L7: The Self & Resilience

Question 1

Define self-concept

Answer 1

Ways an individual thinks about themselves and has distinct kinds of self-concepts

Question 2

Define self-esteem

Answer 2

Global evaluations of the self

Question 3

Compare self-esteem and self-efficacy

Answer 3

Self-efficacy is more specific and changeable than self-esteem, which is relatively stable over the course of the lifespan and relate to general evaluations that are not domain or situation specific

Question 4

Explain the mirror test and its variations

Answer 4

Traditional Mirror Test
* Test of self-recognition where an artificial mark is placed on the body of the subject, and their ability to recgonize that this mark is apart of themselves and not another individual when looking at their reflection in the mirror. (Do they touch the mark on their body when they see their reflection in the mirror?)
* Passing the mirror test is said to be indicative of having a sophisticated self concept, which is an understanding of the self as an independent agent in the world
* Species that have passed the test are humans, great apes, elephants, and dolphins
* Children typically pass the test at 18 mo - 2 yrs

Delayed Variation
* Maybe the original mirror test is not measuring sophisticated (extended) self-concept but instead only rudimentary (ecological) self-concept
* Kinesthetic self-concept: ability to realize that, when observing a figure that is moving in complete synchronicity with your own body, that this is a reflection of you
* The delayed mirror test involves replacing the mirror with a video feed that has a very slight delay
* Children are capable of passing this test around 3-4 yrs old, implying that the extended self-concept may only fully develop around this time and not earlier
* Other species have not successfully passed this test

Question 5

Describe the senses of self

Answer 5

• Neisser
• There are 5 unique senses of self which develop at different times during development but continue to develop throughout life

1) Ecological Self (birth)
* Sense of motor and perceptual awareness

2) Interdependent Self (shortly after birth)
* Sense of self as interacting with other intentional agents

3) Extended Self (4 yrs)
* Sense of self as developing on an autobiographical timeline

4) Private Self (4 yrs)
* Sense that you have a priviledged experience of the world that is inaccessible to other ppl

5) Conceptual Self (4 / 5 yrs)
* Understanding of the wider social and cultural roles you fulfill
* Period of rapid development in middle childhood

Question 6

Define self-efficacy

Answer 6

Belief in own capacity and ability to achieve certain goals

Question 7

Describe the development of empathy

Answer 7

1) Global Empathy
* 1st yr
* Cannot distinguish the self from others, think other people have same emotions as you

2) Egocentric Empathy
* 2nd yr
* Are able to recognize the distress/emotions of other people but they will attempt to comfort them in egotistical ways

3) Empathy for Another’s Feelings
* 2nd / 3rd yr
* Understanding that other people have unique emotions from their own
* Are able to respond to emotions in non egotistical ways

4) Empathy for Another’s Life Condition
* Late childhood
* Gain understanding that someones emotions are an expression of their life condition

Question 8

Describe the development of self-esteem

Answer 8

1) Preschool Phase
* (Unrealistically) positive evaluations on all dimensions of the self
* Adaptive function of not being discouraged when faced with failure

2) Early School Phase
* Still positive evaluations of self but they are less unrealistic now
* Social comparison with previous younger versions of the self

3) Middle Childhood Phase
* Ability to distinguish different components of the self and to independently evaluate these
* More negative self-evaluations
* Social comparison with others

4) Adolescence Phase
* Social comparison becomes more complex and contextually dependent
* Individual differences in how we make social comparisons become more prominent

Question 9

Explain environmental influences on self-efficacy

Answer 9

• Self-efficacy is capable of changing based on the positive and negative outcomes we experience
• Self-efficacy is “contagious” because our own self-efficacy can change based merely on obversation of other ppl succeeding or failing
• Real achievements are more influential than praise, so interventions should aim to allow for positive experiences succeeding in a task that is (initially) easy
• The influence of self-efficacy beliefs on real life outcomes increases with age, because young children have self-esteem and self image that is overly optimistic and not grounded in reality and real outcomes. Therefore, interventions attempting to increase self-efficacy should be directed towards older children