Self and Identity Flashcards
(40 cards)
me:
the self-as-know, constituted by material and social factors
I:
the self-as-knower, and streams of consciousness where thoughts and emotions coexist simultaneously
how are “me” and “I” related to each other?
dialectically, as the language is central between individual mind and social roles
how did goffman expand on mead’s interactional self?
focused on the self as the performance of a social role, and people retain face work for smoother social interactions by “acting out lines”
focus of the study of the self
the individual, and how people come to understand themselves
focus of the study of identity
the social context of who people are in relation to others, roles, and groups
explanations of traditional social psychology
we can understand who we are through how we interact with the world and observing our own behaviour
what is the process of introspection?
looking inwards to scrutinise thoughts, feelings, and motives
self-awareness theory
comparing ourselves to internal standards can influence later behaviour
- negative state outcome- avoid thoughts that lead to internal self-awareness
- positive state outcome- self-focus can be pleasant
lewis et al…
found people are more likely to behave prosocially after being made aware of themselves as prosocial objects
self-perception theory
looking inwards can help to infer something about yourself, in ambiguous situations
can distinguish whether it is a preference or a response to the situation
the proteus effect
use of avatars can affect perceptions, attitudes, and cause larger behavioural changes
what do theories on introspection assume?
developed by the influence of ourselves, but also the influence of those around use
festinger’s social comparison theory
we learn about ourselves through social comparisons which can validate thoughts and actions
subsets of social comparison theory
downward comparison- make us feel better about ourselves
upward comparison- inspiration for the future
forced upward comparison can be harmful for self-esteem
big fish small pond effect…
uses the application of social comparison theory as students form an academic self-concept
students at a high-achieving school have lower own estimations
what did jansen find after investigating the effect of BFSP among influential peers?
class average achievement affected self-concept of academic skills
social identity theory
identity is a consequence of the similarities/differences we have with others, providing the basis for social interaction in groups
liao (2020) shows team participation experience…
positively related to team identification
how can social identity influence health behaviour?
stronger group social identity led to higher perceptions of social support
causes a higher self-efficacy of engaging in health behaviours
critical social explanations of the self consider…
performative identities, constructed self, the plural self, and the relational beingfi
fixed-
the identity and self is predefined
fluid-
the identity and self is formed through language, historical and cultural practices that question the natural order to conceptualising the self
performative self- what did foucault (1979) believe?
identities are fluid and communicated in interactions with society/others
individuals can engage in power with exercise and restraint
