Like any taxonomy system it is not perfect (e.g., possibly incomplete) but hopefully acts as a preliminary effort in the right direction. Its main goal is to organize many self-terms (and related ones) into a comprehensive and logical system in order to make more sense of what currently looks remarkably chaotic. The present paper addresses these limitations by putting forward a broader and more systematic glossary of self-related terms which includes a consideration of how some key self-terms relate to one another. Although Leary himself and others (e.g., Trapnell and Campbell, 1999 Leary and Tangney, 2003) have attempted to define and classify multiple self-related terms, close inspection of these efforts reveals that (a) they are only partial, that is, they leave out many self-terms undefined, (2) their proposed taxonomy systems are arguably limited and could be expanded, and (3) they neglect to discuss how various self-terms are conceptually and empirically connected. Indeed, definition confusion abounds in the field, as exemplified by the interchangeable use of terms such as “extended self”, “meta-representational/conceptual self-consciousness”, and “reflective/recursive/meta-consciousness” to designate self-awareness ( Morin, 2006). Whatever terms one uses, providing clear and precise definitions will also help to promote communication and minimize confusion.” perhaps the field will move slowly to embrace a set of precise, clear, and distinct terms for each of the phenomena that we study under the self and identity umbrella. Mark Leary offered the following observation in his Editorial for a special issue on “What Is the Self?” in Self and Identity (2004, pp. These are presented in tables meant for the reader to search for definitions as well as related terms. Arguably unambiguous definitions for some of the most important and frequently used self-terms are suggested. Three additional categories not discussed in this paper are self-biases, reactions to the self, and interpersonal style. I also propose a tentative classification scheme of self-terms as follows: (1) basic terms related to the overall process of self-perception (e.g., self-awareness), (2) non self-terms that are importantly associated to some other self-terms (e.g., consciousness and Theory of Mind), (3) processes related to the executive self and involving agency, volition, and self-control (e.g., self-regulation), and (4) self-views, that is, the content and feelings about the self (e.g., self-esteem). In an effort to minimize this problem, I present a novel and systematic way of looking at possible relations between several key self-terms. Several of these terms are either ill-defined or synonymous, creating confusion, and redundancy.

Some scholars have noted that an impressive number of self-related terms have been gradually introduced in the scientific literature. Department of Psychology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Self perception definition