Self & Identity Flashcards
(54 cards)
What is the self?
How we perceive, understand and evaluate ourselves.
What is the ‘I’?
The self as the knower. Your internal, subjective experience.
- Feeling, thinking, being.
What is the ‘Me’?
The self as the known. The social, materials and psychological self.
- The self we observe when we reflect upon ourselves.
What is identity?
The roles, group memberships and labels that society assigns to a person.
What is self concept?
What we know about ourselves.
What is self esteem?
How we feel about ourselves.
How we evaluate and percieve our own worth.
What did Mead (1912) believe about the social self?
The social self is the perceived self that emerges from social interactions.
- We embed other people’s opinions into how we perceive and feel about ourselves.
What is self-identity?
The narratives or roles that we tell ourselves and how we define ourselves.
What is the social self?
How the individual thinks other people perceive themselves.
What is social identity?
The story society says about you.
What does the Social Identity Theory (SIT) suggest? (Tajfel, 1981)
- How one identifies with a social group impacts attitudes and behaviour.
- Changes are then made to fit the group identity.
What does the Self-Categorisation Theory suggest? (Turner, 1985)
We divide ourselves into ‘us’ and ‘them’.
- This is automatic rather than a motivated act.
What does the Self-Perception Theory suggest? (Bem, 1972)
- We undergo a process of self-reflection and evaluation. As a result, we learn to know about ourselves.
- We often observe our own actions and then form beliefs based on them.
- Explains how individuals develop attitudes and beliefs about themselves based on their behaviour.
What does the Social Comparison Theory suggest? (Festinger, 1954)
We compare ourselves to others to evaluate our abilities, opinions, values, etc.
- Use others as a benchmark.
- This is likely an automatic process.
- Can serve as motivational purposes.
What are upward comparisons (Social Comparison Theory - Festinger, 1954)?
Comparing ourselves with those or someone who is better off.
What are downward comparisons (Social Comparison Theory - Festinger, 1954)?
Comparing ourselves with those or someone who is worse off.
What is a positive effect (Social Comparison Theory - Festinger, 1954)?
- Upward comparisons can inspire improvement.
- Downward comparisons can increase confidence.
What is a negative effect (Social Comparison Theory - Festinger, 1954)?
- Constant upward comparisons can lead to low self-esteem.
- Excessive downward comparisons may lead to gloating.
How does the social self develop?
Through social interaction within personal socio-cultural history and biology.
What does the looking glass theory suggest? (Cooley, 1902)
- Individuals self-concept develops through social interactions and perceptions of how others see them.
- Our self concept is not based solely on reality, but on perceived judgements of others.
- Can lead to positive/negative perceptions (confidence/self-doubt).
What is Mead’s (1912) theory of the construction of the social self?
- Focuses on how individuals develop a sense of self through social interaction and communication.
- The self is not inherent at birth but is socially constructed through interactions with others.
- Explains how individuals learn to understand social roles.
What are the key stages of Mead’s (1912) construction of the social self?
- The preparatory stage.
- The play stage.
- The game stage.
What is Mead’s interpretation of the ‘I’ and the ‘Me’?
- ‘I’ - The spontaneous, creative, and individualistic part of the self.
- ‘Me’ - The socialised self that follows norms, rules, and expectations.
What is identity salience?
Some identities are more important than others, influencing behaviour in different contexts.
- E.g., people have multiple identities, but some are prioritized over others.
