ABSTRACT
As soon as we try to understand how a disturbance in the sense of self might come about, we strike an obstacle. What is self? How can it be de®ned? These dif®cult questions must be given some kind of answer before we go on. An approach to the problem of conceiving so elusive and abstract an entity as self can be made in a negative way. Although it is hard to say what self is, we can say, without doubt, that it is distinct from not-self. This simple dichotomy provides a starting point. In making a distinction between self and not-self, we draw a line between not only our bodies but also a whole range of experiences, such as thoughts, feelings, and memories that are felt as one's own and as part of an inner world that is distinguished from an outer world. We are led to a fundamental idea ± self depends upon the concept of innerness. The development of this concept is shown through the child's understanding of secrecy.
