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The self: a useful concept or psychobabble?

Article Excerpt
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The word self is familiar to almost every treatment orientation. Yet, it conveys a variety of meanings and degrees of importance from one approach to another. This article will provide a brief history of psychotherapies in which the Self (1) is a central construct, and (2) is defined as the essence of a person's being, not something he or she has (self-concept) or gains (self-actualization). The author believes that the use of the Self as a resource is an emerging therapy tool. She would like to engage Annals' readers in a dialogue by means of a survey to discover whether or not they use the concept of the Self to aid the treatment process.

Introduction

The American Heritage Dictionary (1969) defines the self as (1) the total essential being of one person; (2) the personality, character, or a person's unique individuality; (3) an individual's consciousness of his or her identity; and (4) personal (selfish) concerns. While all these definitions have their place in psychology, like Mount Everest, the first meaning calls out to many people seeking personal growth: Who am I? How can I be truer to myself?

Possible etiologies of the word self have special appeal for its budding prominence in some treatment approaches. One translation of the archaic root word seu means to give birth. In Sanskrit, the classical language of India, sva means one's own. Likewise, svamin means one's own master, or swami.

History of the Self in Psychotherapy

Although Freud may be considered by many to be the originator of psychotherapy, he did little to fashion ideas about the self. His "ego" was...

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