ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a model that proposes that the sense of self comprises two different elements that are not usually distinguished-the sense of being (literally the procession of affectively toned experience) and the sense of "I" (a broader sense of self that overlies and frames current experience). The chapter looks at the views of Winnicott, Mahler, Stern, Weininger, Fonagy, Gergely, Jurist and Target, social constructionism, and Lacan, all in the light of the identity-affect model. It addresses more directly relational models, such as those of Winnicott, Mahler, and Stern, and Fonagy, Gergely, Jurist and Target's social-biofeedback model. The chapter also explores the concept of annihilation and the models of Weininger, Redfearn's subpersonality theory, social constructionism and Lacan. It also focuses on these theorists' contributions to our understanding of identity, and particularly the development of the infant's identity, and critically examines the manner in which these models articulate with the identity-affect model.
