Final answer:
Sigmund Freud believed that the self has opposing components, specifically the id, ego, and superego, which are in constant conflict and work to balance each other out in the development of our personalities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The social scientist who believed that the self has components that work in opposition to each other is Sigmund Freud. Freud's psychoanalytic theory suggested that our personality develops from a conflict between our biological aggressive and pleasure-seeking drives, symbolized by the id, and our internalized social norms and morals, represented by the superego. Balancing these opposing forces is the ego, which operates on the reality principle, mediating between the desires of the id and the restrictions of the superego.
Freud's perspective was that these three systems - the id, ego, and superego - are in a constant state of dynamic equilibrium as they work to manage the pressures both from the internal biological instincts and the external social world. This theory is a cornerstone of Freud's contributions to the understanding of human psychology and self-development.