C. J. knows dozens of ways in which he didn't get where he is today: by not knowing a real winner when he sees one, by waffling, by not knowing how to handle people, by having anonymous letters put through his letter box, by wearing underpants decorated with pictures of Beethoven. C. J. is a fictional character, invented by David Nobbs. C. J. is the over-bearing, pompous Managing Director of Sunshine Desserts, and boss of Reginald Perrin, from the BBC TV comedy series ‘The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin’. C. J. has a very well-defined self-concept; he knows exactly who he is, how he got there, and where he's going.

Humans have two gifts animals lack: one is language, the other is self-awareness. So far as anyone can tell, rats, dogs, or even monkeys do not stop to think ‘is this really me?’ before running down a maze, barking at an intruder, or mounting a receptive female. Humans, after the age of two or so start to have some idea of who they are and how they want others to see them. The self-concept affords the personality theorist a possible way of explaining behaviour. Personality is not an elusive set of traits or factors, nor a vast bundle of habits, nor the ever-shifting phenomenal field; it is, rather, how the person sees him/herself. Discover that the meek bank clerk really sees himself as James Bond, and you achieve understanding of his actions. Realise that the aggressive telephonist is trying to project the same image as Bette Midler and you can predict her reactions.