ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a historical outline of conceptions of self, and an explanation of how the self is constructed throughout development. It discusses ways in which conceptions of self develop through the process of differentiating and coordinating conflict among diverse experiences and representations of self. Descartes sought to establish a basis for evaluating the certainty of knowledge. The language of a given community is the evolving repository of social meanings that provide the backdrop of everyday action. The concept of social role suggests a more-or-less fixed set of expectations that define a person’s relation to a social order. A person may occupy one or more social roles such as professor, student, clerk, daughter, and minister. The concept of positioning is a more dynamic concept. The range of experiences that constitute the “self” is vast. Self-integration refers to the development of complex connections among differentiated self-aspects.
