Theories of the self.

This paper reviews the historical and conceptual development of theories concerning the nature of the self, highlighting both common themes and differences among representative theorists and their systems. The evolution of the concept of the self is traced from its ancient foundations in Vedic thought through its classical period (Socrates) and into the present century, where the work of James, Freud, Klein, Fairbairn, Sullivan, Winnicott, and Kohut illustrate the major modern refinements of the concept. The paper concludes with my own recent work toward a synthesis of these developments.