lect 1 Flashcards
Nature
Nature here refers to ‘human biology’- that is approaching the human organism within its ecology and as part of an evolutionary history. The natural sciences (mainly biology) are most appropriate here.
Culture
Refers to the development of a specifically human ecology which is characterized by ‘joint intentionality’ and ‘symbolic interaction’ and is part of a cultural history which is traditionally referred to as ‘civilization’.The humanities (anthropology, sociology, political economy) are most appropriate here.
Subject
Refers to the undeniable first-person experience that emerges from the birth of a new human organism (nature) into a pre-existing world (culture). It is part of the individual live history. Phenomenology, existentialism and life stories are most appropriate here
‘first nature’
The influence of human evolutionary history on individual development
‘second nature
The influence of human cultural history on individual development.
nurture
The specific ways in which the direct environment in which we are born shapes us into an individual (interaction of first and second nature).
Joint intentionality
A concept used (by Tomasello) to describe a uniquely human evolutionary adaptation. It implies that humans are extremely attuned to sharing their intentions and working towards joint intentions. This sets the stage for forms of intensive cooperation far surpassing that of other mammals
Conventional cultural practices
A concept used for a second step in evolution, in which humans are starting to understand themselves as part of a shared community of ‘us’. Cultural traditions are distinguished from behavioral traditons. In the latter useful behaviors are learned, but only in the first conventions (that may not have direct use) are transmitted over generations. This allows for much more complex symbolic interaction and sets the stage for cultural development (and intergroup conflict).
‘symbolic
order
Concept referring to the fact that the world into which we are born is structured by the symbolic interactions over the generations which have shaped a particular pre-formed understanding of the world that shapes our world-understanding and our ‘being-in-the-world’
Schema
A particular memory-pattern resulting from nurture (learning history, interaction of first and second nature), which pre-structures our understanding of new situations
The psychological self
“The psychological self may be construed as a reflexive arrangement of the subjective “I” and the constructed “Me,” evolving and expanding over the human life course. “. The subjective I refers to the phenomenological first-person perspective. The constructed ‘me’ refers to what is made of the person in the interactions with the world. The reflexive arrangement refers to the bi-drectional proces in which the construction is shaped by the first-person self-awareness AND how this first-person self-awareness is shaped by the constructions.
Actor
The first layer of the ‘psychological self’ as envisioned by McAdams. It portrays the human being as an actor on the social stage of life. Temperamental features result in typical interactional patterns with others that can be interpreted as agentic and communal strivings and that result in the stable patterns known as the BIG 5 traits.
Agent
The second layer of the ‘psychological self’, which constitutes a reflexive move from the standpoint of the actor. The toddler starts to envision himself er herself as having certain aims, goals, desires and means. In the
‘actor’ stage the behaviors associated with those strivings were present and interpreted by others, but now the toddler starts to understand them as óf him or herself.
what do all personality theories include
- scientific theories and research
- personal narratives
- cultural perspectives
- your own development as a person
Author
The third layer of the ‘psychological self’, which constitutes a reflexive move from the standpoint of the
agent. Here individual identity is shaped by a larger individual narrative (life story) with a past, present and anticipated future. Self-understanding now means to see oneself as being shaped by the past and as anticipating the future in understanding the present. The individual narrative is not pure individual, but acopy-paste and adaptationist version of big and small stories internalized from the broader cultural surroundings
what are the 3 perspectives on personality
- Universal human nature
- Particular human cultures
- Singular human life
what are the 3 origins of personalities
- natural origin
- cultural origin
- individual origin
Common confusions and mistakes
- Naturalizing cultural categories – no such a thing as human races
- Reducing every aspect of cultural narratives – man vs woman,
- Forgetting the cultural and subjective position from where the author speaks
- Treating all accounts as equally subjective opinions
what are the 2 key steps in the evolution of human cooperation
1- obligate collaborative foraging
2 - group - mindedness
what is collaborative foraging
➢ Humans have developed very strong skills for collaborating with each other
➢ joint intentionality and intersubjectivity.
what is group mindedness
- humans have a developed a capability for conventions
- they are introduced into a pre-existing symbolic order
the beliefs and desires common to a social group as a whole
what are the 3 perennial problems for the self and connect them to author, agent or actor
- self regulation - actor
* As a social actor, the self must manage its performance in social settings to gain approval and avoid punishment. - self esteem - agent
As a motivated agent, the self sets goals and judges its worth based on achievements and failures. - self continuity - author
* As an autobiographical author, the self creates a coherent life story that integrates past experiences and future aspirations, creates a sense of continuity
what tere the 2 forms of coninuity and explain them
- phenomenological continuity - basic moment-to-moment feeling of existing as the same locus of consciousness and thought
- narrative continuity - involves constructing a coherent story that links the past present and future, including both semantic and episodic memory
culture and the self
social actor - culture shapes how individuals express traits and perform social roles
agent - culture influences the goals values and priorities
Author-culture provides the narrative structures, metaphors and themes that individuals use to construct their life stories
