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The Self is a key construct in several schools of Psychology. Usages differ between theorists and fields of study, but in general the self refers to the conscious, reflective personality of an individual. The study of the self involves significant methodological problems, especially concerning consciousness. Some of these are taken up in philosophy of mind and metaphysics.

Perhaps the best-known account of the self is Freud's theory of the tri-partite function of the self, involving ego, id and superego processes. Many theorists, however, would bring under the heading of the self only what Freud regarded as ego processes.

Major concepts within the theory of the self include:

• self awareness
• self concept
• self control
• self destructive behavior including self mutilation
• self disclosure
• Laing 's "divided self" theory of schizophrenia
• self efficacy
• self esteem
• self monitoring
• the self-perception theory of attitude change
• self talk
• self-actualization
• organismic self and/or real or ideal selves.

A critique of the concept of selfhood

'Selfhood' or complete autonomy is a uniquely western approach to psychology and models of self are employed constantly in areas such as psychotherapyPsychotherapy is a set of techniques believed to cure or to help solve behavioral and other psychological problems in humans. The common part of these techniques is direct personal contact between therapist and patient, mainly in the form of talking. and self help. Edward E. Sampson ( 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra) argues that the preoccupation with independence is harmful in that it creates racial, sexual and national divides and does not allow for observation of the self-in- otherThe other or constitutive other is a key concept in psychology and philosophy where it is often considered to be what defines or even constitutes the self (see self (psychology), self (philosophy), and self-concept) and other phenomena and cultural units: and other-in-self.

The very notion of selfhood is an attacked idea, necessary for the mechanisms of advanced capitalism to function as they do. Nikolas Rose (1998) proposes that psychology is now employed as a technology: one that allows humans to buy into an invented and arguably false sense of self. It is said freedom, Rose writes, that assists government and exploitation rather than the antithesis of it. The quantifying and classifying process is referred to by Michel FoucaultMichel Foucault ( October 15, 1926 June 26, 1984) was a French philosopher and "historian of systems of thought". His writings have had an enormous impact on many fields including literary criticism and theory, philosophy (especially philosophy of science ( 1975Events January January 1 Watergate scandal: John N. Mitchell, H. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up and are sentenced to 30 months to 8 years in jail on February 21 January 5 The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, i, 1977For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). Events January 1 First woman Episcopal priest ordained January 6 EMI sacks the Sex Pistols January 18 Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious " legionnaire's disease" Januar) as being the issue of ‘the calculable man’ : when the masses are classified they can be exploited as individuals and it is individuality that allows this to occur.