Self as subject: a formulation and an assessment strategy

IN James' view the self has two components, the self as subject, the I-self, or the self as knower; and the self as object, the me-self, or the self as known (James 1968). They are the dynamic and imagistic aspects of the self, respectively. Until recently, as Harter emphasizes in her comprehensive review (Harter 1983), quantitative studies of the self have focused almost exclusively on the self as object. They have explored such aspects of self-concepts as the self as independent, likable, or competent; contrasts between real and ideal images of the self; and developmental changes in self-concepts.