Models of the Self: The Potential for Developing and Enhancing of Subjectness of Self

Abstract

The paper presents a distinctive experience of dialogue between two researchers that is comprised of the creative synthesis of their original concepts of Subjectness of Self and ways of enhancing it. Here, the dialogical interaction of scientists is manifested not in academic controversy, but in “integrating”, or connecting, the researchers’ concepts related to a common study object and providing profound insight into this object that is unattainable outside of dialogue. The problems solved by the researchers are associated, firstly, with a new reflection on their relevant research; secondly, with the development of the scientific theory of the Self of Personality; thirdly, with substantiating the possibility of achieving “creative consistency”, or “creative partnership” in theoretical research; and, fourthly, with demonstrating the significance of scientific dialogue in psychology of personality as the art of aligning researchers’ standpoints for the benefit of human cognition. The purpose and original result of the dialogical integration of the presented concepts was deeper and more expanded knowledge about the structure of Self the Subject, about the properties of the Self that determine its subjectness, about the Unknown Self and the active attitude of the personality towards it, about self-identity of the Self and ways to achieve it, and about the self-causality of the Self and methods of its empirical research. The method of conceptual analysis and synthesis, the method of hermeneutics, and reflexive and phenomenological methods were applied for searching, operating and revealing knowledge about the Self and its subjectness. The dialogue was within the space of general personology, a trend in the study of personality that was founded by the researchers. It presupposes the unity of cultural-hermeneutic, theoreticalempirical, practical and self-positing approaches in research, counseling and psychotherapy of personality. The dialogue has resulted in the development of a new field of science, personology of Self. The paper contains the voices of both the authors and all those who have inspired their views and ideas.