Ch. 11 Definitions Flashcards
Self
All of the characteristics of a person
Identity
Who a person is, representing a synthesis and integration of self-understanding
Personality
The enduring personal characteristics of individuals
Self-understanding
The individual’s cognitive representation of the self, the substance of self-conceptions
Perspective taking
The ability to assume another person’s perspective and understand his/her thoughts and feelings
Possible selves
What adolescents hope to become as well as what they dread they might become
Self-esteem
Global evaluative dimension of the self (also referred to as self-worth or self-image)
Self-concept
Domain-specific evaluations of the self
Self-regulation
Ability to control one’s behavior without having to rely on others for help
Selective optimization with compensation theory
The theory that successful aging involves three strategies: selection, optimization, compensation
Identity vs. identity confusion
Adolescents are faced with finding out who they are, what they are all about, and where they are going in life (Erikson’s 5th stage)
Psychosocial moratorium
Erikson’s term for the gap between childhood security and adult autonomy that adolescents experience as part of their identity exploration
Crisis
A period of identity development during which the individual is exploring alternatives
Commitment
A personal investment in identity
Identity diffusion
Marcia’s term for the status of individuals who have not yet experienced a crisis (explored meaningful alternatives) or made any commitments
Identity foreclosure
Marcia’s term for the status of individuals who have made a commitment but have not experienced a crisis
Identity moratorium
Marcia’s term for the status of individuals who are in the midst of a crisis but whose commitments are either absent or vaguely defined
Identity achievement
Marcia’s term for the status of individuals who have undergone a crisis and have made a commitment
Individuality
Characteristic consisting of two dimensions:
self-assertion — the ability to have and communicate a point of view
separateness — the use of communication patterns to express how one is different from the others
Connectedness
Characteristic consisting of two dimensions:
mutuality — sensitivity to and respect for others’ views
permeability — openness to others’ views
Ethnic identity
An enduring aspect of the self that includes a sense of membership in an ethnic group, along with the attitudes and feelings related to that membership
Bicultural identity
Identifying both with one’s own ethnic minority group and with the majority culture
Trait theories
Theories emphasizing that personality consists of broad dispositions, called traits, which tend to produce characteristic responses
Big Five factors of personality
The view that personality is made up of five factors (OCEAN):
openness to experience
conscientiousness
extraversion
agreeableness
neuroticism
Optimism
Style of thinking that involves having a positive outlook on the future and minimizing problems
Contemporary life-events approach
How a life event influenced the individual’s development depends not only on the event itself but also on mediating factors, individual’s adaptation to the life event, life-stage context, and the sociohistorical context
Generativity vs. stagnation
Encompasses adults’ desire to leave a legacy of themselves to the next generation (Erikson’s 7th stage)
