Mcleod: The Existential Self

Improved Essays
The Existential Self According to McLeod (2008), the existential self is one of the most fundamental aspects of the concept of self because it not only describes an individual’s sense of distinction and separation from others, but also the awareness of the fidelity of the “self.” Put simply, McLeod (2008) states that the existential self, examines an individual’s perception of their own existence. Usually, the awareness of one’s own existence begins to set in between the first two to three months of a person’s life (McLeod, 2008). Time and space are some of the key elements that impact initial existential awareness by an individual. McLeod (2008) continues to state that children at the tender age of three months begin to realize that they exist as separate entities over time and space. This particular aspect of the “self” assumes that every person, whether small or big, young or old, is driven to discover who they are and therefore, use self-knowledge to make sense of the word in regards to the place they occupy and the role they play.
The Categorical Self The categorical self describes the second phase of the “self”, whereby besides being aware that he or she exists as
…show more content…
By definition, self-esteem describes how much value a person places on themself (McLeod, 2008). As McLeod (2008) continues to state, self-esteem essentially denotes the degree to which we accept or approve of ourselves and by extension our actions and how others perceive them. To this effect, self-esteem as a basis for describing the “self” involves a conscious degree of evaluation that may result in either a positive or negative view of who we are. Self-esteem may be characterized as being either high or low. When it is high, the individual exudes self-acceptance, confidence, and optimism. On the other hand, when it is low, the individual exudes a lack of confidence, the need to look like other, excessive worry, and ultimately

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Low Self-esteem and Compromising Behaviors Among Adolescents Self esteem issues in adolescents is a hugely common issue, but there are rarely any studies done to examine how it has an effect on an adolescent’s life. This is an important area to research because knowing more about what drives adolescents to make poor choices can help educate and help teens that may be more at risk. Adolescents with low self esteem are perceived as more likely to fall victim to peer pressure and therefore engage in risky behaviors. The purpose of this journal is to understand whether adolescents with low self esteem are more likely to engage in inappropriate behaviors such as early sexual activity, drug use, and poor nutrition and hygiene habits by using various…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Personal Identity Concept

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages

    When attempting to address and describe what the self actually is, what it is comprised of, and what it is in control of, the task, seemingly simple at first, becomes…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    • The student’s understanding of their own heritage and how this might affect their critical thinking process? (2%) I was born in Burlington, Ontario and lived there for most of my childhood. At 9 years old, my family and I moved to Oshawa, Ontario where I currently am still living in.…

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Moral Resilience

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Low self-esteem reflects a personal overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. Such as I am worthy vs. I am not worthy. Low self-esteem can result from various factors, genetic, physical appearance, weight, mental health, socioeconomic status, peer pressure and bullying. People with low self-esteem do tend to be critical of themselves and do depend on the approval and praises of others when evaluating self-worth. In reviewing for this article to talk about myths of low self-esteem do you believe that anger built up in person should be held in or released?…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anorexia In Teenagers

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What is self-esteem some may ask? Self-esteem is the perception of a person as a whole. It is very similar to self-image but it is focused mostly on the inner self rather than the physical appearances. People with a low self-esteem are never satisfied with anything they do. Many teens get depressed when they feel like they are overweight and do not fit in with everyone else around them.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    This idea of “sense of self” can be defined as a fluid, and ever-changing phenomenon. Some seek to define it as a single quantifiable idea, but many, such as Walker Percy, believe it to be a practice in futility to try and define a sense of self. It could even be argued that Percy considers “sense of self’ indefinable, a contradiction of sorts, both dynamic…

    • 2168 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Most humans are clueless about their true identity and what their goal in life is. We all go through many periods in our lives where we are interested in finding our true selves. However, knowing yourself can be a very difficult thing to accomplish because the ego can cloud our judgement of the self. When individuals conquer their own ego their true self is revealed. Only when this is done, can we reawaken ourselves and realize everything that was hindering us.…

    • 1508 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Evan Thompson, professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia, presented the idea of that the self is process, not a thing nor an entity, which implied that self is an experiential process that is subject to the constant change in Waking, Dreaming, Being (Thompson XXXI). And additionally, Thompson gives the idea of the self, however, he also mentioned the three things men or human need to understand. The three things are the nature of consciousness, the contents of consciousness, and the self-experienced (XXXII). In his study, Thompson concentrated on different subjects concerning the nature of consciousness, the contents of consciousness, or the self-experienced; however chapter two is more spotlights on consideration and recognition in the waking state.…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At some point in one’s life, an individual will most likely question the reason for their existence. Existentialists, drawing more attention to the commonly asked question, consider the nature of the human condition as an extensive problem. Although existentialism arose in the nineteenth century, it was not until after World War II that its concepts rose to conspicuity. The despair that resulted from World War II caused anxiety and provoked the inescapable feeling of being abandoned in an insensitive and unpredictable universe. These concerns have been expressed by existentialist philosophers for many years, and they exist presently.…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As early as infancy, children have a basic, emerging sense of “Self.” A child’s comprehension of their sense of “Self” can be defined as “a conceptual…

    • 1836 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Second, the self esteem is too important to have it in our life, and you maybe say you can’t do it, but you actually can do it. It 's excellent to have the self esteem in you as a result of it helps you be abounding stuff like does the confidence does things that you say you can’t do it. Third, the self esteem is the positive and negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Compare and contrast at least two theories of self Introduction Throughout history the topic of ‘Self’ has been broadly discussed by a range of different psychologists, (Rogers, 1995, Maslow, 1970, Hosseini, 2014). They have researched in areas including social and biological, they have also come up with different explanations in order to attempt to explain the meaning of ‘self’. Many people have the idea that the self is based around a person’s personality and emotion; however research has shown that it is more subjective.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    According to Coopersmith’s definition, self-esteem is “the evaluation which the individual makes and customarily maintains with regard to himself: it expresses an attitude of approval and indicates the extent to which an individual believes himself to be capable, significant, successful and worthy. In short, self-esteem is a personal judgment of the worthiness that is expressed in the attitudes the individual holds towards himself.” (p. 4–5) To put it more simply, self-esteem is the attitude that people have toward their own…

    • 3949 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Self Perception Essay

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Response Assignment 3 The self and our perception of others are thoughts that are constantly flowing through our minds subconsciously. Prior to reading the readings for the week, I did not realize the impact that our self-perception had on our daily lives and interactions. After recalling some of my instances, I realized that the interpretations that I have regarding my self-worth might not have been the most accurate. In this response, the two examples that I have chosen are events that either directly or indirectly relates to my days in high school.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The beginning of understanding oneself starts with identity. For centuries, philosophers have contemplated a common issue known as the mind-body problem. The mind-body problem is a philosophical problem that asks the question of what we as people are. Are people a mind, a body, or a combination of the two? There are several major works that pertain to this problem, but this argument will focus on those given by Gilbert Ryle, Rene Descartes, and Richard Taylor.…

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays