Chapter 5: Self and Identity

Question 1

the self may be seen a social actor

Answer 1

enacts roles and displays traits by performing behaviors in the presence of others
- begins around 18 months
- when you try to change your traits or roles: social actor

Question 2

the self is a motivated agent

Answer 2

acts upon inner desires and formulated goals, values and plans to guide behavior in the future
- starts around the age of 4
-when you try to change your values or life goals: motivated agent

Question 3

the self eventually becomes an autobiographical author

Answer 3

takes stock of life—past, present and future—to create a story about who I am, how I came to be and where my life may be going
- starts in adolescence

Question 4

social reputation

Answer 4

traits and social roles that others attribute to an actor, actors also have their own conception of what they imagine their respective social reputations indeed are in the eyes of others

Question 5

self-esteem

Answer 5

the extent to which a person feels they are worthy and good

Question 6

identity formation

Answer 6

involves exploring alternative roles, values, goals, and relationships and eventually committing to a realistic agenda

Question 7

temporal continuity

Answer 7

understanding of how i have come to be the person i am becoming

Question 8

redemptive narratives

Answer 8

life stories that affirm the transformation from suffering to an enhanced status or state

Question 9

personality states

Answer 9

the material manifestation of traits similarly composed of the thought, feelings and behaviors exhibited at a given time