The Selves of Educational Psychology: Conceptions, Contexts, and Critical Considerations

This article begins with an interpretation and description of conceptions of selfhood that are assumed in educational psychologists' programs of theory, research, and practice in the area of student self-development. Three underlying conceptions of the self are considered: (a) the expressive self (found mostly in research and theory on self-esteem and self-concept), (b) the managerial self (found mostly in research and theory on self-regulation and self-efficacy), and (c) the communal self (found to some extent in sociocultural research and theory in educational psychology, but not typically emphasized or evident in studies of self-esteem, self-concept, self-regulation, and self-efficacy). This overview is followed by an interpretation of the sociocultural context (in Western societies and schools) within which these conceptions of selfhood have flourished. Three dimensions are especially helpful in interpreting the sociocultural and school contexts within which self-related studies in educational psychology are positioned: (a) a psychological dimension of self-control versus self-fulfillment, (b) a social political dimension of individual freedom versus civic responsibility, and (c) an educational dimension of personal development versus institutional socialization. A critical assessment of the current state of self-related studies in educational psychology is then undertaken that focuses on the relative absence of, and need for, more communal conceptions of selfhood in these areas of inquiry. Finally, possibilities for the development of viable conceptions of communal selfhood and agency are considered briefly.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Work on this article was supported by Grants #410-2000-0448 and #410-2205-1308 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The author acknowledges the assistance of Lauren McNamara and Ann-Marie McLellan in locating many of the examples and materials cited in this article.