ABSTRACT
Trying to understand the complexity of the self confronts us with the interweaving dynamics of potential and experience. The chapter begins with an exploration of the ways in which Jung conceptualised the self and goes on to consider the various ways in which the self and its development has been considered by post-Jungians. The chapter then considers the development of ideas about the self emerging from neuroscience, attachment studies and the Human Brain Project and explores the different ways in which the self is conceived and understood. The chapter ends with a brief exploration of philosophical views about the self, its complexity and as a symbol of the essence of who we are.
