The Self notes

• what (difference between self and identity, mental/social construct)
• how (pre existing (3 pro, 3 con), consciously formed (3 pro, 3 con), social identity (3 pro, 3 con), multiple identities

self and identity 

what 
self 
Descartes - I think therefore I am. (however Cartesian position holds that man innately knows basic logical propositions)
John Locke - Book II Chapter XXVII entitled "On Identity and Diversity" in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) has been said to be one of the first modern conceptualizations of consciousness as the repeated self-identification of oneself.

William James
reflexivity - Giddens, Kant (Kihlstrom, Beer, & Klein, 2003; Lewis, 1990)

self concept


self identity

ontology
changeless - 
Plato - real things (forms) do not change, only change is in the realm of appearances
Parmenides -  According to Parmenides, everything that exists is permanent, ungenerated, indestructible, and unchanging.

changing - 
Heraclitus - 'you cannot step in the same river twice' change is ubiquitous.

“There is no single entity whose identity is changeless. All things are constantly changing. Nothing endures forever or contains a changeless element called a "self.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

Erikson (1951)
identity development model 

fidelity stage
- self identity exploration and definition: adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through an intense exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals.
- identity based upon the outcome of their explorations
- Failure to establish a sense of identity within society ("I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up") can lead to role confusion. Role confusion involves the individual not being sure about themselves or their place in society. 

- By extending the notion of personality development across the lifespan, Erikson outlines a more realistic perspective of personality development (McAdams, 2001).

mental construct


formed
Locke posits an "empty" mind, a tabula rasa, which is shaped by experience; sensations and reflections being the two sources of all our ideas.
Locke also wrote that "the little and almost insensible impressions on our tender infancies have very important and lasting consequences."^[54] He argued that the "associations of ideas" that one makes when young are more important than those made later because they are the foundation of the self:

social identity 
“Each of us is a product of our family, environment, friends, education, culture, and society. - Thich Nhat Hanh, Thundering Silence: Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Catch a Snake



THe constitution of structure giddens duality of structure (agency and structure)