Self Identity

What I am, as I am, when I am.

by Gestur Hilmarsson

Paper written for a seminar on Self/Identity, taught by Prof. Páll Skúlason at the University of Iceland in March 2012

A paper outlining Sartre's theory of the Self according to his book Transcendence of the Ego, which I then compare to... more A paper outlining Sartre's theory of the Self according to his book Transcendence of the Ego, which I then compare to the theories of Kristján Kristjánsson and finally Paul Ricoeur.

Identification and Identity

by J. David Velleman

In Contours of Agency, a Festschrift for Harry Frankfurt, edited by Sarah Buss and Lee Overton (MIT Press, 2002), pp. 91-123

My Body Tells A Story: Embracing my Scars and Imperfections By Michele Stopera Freyhauf

by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

originally published on the Feminism and Religion Project

As we approach New Years Eve, there is an emphasis on losing weight, getting in shape, etc. in the coming Year. ... more As we approach New Years Eve, there is an emphasis on losing weight, getting in shape, etc. in the coming Year.  We make resolutions to better ourselves and reflect on the year that passed us by.  With the impending New Year, there is also a realization that we become a year older, which for some means more grey hair, wrinkles, or other marks that appear on our body.  It is safe to say that we live in a world that is obsessed with body image and the search to find the fountain of youth.  In fact, TV is plagued with reality shows that perpetuate this obsession.  Keeping up with the Kardashians displays such a problem.  People who watch this show watch Kris Jenner’s facelift to her struggle with body image despite the fact that she gave birth to six healthy children and is 56 years young.  There are also shows that show people obsessed, even addicted to plastic surgery – they are trying to attain perfection, attempting to reverse the aging process, and remove the scars of their lives.

As I reflect on this plastic surgery and the body image obsessed culture that we live in I reflect on my own imperfections.  When we are born, we are born relatively mark free.  As we age, marks begin to appear.  As we become older, scars begin to appear because of different incidents in our lives.  They help shape us and serve as a reminder.

Stand In Awe: A Parable About Love, Youth, & Change

by Horace Columbus Neal II

Draft N: December 9, 2011 - It is finished.

This is a simple three-page short story that calls for a reflection on the core need of today's troubled youth. In 36... more This is a simple three-page short story that calls for a reflection on the core need of today's troubled youth. In 36 CE, a group of rowdy, Cushite-Hebrew youths go to see the Roman crucifixions, hoping to have some fun taunting the victims. Their encounter at one man's cross causes them to stand in awe. Notes and images follow the narrative to aid the readers' conceptualization of some of the story's themes. The story is thematically multilayered to facilitate productive discussions on a number of topics.

Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem and Irrational Beliefs

by Laurentiu Maricutoiu

Black for a Second

by Pat Edwards

Thesis Prospectus

What is the psychological and social identity of black Americans, who live in, and then exit inner city black... more What is the psychological and social identity of black Americans, who live in, and then exit inner city black communities and culture in order to succeed in predominantly white communities. Are structured diversity projects contributors to destroying the black identity?

The inner city black community is a community, or culture, that is unique and unlike the predominantly white culture that blacks must compete and succeed within. To succeed in predominately white communities, blacks must often strip away their cultural community identity that permits their acceptance in the black community. This is because, blacks who attempt to communicate or participate in white communities the way they would in black communities are psychological and sociological outsiders. If blacks conduct themselves in black communities as they would in white communities, they more than likely will face ostracism and rejection.

From psychological, sociological, and communications perspectives Black For A Second researches the effect and impact of each as it relates to black social and cultural settings to determine what happens when when white structured diversity programs are implemented to integrate communities or the work place. From a psychological perspective, Black For A Second explores the mental and emotion behaviors of blacks that are subject to integrating successfully within gentrification and diversity projects. The behaviors that are exhibited in black communities are different from those often or openly, displayed in white communities. These differences make up part of the psychological identity of blacks.

From a sociological perspective, Black For A Second explores the impact on cultural and community settings and how blacks respond to participating and existing within communities and cultures that perceive the black culture or community to be ghetto , thus initiating gentrification or implementing the deghettoization of black America and black culture.

Blacks communication style in exclusive black settings are more than mildly different than those in the company of whites. Perhaps the most notable difference is when blacks speaking in groups with each other use the word ‘nigger’. While this word is offensive to blacks when used in white communications setting, blacks use the word often as a term of endearment between themselves. Black For A Second does not suggest that the word nigger should be used openly in white structured diversity communities, but rather suggests that comfortable black communications are different in their own groups and the word is accepted differently and the use of the word ‘nigger’ is an example of how wildly different communications are for the second that blacks come together in their identity related communications groups. It is generally understood that white Americans cannot use this word and they have adopted the phrase- “the ‘N’ word” to comfortably communicate this old racially oppressive expletive because it is simply not comfortable saying the word. White bigots and racists are the only white Americans known to comfortably use that word and often in the context of denigrating black Americans.

More often than not, communities where blacks in America predominantly live are inner-city, not suburban, and often there are few whites in these communities actively participating in the complete cultural essence of the black experience. The exception to this will be where whites gentrify black communities and strip the unique culture of blacks. Thus they create a diaspora of black culture by interspersing, replacing , or largely adapting the community for the needs of the predominately white culture that ordinarily surrounds black communities in suburban America. This transformation of the Black community creates for white American a comfortable way to co-exist in the name of building diverse communities, but at the expense of either marginalizing or minimizing the unique cultural community of the black one. There is rarely ever interest for elevating the black community to serve black needs as they would for white ones to comfortably populate these communities. An example of this would be the types of businesses that have traditionally served the black community and culture, like barbershops and salons, entertainment, grocery, and retail. The social injustice of diversity structured in predominately white culture actually relegates blacks to leaving behind elements of their culture or identity to obtain acceptance or create comfortable places for whites to conduct themselves. Ethno-relative acceptance in white diversity or inclusive programs does not change the message that blacks first must accept that- “if it’s white, it is right”. Since black communities are typically surrounded by powerfully white communities or within the so-called gentrified communities, the elements blacks need to survive socially and economically are obtained in these white communities. Blacks may only psychologically, sociologically, and communicatively be black for a second when they exist outside their own cultural community and whites will only tolerate black for a second before they begin the process of gentrification and re-identifying it in the name of diversity.

Disrupted lives and threats to identity: The experiences of people with colorectal cancer within the first year following diagnosis

by Lisa Kidd

Self Citation Record of Nelson Tansu

by Gola Dem

published in Self Citation Letters, 2011

After many years of research, finally all the self citation record of the youngest professor in hstory is being... more After many years of research, finally all the self citation record of the youngest professor in hstory is being revealed. tanus claims that self citation is a common thing. But you judge it yourself. Is it normal to cite your own paper 20 times, and nobody else in the world cite it?

Methodological and Substantive Applications of Meta-Analysis: Multilevel Modelling, Simulation, and the Construct Validation of Self-Concept

by Alison O'Mara-Eves

Suggested citation:
O'Mara, A. J. (2009). Methodological and Substantive Applications of Meta-Analysis: Multilevel Modelling, Simulation, and the Construct Validation of Self-Concept (Doctoral dissertation). University of Oxford, UK.

See also appendices in Volume 2 available for download at: http://www.self.ox.ac.uk/documents/OMaraDPhilappendixesvol2.pdf

In Pursuit of Self: The Identity of An American President and Cosmopolitanism

by Hettie Williams

This paper is an examination of race, identity, and Barack Obama. The phrases hybrid fixity and other black... more This paper is an examination of race, identity, and Barack Obama. The phrases hybrid fixity and other black cosmopolitan are deployed to discuss the identity of America's first self-identified African American president.

Una intervención en el campo del desarrollo moral y del autoconcepto.(An incursion into the area of moral development and of self-concept).

by Manuel Martí Vilar

Pérez Delgado, E., Mestre, M. V., Samper, P., y Martí Vilar, M. (1998). Revista de Psicología General y Aplicada, 51(2), 189-200.

RESUMEN:
Se ofrecen aquí los resultados obtenidos como consecuencia de la intervención en el desarrollo del... more RESUMEN:
Se ofrecen aquí los resultados obtenidos como consecuencia de la intervención en el desarrollo del juicio moral y autoconcepto de dos grupos universitarios. Los intrumentos aplicados para evaluar la eficacia de la intervención han sido El Cuestionario de Problemas sociomorales (DIT) de J. Rest y la Escala de Autoconcepto de Fitts. Los datos indican que las intervenciones cortas son más eficaces si actúan sobre un único constructo que si se dirigen a varios simultáneamente. La mejora del autoconcepto y en la madurez moral verifica la efectividad de los programas aplicados. Se insinúa la estrecha relación entre variables cognitivas y afectivas en el desarrollo personal y moral de los sujetos.

ABSTRACT
Here we find the results obtained as a consequence of the interference in the development of moral judgment and self-concept of two university groups. The tools used for the evaluation of this intervention were “Defining Issue Test (DIT)” by J. Rest and “The Auto Concept Scale” by Fitts. The data indicates that short interventions are more efficient if they act on a single aspect than if they address several simultaneously. The progress in self-concept and in moral maturity verifies the effectiveness of the applied programs. This insinuates the close relationship between cognitive and affective variables in the moral and personal development of those studied.

Taking The Power Back: Moving towards re-empowerment & the healing of the ‘developed’ societal attitude malfunction.

by Jeff Malderez

Published on www.jjmalderez.com. (© Jeff Malderez, 2010)

Mark Neal, (2006) "Anatta: Buddhist insights into the paradoxical nature of organizational cultural problems", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 19 Iss: 4, pp.518 - 528

by Mark Neal

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate paradoxes in the development of organizational cultural problems... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate paradoxes in the development of organizational cultural problems – paradoxes that go undetected by people involved in them. The paper explains why these paradoxes remain undetected, and shows how their “invisibility” is a foundation for the development of “cultural problems”.

Design/methodology/approach – The approach is phenomenological, in that it explores how actors in cross-cultural settings understand “difference” and thereby socially construct “cultural problems”.

Findings – Three interrelated paradoxes are uncovered: In dyads, actors perceive two-way “cultural difference” as being one-way. “Difference” thus becomes embodied in the “other” – “the other” alone is “different” and “difficult”. In bi-cultural organizations, perceptions of “the other” as “different” and “difficult” encourage the formation of in-groups and out-groups that lead to “cultural problems”. “Difference” becomes embodied in “the others” while “cultural problems” that are the results of their own actions are also embedded in “the others”. In multicultural organizations these understandings break down. “Difference” becomes disembodied, and “cultural problems” become embodied in “difference”. More cultural differences thus engender fewer “cultural problems”.

Research limitations/implications – The novel theoretical part of the study is so far untested. The paper thus calls for studies that apply the developed theoretical approach. The ethnographic observations that support the existence of the multicultural paradox are preliminary and ongoing.

Practical implications – The novel theoretical approach can immediately be applied to other organizational issues.

Originality/value – This paper introduces, for the first time, the Buddhist concept of anatta in the analysis of organizations. The theoretical approach is new, and can be applied to further studies of organizational problems.

The will is caused, not '“free'

by Brian Earp

Bargh, J. A., & Earp, B. D. (2009). The will is caused, not 'free'. Dialogue, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 24 No 1, 13-15.

Hybridizing Habitus and Reflexivity:: Towards An Understanding of Contemporary Identity?

by Matthew Adams

This article initially summarizes two dominant tropes in the sociology of identity in recent years, centred on the... more This article initially summarizes two dominant tropes in the sociology of identity in recent years, centred on the concepts of self-reflexivity and habitus, followed by an overview of extensive critical debate to which both have been subjected. It is claimed that the key criticisms of the extended reflexivity thesis gather around accusations of excessive voluntarism in accounting for contemporary identity, while critiques of Bourdieu’s conceptualization of habitus deem it overly deterministic. In an attempt to move beyond the conceptual stalemate of two distinct
approaches to identity, a number of hybridized accounts have emerged in social theory.The remainder of the article discusses a number of these accounts in relation to social change, and offers an initial consideration of their strengths and limitations. It is argued that the importance of post-reflexive choice must remain integral to any attempt at hybridization of these important terms, particularly in relation to the contemporary workings of social stratification.

Losing One’s Voice: Dialogical Psychology and the Unspeakable

by Matthew Adams

published in Theory & Psychology

The portrayal of the self as constitutionally dialogical is fast
becoming an established and familiar feature of... more The portrayal of the self as constitutionally dialogical is fast
becoming an established and familiar feature of the psychological landscape. With growing influence and recognition comes a necessity to engage with critical dialogue, which has marked the concept’s more recent development. Drawing on insights in psychology and Judith Butler’s philosophy, it will be argued that the linguistic and voiced connotations of the dialogical self may be limiting a more complex understanding of the intersubjective constitution of selfhood. It is argued that pre-reflective intersubjectivity, unspoken and “unspeakable” aspects of self-dialogue, and active psychological processes of disavowal raise profound cultural and psychological questions about the role of the “voice” in the dialogical achievement of selfhood.

Hume and Husserl: The Problem of the Continuity or Temporalization of Consciousness

by Louis Sandowsky

International Philosophical Quarterly. Vol. 46, No. 1, Issue 181 (March 2006).

The Problematization of the Self / Ego as the Starting Point of Philosophy: The Mind as Flux

 ... more The Problematization of the Self / Ego as the Starting Point of Philosophy: The Mind as Flux

    What ‘constitutes’ the Self, if it is no longer to be considered as that which always already lies behind each act of consciousness as its primordial and monolithic core (the res of the cogitans)? Does this suggest a dimension of inquiry that is actually inaccessible to thought? How can we speak of continuity, motivation, memory, association, judgment, etc., without having recourse to a continuous and monolithic ‘I’ – the ‘I’ that motivates, the ‘I’ that remembers, the ‘I’ that associates, or the ‘I’ that judges? Of course, the anxiety stems from the concern to grasp one’s own ‘I,’ ‘Self,’ or ‘Ego’ – the particularity of that which is one’s own in each instance. This is a legitimate concern, but it does not begin with the beginning.
    To turn to the issue of the constitution of the Self, which is at once both transcendental and genetic, is not to plunge into the issue of the constitution of what is peculiarly my own – my personality. It is to gesture toward the conditions of possibility of any Ego per se: the structuralization that is universal to any possible Ego. This is one of the primary methodological motifs in play in Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology in its ‘eidetic’ mode. The constellation of issues raised by his lectures on internal time-consciousness is borne out of an effective response to the set of problems handed down from David Hume.