identity Flashcards
what is identity
how we feel about and view ourselves
the fundamental biological, cognitive and social changes of adolescence provoke changes in ______.
identity
what are possible selves?
various identities adolescents might imagine for themselves
what can possible selves stimulate?
possible selves - various identities adolescents might imagine for themselves
can stimulate heightened self-consciousness and experimentation with different identities
what is future orientation?
ability and tendency to think about long-term consequences of decision and choices (think about future selves)
stronger future orientation in adolescents mean?
better mental health
less risky/delinquent/impulsive behavior
in terms of social roles, adolescents think about _____ and prepare for__________.
place in society; adulthood
identity development is best understood as a series of _______ developments. this means that we view ourselves _______.
interrelated; in relation to others and the broader society which we live
what are the 3 approaches to studying how people’s sense of identity changes during adolescence?
- self-conceptions
traits/attributes used to describe/characterise ourselves
“i am hardworking” - self-esteem
how positively/negatively we feel about ourselves
“i feel good about myself” - sense of identity
who am i? where am i from? where am i going?
“i want to be a doctor and help others”
what is ASCSS
adolescents’ self-concept short scale
what is RSE? how many items are on it?
rosenberg self-esteem scale
10 items
as adolescents mature ___________ (cognitive changes), their self-conceptions become more _________. what are 3 features of this change in self-conception?
intellectually; sophisticated
- better at considering abstract concepts than children
- can process large amounts of information
- can employ complex, abstract and psychological self-characterisations
what are the 2 key changes in content and structure of self-concepts?
- increasaed differentiation
- better organisation and integration
adolescents become better at organising and integrating their self-concepts.
The recognition of _______, _____________ personality may initially cause ___________ but has advantages in the long-run like increased __________.
multifaceted; contradictory; distress; self-awareness
**
Teens start to realize that they have different sides to their personality — like being confident with friends but shy at school. This can feel confusing or stressful at first. But over time, understanding these different parts of themselves helps them know who they really are and deal with life better.
In adolescence, self-conceptions become clearer and more complex. With this, adolescents are less likely to become ________ or ____________.
depressed/anxious
what is false-self behavior?
intentionally presenting a false impression to others
can adolescents distinguish between their true/authentic self and false/inauthentic self?
yes
describe the occurrence of false-self behaviour.
- more likely to occur in romantic situations
- more likely to occur with classmates
- least likely to occur with close friends
- less likely to occur with parents than with acquaintances
- more often with parents than with close friends
describe the occurrence of false-self behaviour in adolescents with their parents.
less likely to occur with parents than with acquaintances
more often with parents than with close friends
describe the vicious cycle between false-self behavior and low self-esteem
adolescents engage in false-self behavior due to low self-esteem.
engaging in false-self behavior causes a drop in self-esteem because they know they are putting on a false front.
low self-esteem causes them to put up a false front.
do adolescents like engaging in false-self behavior?
no. but they think it is acceptable in certain situations like impressing others or hiding their disliked traits
what are some reasons adolescents in false-self behaviour?
- pleasing others
- experimenting with identities
- devalue true/authentic self (highest depression/hopelessness)
what is the big 5 personality?
5-factor model.
Openness to experience (curious/imaginative)
Conscientiousness (responsible/organised)
Extraversion
Agreeableness (kind/sympathetic)
Neuroticism (anxious/tense)
using the 5-factor model aka big 5,
delinquent adolescents score high in __________ and low in __________ and ___________.
high in extraversion
low in agreeableness n conscientiousness
using the 5-factor model aka big 5,
high-achieving adolescents score high in __________ and __________.
openness; conscientiousness
there is a stereotype that adolescence is a time of ___________ in personality.
tumultuous upheaval
traits are influenced by both _______ and __________ and become more _________ over time.
genes; environment; stable
with age, individuals on average become:
less _______ on the big 5
more _______ and _______ on the big 5
more _______
more __________
less extraverted
more agreeable and conscientious
more resilient
more emotionally stable
as we get older, we come to see __________ as ___________ see _________.
ourselves; others; us
self-esteem becomes _______ stable during adolescence.
those with higher self-esteem in early childhood tend to ________ self-esteem in later adolescence.
increasingly; maintain
do self-esteem change over time?
yes
changes in self-esteem are greater during _______ adolescence than during ______ adolescence.
early; late/middle
compared with preadolescents or older adolescents, _________ and __________ adolescents have ______ self-esteem, _______ self-consciousness and more ___________ self-image.
early; middle; lower; more; unstable
distinguish among self-image, self-consciousness and self-image stability.
self-image: how you view yourself
self-consciousness: how much you worry about self-image
self-image stability: how much self-image changes over time
what 3 interrelated factors cause fluctuations in self-image during early-adolescence?
- egocentrism - become aware of others’ reactions to their behaviour
- social perception - realise it’s not always possible to tell what people are thinking based on how they act/what they say
- peer influence - especially interested in thier peers’ opinions of them
what are the 2 main components of self-esteem?
- physical self-esteem: how they feel about their physical appearance
- social self-esteem: how they feel about their social r/s
what is the first predictor of overall self-esteem for both boys and girls? wht is the second predictor?
physical self-esteem (how they feel about their physical appearance) - most important predictor of overall self-esteem for both boys and girls, though girls view it as more important than boys do
2nd predictor - social self-esteem (how they feel about social r/s)
do adolescents rank physical self-esteem (how they feel about their physical appearance) as the most important contributors to their self-esteem?
no.
despite it being the most important predictor of overall self-esteem, adolescents are unaware of its importance, and rank it as the least important.
besides physical and social self-esteem, how adolescents feel about thier _____ also predicts overall self-esteem. (just give 2)
these are ____ important than physical and social self-esteem and depends on _____.
academic ability
athletic ability
moral conduct
less; context
early adolescent girls have __________ self-esteem, _____ self-consciousness and _____ self-image compared to boys.
girls are more likely to:
1. say ___________ things about themselves
2. feel ______ about their abilities
3.
lower; higher; shakier
negative
insecure
worry whether people like being with them
why do early adolescent girls have lower self-esteem, higher self-consciousness and shakier self-image than boys?
sex difference is related to the special significance of physical appearance and acceptance by peers in determining self-esteem.
Girls tend to place more importance on their looks and being accepted by friends. Because of this, their self-esteem is more affected by those things than boys’ self-esteem is.
what are the 2 main influences of self-esteem on adolescents?
high self-esteem enhances adolescents’ wellbeing
lowe self-esteem may lead to psychological problems
what causes enhances self-esteem?
loving and supportive parents
peer acceptance
academic success
what causes self-image issues?
when adolescents are too wrapped up in getting approval from others (especially thier peers)
self-image problems are derived more from _____ than from _____.
peers; parents/teachers
how does low self-esteem cause loneliness? is it a cycle?
yes it’s a cycle:
low self-esteem discourages adolescents from seeking social support, causing loneliness
loneliness then causes low self-esteem
erikson’s theoretical framework consists of 8 stages of psychosocial development, aka 8 psychological crises throughout lifetime.
1) name all 8.
2) which stage is adolescence, how old is that stage, and what is the psychosocial crisis during that stage?
infancy
early childhood
play age
school age
adolescence - 12-18 - identity vs identity diffusion
young adulthood
adulthood
old age
what is the key in resolving the crisis: identity vs identity diffusion during adolescence?
interactions with others
why is the likelihood of experiencing a prolonged and difficult identity crisis greater today than previously?
- course of identity developments varies by culture + historical era
- rapid social change today causes complications in identity development
rapid social change today causes complications in identity development, which increased the likelihood of experiencing a prolonged and difficult identity crisis today. this created a need for?
psychosocial moratorium - a period during which individuals are free from excessive obligations and responsibilities and can therefore experiment with different roles and personalities
according to ______, loss of _____________ means lost _______.
without the chance to explore/experiment/choose among options for the future, adolescents may not realise all that they are capable of becoming.
erikson; psychosocial moratorium; potential
identity exploration continues into which stage of erikson’s theoretical framework?
young adulthood
when identity crisis is resolved, it culminates into a series of basic _____ commitments. what are some of them?
life
occupational
ideological
social
religious
ethical
sexual
describe the cycle of identity development.
individuals make commitments and plans
individuals explore commitments and plans in depth and reconsider them
individuals change commitments and engage in more exploration
if identity crisis is unresolved, usually due to lack of ____________, erikson proposed that there will be 3 problems. what are they?
psychosocial moratorium
problems:
1. identity diffusion
2. identity foreclosure
3. negative identity
if identity crisis is unresolved, usually due to lack of psychosocial moratorium, erikson proposed that there will be 3 problems, one of which is identity diffusion.
- define
- example
- incoherent, disjointed, incomplete sense of self
2.
distorted sense of time (too fast/slow)
extreme self-consciousness hindering decision-making
work n school problems
difficulty in forming intimate r/s
concerns over sexuality
if identity crisis is unresolved, usually due to lack of psychosocial moratorium, erikson proposed that there will be 3 problems, one of which is identity foreclosure.
- define
- example
- premature establishment of sense of identity, before sufficient role experimentation has occurred
- roles adopted often revolve around goals set by parents/authority figures
interferes with discovery of full potential
if identity crisis is unresolved, usually due to lack of psychosocial moratorium, erikson proposed that there will be 3 problems, one of which is negative identity.
- define
- example
- selection of undesirable identity in the eyes of significant others and broader community
2.
difficult to establish acceptable identity
rather be “bad” than a “nobody”
what is an identity status
the point in the identity development process that characterises an adolescent at a given time
what are the 4 identity states of Marcia’s work?
- identity achievement
established a coherent sense of identity - moratorium
in the midst of exploration - identity foreclosure
made commitments but without period of exploration - identity diffusion
does not have firm commitments and is not currently trying to make them
does each individual have a fixed identity status, according to Marcia?
no. they move from state to state
what is the impact of parenting on identity status under Marica’s work?
people who grow up in authoritative homes are encouraged to assert individuality but remain connected to family
absence of parental warmth often associated with commitment problems
what is 1 predictor of identity achievement?
what are some behaviours that are derived from identity achievement?
strong sense of personal agency - sense that one has an impact on one’s world
behaviours:
- take responsibility for oneself
- in control of decisions
- have confidence that one can overcome obstacles along the way
