Week 4-Self and Identity Flashcards
(30 cards)
According to Brewer & Gardner (1996) when the self is defined by our group memberships this is known as…..
Collective Self
According to Tesser’s (1988) self-evaluation maintenance model when we are forced to make upward comparisons we….
Withdraw from Others
The desire to learn favourable or flattering things about the self is known as …
Self Enhancement
History and Self
Medieval Self
- Extended family, social class, geographical location
- Relatively stable, fixed, unchangeable
Modern Self
- Fewer family bonds, broader education, geographical mobility
- Flexible, re-negotiable; Inner and outer self
According to William James, what is the self?
William James (1890), described the self as containing two aspects: The “I” and the “me” -The “me” is the knowledge I have about myself or the self-concept
- The “I” refers to the fact that I can be reflexively aware of myself
- The self is both subject and object of perception (in other words, humans can think about themselves)
You are both the book and the reader of the book.
According to Brewer and Gardner, what is:
- The individual self
- The collective self
- The relational self
Individual self: personal traits that differentiate the self from others
The relational self: connections and role relationships with significant others. E.g. roles of being a mother; daughter the traits you assign
Collective self: group memberships that differentiate us from them.
What is self-awareness?
What is self-concept?
What is Self-schema
Me-the object of the book
Self-awareness: the act of thinking about ourselves (the knower)
How we see ourselves
The self can have both a private (our inner) view and a public (what others see) view
Agent
Self-concept that includes the knowledge about who we are
Self-Schema: a cognitive structure that represents knowledge about a concept. Influence
Information processing
Behaviour
What is the “I”?
“I” is the ACTIVE AGENT
18 months-2 years- self awareness
3-4 years- self concious emotions shame; guilt etc.
ABCs of the self
A = AFFECT
We have feelings toward ourselves (like ourselves, hate ourselves)
This is commonly known as self-esteem
B = BEHAVIOUR
Obviously, we behave and our behaviour says something about who we “are”
C = COGNITIONS
We also obviously have ideas about who we are. These ideas can be called cognitions about the kind of person we are.
The cognitive component of the self is typically what we mean when we use the word “self-concept”
Self-comparison (internal standards)
Self-Awareness Theory (Duval & Wicklund, 1972)
Mirror, other people, other people might be viewing us. Compare our present behaviour to internal standards.
When we become self-conscious we become objective observers of our own behaviour.
Compare present behaviour to internal standards and values
If current behaviour is inconsistent with values or standards, you then either change your behaviour or flee from the state of self-awareness.
Motivated to “escape the self” by engaging in destructive or spiritual practices (Baumeister, 1991)
What is objective self-awareness?
Yourself as an object.
Two types of self you can be aware of:
The private self – your private thoughts, feelings and attitudes.
The public self – how other people see you, your public image.(Carver & Scheier, 1981)
Self-Discrepancy Theory (Higgins)
Higgins (1987)
1) Actual Self-Who we are in the moment, what are we doing right now
2) Ideal Self- Who we aspire to be
3) Ought Self- How we should be acting
The discrepancy between any two–>self-regulation
Actual-Ideal-Dejected; disappointed; sad
Actual-Ought-Agitated; anxious; fearful
Discrepancies influence emotions; physical health; mental health; motivations (promotion focus)
Self-regulation: Strategies that we use to match our behaviour to an ideal or ought self; reduction of the discrepancy
Self-perception Theory (Bem, 1965)
When our attitudes or feelings are ambiguous, we infer them by observing our own behaviour
Role of external justification When extrinsic motivation is very strong, people discount the influence of intrinsic motivation Overjustification effect (external reward removed, less likely to be involved) It can decrease the likelihood of engaging in the behaviour in the future
Social Comparison Theories
Aptitude or personality test-object info of who we are. Comparing ourselves to others when no objective measurements. Not real standards.
Upward Social Comparison- compare to people BETTER than we are on a particular trait; characteristic. Aspirations best of the best. Forced to make upward comparisons younger to older.
Self-evaluation maintenance model- Underplay or deny similarity to others. Change the target comparison of person or activity.
Downward Social Comparison- Self protective strategy, self-enhancement strategy. compare to people WORSE than we are on a particular trait; characteristic. Aspirations best of the best.
Other People
Self-concept shaped by other people
“We have as many selves as there are people who have impressions of us” (William James)
Charles Horton Cooley (1902) “the looking-glass self”: Each to each a looking-glass. Reflects the other that doth pass- Look to other people to who we are. Define ourselves according to how other people see us. Hero or villain.
Looking Glass Self (Cooley)
The ‘looking glass self’(Cooley, 1902): we see ourselves and the social world through the eyes of other people and often adopt those views
3 components (Cooley, 1902): you imagine how you appear to others you imagine how others will judge you you develop an emotional response to that judgment (pride or shame)
Emotions such as pride
Other People
Self-concept shaped by other people
“We have as many selves as there are people who have impressions of us” (William James)
Charles Horton Cooley (1902) “the looking-glass self”: Each to each a looking-glass. Reflects the other that doth pass- Look to other people to who we are. Define ourselves according to how other people see us. Hero or villain. Emotional response to this judgement.
How does knowledge of oneself affect information processing?
Motivation and the quest for self-knowledge
- Self-assessment
- The desire to learn the truth about the self
Self-enhancement
- The desire to learn favourable or flattering things about the self
- Strong emotional appeal
Self-verification
-The desire to get feedback that confirms what the person already believes about the self, even if negative!
Cognitive appeal
Self-enhancement
Self Affirmation Theory
Self-serving Attribution Bias
Self-affirmation theory: People reduce the impact of a threat to the self-concept by focusing on and affirming their competence in other areas
- Bad at art but good at cooking
- Blatant or subtle
Self-serving attribution bias: Self-enhancing bias with success and self-protecting bias with failure on important domain
What is self-esteem?
Maintain/Boost self-esteem
- Attainment and maintenance of positive self-esteem is an important individual motivation
- While we may have some choice in the comparisons we make, often we are confronted with unflattering comparisons
There are a number of strategies people use to maintain positive self-views in the face of negative feedback-denial, escape, self-handicapping etc.
Self-enhancing triad- overestimate good points/control over events/unrealistically optimistic
What impact does self-enhancement have on self-esteem?
Maintain/Boost self-esteem
- Attainment and maintenance of positive self-esteem is an important individual motivation
- While we may have some choice in the comparisons we make, often we are confronted with unflattering comparisons
There are a number of strategies people use to maintain positive self-views in the face of negative feedback-denial, escape, self-handicapping etc.
Self-enhancing triad- overestimate good points/control over events/unrealistically optimistic
Social Categorization and Ingroup Behaviour
Realistic conflict theory (Sherif, 1966):
- Real conflict of interest, competition for valued but scarce resources
- Goal relations: superordinate goals can reduce conflict
Minimal group paradigm (Tajfel et al., 1971):
- Self-interest or group interest?
- Mere categorisation?
- Behaviour cannot be explained in terms of relative deprivation, frustration, or competition for limited resources —> Social Identity Theory (SIT)
Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner)
Personal identity (who we are) “I”—-> Social Identity (who we are as a group) “We”
Interpersonal-intergroup continuum:
-Interaction ranges on the spectrum from purely interpersonal (individuals) to purely intergroup (group)
Categorisation changes how people see each other:
making ‘us’ and ‘them’ salient —->people enhance similarities within the group (‘we’re all the same’) and differences among the group (‘we’re different from them’)
Group identification: the degree to which people see themselves in terms of group membership, and the value and emotional attachment to the group
What is positive distinctiveness?
Need for positive social identity, positive distinctiveness between ingroup and outgroup:
People strive to attain and maintain a positive social identity
Festinger’s social comparison theory: people compare their ingroup with other groups and seek to differentiate their own group positively
