Task 1 -Approaches to the self
Goals
3 main components of the self
strategies
self-schemata #
social identity
self-concept
how you process info about yourself depends on your self-concept
development
understanding od yourself, sum of self-schemata
networks of associated building blocks of the self-concept
built on past experiences, guide processing of info about the self
cogn. representation of the self-concept #
past, present & future aspects of the self
self-esteem - evaluative component#
identity crisis: feeling of anxiety accompanying efforts to (re-)define your own individuality and social reputation
2 types
identity conflict: person wants to reach two mutually contradictory goals
how you present yourself to others, self that is shown to others
from 2 years: idea of expectations develops, evaluation of own behavior against standards
2-3 y: identify & associate sex and age with themselves
first step: distinction between own body & everything else -> rudimentary sense of self: awareness of own body
3-12 y: self-concepts based on developing talents and skills, also defined in terms of sex, age, family of origin and abilities
further development
test: self recognition in mirror (humans: from 18 months on)
necessary for pretend play
use of personal pronouns starts
5-6 y: beginning of social comparison, development of inner, private self-concept (there are things only I know) - thoughts, feelings, desires;
own decision to share this part of the self with others or not
from concrete ( physical appearance, possessions) to abstract characteristics (psychological)
teenage years: perspective taking -> objective self-awareness (seeing yourself as an object of others' attention)
How quickly do you agree with a statement about yourself?
basis for sense of continuity, framework for understanding past & present and guiding behavior
how you feel about yourself -> sum of pos. and neg. reactions to all the aspects of your self concept
important domains
Higgins: different kinds of selves
possible selves: idea about who you might become (formed by social comparison)
ideal self
ought self
How do YOU want to be like? Own desires & goals
your understanding of what OTHERS want you to be like (results from responsibilities & commitments to others)
discrepency to real self -> dejected emotions (sad, despondent, disappointed)
discrepency to real self -> guilty, distressed, anxious
promotion focus: focus of attention on achievement & goal accomplishment
result: pleasure
prevention focus: avoid harm, seek safety
result: relief
reactions to criticism & failure feedback
coping w negative events
self-esteem variability
role of confirmation of views (low vs high self-esteem)
accepting vs not accepting feedback drives behavior
successful strategy of high self-esteem people
strategies of low self-esteem people
defensive pessimism
self-handicapping
focus on other areas of life that are going well -> "high self-complexity"
reasons for high variability
increased concern about self-view
overrelying on social sources of evaluation
enhanced sensitivity to social evaluation events
reaction to evaluation with anger & hostility
different levels
global/trait
specific
how you generally feel about yourself
relatively enduring across time & situations
predicts psychological wel-being
predicts performance in the area in question
parts: e.g. gender, ethnicity
symbolic interactionist view (Mead): self concept is based on feedback from others
self-deceptions: protecting one's own view
adulthood: identity oriented towards goals -> possible selves
undesired self - source of motivation
reaction to idetity threats: try to prove yourself to others(social validation)
from 2y: start to compare behavior to standards of good vs bad
2 sources
evaluative feedback from others
direct experiences of efficacy and success
high vs low
is very stable
high
clear, stable, consistent views of themselves
low
confused, contradictory, unstable views, uncertain, full of gaps
more susceptible to influence
aversive to initial failure, try to avoid it
more often effective at setting appropriate goals & living up to commitments
superior self-knowledge
ego-threats cause irrational and extreme reactions
effective self-management
behavior varies across situations
favourability
consistency
blaim failures externally, take credit for success
dispute feedback that is discrepant from self-view, avoid someone who has a different opinion
prefer favourable feedback but are more likely to believe negative feedback
purpose
vital means of protecting yourself against anxiety (Terror management theory)
social exclusion view: anxious about being rejected, high self esteem -> less worried about rejection
do not expect to succeed
more interested in tasks where they initially succeed
more interested in tasks where they initially fail, initial success: performance is already at a passable level, no need to improve #
goal: self-enhancement
goal: self-protection
4 statuses of identity crises
moratoriums - not resolved identity crisis
foreclosures - individuals who have an adult identity pattern without having gone through a crisis, children have foreclosed identities
identity achieved - went through crisis and successfully overcame it
identity diffusion - no commitments formed to adult identity and no desire to do so
maladaptive for males but not females
adopt beliefs of their parents
most maladaptive & pathological
identity deficit: occurs when you discard old values & goals without gaining new ones #