APA Dictionary of Psychology

the self that is known by the self, rather than the self as knower. In the psychology of William James, the empirical self is held to consist of the material self (everything material that can be seen as belonging to the self), the social self (the self as perceived by others), and the spiritual self (the self that is closest to one’s core subjective experience of oneself). The empirical self (or “me”) is contrasted with the nominative self (or “I”).