Self-concept

According to one view, the concepts of self and of ego are interchangeable terms; other views differentiate them in many ways. The former view holds that self (or ego) is not a unitary structure appearing fully-formed in the infant. It develops first as a perceptual system based on differentiation of the individual's body from his surroundings, and becomes a progressively more complex conceptual system. It is therefore the totality of attitudes, judgements and values of an individual, relating to his behaviour, abilities and qualities, including the awareness of these variables and their evaluation. Self concerns become involved in the operation of motivational urges and the regulation of many psychological processes such as perceiving, learning, evaluating and remembering.

The unique formation that takes place as the self or ego of the human person therefore consists of a set of attitudes that define his stabilized bearings in relation to the physical and social surroundings. These attitudes include the individual's cherished commitments, stand on particular issues, acceptances, rejections, expectations in interpersonal relations, identifications with persons or values, and personal goals for the future. All these set him apart as a person with a unique sense of identity.

Where a distinction is made between self and ego, self may be used to refer to the individual as known to himself and ego to mean the group of the individual's activities concerned with the enhancement and defence of the self. Another view is that the self is made up primarily of perceptual components and ego consists of these and of affectively changed conceptual components. Again, self is said to be the real individual, while ego is a superimposition isolating the individual and confusing illusion with reality. Other variations have been proposed.