Introduction
The psychology of the self has diverse meanings in the context of human individuality. The self represents many things depending on the context of an application. Under normal circumstances, the self is used to refer to the identity of a person. The psychology of the self therefore refers to cognitive aspects as well as the essential attributes of one’s persona. Several studies have indicated that psychology of the self plays a crucial role in the motivation and social identity of a person. The relationship between the self and neural parameters of humans is highly symbolic of the importance of the concept. At the heart of the issue is the number of parameters that affect the umbrella idea. In this paper all the parameters that have an influence on the aspect of the psychology of the self.
Attachment Lifestyle and Emotional Content
The role played by lifestyle on the self has been documented since the days of yore. Lifestyle by all means has a profound effect on the psychology of the self. The concept of personality plays a crucial role in the whole relationship. At the heart of the matter are the childhood experiences of the individual which invites certain tendencies. The kind of experiences a person goes through while growing up has a profound effect on whatever lifestyle choices they make (Vitz 1994). The choice is kind of automatic since it emanates from the inside of someone’s subconscious mind. Most people are not conscious of the choices they make concerning the lifestyle trends in general. The attachment kind of lifestyle is an offshoot of negative childhood experiences which have a large effect on one self-esteem. The mind resorts to clingy attributes so as to avoid the reality of life. Such tendency to a great extends lowers the self-esteem of the individual making people love the status quo. Under such circumstances any activity that seems to be against the normal order is avoided for the fear of venturing out. This leads to a conservative personality in which change is not a welcome opponent.
Attachment lifestyle involves an aspect of emotional immaturity where the emotions of an individual have been affected by the negative situations of the past. These situations to a great extend hinder the process of growth in the emotions of an individual. This kind of psychological condition is highly vulnerable to the vagaries of nature. It is symbolic of a weak personality only that in this case the weakness is not nature but resultant. The handicap of such psychological predisposition emanates from the lack of psychological soundness due to the experiences that have occurred in the life of the person. There are many characteristics of this kind of condition. Most of them affect the intellectual capacity of the person since they inhibit sound reasoning. The world negatively appears to the mind and the interpretation of events is according to the experiences of the past (Goleman 1996). The person’s past therefore plays the central role in the present and future projections of life. Such an individual can only be healed through a comprehensive therapy.
Personality
In the psychology of the self personality plays a crucial role in defining and determining the concept. Personality refers to the various attributes of a person that define the self. It is these patterns of behavior and conduct that define who a person is. To a great extend personality is affected by the psychology of the individual which on its part is a result of many factors. Personality defines the differences between a person and the others. It includes psychological and mental aspects though mostly manifests physically. The personality of a person is shaped by very many aspects as the person grows up. The events of life in one way or the other affect the future and general shape of the person’s personality. The environmental aspects of personality dictate the a person’s surroundings affect a certain percentage of his/her personality. Personality is not inherently a natural parameter. Psychologically a person’s attributes are a result of the sum total of experiences in the person’s life and their nature. In this case what somebody goes through in life has a great impact on his future personality (Branden 2001). To this end personality is therefore determined by the past experiences of the person in question.
The concept of personality has two distinct dimensions. First and foremost is the aspect of heredity. Under this umbrella, the attributes of personality are determined by the person’s parents. Therefore a person’s behaviors echo those of his background, the genetic predisposition plays a crucial role in such a situation. It therefore follows that people of the same genetic background share the same attributes of personality. The other aspect is the environmental influence. According to this concept the behaviors and attributes of people are to a great extent determined by the surrounding environments in which they live. Culture can be cited as one of the major environmental forces that affect the personality of a person.
Early life events
Early life events of an individual play a crucial role in the pers0ns psyche and character in general. The self Psychology concept therefore puts a lot of emphasis on the events of early life. To a great extent it can be said that the entire life of an individual to a great extend is affected and determined by the experiences of childhood. The behavior of a person therefore is greatly influenced by the impact of the events that were common in the growth experience of an individual. The subconscious mind of individual stores all these events and the meaning they have on a person’s psyche. The decision-making factor of a person is therefore influenced by the outcome of the events that took place in the past. Childhood experiences have been well documented in the psychology of the self. Their impact however goes beyond the perceived aspects of the same. A young mind is very susceptible to the influence of any happening in its environment. Therefore aspects of pain in the past normally lead to bitterness in the person as he or she grows up.
The effect of early life events has been considered at a philosophical level. The level to which the mind of an individual is affected by the events of early life is yet to be ascertained. The concept has been subjecting to debates for a long time now. One of the theories that capture this aspect is the childhood theory which states that a child’s mind is shaped to a level of 60% for the whole life during the first fifteen years of life. According to the proponents of this theory, a child’s mind is very sensitive and as a result it tends to take everything seriously. The theory explains some behavioral trends in adults which can be attributed to early childhood experiences. Attachment behavior for instance can be attributed to high degree of control in the early life of a person (Goldstein 2001). As a result the person tends not to develop self-esteem resulting in low self-perception. Emotional immaturity can also be attributed to the poor communication in the home of a person when growing up. Under such circumstances the child learns not to reveal their real feelings leading to the suppression of emotions. Fear and complacency are the other aspects that are offshoots of poor childhood experiences. The way parents behave and bring up their children affects the entire adult life of the person. Fear comes as a result of having insecure parents who exert a lot of control in the homemaking children to live in fear all the time. This aspect tends to haunt them late into their lives.
Conclusion
The psychology of the self is a broad concept which has invited quite a number of reviews. It has been subject to debate since the days of yore. Of much significance is the definition and understanding of the various aspects that play a crucial role in the whole situation. The scope of the concept has also been subjected to debates whose exact level is yet to be understood. However the concepts are relative in nature and their impact is practical in all aspects. For instance the role of personality in the psychology of the self is well documented. There is no doubting the impact of personal attributes and their cause on the whole field of self-psychology. Other aspects which carry a lot of significance that are discussed in this paper include attachment and emotions. Emotions are very critical in the whole psychology of the self. Emotional psychology is a broad concept that is critical to understand. However all studies confirm the profound effect of emotions on life. Emotions are very critical since they direct behavior and are responsive in nature. Emotions react to the pressure exerted by the various events of life. Emotional health is a crucial aspect; different studies define emotional health differently. However the emotions of a person depend on the kind of experiences the person has endured in the past. Unhealthy emotions can lead to very antisocial and harmful practices. The people who experience these traits should be subjected to some therapies to heal themselves. Attachment on the other hand is an indicator of a person’s psychological orientation. People who have experience dilapidating circumstances normally find themselves tending to be attaching to certain parameters. It can thus be concluded that the psychology of the self is affected by quite some parameters. It is an umbrella body that is conversant with many others of the same kind. From personality to early events of life the psychology of the self evolves to manifest its essence and significance. It is of great importance therefore to appreciate the effect of the various concepts that influence the identity of the self. These parameters go a long way in defining who a person is and the reasons behind their behavior.
Reference
Branden, N., (2001). The psychology of self-esteem: a revolutionary approach to self-understanding that launched a new era in modern psychology. California: University Of California.
Goldstein, E., (2001). Object relations theory and self psychology in social work practice. Washington: Free Press.
Goleman, D., (1996). Vital lies, simple truths: the psychology of self-deception. Washington: Simon & Schuster.
Vitz, P., (1994). Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self Worship. New York: Eerdmans Publishing.