Images of Self in Psychological Thought

Abstract

The concept of self is a multi-faceted one that is used by different theorists in different ways. In this paper, we present an overview of the dominant themes and images that structure conceptions of self as used by psychologists, sociologists, philosophers and other scholars. In order for concepts like self and identity to be meaningful, it is necessary that we compare and clarify their various uses, identify the different aspects of experience that they are intended to illuminate, and seek to consolidate them in ways that are coherent and integrative. In this paper, we identify four broad models of self in psychology: self as inner life, social conceptions of identity, relational conceptions of self and conceptions of self based on group identifications. We offer this typology as an initial framework for coordinating different conceptions of self and identity.