The Impulsive Self - I'm not going to live by their rules

In the movie, Groundhog Day, Phil Connor, played by Bill Murray, is stuck in a time warp repeating Groundhog Day, over and over again. One day he is drinking at a bowling alley with two guys named Gus and Ralph. He asks them,"What would you do if you were stuck in the same place and each day was the same and nothing you did meant anything. Ralph says, "That pretty much sums it up for me.: They all get drunk. Later, Phil asks, What would you do if there was no tomorrow." Gus says, "That would mean there is no consequence, we could do what we want." (See police car video, 3 cheeseburgers)

At the lowest stage of development, the only behavior restraint is fear of punishment from an external source, what you do is only bad if you get caught and have to suffer consequences. Behavior is centered on pleasure/pain and reward/punishment.

One day in a cafe, Rita watches Phil smoke, eat, and pour coffee down his throat right from the pot. She quotes Sir Walter Scott, "The wretch, con-centered on self shall go down unwept, un-honored and unsung."

Phil says, "I suppose you think I'm egocentric. She says, "Egocentric is your defining characteristic."

The Impulsive Self is totally egocentric. Without internal moral development, the Impulsive Self acts on whatever urge comes to mind, without regard for others.

Groundhog Day

Opportunistic Self - playing a role to get what you want

After a while, things get boring for Phil. Without consequence the main drive to growth is an unsatisfactory environment and so he begins to long for the preferred woman. That would be Rita.
The Opportunistic Self plays a role and pretends to go along with the rules to get a specific reward. Phil uses planning, insight, and discrimination to achieve his goal. The focus is on the preferred reward (Rita) rather than just avoiding punishment.
Phil is now willing to alter his behavior and act "as if" to get the reward he seeks. He is capable of understanding the wants and needs of others and he mimicks the required behavior. He is pretending to be "good" and is willing to control his impulses to get what he wants - like a kid in grade school. (See Best Scenes from Groundhog Day on right).
Rita represents Phil's repressed feminine side. Romantic love is based on finding union with the unexpressed and denied half of one's own self. She realizes he is being false with her and rejects him. She accuses him of loving only himself. He says,
"Love myself? I don't even like myself."
Self-centeredness comes from feeling empty - there is no self-love, only defensiveness and self-indulgence. Only when you love yourself, are you able to truly love others.
Phil needs to love himself before he can love Rita.