A Study of Self-Insight and Adjustment in Delinquent Adolescent Girls
Abstract
CHAPTER IINTRODUCTIONTHEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONSOne of the focal points of contemporary psychological interest is the role of the self or the ego in the total personality. Current thought moves toward the concept of personality as an organized dynamic system determined in some measure by the self or the ego This assumption is evident in the writings of many personality theorists (e.g., Allport, 1937; Allport, 1943; Lecky, 1945; Murphy, 1947; Murray, 1938; Snygg & Combs, 1949) and finds confirmation in the formulations of practicing therapists (e.g., Anderson, 1952; Horney, 1942; Raimy, 1948; Rogers, 1951; Symonds, 1957).An important impetus to the re-appraisal of the function of the self in personality dynamics comes from the work of Carl H. Rogers and his school. As a result of his observations of what went on in the therapeutic process, Rogers evolved a personality theory built around the core concept of the self. According to Rogers (1951), the self or the self concept develops out of the individual’s interaction with the environment and especially out of his relationship with significant adults and peers. From these experiences the self-structure is formed, which is, in Rogers’ words "an organized, fluid, but consistent conceptual pattern of perceptions of characteristics and relationships of the 'I' or the 'me' together with values attached to these concepts" (1951, p.498). As experiences occur in the life of the individual they are incorporated into the self-picture if they are perceived as consistent with the self-structure, or denied admission if they are not. Since the individual aims to maintain, protect, and enhance the self-structure, he adopts methods of behaving which are in harmony with the concept of the self. Thus the self or the self concept becomes an important determining factor in the development of personality and its behavioral expression.
Subject Area
Psychology|Therapy
Recommended Citation
Andreoli, Mary of St. Victoria, "A Study of Self-Insight and Adjustment in Delinquent Adolescent Girls" (1959). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI28673373.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI28673373
