Individuals and Society

Question 1

How someone thinks about or perceives themselves

Develops through two parts: the existential self and categorical self

Answer 1

Self concept

Question 2

Existential vs categorical self

Answer 2

Existential self: the sense of being separate and distinct from others, most basic sense of identity

Categorical self: awareness that self and others fit into categories of traits like age, gender, skills

Question 3

Social versus personal identity

Answer 3

Social identity: Self-concept shaped by group membership and defined by society. Example: sex, ethnicity, occupation

Personal identity: Shaped by personal characteristics and defined by self. Example: Star Wars fan

Question 4

The value we place on ourselves

Answer 4

Self-esteem

Question 5

Belief in one’s abilities to succeed in a situation

Answer 5

self efficacy

Strong self efficacy → quick recovery from setbacks, strong sense of commitment, enjoy challenging tasks

Weak self efficacy → focus on failures, avoid challenges, lose confidence, believe they lack the ability to handle difficult situations

Question 6

Self concept under humanistic theory

Carl Rogers believed in three components of self concept:

Answer 6

self image, self worth, and ideal self
Positive self concept results from congruency between ideal self and real self