5. the self Flashcards
What is self-concept?
Overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes. It is a type of schema - self-schema.
Mental representation of the self
Multifaceted; we play different roles in life.
What are the 2 functions of self-concept/schema?
Functional – organisational; make sense of the world
Executive – guide our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour
Human self-recognition develops at around what age?
18-24 months. As we grow older, this rudimentary sense of self develops into a full-blown self-concept.
How does our self-concept change as we grow up?
As a child, our self concept is more concrete, with references to clear cut physical characteristics. As we mature, we place less emphasis on physical characteristics and more on psychological states (thoughts & feelings) and on how others judge us
How do people’s changes alter your view of the person’s “true self”?
If a friend undergoes physical, cognitive, or lifestyle changes, we still see them as their old self. But if a friend undergoes a moral transformation, we hardly recognise them as the same person. Suggests that morality is central to our self-concept.
What is the independent view of the self? (Western culture)
Defining oneself in terms of one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions
What is the interdependent view of the self? (Asian culture)
Defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to other people and recognising that one’s behavior is often determined by the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others. Connectedness and interdependence between people are valued
What are the 4 main functions of the self?
1) self-knowledge
2) self-control
3) impression management
4) self-esteem
What is self-knowledge?
The way we understand who we are and formulate and organize this information
What is self-control?
The way we make plans and execute decisions
What is impression management?
The way we present ourselves to other people and get them to see the way we want to be seen
What is self-esteem?
The way in which we try to maintain positive views of ourselves
What are the 2 disadvantages of introspection?
1) not always pleasant to be thinking about ourselves;
2) reasons for our feelings and behaviour can be hidden from conscious awareness
What do we tend to do when we are in a state of self awareness?
we evaluate and compare our current behaviour to our internal standards and values. We become self-conscious where we become objective, judgemental observers of ourselves.
What is one benefit of self-focus?
can keep one out of trouble by reminding us about our sense of right and wrong. self-awareness makes us more aware of our morals and ideals.
Describe the “telling more than we know” phenomenon.
Many of our basic mental processes occur outside of awareness. We are usually aware of the final result of our thought processes but often unaware of the underlying cognitive processing. But we often try to come up with an explanation and convince ourselves that it’s true.
What is reasons-generated attitude change?
Attitude change resulting from thinking about the reasons for your attitudes
Why does reasons-generated attitude change occur?
when people analyze the reasons for their attitudes, they bring to mind the reasons that don’t really reflect how they feel, and they talk themselves into believing that this is how they feel. People tend to focus on the things that are easy to put into words, and ignore feelings that are hard to explain. But it is the hard-to-explain feelings that often matter in the long run.
