Concepts of the self and self-concept - 8

Question 1

Concepts of the self and self-concept

Answer 1

1. Our ‘self’ is what we are that separates us from others
2. It is the ‘thing’ we think about as being ‘us’
3. Self-concept refers to our view of our ‘self’ that we get from how others react to us and our beliefs about ourselves

Question 2

Self

Answer 2

our thoughts and emotions about who we are

Question 3

self-concept

Answer 3

how we see ourselves, based on how others see us and our own beliefs

Question 4

Development of idea of self (Lewis)

Answer 4

1. Michael Lewis, an American psychologist believes that the idea of self develops with age and is affected by our experiences in the world
2. Lewis (1990) separates the self into two parts: the existential self and the categorical self

Question 5

Existential self

Answer 5

1. awareness that we have an existence that is separate from others
2. There is coherence in our idea of ‘who we are’ and we see our self as constant
3. According to Lewis, this ‘constant self’ is our existential self. He believes that we develop the idea of existential self at 2 months old
4. It arises from our interactions with the world, giving us the idea of self as a separate being
5. e.g. a baby touches a rattle and hears a sound so relates its own touching of the rattle to the sound it made/a baby realises it can not move his/her mothers hand
6. Having control over the world helps babies to develop this schema or idea of a distinct self

Question 6

Categorical self

Answer 6

1. awareness that we are seen by others by means of categories, such as age or gender
2. The categorical self has categories such as an age, gender, heigh, different roles such as son or daughter, abilities etc
3. The categorical self changes as someone’s values change and develops from around 18 months
4. Cultural changes can also change how someone sees themselves

Question 7

Evidence for Lewis’s concepts of self

Answer 7

1. Lewis and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (1979) used the red-nose test to study self
2. This is where babies are places so that they are looking into a mirror. The babies are then shown their noses smudged with red make-up
3. If they reach up for their own nose, they show a sense of self
4. If they do not reach for their own nose such as reach for the mirror instead, they have no sense of self
5. Lewis and Brooks-Gunn found that at about 18 months old, children reach for their own nose.

Question 8

Self and mental health

Answer 8

1. Carl Rogers (1959), an american psychologist, split self- concept into three parts - self image, self esteem, and ideal self

Question 9

self-image

Answer 9

how we see ourselves

Question 10

self-esteem

Answer 10

how we value ourselves

Question 11

ideal self

Answer 11

what we think we ‘should’ be like

Question 12

Congruence and incongruence

Answer 12

1. our ideal self might not match our self-image
2. If what we think we should be, from cultural and social views, does not match how we see ourselves, then this gives a state of incongruence, which negatively affects mental health
3. If our idea of our ideal self matches our self-image, our picture of ourselves matches what we feel we ought to be like, so we are in a state of congruence

Question 13

congruence

Answer 13

ideal self and self-image are mostly similar and self-actualisation is possible

Question 14

incongruence

Answer 14

ideal self and self-image are often different and self-actualisation is difficult

Question 15

self-actualisation

Answer 15

1. what we can become; achieving ones potential in life
2. When the parts of the self match, and a person experience congruence, there can be self-actualisation
3. When parts of the self do not match well, self actualisation is difficult
4. According to Rogers, the goal of the individual is to self-actualise