The self
Abstract
In the middle 1990s, faced with the task of producing an integrative overview of research on the self, I searched long and hard for a single core phenomenon or basic root of selfhood, one that could serve as a useful framework for discussing all the work social psychologists had done. I failed. Instead, I reluctantly concluded that at least three important types of phenomena provided three basic roots of selfhood (Baumeister, 1998). This conceptual structure still seems viable and will be the organizational basis for this chapter. The first basis for selfhood is consciousness turning around toward itself, which is sometimes called "reflexive consciousness." You can be aware of yourself and know things about yourself. The second basis of selfhood is in interpersonal relations. The third and final basis of selfhood is making choices and exerting control.