Identity Flashcards

1
Q

what is Erik Erikson’s theory?

A

the theory of psychosocial development. it suggests that individuals progress through developmental stages based on how they resolve / adjust to social crises throughout their lives.

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2
Q

what is the stage in the theory of psychosocial development that concerns adolescents?

A

identity vs. role confusion (12-18yrs)

this stage is concerned with discovering and solidifying one’s identity. it is the stage where individuals learn and explore the roles that they will have as adults.

  • it is a time of confusion and exploration
  • ‘trying on’ different roles/hats/identities
  • most do not complete this stage until adulthood
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3
Q

what are the results of success & failure in the identity vs. role confusion stage?

A

success =
- strong sense of identity
- fidelity

failure =
- weak sense of self
- role confusion
- become more apathetic (withdrawal or lost in the crowd)

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4
Q

what is fidelity?

A

the ability to relate to others and form genuine relationships

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5
Q

what is adolescence?

A

the period of social and emotional development where individuals refine their sense of self in relation to others
- ‘who am I?’
‘who do I want to be?’

–> primary psychosocial task of adolescence = establishing an identity/sense of self

  • time where individuals develop a more sophisticated understanding of others (just as complex; public & private faces)
    -perspective taking
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6
Q

what is perspective taking?

A

the ability to assume another person’s perspective and understand their thoughts/feelings

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7
Q

what is social identity?

A

the part of the self-concept that comes from one’s group membership

  • often defined according to how similar and different one is from others
  • includes: religious identity, political identity, gender identity, etc.
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8
Q

what is self-concept?

A

the way we think about ourselves and describe ourselves

  • often full of contradictions
  • changes depending on social environment
  • can feel like a ‘fraud’
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9
Q

what happens to the self-concept over time?

A

it becomes more… {CADIF}
- complex
- abstract
- differentiated
- integrated
- flexible

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10
Q

what is self-understanding

A

an individual’s cognitive representation of the self
- includes the content of self-concepts
- both an internal process + social cognitive construction

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11
Q

what is social cognitive?

A

understanding other people, inferring what is going on with others, being in touch with how others are thinking

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12
Q

what are the dimensions of adolescent self-understanding?

A

{DISTRACTS-S}

differentiation
integration of the self
social comparison (the looking glass self)
the unconscious self
real vs. ideal self / true vs. false self
abstraction and idealism
contradictions within the self
the fluctuating self
self-consciousness
self-protection

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13
Q

what is a narrative identity?

A

the stories people tell about themselves to define who they are for themselves and others

  • core stories shape identity (in good or bad ways)
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14
Q

what is social & fluid identity?

A

social (vertical) identity:
where we come from
- parents, age, ethnicity

fluid (horizontal) identity:
what we have developed
- skills, friends
what pulls you into the future
- goals, desires

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15
Q

what is the role of family in identity development?

A

parents can set the boundaries for identity exploration
- based on strictness of household rules, control over child, may limit exposure to different identities

family that is secure and open relationships may act as a safety net for the child to comfortably explore their social surroundings and try on different roles/expose themselves to new identities

family that promotes individuality & connectedness = more adaptive development
- individuality: self-assertion & seperateness
- connectedness = mutuality & permeability

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16
Q

what is the role of friendship in identity development?

A
  • more exposure to different identities
  • provides feedback of different identities (allows people to test their identities)
  • gain support & develop strong social understanding
  • more adaptive identities; recognizing that multiple identities are possible
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17
Q

what are the effects of a strong identity?

A
  • high self-esteem
  • lower levels/risk of poor mental health
  • motivated; better academic performance
  • less aggressive
  • protect well-being
18
Q

what is James Marcia’s theory?

A

theory of identity development
- suggests that individuals move through stages of identity status by asking questions regarding the issues of: occupation, religion, politics, sexual behaviour (role experimentation)

4 stages:
- identity diffusion
- identity foreclosure
- identity moratorium
- identity achievement

teens/young adults move from identity diffusion/foreclosure to identity moratorium/achievement

19
Q

describe the different statuses of the theory of identity development.

A

identity diffusion status
- has NOT explored identity options
- has NOT committed to an identity
…..does not make progress towards the issues of politics, religion, etc. (little sense of purpose in life)

identity foreclosure status
- has made a commitment to an identity without exploring others (NO identity experimentation)
…. established identity based on the choices/values of others (ex. strict/controlling parents OR choice to follow in parents footsteps)

identity moratorium status
- exploring other identities but has not yet made a commitment to one
….. can be an anxious/emotional time as they try on different roles

identity achievement status
- has explored other identities and has made a commitment to one
…. gained a coherent identity based on personal decisions
….. long process; usually not achieved by the end of adolescence
…. may be result of integrating multiple identities

20
Q

what is an ethnic identity?

A

one’s sense of belonging to an ethnic group and the parts of thinking/beliefs/behaviours that are due to ethnic group membership

  • involves sorting & resolving positive/negative feelings about one’s ethnic group
  • can be more confusing/difficult to navigate as an individual of a minority; more pressure to understand identity

-ethnicity can influence adolescent experience/identity search due to different cultural norms
….ex. more strict parents, less risk-taking opportunities, shapes behaviour (ex. parental modelling of behaviour), shapes how others may respond around them

21
Q

what is phinney’s model?

A

Phinney’s model of ethnic identity formation

  • suggests that through the process of exploration & commitment, individuals come to understand and create an ethnic identity
  • MAMA cycling: movement back and forth between moratorium & achievement stages
22
Q

discuss the stages in phinney’s model.

A

stage 1: unexamined ethnic identity
- has NOT been exposed to ethnic identity issues
- little thought about ethnic heritage (similar to diffusion status)
- adopted ethnicity beliefs from parents and have NOT thought about the issues (similar to foreclosure status)

stage 2: ethnic identity search
- explore the customs, culture, history of ethnic group (similar to moratorium status)
- immersion of self in culture

stage 3: achieved ethnic identity
- has explored their culture and gained a deep appreciation/understanding (similar to achieved status)
- does not have to be involved in ethnic customs/maintain beliefs

23
Q

what is self-esteem?

A

one’s evaluation of their own identity and overall sense of their worth
–> one’s attitude towards oneself

24
Q

what is baseline & barometric self esteem?

A

baseline:
a level of positive or negative feelings about oneself that is fairly stable over time

barometric:
temporary changes in positive or negative feelings about oneself that occur in response to particular incidents

  • self esteem fluctuations…
    …..tends to decrease (temporarily) when transitioning schools or with other life changes (remains low if also other stressors in life)
    ……tends to increase from mid-late adolescence (esp. if confident in peer relationships, appearance**, and athletic abilities)
25
Q

what factors influence self-esteem?

A

-genetics
- personality
- life experiences
- social circumstances
- gender (females more likely to have low self-esteem)
- age
- reaction of others
- comparing self to others**

–> internalizing other’s assessments and engaging in social comparison impacts self-esteem

26
Q

discuss what low self-esteem and high self-esteem are associated with.

A

low (gap between one’s ideal self and their self-concept)
- low SES
- females
- poor social relationships
- violent, aggressive
- feelings of worthlessness
- low risk-taking/exploration

high
- males
- open to criticism/acknowledging mistakes
- comfortable giving/receiving compliments
- comfortable with sharing/exploring aspects of oneself

27
Q

define sex

A

the physiological or physical differences between males, females, and intersex persons (includes primary and secondary characteristics)

28
Q

define gender

A

the social or cultural distinctions associated with a given sex
- babies are assigned a gender based on their biological sex
- socialized to conform to gender roles

29
Q

define social construct

A

an idea that has been created and accepted by the people; based on social norms

30
Q

define gender identity

A

an individual’s subjective experience of their own gender and how it develops
- extent to which one identifies with a particular gender

  • may consist of the acceptance/non-acceptance of one’s membership into a gender category
31
Q

define cisgender

A

those who identify with the gender that corresponds with there assigned sex at birth

  • opposite for transgender
32
Q

define genderqueer/gender fluid

A

those who do not identify within the gender binary as either male or female
- identify as existing on a spectrum (the gender continuum)

33
Q

what is queer theory?

A

claims that gender identity is NOT a static or rigid identity; it is fluid and can evolve or change over time

34
Q

what factors influence gender identity?

A

biological/cognitive? –> no clear factors

social: family, peers, media, culture
(1) gender roles
(2) gender socialization
(3) gender stereotypes, sexism, & enforcement

35
Q

describe the social factors that influence gender identity.

A

(1) gender roles: societies concept of how men and women are expected to act
- often enforced by family, peers, media, culture, authority

(2) gender socialization: process in which children learn gender roles (begins at birth)
- agents reinforce roles by keeping the norm expectations for gender-specific behaviour
…primary agents: family, education, peers, media
…secondary agents: religion, workplace
- repeated exposure to socialization agents –> confusing /lead individual to false sense of self
……….. confused whether one is behaving naturally or is socially conditioned

(3) gender stereotypes: oversimplified ideas about the attitudes, traits, & behaviour patterns of males and females
- social assumptions of gender and expectations of how they should act
- forms basis of sexism and prejudiced beliefs
- fear of punishment for violating gender roles/norms

36
Q

what is gender role transcendence?

A

theory that there is a degree to which individuals view themselves in relation to traditional gender roles
- women are more independent from traditional gender roles than men

if identifies as farther from traditional norms…
- decision to NOT change = low self-esteem and mental health issues
- decision TO transcend = more positive outcomes (ex. happiness)

37
Q

what is sexual orientation?

A

an individual’s emotional and sexual attraction to a particular sex or gender

–> can also refer to a person’s sense of identity based on their attractions (ex. homosexual)

–> on a continuum: idea that sexual orientation is fluid and can change throughout the lifespan

38
Q

discuss the development of sexual orientation

A
  • people USUALLY aware of orientation between mid-childhood & early adolescence
    …..no need to participate in sexual activity to be aware of emotional/romantic/physical attraction (ex. can be celibate and know orientation)
  • no single factor that predicts orientation
  • exploration of sexual orientation typically occurs during adolescence and adulthood –> can be a very emotionally intense time as individuals are also exploring their identity + social pressure/stigma/comparison factors
  • discrimination from heteronormative societies (supports heterosexuality as the norm) may influence how individuals express / explore their sexuality
    ….. may be scared to explore sexuality if goes against the norm
39
Q

define homophobia. how may this impact LGBTQ+ members?

A

homophobia: a range of negative feelings & attitudes towards those who identify as LGBTQ+
- can be expressed as antipathy, prejudice, hatred, discrimination, violence

  • includes institutionalized homophobia & internalized homophobia (LGBTQ+ members internalize or believe societies negative view of them)
  • fear of experiencing stigma, harassment, violence, discrimination may deter individuals from exploring or expressing sexuality
  • higher risk of poor mental health, suicide, low-self esteem
40
Q

define human sexuality

A

people’s sexual interests in and attraction to others, as well as their capacity to have erotic experiences and responses

  • expressed through: thoughts, desires, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, relationships

manifested: biologically/phyiscally (reproductive functions, sexual response cycle, biological drive), emotionally (bonds of love, trust, care), socially (social influence), spiritually (spiritual connection w others through sexuality)

41
Q

what is the sexual response cycle?

A

a model that describes the physiological responses that take place during sexual activities (4 phases)

  • sexual motivation can be determined by biological, psychological, and social factors
  • sex hormones influence the motivation to engage in sexual activities

phase 1: excitement phase (desire to have sex)
phase 2: plateau phase (time of increased heart rate/circulation)
phase 3: orgasm phase
phase 4: resolution phase (unarousal state before cycle begins again)