William James Theory of the Self

Summary

In this discussion, the concept of the 'I self' and 'Me self' as proposed by William James is explored. The 'I self' is the subjective, active agent of behavior, providing a sense of uniqueness, continuity, and awareness. It contrasts with the 'Me self', which is more objective and shaped by others' perspectives on material, social, and spiritual aspects. Balancing these two selves is crucial for personal development and aligning one's actions with their true beliefs.

Takeaways

• 👨‍🏫 William James is considered the father of American psychology and made significant contributions to the field.
• 🤔 James proposed two aspects of the self: the 'Me' self and the 'I' self, emphasizing their differences.
• 👤 The 'I' self is the subjective self, aware of its own actions and using the first-person perspective.
• 💡 The 'I' self is the agent or initiator of behavior, indicating personal responsibility and choice.
• 🌟 It provides a sense of uniqueness, allowing individuals to recognize their distinct qualities and beliefs.
• 🔄 The 'I' self offers a sense of continuity, maintaining a consistent identity over time despite personal evolution.
• 🕒 It fosters awareness of one's current state, actions, and the passage of time.
• 👥 The 'Me' self is described from an external or more objective perspective, including how others perceive an individual.
• 🏷️ The 'Me' self has three aspects: material (attributes), social (behavior in society), and spiritual (personality and values).
• ⚖️ Striking a balance between the 'I' self and the 'Me' self is crucial for personal growth and social interaction.

Q & A

Who is William James and why is he significant?

William James is known as the father of American psychology, having made significant contributions to the field in the United States.

What are the two sides of the self according to William James?

According to William James, there are two sides of the self: the Me self and the I self.

What is the I self and how does it differ from the Me self?

The I self is the subjective self that is aware of its own actions and describes itself using the first-person perspective. It differs from the Me self by being the agent or initiator of behavior, providing a sense of uniqueness, continuity, and awareness.

How does the I self give a sense of being the agent of behavior?

The I self gives a sense of being the agent of behavior by allowing individuals to realize that they are the ones making choices and taking responsibility for their actions, rather than attributing choices to others.

What does the feeling of uniqueness provided by the I self entail?

The feeling of uniqueness provided by the I self entails the ability to recognize personal attributes and preferences that distinguish an individual from others, such as liking math or reading books.

Can you explain the sense of continuity given by the I self?

The sense of continuity given by the I self allows an individual to maintain a consistent identity over time, remembering past experiences and connecting them to present actions, indicating an evolving but continuous self.

How does the I self contribute to a sense of awareness?

The I self contributes to a sense of awareness by enabling an individual to be conscious of their actions, thoughts, and the temporal context in which they exist, such as knowing whether it is morning, afternoon, or night.

What is the Me self and how is it described?

The Me self is the objective self that can be described from the perspective of others. It includes aspects such as material, social, and spiritual selves, reflecting how others perceive an individual.

What are the three perspectives of the Me self according to William James?

The three perspectives of the Me self are the material self, the social self, and the spiritual self, which correspond to how an individual is perceived in terms of physical attributes, social behavior, and personal values, respectively.

Why is it important to strike a balance between the I self and the Me self?

Striking a balance between the I self and the Me self is important because it allows individuals to behave in a way that is both true to their own desires and in accordance with societal expectations, fostering personal authenticity and social harmony.

How does the script suggest redirecting clients' thinking to enhance their understanding of the I self?

The script suggests redirecting clients' thinking by encouraging them to consider their own perspectives and opinions, rather than solely relying on what others think, to enhance their understanding of their I self.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding the I Self

In this paragraph, the concept of the I self, as proposed by William James, is discussed. James, known as the father of American psychology, differentiated between the I self and the Me self. The I self is described as the subjective self, which is aware of its own actions and perspectives. It is the internal voice that uses 'I' to describe actions and experiences. The I self is characterized by three main features: 1) It gives a sense of being the agent or initiator of behavior, implying personal responsibility for choices and actions. 2) It provides a feeling of uniqueness, allowing individuals to recognize their distinct qualities and preferences. 3) It offers a sense of continuity, connecting past experiences with present actions and maintaining a consistent identity over time. Lastly, the I self is associated with a sense of awareness, being conscious of one's actions, thoughts, and the passage of time.

05:00

🌐 Perspectives of the Me Self

This paragraph delves into the Me self, which is the self as perceived by others or the more objective self. William James identified three perspectives of the Me self: 1) The material self, which includes how others view one's physical attributes such as intelligence, appearance, and fitness. 2) The social self, which encompasses how one is seen in social contexts, such as being friendly, knowledgeable, or helpful. 3) The spiritual self, which relates to one's personality, character, and values. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of being conscious of how these different aspects of the Me self can differ from the I self and suggests finding a balance between conforming to others' expectations and acting according to one's own beliefs and desires.

Keywords

💡Sociological self

The sociological self refers to the concept that an individual's sense of self is shaped by social interactions and societal expectations. In the video, this concept is introduced as a backdrop to further explore William James's ideas about the 'I' and 'Me' selves. It sets the stage for understanding how our self-perception is influenced by both our internal sense of self and external social factors.

💡William James

William James is a pivotal figure in American psychology, often referred to as the 'father of American psychology.' His work on the self is foundational to understanding the 'I' and 'Me' selves. The video script emphasizes his contribution to psychology, particularly his theory of the self, which is central to the discussion.

💡I self

The 'I' self, as described by William James, represents the subjective or active aspect of an individual's self. It is the part that initiates actions and decisions. The video uses the example of choosing a college course to illustrate the 'I' self, where one might say 'I want to study this course,' indicating personal choice and agency.

💡Me self

The 'Me' self is the objective or passive aspect of an individual's self, influenced by others' perspectives. It is how one sees themselves through the eyes of others. The video contrasts this with the 'I' self by suggesting that the 'Me' self might say, 'My parents want me to study this course,' reflecting external influences on one's choices.

💡Sense of being

The 'I' self provides a sense of being the agent or initiator of behavior. It is about personal responsibility and autonomy. The video script explains that with the 'I' self, one acknowledges their capacity to make choices and that they are not merely a product of others' decisions.

💡Uniqueness

The 'I' self gives a feeling of uniqueness, allowing individuals to recognize their distinct qualities and preferences. The video uses the example of someone who likes math and reading, distinguishing themselves from others with different attitudes, to illustrate how the 'I' self helps one feel unique.

💡Continuity

Continuity, as it relates to the 'I' self, refers to the consistent identity of an individual over time. The video explains that this does not imply a lack of growth or change but rather a sense of ongoing self that connects past experiences with present actions, such as remembering childhood teachings and applying them in current behavior.

💡Awareness

Awareness, in the context of the 'I' self, is the capacity to be conscious of one's actions, thoughts, and the present moment. The video script suggests that the 'I' self allows for self-reflection and the ability to question and consider one's own beliefs and actions, as opposed to simply conforming to others' expectations.

💡Material self

The material self is one of the aspects of the 'Me' self, referring to how others perceive one's physical attributes or material possessions. The video mentions attributes like being smart, handsome, or fit as examples of how people might see the material self.

💡Social self

The social self pertains to how one is perceived in social contexts, such as being friendly or helpful. The video script uses this concept to discuss how others view an individual's behavior and social skills, which is a part of how the 'Me' self is formed.

💡Spiritual self

The spiritual self relates to one's personality, character, and values as seen by others. It is the aspect of the 'Me' self that encompasses deeper, more intrinsic qualities. The video script suggests that this part of the self is about how individuals are judged based on their moral and ethical beliefs.

Highlights

William James is known as the father of American psychology and made significant contributions to the field.

James proposed two sides of the self: the Me self and the I self.

The I self is the subjective self aware of its own actions.

The I self is described as the 'eye from within', using the first-person perspective.

The I self gives a sense of being the agent or initiator of behavior.

The I self allows one to take responsibility for their own choices.

The I self provides a feeling of uniqueness.

The I self enables a sense of continuity in one's identity.

The I self allows one to remember past events and connect them to the present.

The I self provides awareness of one's current situation and actions.

The Me self is described from the perspective of others or the more objective self.

The Me self can be viewed from three perspectives: material, social, and spiritual.

The material self is how others perceive one's physical attributes.

The social self is how others perceive one's behavior in social situations.

The spiritual self is how one describes their personality, character, and values.

A balance must be struck between behaving as others want and behaving as one thinks is best.

Transcripts

in our previous discussion in

sociological self I gave you a preview

or I spoke about the I self in the Miso

again I hope that you remember that

basically William James proposed

something similar to what we have

discussed in that discussion okay so it

would be worth it to take another look

at it so William James is known as the

father of American psychology he's a

great contribution to to the field of

psychology in the United States and

according to him there are two sides of

the self the me self and the I self and

now let's take a look at his perspective

and how do these two differ with each

other

according to William James the ice of is

the subjective self that is aware of its

own actions so it's describing yourself

using the word I or from your own

perspective it's the eye from within

okay describing yourself using your own

um perspective okay so what are the

features of the eye sub so if you use

the I itself you're capable of the

following so the first one is that the I

sub gives you a sense of being the agent

or initiator of behavior

so let's compare that with the missile

say for example choosing a course in

college let's compare the isop and the

missile so the me self may say something

like my parents want me to study this

course

but when you use the ice up you would

say that I really want to study this

course

so now if you use the ISO

you have the responsibility over your

own behavior you realize that you're the

one who make choices and others are not

the one who's going to make choices for

you so with the eyes up you realize that

we are capable of making choices for our

own lives and that we are responsible

over these choices instead of saying

that your choice is the product of other

people's choices

next the ice up gives you a feeling of

being unique so the ISL gives you the

capabilities capability to say that

unlike other people I am black

I like math I like

um studying I like reading books unlike

other people who are you know who have

negative attitudes towards a certain

profession

I think that they are not

um that bad okay unlike other people I

think I feel I believe so that's the

eyes of other than that the eye sub

gives a sense of continuity so it allows

you to have one continuous identity

so when we say continuity you know that

the self doesn't change who you are

yesterday is still who you are now it

doesn't mean that you don't evolve but

rather it doesn't mean that you have a

new identity every day okay with with a

sense of continuity

you have the capability to remember what

happened in the past and connect them

with what's happening in the present for

example you have the capability of

saying that

I remember that yesterday I did this

that's why now I'm doing this I remember

that when I was a child I was taught by

my parents that I must be respectful to

adults that's why right now I am being

respectful to adults

and that's about Contin um being

continuous from the past the present

we should also have a sense of awareness

so when we say a sense of awareness the

eyes of is capable of telling where he

is who he is and what is the time okay

he is aware is it morning is it

afternoon is it the night so if you're

aware what do you feel what do you think

okay do you have are you conscious about

what you're doing okay so that's one

capability of the iso okay because

sometimes when we rely so much on me

self you just behave in a way that other

people want you to behave so typically

we don't we redirect the thinking of our

clients by saying that for you what do

you think that's what they think right

but in your own perspective okay what

can you say about this or that okay so

that is for the I self now let's talk

about the missile

foreign

object or the self that you can describe

so this is from the perspective of

others or the more objective self okay

so according to William James there are

three perspectives of the misoft the

first one can be the material okay so

they think of me as smart they think of

me as handsome they think of me as

helpful okay as they think of me as fit

okay okay so that's the

um material cell okay and next is the

social self they think of me as friendly

they think of me as someone who knows

how to

someone who knows how to behave in

Social behavioral and social situations

they think of me as a helpful individual

and lastly we also have the spiritual

self or describing yourself

um when it comes to personality

character and values okay so that's the

eyes of and the Miso so be conscious

um how does your missile differ in

comparison with your eyes off okay and

which is more helpful to you sometimes

we have to strike a balance between

behaving in a way

in a way that others want us to behave

and behaving in a way that we think

would be the best for us

okay