Changing Metaphors of the Self: Implications for Counseling

Abstract

This article reviews some of the more prevalent metaphors used to describe the nature and character of the self. These metaphors include the unified and integrated selves as well as the postmodern perspectives of multiple selves. The authors contend that counselors have theories about the self whether implicit or explicit, and that these theories directly influence their practice. They further contend that it is beneficial for counselors and other helping professionals to take the time to clarify their beliefs and assumptions about the self and that metaphors are useful conceptual tools. Various ethical questions associated with different metaphors of the self are posed.

Potential benefits of expressive writing for male college students with varying degrees of restrictive emotionality.

“…Hoskins and Lesho (1996) proposed that counselors can use the possible selves perspective to engage clients in activities that promote creative visualizations such as writing letters indicating what their lives would be like five years from now. Meara (1995) applied the possible selves perspective to career counseling by suggesting that thinking about one's possible occupational self in the future yields benefits such as the personalization of career-related choices and an explicit focus on the future.…”

Group Chaos Theory: A Metaphor and Model for Group Work

“…In short, nonlinear dynamics as well as systems theories are becoming important aspects and methods of counseling and group practice (see Sexton, 1994). Increasing attention also is being given to move beyond traditional, organismic theories of counseling and therapy to incorporate other theoretical frameworks, such as constructivistic, interactionist, sociological contextualism, and chaos models (Brabender, 2000;Hoskins & Leseho, 1996;Wilbur et al, 1995a;Wilbur et al, 1995b). Likewise, metaphors of the ''self'' are changing from the unitary self, the authentic self, the core self, the cohesive self, and integrated selves to the narrative self, possible selves, the empty self, the saturated self, the dialogical self, and internalized selves.…”

The Canonical Self and Politicized Praxis: A Tracing of Two Concepts

“…Marie Hoskins, a professor in CYC at UVic, has, however, investigated the self as a concept in counselling theories and her texts are used in SCYC curriculum. I was introduced to Hoskins and Leseho's (1996) "Metaphors of the Self: Implications for Counselors" in my undergraduate studies at SCYC and the article became influential in my appreciation of the diversity of theories of the self among human service practitioners. In the article, Hoskins and Leseho analyze the prevalent theories of the self in counselling literature in terms of their metaphoric articulations, categorize these metaphors as either traditional or postmodern, and elaborate practice implications.…”

“…The two traditional perspectives of the self that Hoskins and Leseho (1996) begin with, the unitary and the integrated, reflect a description of the self as an enduring autonomous core, in the case of the former, and a higher cohesive authentic self in the case of the latter. The unitary self is analogous, they contend, to an artichoke with a psychic fingerprint at its core: It is vulnerable when it is young and develops protective layers as it interacts and adapts to an outer world.…”

“…The postmodern perspectives that Hoskins and Leseho (1996) summarize include the following: the narrative self as comparable to an author who uses language and stories, both personal and cultural, to engage in an ongoing process of narration; possible selves as a bridge between past and future events, which are shaped by socio-cultural influences; the empty self as a holograph, which is incapable of connecting with history or spirituality due to current consumerist culture; and the internalized selves perspective, which is broken down into a community of selves metaphor and a dialogical self metaphor. The community of selves metaphor is similar to the integrated self view of traditional psychology, but Hoskins and Leseho insist that within this view, there is less of an organizing centre and more of a cooperative diversity of voices.…”