Our interpersonal self is composed of the rules of behavior—norms—that guide us to act in certain ways in particular social situations. For instance, the norms for how we behave will guide us to act one way as a student in school and another as a friend to someone. These norms constantly change but no matter what people are expected to adapt in order to get along in society. People who defy norms are referred to as "deviant," though this is not at all a negative term. Some social norms can be harmful (e.g. racist attitudes) and deviant actions against them can drive social change.

One of the surprising but very positive outcomes of having a strong sense of self is potentially becoming more intrinsically motivated. For instance, a person who identifies themselves as a "good artist" will devote hours practicing their craft to reinforce this sense they have of themselves. Not only is it a source of pleasure, but it also reinforces who that person thinks they are, IE their sense of self. If a person doesn't think of themselves as a good artist, they most likely will need some reward to feel motivated to do art. This would be extrinsic motivation.

Children gradually start to become of aware of themselves as an object in the world. Objects are experienced and evaluated (tall, short, tiny, huge) children become aware of how they, as objects in this world, are experienced and evaluated. These words are "categories", and as a child knows further what categories they belong to they are becoming more aware of their categorical self. These categories would be age, gender, height, and more. So the girl who says "I am a girl" has discovered this dimension of her categorical self.

Young people have a strong tendency to identify more with their personality traits than with their proscribed social roles. That is, they'll identify themselves with various adjectives--"I'm smart, funny, attractive, impulsive, excitable." As people age, they think more about their social roles and what they perform for others. Roles are much more active, in the sense that person does things to perform them. For instance, a father provides resources for his children.

According to Argyle's conception of self-actualization, people aspire to minimize the incongruity between who they are (their "actual self") and who they want to be (their "ideal self"). The more a person is different from their "ideal self," the self they aspire to be, the more incongruity one feels. This incongruity is usually experienced negatively. For instance, if a person who identifies as being a good student finds out they're failing their classes they will have the discrepancy between their ideal and actual self highlighted.

Alfred Adler was the one to coin the term inferiority complex. The beginnings of an inferiority complex begin very young, when a child naturally feels inferior to the competent adults that surround it. Those who have successfully met challenges before them will grow up with high self-esteem and self-worth. Those who have routinely failed or not gotten the recognition for the achievements they did make will often grow up with low self-esteem or an inferiority complex. This means they are prone to devalue themselves and may seek to overcompensate through asocial behavior or trying to obtain the recognition they did not receive as a child. 

Our most base needs are for physiological well-being (food, nourishment) and safety (shelter). Beyond that, we have a need for love and esteem which we mostly satisfy from either work or our personal relationships with partners, friends, and family. The highest need we have has more to do with our purpose in life or our "highest selves"--our most moral, creative, responsible, and authentic selves. This is the need to self-actualize and it is the most difficult of all needs to attain.

A person who has an "internal locus of control" believes, in a sense, that they are the masters of their own destiny. They are less likely to be passive as a result. People with an internal locus of control, for example, are perhaps more likely to work hard since they believe their own actions will determine consequences.

Humanistic psychology serves as a counterpoint to determinism, which views people's personality and behavior as largely determined by their past experiences. Humanistic psychology takes the emphasis off of what people cannot change and what they can. Instead of focusing on what is inhibiting the person, they focus on free will, the ability to exercise agency in one's life. A person may suffer severely from a trauma, but choose how to act in light of it.

According to Mary K. Rothbart's three dimensions of temperament, children with lower levels of surgency/extraversion may develop internalizing problems. Internalizing problems are characterized by self-infliction and introversion, such as low self-esteem, social anxiety, and shyness. These problems can also give way to depression or other mood disorders. People with high surgency/extraversion will more likely be sensation-seeking, active, and happy.