“The persona is a complicated system of relations between individual consciousness and society, fittingly enough a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual." – Carl Jung 1928
Surprisingly, there is no widely accepted description or definition of the self in psychology, despite decades of study. William James–psychologist, philosopher and theologian–described the self as "the most puzzling puzzle with which psychology has to deal," and despite the brilliant writings of James on the subject, and a century of research, the self remains something of a mystery.
This is not to imply that social and behavioral scientists remain completely in the dark on the subject, or that the existence of the self is doubted (though some scientists do–see Unit Two.) A large body of empirical research on the self has convinced most psychologists that the self is real, and must be accounted for in any complete science of human experience (1).
In the broadest of terms, the International Society for Self and Identity (password protected - for current students only) accounts for the self in these ways:
While these are the generally accepted attributes of the self, there are some important and basic gaps in our understanding of self:
“I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach me, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.– Henry Thoreau
In summary, Dr. Hoyle describes the human self in this way: "a self–organizing, interactive system of thoughts, feelings and motives that characterize an individual. It gives rise to an enduring experience of physical and psychological existence–a phenomenological sense of constancy and predictability. The self is reflexive and dynamic in nature, responsive yet stable."
Skeptics might argue that the gaps in knowledge raised earlier are not resolved or even addressed by that description, and they would be right. The description does take into account what we know from decades of scholarly work on the concept of self, and so gives us a credible– if still incomplete–accounting.
One of the most intriguing theorists of the human self is Carl Jung. His theory of the persona inspired the use of the mask artwork used in this course.(You will see an original mask creation at the beginning of each unit. Students in the classroom version of this course created masks to represent an aspect of their own persona.) Be sure to click on each mask–you will be linked to a variety of world views of the self.
"The persona is a complicated system of relations between individual consciousness and society, fittingly enough a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual." Carl Jung 1928
Your readings include "The Search for Identity" by Carl Rogers, which discusses how finding and creating your own identity is the journey of a lifetime. Abe Arkoff in "The Basic Relationship," tells us that the way we come to see and regard ourselves is our most fundamental relationship. Nelson Gould explains Maslow´s theory of "Rubricizing", and Jon Kabat– Zinn describes the process of being aware of the present moment.
“Be careful not to become a prisoner of the thoughts of your own paradigm.– Charles Tart, Ph.D.
Please write one to two page answers for each question.