The concept of self in psychology: what does it refer to? – Online Psychologists

The concept of self It is central to psychology and refers to the a person's understanding and perception of themselves as a unique and individual being, with a distinctive identity and characteristics.

In general terms, it can be understood as the sum total of the thoughts, emotions, sensations and perceptions that make up a person's experience as an individual. In other words, it is the image that a person has of themselves, including their self-concept, self-esteem and sense of identity.

The notion of self It has been addressed by various theoretical schools of thought within psychology, such as humanistic psychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology, among others. Each of these schools of thought has different approaches and perspectives regarding the self and its importance in people's psychological lives.

Humanistic psychology has a very particular vision of the selfwhich is based on the idea that each person has a innate potential to develop and achieve full realization. According to this current, the self It is the center of each individual's experience and is the source of their sense of identity, purpose and meaning in life.

It is built from the interaction between individual experience and the social environment in which each person develops. Therefore, it is seen as a dynamic and constantly evolving process, which is built and transformed over time.

One of the key concepts in humanistic psychology is the self-actualizationwhich refers to the process of personal development and growth that allows each person to reach their full potential. According to this current, the self It is the center of self-actualization, since it is through understanding and accepting oneself that one can overcome limitations and achieve greater personal fulfillment.

Cognitive psychology also has a perspective on the selfalthough it focuses more on the cognitive process underlying the construction and maintenance of this. According to this current, it is a cognitive construction that is formed from the integration of information about oneself that is acquired over time.

It is seen as a set of mental representations which include both factual and emotional information about oneself. These representations are organized in a hierarchical structure that consists of different levels of abstraction, from the most specific information about specific aspects of a person's life to the most general beliefs about one's own identity and personality.

According to the theory of the self-attributionone of the central theories in cognitive psychology, people use information about their own behavior to infer characteristics and attributes about themselves. That is, the way a person behaves in different situations is used to build an image of themselves.

In addition, he has investigated the cognitive processes involved in self-assessment, such as self-esteem and self-conceptand has shown that these processes are influenced by the way people process information about themselves.

Social psychology has a perspective on the self that highlights the importance of social and cultural processes in the construction and maintenance of identity and self-concept of a person.

From a social perspective, the self It is built through the social interaction with other people and the roles they play in daily life. The way a person sees themselves, as well as the way they are seen by others, is seen influenced by social norms and expectations that govern behavior in different contexts.

In addition, social psychology has investigated the influence of stereotypes and prejudices on the construction of the self, showing how the perceptions that others have about a person can affect their self-concept and self-esteem.

On the other hand, social identity theory proposes that people identify with different social groups and that belonging to these groups influences the construction of identity and self-concept. This theory highlights the importance of belonging to social groups for the formation of identity and how processes of social comparison with other groups influence self-evaluation.