"Know Thyself": A Review of True Self

Jian Du

doi:doi:10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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"Know Thyself": A Review of True Self

Jian Du

Published in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 3)

Received: 6 May 2020 Accepted: 25 May 2020 Published: 4 June 2020

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Abstract

Throughout the years "Know Thyself", as an old aphorism, has been discussed by laypeople and researchers alike. It continues to hold a vital position in contemporary psychology. According to the traditional psychoanalytic and humanistic theories, being aware of and behaving in accordance with one's true self, improves an individual's psychological health. However, what the "true self" is, and how it affects people's daily lives, continues to be explored. In the present study, we reviewed the history and definition of the true self. Based on the characteristics found in previous research, we tentatively defined the true self as "a set of mental representations of the inherent, private, and stable attributions of oneself; reflective of whom an individual thinks he/she really is." Following that, we reviewed several ways of measuring or assessing the true self, and compared advantages and disadvantages of them. We also reviewed the effects the true self has on people's meaning in life, decision satisfaction, and moral judgment, as well as psychological health. Finally, we suggested that it is crucial to define the true self more clearly, to develop methods to measure or assess it more accurately, and to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which it benefits to people.

Published in	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
Page(s)	24-30
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

True Self, Definition, Measurement, Psychological Functioning

References

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Jian Du. (2020). "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 9(3), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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ACS Style

Jian Du. "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2020, 9(3), 24-30. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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Jian Du. "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self. Psychol Behav Sci. 2020;9(3):24-30. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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@article{10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11,
  author = {Jian Du},
  title = {"Know Thyself": A Review of True Self},
  journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {3},
  pages = {24-30},
  doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20200903.11},
  abstract = {Throughout the years "Know Thyself", as an old aphorism, has been discussed by laypeople and researchers alike. It continues to hold a vital position in contemporary psychology. According to the traditional psychoanalytic and humanistic theories, being aware of and behaving in accordance with one's true self, improves an individual's psychological health. However, what the "true self" is, and how it affects people's daily lives, continues to be explored. In the present study, we reviewed the history and definition of the true self. Based on the characteristics found in previous research, we tentatively defined the true self as "a set of mental representations of the inherent, private, and stable attributions of oneself; reflective of whom an individual thinks he/she really is." Following that, we reviewed several ways of measuring or assessing the true self, and compared advantages and disadvantages of them. We also reviewed the effects the true self has on people's meaning in life, decision satisfaction, and moral judgment, as well as psychological health. Finally, we suggested that it is crucial to define the true self more clearly, to develop methods to measure or assess it more accurately, and to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which it benefits to people.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self
AU  - Jian Du
Y1  - 2020/06/04
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
SP  - 24
EP  - 30
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7845
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
AB  - Throughout the years "Know Thyself", as an old aphorism, has been discussed by laypeople and researchers alike. It continues to hold a vital position in contemporary psychology. According to the traditional psychoanalytic and humanistic theories, being aware of and behaving in accordance with one's true self, improves an individual's psychological health. However, what the "true self" is, and how it affects people's daily lives, continues to be explored. In the present study, we reviewed the history and definition of the true self. Based on the characteristics found in previous research, we tentatively defined the true self as "a set of mental representations of the inherent, private, and stable attributions of oneself; reflective of whom an individual thinks he/she really is." Following that, we reviewed several ways of measuring or assessing the true self, and compared advantages and disadvantages of them. We also reviewed the effects the true self has on people's meaning in life, decision satisfaction, and moral judgment, as well as psychological health. Finally, we suggested that it is crucial to define the true self more clearly, to develop methods to measure or assess it more accurately, and to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which it benefits to people.
VL  - 9
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Jian Du

Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

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Jian Du. (2020). "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 9(3), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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ACS Style

Jian Du. "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2020, 9(3), 24-30. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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AMA Style

Jian Du. "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self. Psychol Behav Sci. 2020;9(3):24-30. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11

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@article{10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11,
  author = {Jian Du},
  title = {"Know Thyself": A Review of True Self},
  journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {3},
  pages = {24-30},
  doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20200903.11},
  abstract = {Throughout the years "Know Thyself", as an old aphorism, has been discussed by laypeople and researchers alike. It continues to hold a vital position in contemporary psychology. According to the traditional psychoanalytic and humanistic theories, being aware of and behaving in accordance with one's true self, improves an individual's psychological health. However, what the "true self" is, and how it affects people's daily lives, continues to be explored. In the present study, we reviewed the history and definition of the true self. Based on the characteristics found in previous research, we tentatively defined the true self as "a set of mental representations of the inherent, private, and stable attributions of oneself; reflective of whom an individual thinks he/she really is." Following that, we reviewed several ways of measuring or assessing the true self, and compared advantages and disadvantages of them. We also reviewed the effects the true self has on people's meaning in life, decision satisfaction, and moral judgment, as well as psychological health. Finally, we suggested that it is crucial to define the true self more clearly, to develop methods to measure or assess it more accurately, and to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which it benefits to people.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - "Know Thyself": A Review of True Self
AU  - Jian Du
Y1  - 2020/06/04
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
SP  - 24
EP  - 30
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7845
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20200903.11
AB  - Throughout the years "Know Thyself", as an old aphorism, has been discussed by laypeople and researchers alike. It continues to hold a vital position in contemporary psychology. According to the traditional psychoanalytic and humanistic theories, being aware of and behaving in accordance with one's true self, improves an individual's psychological health. However, what the "true self" is, and how it affects people's daily lives, continues to be explored. In the present study, we reviewed the history and definition of the true self. Based on the characteristics found in previous research, we tentatively defined the true self as "a set of mental representations of the inherent, private, and stable attributions of oneself; reflective of whom an individual thinks he/she really is." Following that, we reviewed several ways of measuring or assessing the true self, and compared advantages and disadvantages of them. We also reviewed the effects the true self has on people's meaning in life, decision satisfaction, and moral judgment, as well as psychological health. Finally, we suggested that it is crucial to define the true self more clearly, to develop methods to measure or assess it more accurately, and to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which it benefits to people.
VL  - 9
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download