University Assignment: PSY-255 Position Paper on The Self

This position paper, written for a PSY-255 assignment, delves into the multifaceted concept of 'The Self.' It examines the influence of culture, contrasting collectivist and individualistic perspectives, and explores how these cultural frameworks shape self-control and behavior. The paper further inves...Read More

Running head: POSITION PAPER – The SELF
Position Paper – The Self
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1POSITION PAPER – THE SELF
Thesis Statement
The self, is an entity or a concept that is described in an overt or in a covert manner,
causing one to be considered or thought of as a collectivist or individual type of culture,
Self-Discrepancy and Self-Esteem (Key et al., 2000). This paper argues that the self, forms
an integral part of research that is undertaken on the personality today. A person, who is
characterized by a well-balanced disposition or personality, has a positive notion of the self,
known also as positive self-esteem. This is a person conducts his day to day duties and
responsibilities with the intent of achieving the goals that he has set for himself, on his
personal or professional agenda. This paper consequently engages in an in-depth review
and analysis of theories of the self and its various dimensions, while also addressing in
detail aspects of the self, such as self-esteem and self-discrepancy in as holistic a manner as
possible (Triandis et al., 2006).
A useful framework for understanding the self and what it entails is hierarchy of
needs as propounded by Maslow, an American psychologist in the year of 1943. In the view
of Maslow, human beings are motivated inherently to take up the type of actions or
behaviors that will help them to better themselves and which will allow them to realize
their fullest potential or self-actualization as this is commonly known. The attainment of
self-actualization when individuals progressively encounter as well as satisfy several types
of needs, ranging from the need or desire for food and shelter and safety to a desire for
belonging, love and the desire of self-esteem (Triandis et al., 2016).
Over the years, detailed research and analysis has been undertaken on the self,
across collectivist and individualist cultures. The group of scholars who belong to this

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school of thought are of the view that collectivist efforts are far superior to the efforts that
are made by a person at the individual level. Triandis (1995), has for instance argued, that
when people act in unison, as a collective entity, rather than as individuals, they tend to
have a far stronger impact on their immediate surroundings. In other words, it is argued
by this school of thought, that people need to come together and act as a collective entity in
order to make their presence felt in their immediate natural surroundings. Collectivist
cultures are those that are seen to be self-sacrificing in nature and they are dependable too,
for the most part. Collectivist cultures are seen to place a great deal of emphasis on the
interactions that take place through groups, through social cooperation etc. and more often
than not, the people who endorse this theory are seen to turn to their familial institutions or
familial setup for support or guidance in a time of difficulty or emergency. As such, the
collectivist school of thought is one that is of the notion that individuals are not capable of
acting in isolation from one another. The collectivist culture values the role that social
interaction has to play in the day to day life of an individual, placing importance on the
role of social interaction in developing in the self-confidence, the self-esteem and
consequently, the self-value of an individual (Triandis 1995).
The culture of an individual is also something that is seen to have a strong impact on
the similar or different ways by which people are seen to think and act for themselves. The
culture of an individual exercises such a strong individual as the maximum amount of time
that an individual spends on a day to day basis, is with himself. As a result, the type of
environment in which this individual is being raised and the sort of influence that is
exercised on his individual personality is something that plays a prominent role in shaping
his individual culture (Zeigler-Hill et al., 2018).

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The collectivist and the individualist cultures that have been discussed in detail in
this piece of research are cultures that are associated with the incredible act of self-control.
Self-control is something that is defined as the ability of an individual to change impulses
and emotions with the sole aim of adhering to specific social norms and standards. It also
refers to the ability of a person to change impulses and emotions in order to act in
accordance with long term goals and personal values. The greater the level of self-control
that an individual is able to exercise the more well-balanced is this person likely to come
across as an individual (Zeigler-Hill et al., 2018).
When it comes to discussing the matter of individual self-control, it is important to
remember that this is something that is shaped by socialization and by genes. How effective
a person’s self-control tends to be in a given situation is something that is dependent
greatly on the type of genes that such a person is born with, over and above the type of
socialization experiences that the person has been subjected to from a very young age. This
piece of research is therefore aimed at identifying the relationship that is seen to exist
between collectivism and individualism and the relation that both are seen to have to the
matter of self-control. It has been identified in fact, in this particular study that people who
belong to collectivist cultures are people who are likely to be collectivist in their approach
to social affairs while people who have been raised in an individualistic culture are people
who are likely to be refrained in their course of action or behavior, who are likely to look
within rather than outwardly, and who are in turn, tend to be isolationist in their approach
and in their outlook to life at times (Triandis, 2006).
The second important area of study that has been researched and deliberated upon
in this essay is the matter of self-esteem. Self-esteem is a term that is used in psychology to

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describe the overall sense of worth or value of an individual. How much a person is able to
like one-self and respect oneself is something that is determined by the level of self-esteem
that a person is known to have. The dignity and the self-respect of a person is something
that needs to be held in high regard at all times, because in the event that the self-respect of
a person gets crushed, it may take close to a lifetime in order for the person to recover from
this situation. Self-esteem of a person is something that needs to be kept high and positive
at all times. It is a person with a positive sense of self-esteem who is going to be able to go
about his day to day affairs in the constructive and productive manner that is desired. A
person with a decent sense of self-esteem will at the very least be a confident individual. He
or she will not depend on the validation that is provided by other people in order to feel
good about himself or herself. Rather this is a person who is going to be quite inspiring in
nature, and who will motivate people around him to work well and to lead a decent life. A
person with a high sense of self-esteem is a happy and confident person. This is a person
who is more than likely to make the right choices with his life, who has the potential to
avoid taking wrong decisions and who has the ability to keep his head high in all types of
life situations, no matter how detrimental, how difficult or how challenging such situations
turn out to be, in whatever the circumstance (Willems et al, 20180.
A specific attempt has been made in this particular study to point out the distinction
that is seen to exist between fragile self-esteem and high self-esteem. Fragile self-esteem
belongs to an inter-personality style which is connected with uncertain and true forms of
self-esteem. Interpersonal style and fragile self-esteem are nothing but international forms
of contingent self-esteem. Fragile self-esteem specifically is something that finds reflection
in the social life of an individual, in information that is evaluative and which is externally

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received (Higgins, 1987). The notion of self-esteem is something that is centered around a
wide array of beliefs, regarding a person, such as the person’s appraisal of his or her self-
worth, his confidence, appearance, emotions, ideology, ability, and behavior. In the
ultimate analysis, it can be stated with a great amount of certainty, that self-esteem in the
positive sense of the term is something that needs to be cultivated in an individual. A
person who has a sense of high self-esteem as opposed to a sense of low-self-esteem will be
able to undertake an approach to life that is constructive and productive, and which will
allow him to lead his life with his head held high at all times, instead of feeling insecure and
nervous about his existence.
The third important area of discussion in this piece of research is that which is to do
with the matter of self-discrepancy. According to Higgins (1987), a discrepancy is seen to
exist between the actual self of an individual and the self-guide that is associated with the
same. This discrepancy is something that is known to cause people to suffer quite a bit at
the emotional level. Self-discrepancy is also something that varies considerably from one
person to another person. It is not possible for the thoughts of a person to be happy at all
times and not all the experiences that an individual is seen to go through in his or her life,
are those that end up generating positive outcomes. Owing to this, there are times when
individuals are seen to incur a considerable degree of failure as part of their day to day
experiences. As argued by Higgins (1987), negative emotional state is something that is
brought on by the inconsistency that is seen to exist between the self-guide and the actual
sense of the self and this discrepancy between the own self or actual self is something that
represents various types of negative but significant psychological experiences which in turn
are associated with various types of discomfort (Higgins, 1987). Most of the people who

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experience what may be termed as self-discrepancy are people who are seen to go through
intense negative feelings or emotions, and such many of these people are seen to suffer from
depression. Such thought processes are those that are characterized by what may be
termed as a conflicting belief of the self, and which generates negative consequences for the
most part. Self-discrepancy is other words is not an ideal state or form of the self and
should be overcome. Self-discrepancy is something that is seen to be detrimental for the
mental state of an individual for the most part and it is a state that individuals have to be
helped in recovering from (Key et al., 2000).
In conclusion it can be argued that both self-esteem as well as self-discrepancy is
seen to constitute important versions of the self. While one can be conditioned to be positive
for the most part, the other is mostly negative and is best avoided. Self-discrepancy when
seen to arise in a person can keep such a person from leading a productive life. This is a
person who is likely to be overcome with negative thoughts for the most part and more
often than not, this is a person who will lack the zest for life, the zeal to live. Self-esteem can
also turn out to be quite negative when it comes to the impression of one’s self that one
gives to other people in the society. Yet self-esteem does not necessarily have to be low. It
can be positive in nature too, something that is known as high self-esteem, a feeling of
personal value that leads an individual down the path of right actions. When an individual
has a high sense of self-esteem, such a person has the right consciousness about how or she
is, what he or she is meant to do in life and what they need to improve upon or strengthen
in order to enhance their sense of self.

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References
Higgins, E.T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological
Review,
94, 319-340.
Key, D. E., Mannella, M., Thomas, A. M., & Gilroy, F. D. (2000). An Evaluation of Higgins’
Self-Discrepancy Theory and an Instrument to Test Its Postulates. JOURNAL OF
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY, 3, 303.
Triandis, H. C., Gelfand, M. J., Jackson, C. L., Colquitt, J. A., Wesson, M. J., & Zapata-
Phelan,
C. P. (2006). Individualism and Collectivism Measure. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 91(4), 884–899.
Willems, Y. E., Dolan, C. V., van Beijsterveldt, C. E. M., de Zeeuw, E. L., Boomsma, D. I.,
Bartels, M., & Finkenauer, C. (2018). Genetic and Environmental Influences on Self-
Control: Assessing Self-Control with the ASEBA Self-Control Scale. Behavior
Genetics, 48(2), 135–146. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s**************-1
Zeigler-Hill, V., Clark, C. B., & Beckman, T. (2011). Fragile Self-esteem and the
Interpersonal
Circumplex: Are Feelings of Self-worth Associated with Interpersonal Style? Self &

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Identity, 10(4), 509–536.
https://doiorg.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/*******8.2010.497376

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References