Development of the Self Flashcards
what is self recognition ?
attitudes, behaviors, and values that a person believes make him or her a unique individual
–one’s understanding of one’s self, like one’s characteristics
How does self recognition develop between 6 and 18 months?
–6 months: Baby recognizes that their body and the caregivers body are two separate things
–9 to 12 months: baby discriminates between themselves and other babies
–18 months: baby develops self-awareness
What is the rogue test?
-a self recognition test in which a toddler is placed in front of a mirror and researcher places a red mark on their face and test whether the toddler can recognize that the red mark is on them
why is self-recognition important?
-representation of self in middle of 2 years
–visual self-recognition related to use of personal pronouns
–emergence of autobiographical memory
How do self –concepts provided in early and middle childhood differ from one another and from those provided by adolescents?
–Age 2-6: physical characteristics & specific interests/ activities
–Age 7-11: general interests, social comparisons, interpersonal qualities
–Age 12-19: hidden, abstract psychological qualities, beliefs & attitudes
Why is the role of possible selves important?
–provides orientation towards the future
-imagining positive. successful selves has positive impact for well-being and performance
–Positive and negative images of the self in a future state
What is identity?
–the fact of being who or what a person is
What are Marcia’s 4 identity-status categories?
- achievement:
- moratorium
- foreclosure
- diffusion
How does their prevalence change between the ages of 12 and 24?
–young adolescents: state of diffusion or foreclosure
–young adulthood: achievement and moratorium become more common
** during late adolescence and young adulthood, people may alternate between moratorium and achievement statuses
Why is the topic of identity important during adolescence?
adolescence is the primary time to face and resolve the issue of identity
What is adolescent egocentrism, imaginary audience, personal fable and illusions of invulnerability?
-egocentrism: self absorption while in search for identity
–imaginary audience: feelings of being watched. evaluated by their peers
–personal fable: feelings and experiences are unique and have never been experienced by anyone else
–illusions of invulnerability: bad things happen to others
what is self-esteem?
- self concept
- worth associated with the self
Can you describe gender differences in self-esteem throughout the life span? How do you explain this finding?
–childhood: both B & G have high self-esteem
–adolescence: self-esteem drops, particularly for G
–adulthood: self-esteem gradually increases
–old age: self-esteem drops sharply
** on average, men have higher self-esteem than women
Can you improve self-esteem?
yes
–societal and educational issue
Does self-esteem matter? What outcomes does it relate to?
- achievement
- delinquency
- depression
What factors contribute to the development of depression?*
–temperament: less able to regulate emotions = more prone
- -stressful life
- -poverty
- -adolescents see themselves in an extremely negative light
–distant, cruel & uninvolved parents
Why is the ability to describe others important?*
- shows our abstract and psychological development
- helps us give information about a trait, that can help predict future behavior
How does development of perspective taking affect changes in the ability to understand others? * (you do not need to know Selman’s stages in detail, but the big picture)
- young children confuse their own and another’s view
- teens take a third person’s perspective and understand perspective is influenced by context
How is understanding of others connected with prejudice?*
understanding others helps reduce prejudice by allowing children to better be able to detect and reject discrimination
What is the difference between explicit and implicit racial bias and how do these develop?*
d
achievement
Individuals in this status have explored alternatives and have deliberately chosen a specific identity.
moratorium
Individuals in this status are still examining different alternatives and have yet to find a satisfactory identity.
foreclosure
Individuals in this status have an identity determined largely by adults, rather than from personal exploration of alternatives.
diffusion
Individuals in this status are confused or overwhelmed by the task of achieving an identity and are doing little to achieve one.
