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A process view of the self
Author(s) -
DeWaele Martin
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1996.tb01874.x
Subject(s) - mirroring , fantasy , psychology , experiential learning , space (punctuation) , psychopathology , relevance (law) , psychology of self , self , modalities , process (computing) , cognitive science , cognitive psychology , psychotherapist , epistemology , psychoanalysis , social psychology , sociology , computer science , artificial intelligence , clinical psychology , social science , philosophy , mathematics education , political science , law , operating system
This paper further develops the concept of the self as experiential being, and its relevance for an understanding of psychopathology. It is proposed that the self, or ‘I’, processes and regulates its experiences by means of three modalities that are dynamically interrelated throughout life: exchanges/boundaries, internal mirroring/affective awareness, and the representational space. It is further proposed that pathology develops when these processes of self‐regulation go wrong. As a result, different psychopathological positions are identified which, in the case of severe disorders, require a distinctive initial approach to therapy. There is also the unique degree to which humans evolve an ‘inner space’ in which to create representations of themselves interacting with other figures and with things in their world. Also, these creations can be close to reality in form or completely changed to fit fantasy wishes. John D. Sutherland (1993, p.24)