ABSTRACT
The concept of “self” is used in the literature in a large number of ways that are partly conflicting. Different concepts such as subject, subjectivity, identity, and person are linked to the concept of self, with all the different associations implied in these concepts. This chapter presents a number of ideas on how to use the concept of self in ways that are inspired by the research on developmental psychology. Signe Baumane became a client in child and adolescent therapy after increasingly long absences from school, ending with her not showing up at all. In Signe’s case, one might think that all the hours she spent alone in her room what she was would have yielded results in the sense that the process of reflection in itself would have given her an experience of being a self. Signe’s dilemma can therefore serve to illustrate an extensive theoretical debate. Somatic sets of problems have obvious historical roots that can be usefully concretized.
