On The Three Stages In The Development Of The Conception Of "Self"

Over a hundred years ago, William James, one of the establisher of American Psychology, had claimed that"Self"is the centre of the individual psychological universe, that means all aspects of individual mental actions are related with the self consciousness of human being. It is impossible to have a comprehensive and deep understanding of human being behavior without a clear understanding of the conception of"Self". So the problem about"Self"have always been a key thesis which the philosophers and psychologists paid much attention on from the ancient Greek period to the establishment and development of the modern scientific psychology. Especially after the establishment of the modern scientific psychology, almost all definition of"Self"look the latter as an external, substantial object under the influences of Descartes'substantial thought and the modern positivism. While improved the development of the study on"Self"in some specific research fields within a short time, this viewpoint also caused the rigescence, the isolation and the mechanization of the conception of"Self". The research field of modern psychology became narrower, the methodology became rigescent, and the researches focused on several specific fields which could be scaled by quantitive methods and observed by high-tech measures, the methodology became the core of psychology. Some fields which could be scaled by quantized methods and observed by high-tech methods.This kind of simplified conception became far from the real understanding of the complexity of"Self"in real life, and the professional psychological study became far from the real Psychological Life of human being. So, it's necessary for the modern psychology to relieve the constraint of the traditional conception of"Self", to analyze the"Self"with the recognizing the abundant connotations of it, to consider the real life not the"experimental"life.This dissertation begins with the development of the conception of"Self", analyzes the changes of the presentation and the research methodology of the latter, and divides this development to three periods: The differentiation of"Self", the emergence of the modern"Self", and the postmodern revolution of the conception of"Self".The first period began under the ancient Greek philosophical context. The ancient Greek epistemology separated the"Self"from the admixture of it and the Materia. The ability of"Self"to identify the objects separated the"Self"from the objects, but this change didn't bring to us a complete and clear"Self", but brought to us a kind of general substantial conception of"Self"without individuality.The second period, the emergence of the conception of"Self", began with the Descartes'time and came to a peak in the time of the scientific psychology. The core of the modern conception of"Self"based on the duality of rationalism and empiricism claimed by Descartes, and caused the substantialism thought. The opinion that"Self is a substance"caused the subject-object opposition within the"Self", caused the opposition of the"I-self"who was the observer and the thinker and the"me"who was been observed. This way of study on"Self"and the influences of modern Scientific View of Positivism, caused most of the modern psychologist chose the"me-self"as the object of research. Through the analysis on the study about the"Self"in the behavioristic psychology, psychoanalysis, Humanistic Psychology and Cognitive Psychology traditions, this dissertation argues that there are of main characters in the researches of"Self"in the modern psychology: Objectification and substantialization."Self"could be identified as an object which could exist as a natural substance. While provide a convenient and clear way of study, the rigescence, the isolation and the nature of be controlled of this conception became a nearly irresolvable puzzledom.The third period is the postmodern revolution of"Self". The postmodern thoughts provides a different conception of"Self", opposed the Scientific View of Positivism which neglected the human nature of free creation, and argued that the focus of psychology should be the biological nature and the internal experiences of human being, and psychology should be used to resolve the complex social problems.The analysis of this dissertation shows that the conception of"Self"was always the reflection of the Zeitgeist, and decided by the level of the spirit development of the time. The substantial conception of"Self"which was a main character of modern psychology was emerged under the specific philosophical context, the specific methodology and the specific way of thoughts.The last part of the dissertation tries to discuss the connotations of"Self", argues that the modern study about"Self"lack the connotation which could make the"Self"to be alive, and with the development of the diversified psychological study, the real"Self"of human being will be the core of the future research of psychology.