Chapter 2: Self and Perception (Lesson 12, 13 & 14) Flashcards
Self-Awareness
conscious knowledge of one’s character, emotions, values, assumptions, motives, and desired
What does self awareness allow you to do?
-see other’s perspectives
-practice self-control
-have pride in yourself
-have general self-esteem
Ways to increase self-awareness:
-self-reflection
-introspection
-mindfulness
-meditation
Challenging Yourseld
-step beyond your comfort zone and experience new things
-promotes self-discovery and growth
Self-Concept
the overall idea of who a person thinks they are (ie. beliefs and values)
Self-knowledge
-a dimension of self-concept
-“who am I?”
Self-expectation
-a dimension of self-concept
-“who or what do I want to be?”
Self-evaluation
-a dimension of self-concept
-“how well do I like myself?”
Social Self
-family, friends, coworkers, sports, online presence
Spiritual Self
religion, yoga
Material Self
heirlooms, mental health
Subjective Self
how you describe yourself
Objective Self
how others describe you
Why is “tell me about yourself” not constructive?
-self-concept is influence by context and personality more than anything
Reflected Appraisal
-thoughts from others that feed into our self-concept
Significant Others
-those whose reflections we consider essential
Social Comparisons
-based on superiority/inferiority and similarity/difference
-how we compare ourselves to other people
Superiority/Inferiority
-attractiveness
-intelligence
-athletic ability
Similarities/Differences
-age
-personality
-popularity
-interests
-culture
Self-concept is based on ____, ____, and _____
attitudes, beliefs, and values
Attitude
your immediate disposition toward a concept or an object
Beliefs
ideas based on previous experiences and convictions not necessarily logic or fact
Values
core concepts and ideas about what we consider good or bad, right or wrong, and what is worth making a sacrifice for
Self-Esteem
refers to the judgements and evaluations we make about our self concept
Self-Efficacy
people’s judgments about their ability to perform as task within a specific context
Self-discrepancy Theory
people have beliefs about and expectations for their actual and potential selves that don’t always match up with what they experience
What makes up self-concept?
the different “selves” such as actual, ideal, and ought
Actual Self
attributes you or someone else believes you possess
Ideal Self
attributes you or someone else would like you to possess
Ought Self
attributes you or someone else believes you should possess
Actual vs. Own Ideals
we feels we are not obtaining our desires and hope, leading to disappointment, dissatisfaction, and frustration
Actual vs. Others’ Ideals
we have an overall feeling that we are not obtaining others’ desires and hopes for us, leads to shame and embarassment
Actual vs. Others’ Ought
we feel we are not meeting what others see as our duties and obligations, leads to agitation and fear of punishment
Actual vs. Own Ought
we feel we are not meeting our duties and obligations which can lead to feeling we have fallen short of our moral standards
How do social and family influences shape our self-perception?
-feedback from others
-extrinsic motivations
-communication patterns (ie. abuse)
How does culture affect self-perception?
-self-enhancement of our desirable qualities
-competition
-wealth vs. modesty
-race
-gender
How does media influence self-perception?
-unrealistic standards of beauty
-shows us what is unacceptable, acceptable, valued in society
Self-fulfilling Prophecy
occurs when your expectation causes something to happen (ie. hearing about a rude colleague and unintentionally causing a rude reaction from them)
Self-disclosure
the purposeful disclosure of personal information to another person
Social Penetration Theory
as we get to know someone we engage in a reciprocal process of self-disclosure
Social Comparison Theory
we evaluate ourselves based on how we compare with others
Johari Window
-a model that helps to explain and improve self-awareness and self-communication
-uses a four quadrant model to represent aspects of self that are know and unknown to us
First Quadrant of Johari Window “Open area”
-lower left hand corner
-ideas KNOWN to self and others
-name, hobbies, etc.
Second Quadrant of Johari Window “Blind area”
-upper left hand corner
-ideas unknown to self but known to others
-gained from perception checking and feedback
-ie. being a pushover but not knowing it
Third Quadrant of Johari Window “Unknown area”
-upper right-hand corner
-ideas unknown to self and others
-have not happened yet so outcome is unknown
-ie. how you will cope with the loss of a parent who is still living
Fourth Quadrant of Johari Window “Hidden area”
-lower right hand corner
-known to self but not others
-ie. trauma, insecurities, etc.
What are the four categories of self-disclosure?
-observations (what we have done and experienced)
-thoughts
-feelings
-needs
Self-disclosure Cycle
individual self discloses, recipient reacts, reaction is processed by discloser
Techniques for avoiding self-disclosure:
- deception - lying to avoid conflict
- equivocate - don’t answer question, restate what they said differently
- hint - indirect or face-saving comments
- silence
3 Categories of Impression Management
- manner
- appearance
- setting
Manner
our words and actions
Appearance
our clothing, hair, makeup
Setting
how we decorate homes, offices, cars
Perception
the process of attending to, organizing, interpreting information via 5 senses
Attending
1st step of the perception process: selecting the information you want to focus on
ie. extreme, different, repeating, motivated, emotional state
Perceptual Organizing
how we make sense of something in our brain
4 Schemes used to organize perceptions
- physical construct
- social position
- behaviour
- emotions
Interpretation
assign meaning to our experiences using mental schemata
Factors that Influence Interpretations
-personal experience
-involvement
-expectations
-assumptions
-relational satisfaction
-past experiences
-knowledge
How do individualistic cultures see self?
-independence
-take care of self
-flexible group memberships
-individual achievement awarded
-autonomy, equality
How do collectivistic cultures see self?
-we; people belong to groups
-family before self
-belong to permanent groups
-group goal contribution
-duty, order, hierarchy
What are the influences of gender?
gender shapes how others communicate with use due to different expectations and acceptable behaviours
What does low self-esteem look like?
-need positive experiences to counter negative thoughts
-views life negatively
-unmotivated
-unrealistic expectations
-poor coping
-unhealthy relationships
What does high self-esteem look like?
-positive thoughts
-assertive when expressing needs/opinions
-secure and honest relationships
-realistic expectations
-resilient in coping
Internal Attributions
connect the cause of behaviours to personal aspects (ie. personality traits)
External Attributions
connect the cause of behaviours to situational factors
Self-serving Bias
-a perceptual error through which we attribute the cause of our successes to internal personal factors while attributing our failures to external factors beyond our control
Primary Effect
-makes first impressions emduring by leading us to place more value on the first information we learn about a person
Recency Effect
-puts more weight on most recent impressions of a person’s communication over earlier impressions
Physiological Influences of Perception
-senses
-age
-health
-hunger
-biological cycles
Psychological Influences on Perception
-mood
-self-concept
Social Influences on Self-perception
-sex and gender roles
-occupational roles
-standpoint theory
Standpoint Theory
states that your perspective is influenced by where you stand
Halo Effect
occurs when initial positive perceptions lead us to view later interactions as positive
Horn Effect
occurs when initial negative perceptions lead us to view later interactions as negative
Self-fulfilling Prophecies
thoughts and action patterns in which a persons’s false belief triggers a behaviour that makes something come true
Prejudice
negative feelings or attitudes toward people based on their identity
Emotional Intelligence
ability to understand, use, and manage your emotions positively to relieve stress, communicate, overcome challenges and conflict
Perception Checking
a strategy to help us monitor our reactions to perceptions about people and communications
