What Is Self Psychology?

Self-psychology is a neo-Freudian school represented by Eriksson and others. When studying the formation and development of personality, although they retained many Freudian concepts, they no longer emphasized sexual instincts and contradictions The special importance of conflict in human mental activities and behaviors, while the importance of social, cultural, and interpersonal relationships in the development and formation of personality. They believe that ego develops between contradictions that instinctively need to be satisfied or frustrated. Based on this, it has developed into a new science-self psychology.

Founded by Eriksson, a personality theory close to Freud's psychoanalytic thought. It represents the approach to personality research in self-psychology, emphasizing the importance of personality development and change throughout life. Erickson's discourse on the concept of self constitutes one of the important differences from Freud's doctrine. He believes that in the process of serving himself, he has formed his own content, needs and functions. The ego can not only ensure that the individual adapts to the environment and healthy growth, but also is the source of personal self-awareness and identity. Therefore, Erickson's theory of self-psychology can be regarded as a theory of personality development that describes how the self gains or loses power in his life experience and how he controls personal psychological development. ^[1]

One of the new psychoanalytic schools. The late S. Freud's works already contain self-psychological thoughts, but they still belong to the category of ego psychology. American psychologist J. Baldwin, German psychologist Kohler, etc. Although they have excellent views on "self", they are not systematic. Only new psychoanalysts have begun to focus on the main edge of self-psychology. . Anna Freud is the founder of self-psychology, such as exploring the relationship between the self and the self-defense mechanism; H. Hartmann is the creator of the theoretical system of self-psychology; E. Ai Rickson is the greatest theoretical authority of contemporary self-psychology, and according to his personality development theory, he developed self-psychology into "lifetime development psychology." Its main theoretical viewpoints: Emphasizes the value of the acquired self, and believes that the self has its own energy source and its motivation and purpose. The ego is a more independent part of the intellectually guided system and personality. Release the function of the self from the restraint of the intrinsic driving force, so that the self has an autonomous function and independence. The ego is basically able to reconcile with external reality. In terms of psychotherapy, attention is paid to the realization of the main internal activities caused by self-effects. There is no need to analyze the subconscious essence content in a long-term. Relying on self-power and self-adaptation potential can also achieve curative effects in a short period of time. Ego psychology is an improvement over ego psychology, which has promoted the new development of Freudism, and initiated the research orientation and theoretical construction of self psychology. It has a great influence on the development of western psychology, especially the humanistic psychology. But we have not shaken off the shackles of subconscious determinism and universalism.

As a new type of self-psychology, it differs from the traditional psychoanalytic self-psychology in that: specializes in studying the self and its connotation of healthy people or elites, and does not target patients and abnormal personality; focuses on the conscious self and the super-self, Do not take the subconscious and preconscious self as the theme of discussion; devote to the study of "personality self", "self-unity", "self-realization", "authentic self", etc., not to explore in isolation from rigidity and personality. Self-function. (3) The term self psychology is also translated as self-psychology, which refers to the collective name of psychological research that explains all psychological phenomena with the concept of self-centeredness. ^[2]

Erikson,

Trust vs. doubt

(0-1.5 years old)

The main tasks of this period are to meet physiological needs, develop trust, and overcome distrust. Whether babies are cared for with love, whether their needs are met, and whether their crying is noticed are all the first turning points in life development. Children who need to be satisfied will have a basic sense of trust. This kind of trust refers to the trust in others and the trust in themselves. For those children who receive the proper attention, the world is beautiful and people are loving and acceptable. However, some babies never receive the care and care they need, which gives them a basic sense of distrust. These children will be alienated, withdrawn, and do not believe in themselves or in their lives others. If children are well-bred and have a good parent-child relationship with their parents, children will have a sense of trust in the world around them, otherwise they will have doubts and anxieties. Most resilient children receive safe care at an early age. Babies must learn to trust the care of others for their basic needs. If the caregiver refuses or is inconsistent, the baby may think the world is dangerous and the people here are untrustworthy or unreliable. The main social driver is the caregiver.

Autonomy versus shyness

(1.5-3 years old)

After one year of age, children take the initiative to form a sense of connection with the outside world. They want to know, what can I do? What outside things can I control? What outsiders control me? At this age, they often have to test the range and size of their abilities. Children who have formed autonomy feel that they are independent. They are good at self-expression and self-confidence. The excessive protection of parents will hinder the autonomy of children of this age. If children are not allowed to explore, and they do not gain a sense of personal control and influence on the outside world, children will have a feeling of shyness and doubt. Children who cover their faces with their hands when adults introduce themselves are children who lack autonomy.

The sense of self-control that most children have at this stage is the beginning of free will. Children with strong autonomy will be willing to take control of their own destiny in their later lives, and confident will enable them to challenge hardships. On the contrary, shy and skeptical children will always be followers. They are highly dependent, lack decisiveness, and lack sufficient self-confidence in their abilities, which are the necessary conditions for survival in fierce competition.

At this stage, the child has the needs and tendencies of self-control and desires autonomy. In addition to developing proper urination habits and self-care, he is mainly unsatisfied with staying in a narrow space and eager to explore the new world. Young children can better control their muscles, can walk on their own feet, and can begin to control the outside world, and they like to do everything themselves without the intervention of others. Children must learn to be "autonomous"-eating, dressing, hygiene, and so on. Failure to achieve this independence may cause children to question their abilities and feel ashamed. The main social driver is parents. Characteristics of modern parents: too much intervention.

Sense of guilt

(3-6, 7 years old)

At this stage, children's activities gradually extend beyond the family, and they start to want to act according to their own wishes. At this time, if adults interfere too much, children will lack experimentation and initiative. Eriksson believes that the individual's future economic and social achievements in the society can be related to the development of children's initiative at this stage. Children try to do things like adults, trying to take on responsibilities beyond their capacity. The goals or activities they sometimes take conflict with their parents or other family members, and these conflicts can make them feel guilty. Successfully addressing these crises requires a balance: children maintain this initiative but learn to not violate the rights, rights, and goals of others. The main social driver is the family. Successful initiative is the key to ambition and sense of purpose. With the development of children's initiative, with the development of children's initiative, they experience the joy of completing a task, otherwise, they will feel guilt, lack of initiative, and always rely on others. This sense of initiative is key to guiding children's future success.

A sense of diligence versus inferiority

(6, 7-12 years old)

Children do nt think they can do anything, but soon, they begin to compete with other children. It is inevitable to encounter success or failure. If they experience success, their sense of competition will continue to increase, which will be positive for them in the future. Aggression laid the foundation. If you fail, you will experience a sense of incompetence and have low expectations for future life. This period formed a sense of diligence and trust in one's strength and ability.

Children at this stage begin to enter school, hoping to achieve success through their hard work. This stage belongs to school age. The focus of children's dependence has shifted from the family to the outside world. Many people s future attitudes towards learning and work trace their roots A sense of diligence at the stage. Children must acquire important social and learning skills. Children often compare themselves to their peers at this stage. If diligent, children gain social and learning skills and feel confident. Failure to acquire these skills can make children feel inferior. The main social drivers are teachers and peers.

Role identity versus role chaos

(12-18 years old)

The answer to "who am I" is, if it is successful, their sense of self-identification is established, someone who understands what they are, accepts and appreciates themselves. Affect future career choices.

At this stage, young people think more about the question of "who am I" and experience the conflict between role identity and role chaos. If an individual considers all aspects of himself, such as belief, personality, gender role, future career choices, etc. The integration of individuals will lead to better role identity; otherwise, role confusion will occur. Research shows that the establishment of role identity can be divided into four types, the first is to obtain role identity. The second is rejection, that is, the individual does not fully consider the future possibilities, but gives the right of choice to parents or other people; the third is identity confusion, not on their own social roles and Conclusive conclusions for future life goals. The last is identity delay. This stage is an important turning point in childhood. Teenagers repeatedly think "Who am I?" They must establish basic social and professional identity, or they will be confused about their adult roles. The main social driver is peers in the community.

Friendship intimate to loneliness

(18-25 years old), if you develop more smoothly and find a more satisfactory spouse, you will experience a sense of intimacy. If for some reason you have not found a suitable spouse for the time being, you will experience a loneliness. The main task at this stage is to form close friendships and build relationships or partnerships (or share identity) with others. Failure to establish close friendships can make children feel lonely or isolated. The main social driver is love, spouse, or close friend (same or opposite sex).

Reproduction vs. stagnation

(25-60 years old) At this time, men and women set up a family, and their interest extended to the next generation. Reproduction refers not only to individual fertility, but also to the need to care about establishing and directing the growth of the next generation. The main task that adults face at this stage is reproduction. They have to take responsibility for working and taking care of the family and raising children. The criteria for "reproduction" are defined by culture. The inability or unwillingness to take on this responsibility can become stagnant or self-centered. The main social drivers are spouses, children and cultural norms.

Perfect without regrets and despair of pessimism

(After 60 years of age), if you feel that your life is full and there is no waste, you will have a sense of perfection, thinking that your life cycle is integrated with the new generation. If you can't reach this feeling, you can't help but fear death, feel that life is short, and feel tired and disappointed in life. The elderly look back at life and consider it to be meaningful, successful, and happy, or meaningless, disappointed, not fulfilling their promises and achieving their goals. Individual life experience, especially social experience, determines the outcome of the ultimate life crisis.