Self as an emic object: A re-reading of William James on self

Abstract

Building on an emic conception of the self that William James articulated in his seminal chapter on the “Consciousness of Self” (1890/1950), this article defines the self as an object that the individual takes to be him- or herself. This object, which is subjectively identified by the individual, has an empirical dimension that constrains the subjective identification of the individual. As an emic object, the self is neither synonymous with the individual nor the equivalent of the individual’s self-concept; rather, it is the unity of the empirical existence of the individual and the individual’s perception of that existence. The self is an individual’s own person viewed from the standpoint of that individual, which may differ from what others perceive from their distinct standpoints. The implications of this new formulation for research and self-understanding are also discussed.