Individual Self, Relational Self, Collective Self

The self-concept consists of three fundamental self-representations: the individual self, the relational self, and the collective self. That is, people seek to achieve self-definition and identity in three fundamental ways: in terms of their personal traits, in terms of their close relationships, and in terms of their group memberships. The nature of the interrelations among these three self-representations forms the core of this volume. Are the individual, the relational, and the collective self indifferent acquaintances, close partners, or bitter opponents?This volume seeks to understand both when each source of self-definition is likely to be used, and also whether individuals typically use one form of self-definition more than the others. The first part takes the vantage point of the individual self and discusses such issues as why the individual self might be primary, in what ways, and how the individual self is related to the other two. Part II addresses the same questions from the perspective of the relational and the collective self as bases for self-definition. Chapters in the third section take the view that all three self-representations are equally prevalent in the achievement of self-definition, and discuss the organismic and contextual conditions that accentuate a particular type of self-representation, or how they are integrated or coordinated. Part IV offers some integrative models, while a final commentary chapter discusses running themes, synthesizes the literature, and points to future research directions.