11: Nature, self + development Flashcards
What is the system phenomena?
- system organises the group
- group organises the individual
How did Macy (1991) define “The self”?
metaphor
- we can decide to limit it to our skin, our person, our family, our organisation or our species
- We can select its boundaries in objective reality
What are the different levels of self?
- Personal
- Interpersonal
- Ecological
within one another
What is the 2 model of the human self from an infant’s perspective according to the developmental psychological theory?
- Ecological self
- Interpersonal self
= relational self
What is the ecological self (Naess, 1985)?
- sense of self that extends beyond one’s biographic or personal sense of self
- to include other life-forms
- Supported by Biophilia
What is biophilia (Wilson, 1984)?
Human being have an innate affiliation w/ the natural world
- fundamental to well-being
What is the interpersonal self (Winnicott, 1953)?
Sense of self shared with other people
What does the relational self mean?
- humans are embodied
- self is psyche-soma (Winnicott, 1954)
- physical experiences
- non-conceptual connectedness of human beings to each other + their environment = Seeing, hearing, feeling, touch
Relational self is the foundation for what (Neisser, 1993)?
is foundation for other forms of self-knowledge are built (Neisser, 1993)
- imaginative self = narrative self
Is the mental self-concept separate from the body?
not separate from body - emerges and stays connected to body
- mind = elaboration of somatic parts, feelings + physical aliveness
What is true self (continuity of being) is based on the growth of what?
Psyche-soma growth
Describe how a false self develops?
- being overly identified with the mind
- happens when there is an abnormal environmental
= opposition between mind+ psyche-soma
What happens when there is an opposition between mind + psyche-soma?
thinking then doesn’t start relating to the environment - takes in charge of taking care of the psyche-soma
= not needing external world
= mind-psyche = pathology
What are some examples of mind-psyche?
negative schemas
mind wandering/ rumination
Disembodiment
What was found when anorexia patients were asked to take part in body yoga + mindfulness VS psychoeducation?
reported feeling more…
- at one with their body
- at one with self
What do modern developmental psychologist say about the importance of interpersonal + ecological self after the self-concept has developed?
once self-concept has developed, the interpersonal + ecological self become less important
= so self defined as self-concept
= thoughts, feelings, actions
What cultural difference did they find when Japanese and Americans did the who are u test?
Japan = more relational self = I am a human being VS USA (Cousins, 1989)
What was found when self-awareness between Scottish + Zambian children were tested (Ross et al, 2017)?
different culture growing up with different concept of self
Urban Scottish = better at conceptual self-recognition
Rural Zambian = better at relational self-recognition
How can you test for self-awareness of conceptual self in infants?
mirror recognition test
- can they recognise themselves?
- often only when 24 months can do = idea of me has developed
How can you test for self-awareness of relational self in infants?
shopping cart with blanket with them being an obstacle
What are systems?
composed of units that have some relationship to each other and are organised around those relationships
What does human nature mean?
- our interdependent relationship with nature + family
- cannot escape of the impressions of relationships
What difference was observed between the Scottish + Zambian infants - potential explanation for results?
Scottish infant = more language used
Zambia = more body communication
xp = consciousness about self
To be creative, what do you need time to do according to Gopnik (2009)?
time to build knowledge about yourself
- ideally childhood
Why do comments such as “What a good girl, pretty girl” = develop their concept of self?
= see self as an objective thought
= illusion that you have xp it = self continues to exist without direct contact with psyche-soma = self no longer xp but an idea = concept
what u did to get the praise = forgotten but the comment remembered
In what way may the early emergence of self concept = development of false self?
- not incorporating the accumulated knowledge into self-concept
- BUT depends on ecology
What factor determines whether the self is stable?
If ecology is stable
Naess, 1985
What does attachment tell us?
- interpersonal ecology (self)
- quality of caregiver relationship = first key relationship
In what ways is modern caregiving becoming increasingly divergent from human nest (Hewitt + Lamb, 2005)?
- household size decreasing
- increased divorce rate
- working parents
- outdoor play time
- less breastfeeding
What did Harlow’s Infant Rhesus monkey find and suggest about infants?
- infants going to clothed mother even when it didn’t have food
= Infant born with a drive to attach (Bowlby, 1960)
What is human nest + why is it important (Narvaez et al, 2013)?
ecology = promoted secure attachment
Describe some human nest characteristics
- Soothing perinata xp (no separation from mother)
- Breastfeeding on request/ nursed frequently for 2-5 years
- Affectionate touch
- Responsivity
- Free play
- Social embeddedness
Emphasis on shared bodily experiences, not so much emphasis on language
What did Konarth et al (2014) fins about the trend of attachment?
- growing trend towards greater insecure attachment in the last 10-15 years
- students saying they are okay with no close relationship
How did insecurely attached children perform in mirror self-recognition + its relationship with mental illness?
- higher mirror self-recognition test passing at earlier age = link between attachment + self-recognition (Concept self) = both linked to mental illness
What are the different ways wider ecological changes have been linked to health?
- climate change + pollution (Hayes et al, 2018)
- Relocation
- Dramatic loss of wildlife populations (WWF, 2018)
What do the different way in wider ecological changes have been linked to health tells us about our belief of self (David Bohm, 1994)?
= locating self in mind = self-centered = not treating thought objectively = destruction of the system = negative ecological changes
So how can we embed the isolated self concept back to ecological self?
- Attention restoration theory
2. Family therapy
What is the attention restoration theory?
2 types of attention
- Direct - lots of effort + voluntary
- Indirect - little effort since natural
when you go out side in nature = fascination = indirect attention employed
VS everyday environment = needs lots of directed attention
nature = better for urban fatigue recovery
What did Hatig et al (1991) find when they sent backpacker on a wilderness VS urban VS no vacation on their proof reading performance?
- Wilderness = better result in proof reading task VS Decline in rest = affecting cognitive
- nothing on mood
What did Hatig et al (1991) find when they sent ppt on an urban VS nature walk on their proof reading performance?
nature walk = better performance
What type of setting did Ulrich et al (1991) find to produce a greater stress recovery response?
Natural setting
What type of picture = less post-operative anxiety during open-heart surgery (Ulrich et al, 1990)?
Nature pictures
VS abstract/ no pictures
What evidence is there supporting the use of animal therapy?
Human contact with animals promotes physiological health + emotional well-being
- autism, depression, substance use, trauma
What is the idea of family therapy based on?
family being made up of an interrelated set of individuals (system ties individuals together)
- behaviour of each individual within the system influences other members
What did Minuchin (1974) say about family?
Family is the matrix of selfhood
What did the London Depression Intervention Trial by Leff et al (2000) find the differences were between couple therapy vs medication for the treatment of depression?
- couples therapy better accepted as there were less dropped out
- quicker + enduring decrease in depression
