Exploring the Self: Philosophical, Psychological, and Biblical Perspectives
Self-concept, Self-esteem and Self-confidence
Dear Friends,
Last week I introduced to you the principle of Self-Efficacy developed by Albert Bandura, a leading figure in the world of modern psychology.
Understanding the principles of Self-Efficacy, a person’s belief in their ability to succeed at a given task or goal is important. Self-efficacy is influenced by your life experiences, emotions and other’s behaviours towards you. It’s a powerful idea that lies at the reasoning behind why some individuals thrive in the face of adversity and others crumble. And why some people end up in therapy whilst others don’t!
Your self-confidence, self-esteem and ability to conquer challenges is rooted in your understanding of the Self. But what is the Self? What is the Self-concept? What is the difference between self-esteem, self-confidence and self-efficacy?
That’s what we’ll be exploring this week.
What is the Self?
Oh such a huge question! I will attempt to briefly summarise the definitions of the Self from a Philosophical, Psychological and Biblical point of view.
The Philosophical perspective of the self:
An individual’s being, knowledge, values
Independent of the senses
Different from the ‘person’ as a physical human being
John Locke (1632 - 1704) on personal identity, having defined his understanding of a ‘person’, goes on to establish what makes a person the same person ongoing. he says that:
…consciousness always accompanies thinking, and ‘tis that, that makes every one to be, what he calls self. (L-N 2.27.9)
and as consciousness is what distinguishes selves and therefore:
…in this alone consists personal Identity, i.e. the sameness of rational Being: And as far as this consciousness can be extended backwards to any past Action or Thought, so far reaches the Identity of that Person; it is the same self now it was then; and ‘tis by the same self with this present one that now reflects on it, that that Action was done. (L-N 2.27.9)
The Psychological perspective of the self:
the individual as a whole, including all characteristics, mentality, personal attributes and consciousness
self-knowledge, the interpersonal self and the agent self
the philosophy of the self, including Self-image and self-esteem
Carl Jung explains the process of the self developing as ‘individuation’
Individuation is described as the process by which an individual becomes a unique person encompassing both their conscious and unconscious selves. Jung states that individuation is completed when late maturity is reached. The self is considered the center of an individual's world and encompasses more than just personal identity. The way you perceive the world is a reflection of yourself, along with your thoughts, actions, and characteristics.1
The Biblical perspective of the self:
3 parts, having mind, body & soul, a conscious being
Made in the image of God - creative, relational, rational, having a conscience
Imperfect, sinful and idolatrous
Humans can be self-centred and pre-occupied with selfish ways. We are warned about being self-interested, self-absorbed, prideful and should never think too highly of ourselves.
The Bible emphasises a view of the self with Jesus and without Jesus "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). But Paul declares, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).
Dennis Pollock from Spirit of Grace ministries says:
So here is the heart of the self-image of a follower of Christ. Without Jesus we can accomplish no good thing in the eyes of God. We may work hard and grow rich, we may have friends and be appreciated by many, we may possess power and influence in the world, but from God's perspective we haven't done a thing. Without Jesus we are helpless, hopeless, and worthless. As to any man or any woman without Christ, the Bible unequivocally states: "They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). Before turning to Jesus, this was our condition in the eyes of God: we had "turned aside," we were "unprofitable," and we did not "do good."2
Self-concept
Put simply, our perception of ourselves is known as our self-concept. Numerous factors, such as how we connect with significant figures in our lives, have an impact on it. The self-concept is how you perceive your personality qualities and your life’s responsibilities.
Our self-concept affects our motives, attitudes and behaviours. It influences who we believe ourselves to be.
We talk about processes such as self-discovery and self-identity when we are younger. The older we get the more we learn about ourselves and begin to categorise our self-concept.
Three main components make up your self-concept:
Your ideal self - who you wish to be
Your self-image - how you currently see yourself
your self-esteem - how much you like, accept and appreciate yourself and your place in the world
If your current view (self-image) of yourself is far from your ideal self then your self-esteem may be negatively impacted. This can be distressing. Our interactions with family members, neighbours, work colleagues, social media and advertising can affect both positively and negatively the development of one’s self-concept.
A poor self-concept impedes your development, and self-sabotage (negative behaviours) tend to be the result of a poor self-concept. Having a positive self-image can help us to succeed.
Self-Esteem versus Self-Confidence
Self-esteem generally refers to your view of your overall worth whilst Self-confidence refers to how capable you feel in your abilities. Derived from the Latin ‘fidere’ (to trust), confidence means to have faith and trust in the world. Therefore, being self-confident is to trust in your own abilities to engage successfully with the world.
You can be self-confident in a particular part of your life, and often this is due to having successful experiences in this area. For example, if you are confident in the kitchen, it’s most likely because you have successfully prepared multiple meals without burning the house down. However, you may not be a confident driver, this might be due to the umpteen car accidents you’ve had!
Self-esteem, derived from the Latin ‘æstimare’, means to weigh, value or appraise. Self-esteem is how we think and feel about our worth. It is directly related to interactions with other people, rather than objects or tasks.
Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is more related to Self-Confidence. It’s also specific to particular areas of your life. You can have high self-efficacy in one aspect and low self-efficacy in another.
The key components of self-efficacy include:
1. Magnitude: This refers to the level of task difficulty one believes they can master.
2. Strength: This represents the conviction of the belief in one’s ability.
3. Generality: This indicates the extent to which the belief in one’s efficacy extends across various situations.3
Self-efficacy differs in that it is about your belief in your ability to succeed in that particular goal at that time, it’s not about how you feel about yourself or your place in the world.
With my clients struggling with Hoarding Disorder, they often cannot see any way of success in decluttering. They simply can’t imagine that they can achieve any level of decluttering given how many times they have failed before. I have clients that hold responsible jobs, that go out into the world and no-one would have a clue about what is going on in their homes. I have high-achieving, high-earning clients that can’t begin to even contemplate how to declutter and organise that kitchen drawer or can’t decide what is useful or not, what’s trash or recycling, what needs to stay or go in their home.
Self-efficacy plays an important part in motivation. If you are high in self-efficacy in a particular area of your life such as healthy eating, exercise, sports, education, workplace performance then you are more likely to stick at it when it gets tough, you’re more likely to continue even if you encounter a setback.
Increasing Self-efficacy - SMART goals
You’ve probably encountered the theory of SMART goals somewhere in your life.
Specific / Measurable / Achievable / Realistic / Time-bound
This is a great way to encourage and increase self-efficacy. Achieving a small goal increases confidence in our ability to go on to achieve the next goal and the next. Over time, these small wins add up to one big overall win.
Teachers use this in the classroom, parents use it in parenting, employers use it for work performance and therapists use it in treatment plans.
Conclusion
Philosophers such as Descartes have suggested that the self is primarily a thinking entity, while existentialists such as Sartre argued for the self as a project, defined by choices and responsibities of freedom. Philosophically, the self can be seen as a jigsaw of experiences and perceptions, shaped by examining one’s mental and emotional processes and the external world.
Psychology offers us empirical and scientific methods of evaluating cognitive processes, emotional responses and deepening our understanding of self-awareness. Through psychology we identify patterns of behaviour and thought, from which we can construct strategies for change and efforts for personal growth. Psychology acknowleges both nature and nurture whilst empowering the individual with opportunities for self-improvement.
A biblical view of the self emphasises humans as a creation in the image of God, highlighting intrinsic worth and purpose, but warns against an overinflated view of the self. It’s a delicate balance of understanding our worth to God but not to the detriment of how we treat others.
Each perspective offers unique insights yet interconnects in the search for meaning and fulfilment. We must try to align philosophical inquiries about existence and identity to find a deeper sense of meaning with psychological insights into self-awareness, whilst reminding ourselves of the value and worth God places in us, whilst trying to live with and for the good of others, not inflating ourselves in status. In balancing these perspectives we may find deeper connections, wisdom and personal development that bridge both spiritual and practical ways of living.
Recommended reads:
A Theological Self - Stuart Hannabuss journeys into the human condition with Søren Kierkegaard.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/152/A_Theological_Self
A Biblical Sense of Ourselves - Dennis Pollock in Spirit of grace Ministries.
What is self accoarding to the Holy Bible? - Somesh Ambhore on Quora
https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/psychology/personality-in-psychology/the-self/
https://spiritofgrace.org/articles/nl_2021/00_sense_%20of_self.html#:~:text=A%20Biblical%20view%20of%20self,(John%2015%3A5).
https://neurolaunch.com/self-efficacy-psychology-definition/
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