Introjection qualities of another person his/her achievement by
into their own ego saying: “He/She is my
neighbor.”
Fixation is a process where
an individual may be
When you see an adult who
persistently focused on an
does thumb sucking, it is
Fixation early stage of psychosexual
possible that he or she is
development because one’s
orally fixated.
wishes are over-gratified or
under-gratified (Arenas 2011)
These defense mechanisms are universal and healthy at some point to overcome the
anxiety caused by a conflict between the id and superego. They can benefit the individual and
not cause any harm to society to some extent. However, it should be noted that when used
severely, they may cause the formation of maladjustments.

2. CARL JUNG: ARCHETYPES

 Jung was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist.

 He is the founder of analytical psychology and a student of Sigmund
Freud.
 Jung believed that since the beginning of time and through the
repetitive experiences of our ancestors, these experiences have formed
archetypes.

Archetypes are defined as ancient images that derive from the collective unconscious
(Moulik, n.d.). These images cause us to react sensitively to symbols of nativity, dying, god
figures, mother and father figures, figures of the opposite sex, and so on. Archetypes express
themselves mainly through dreams; some are through fantasies and delusions. Each
archetype is believed by Jung to have its own life and personality; some of it is still vague, and
only a few have been established (Feist 2021).

The Four Major Jungian Archetypes

a. The Persona – it is the mask you use to present

Yourself to the world.
b. The Shadow – it is the darker side of you. This
Consists of sex and life instincts.
c. The Anima or Animus – these are the masculine
and feminine aspects of personality that all people
have.
d. The Self – it symbolizes the psyche.

For Jung, self-realization is the process of attaining

selfhood. Selfhood means enabling all the psychological components to work in unity and
harmony. People who have been able to acquire a balance between and among the
archetypes.
 3. ERIK ERIKSON: PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY

 Erikson was a German-American developmental psychologist and

psychoanalyst.
 He was a professor at Harvard, University of California, and Yale.
 Erikson is famous for his psychosocial development theory and has been
recognized for creating the phrase identity crisis (vom Orde 2016).
Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory claims that self-identity progresses in eight
stages, each facing a specific psychosocial dilemma or “crisis” throughout the lifetime. In
every life stage, there is an interaction of conflicts, the harmonious (syntonic) element, and
the disruptive (dystonic) element. Moreover, Erikson emphasized the point that in order to
have a balanced output, each stage should experience not only one element but both
conflicting elements (Carson-Arenas 2011).

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY

UNSUCCESSF
PSYCHOSOCI MAJOR BASIC IMPORTANT SUCCESSFUL
AGES UL
AL CRISIS QUESTIONS STRENGTHS EVENT OUTCOMES
OUTCOMES
Trust vs. A baby may
Mistrust develop trust
Infancy up “Can this A baby
and
to 24 world be Hope Feeding develops trust
confidence in
months trusted?” issues.
dealing with
other people.
Autonomy vs. A child may
“Can I do this A child may
Shame and engage in self-
on my own, Toilet feel a sense of
Doubt 2-4 years Will doubt as to his
or do I need Training control over
abilities and
help?” his destiny.
potential.
Initiative vs. A child
A child may
Guilt becomes
“Am I doing develop a
4-5 years Purpose Exploration dependent on
good?” growth
performing
mindset.
tasks.
Industry vs. Achievement
“How am I Failures lead to
Inferiority Competenc leads to
5-12 years going to be School feelings of
e feelings of
good?” inferiority.
competence.
Identity vs. Teens may
Confusion experience an
Teens develop
12-19 Social identity crisis
“Who am I?” Fidelity a strong sense
years Relationships and other
of self.
personal
identity issues.
Intimacy vs. Lack of desire
Isolation for meaningful
A person may
connection,
“Can I love form a loving
20-40 lack of
and be Love Relationships and lasting
years opportunity to
loved?” relationships
develop
with others.
fulfilling
relationships.
Generativity “Have I A person may
A person may
vs. 40-65 made a Work and feel a sense of
Care feel a sense of
Stagnation years difference to parenthood accomplishme
worthlessness.
the world?” nt.
Integrity vs. 65-death “Did I have a Wisdom Reflection on A person may A person may
Despair wonderful life feel a sense of feel unsatisfied
life?” success and with the way
 accomplishme
nt in the way they have lived
they lived their life.
their life.

At each stage of psychosocial development, the ego should include most of the positive
or harmonious (syntonic) attitude, but it should also contain some of the negative or
disruptive (dystonic) attitude. Only then can the problem be regarded resolved properly.
Furthermore, Erikson viewed human nature as capable of achieving basic strengths, resolving
conflicts in a positive way, and taking control of our own development. He believed that
heredity plays only a minor part in shaping an individual’s personality and that it is more likely
to be influenced by learning and social interactions (Schultz and Schultz 2013).
Erik Erikson believed that the psychosocial developmental theory works in
chronological order and is applicable to different cultures. Knowing this may help yourself and
others in understanding the self, in accordance with which stage you are in.

4. CARL ROGERS: SELF THEORY

 Carl Rogers was an influential American humanistic psychologist.

 He is one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy.
 Rogers emphasizes that the self is divided into two categories: real
self and ideal self.

a. Real Self. This is our true self. This is who and what we really are. This self may be an
imperfect one, but certainly, it is the most real part.
b. Ideal Self. This is the self we wish to be, we strive to be, and what we feel we are
expected to be. We tend to accommodate other expectations because we believe that
we will be more liked and loved if we do.
Rogers pointed out that for us to have an accurate self-concept, there should be
a resemblance between the ideal self and the real self. Conversely, if there is a
big difference between these two categories, then personality problems may
occur. When the discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self is huge, this
can lead us to feel dampened and low. Also, this incongruity can lead to
psychological burdens like stress and anxiety because we feel that our real self
seems not to be sufficient while the ideal self seems impossible to reach. (Feist
2021)
Rogers contended that self-concept is composed of three elements:
1. Self-Image – is how you see yourself based on your strengths and weaknesses. How
you think and feel about your appearance, your task performance, and your social
relationships consistently affect your self-image.
2. Self-Esteem – refers to the positive and negative feelings you have about yourself.
When you feel that you are good, then your self-esteem is high. Overly high self-
esteem, however, can have a negative effect. Possible links to high self-esteem are
bullying, increased social comparisons, and prejudice or racism (Jhangiani 2022).
However, when you feel that you are a failure and unworthy, you experience low self-
esteem. Low self-esteem has its downside. It has been linked to psychological suffering,
including anxiety, depression, and suicide.
Self-esteem helps us to:
 Identify our own Distinguish Focus on the Understand Create a habit
strengths. between our good rather more about of positive
inner beauty than the bad. what makes realism.
and outer good
beauty. friendships.

3. Ideal Self – is based on one’s hopes and wishes based on how a

person would like to become. If there is a big gap between how
you see yourself and what you would like to become, it will
somehow affect how you value yourself.

LET’S CHECK YOUR PROGRESS!

Module 2 – Assessment 2
Instructions: After exploring the views about the self by the different psychologists, answer
the following questions. (30 points)

1. Stick or insert a photo of your “real self” and “ideal self” in the box below and provide a
brief explanation of each image. (10 points)

Real Self Description:

Ideal Self Description:

2. Describe a situation in which you encountered a clash between your id and your
superego. What was your ego’s decision? (10 points)
3. Draw or paste pictures that portray these stages of your life. Write a short description
of each stage. (10 points)

PAST PRESENT FUTURE