4- Where does our Self Come From? Flashcards
What are the two groups of theories about the self?
Self-comparison and social-comparisons
What is self-comparison?
How we find out about ourselves using internal standards and information
What are social-comparisons?
Social sense of self- how we find out and develop a sense of self based on other people and groups
What 3 theories are associated with self-comparison?
Self-perception theory, self-awareness theory, and self-discrepancy theory
Who came up with the self-perception theory?
Bem, 1965
What is the key idea of self-perception theory?
When attitudes or feelings are ambiguous then we infer them by observing our own behaviour
What do we do if we keep doing things?
Assume that we like it and incorporate it into our self-concept
What are some examples of things decided by self-perception theory?
Liking certain foods or activities
Does self-perception theory happen consciously or unconsciously?
Automatically, not at the conscious level
When does self-perception theory happen?
When there isn’t an external justification for behaviour
What do people do when extrinsic motivation is strong?
People discount the influence of intrinsic motivation
Who came up with self-awareness theory?
Duval and Wicklund, 1972
What is the key idea behind self-awareness theory?
We aren’t always constantly paying attention to our behaviours
What happens when we become self-conscious or self-aware?
We become objective observers of our own behaviour
How do we compare our present behaviour?
To internal standards and values
How do we become self-aware?
Certain triggers activate self-awareness
How does self-awareness vary between people?
One person’s trigger may not trigger self-awareness in someone else
Who came up with self-discrepancy theory?
Higgins, 1987
What is self-discrepancy?
The size of mismatch there is between the actual self and ideal/ought self
What is self-regulation?
Strategies to match behaviour to ideal or ought self
What does self-regulation do?
Reduce discrepancy
What are we motivated to do?
Reduce self-discrepancy
Why do we sometimes change our behaviours and standards?
To match the desired standard or escape the situation
What feelings is discrepancy between the actual and ideal self associated with?
Dejected, disappointed, dissatisfied, sad
What feelings is discrepancy between the actual and ought self associated with?
Agitated, anxious, threatened, fearful
What 3 theories are associated with social comparison?
Looking glass self, social comparison theory, social identity approach
Why is social comparison important?
Experiences with other people feed into our self-concept and who we think we are
What is the looking glass self?
We see ourselves and the social world through the eyes of other people and often adopt those views
How do we incorporate other people’s views into our self-concept?
By acquiring feedback and evaluation from others lead us to feel more confident in our self views
How do we use non-verbal cues?
To guess, interpret and imagine how other people are seeing us
What 3 components of the looking glass self did Cooley propose?
Imagining how we appear to others
Imagine how other will judge us
Develop an emotional response to that judgement
How are our self views dictated?
More by how we think other people will see us instead of how they actually see us
Who came up with social comparison theory?
Festinger, 1954
What is the idea of social comparison theory?
People are driven to establish accurate self-views by comparing to others
Why do we often feel a need to compare to others to mark our characteristics or abilities?
As we can’t always observe our own behaviour
Why are we motivated to seek out social comparisons?
To work out where we stand in relation to others
What is an upward social comparison?
Comparing ourselves to people who are better than we are on a particular trait or ability
Why can an upward social comparison be positive?
It can be inspiring or motivating
Why can an upward social comparison be negative?
Can threaten self-esteem and be a bit dejecting
What is self-evaluation maintenance?
We defend self-esteem against upward social comparison
What is a downward social comparison?
We compare ourselves to people who are worse than we are on a particular trait or ability
Why can a downward social comparison be positive?
It enhances or protects self-esteem
Why can a downward social comparison be negative?
It doesn’t motivate self-improvement
Who came up with the social identity approach?
Tajfel and Turner, 1979, 1986
What does the social identity approach focus on?
The collective self
What interact in the social identity approach?
Personal identity and social identity
What is important in the social identity approach?
Part of our self-concept that derives from membership in social groups where value and emotional significance is attached to that membership
What does group membership provide us with?
Self-esteem
What do we do when group identity is salient?
We act in accordance to group norms and prioritise maximising ingroup outcomes more than self-interest
What is the goal of self-categorisation theory?
To elaborate and refine the cognitive element of social identity theory
What do we do in any given situation according to self-categorisation theory?
Self-categorise in terms of any of our multiple selves, including individual, relational and social identities
What are the 4 reasons a given identity is more likely to be activated?
If it is more accessible
If it fits the situation
If it satisfies the motive to reduce uncertainty
If it satisfies the motive to self-enhance
