Lecture 8 - Developing A Sense Of Self Flashcards
What is the individual self?
Refers to aspects of the self that make the person unique
What is the relational self?
Refers to aspects of the self that involve connections to other people and develops out of social interactions
What is the collective self?
Refers to a persons self concept within a group, such as a group based on race, ethnicity or gender
What is the self concept?
Perceptions of ones unique attributes or traits
What is the sense of self?
Awareness of the self as differentiated from other people
What is self recognition?
Identification of the self in an image, understanding that the image is a visual representation of the self
What is self identity?
A sense of who one is
What is self esteem?
Assessment of ones worth and feelings about the self
How does a secure attachment to the mother affect ones sense of self?
Children who were more securely attached with their mother had a greater sense of self and more self knowledge
Name a self recognition task
The mirror/rouge test
Outline the mirror/rouge test
Children are placed in front of a mirror to show them their reflection, they are then turned away and the researchers place a red dot on their nose and a sticker on their forehead and they are then placed back in front of the mirror to observe their reaction
How do very young children respond to the mirror/rouge test?
They act as if there is another child behind the mirror and they do not touch their faces
At what age do children pass the mirror/rouge test and what behaviours do they exhibit to suggest that they recognise themselves?
Most children pass the test by 18-24 moths and they exhibit behaviours such as embarrassment and giggling at the sight of the red dots on their faces
What are the three stages that Harter (2012) identifies in the development of self descriptions in childhood?
When children are 3 or 4 they describe themselves in terms of observable physical features, hobbies, social characteristics and skills e.g. I can count
At 5 to 7 years children describe themselves in terms of what they are good at
By age 8 to 10, children are more aware of their private selves and unique thoughts and feelings and they begin to describe the,selves in more complex terms
What are the three stages that Harter (2012) identifies in the development of self descriptions in adolescence?
In early adolescence beginning at age 11, children describe themselves in terms of social relationships, personality traits and other psychological characteristics
In middle adolescence, individuals are introspective and preoccupied with what others think of them
In late adolescence, self-descriptions emphasise personal beliefs, values and moral standards
What affect does autism have on developing a sense of self?
Some children with autism are unable to identify themselves as independent social beings and autistic children as old as 13 are not able to recognise themselves in a mirror
What does global self esteem mean?
A global evaluation of ones worth as a person
What is domain specific self-esteem?
The domains in which a child evaluates themselves effects their overall sense of self esteem
Give examples of domain specific self esteem to which individuals can belong
Scholastic, athletic, physical appearance and job competence
Identify three developmental influences on self-esteem
Gender, parenting behaviours and culture
What implications can gender have for self esteem?
Girls have lower self esteem partly because boys are more dominant than girls, boys have more opportunities to participate in sport and girls have more negative perceptions of their physical appearance
Identify some of the consequences of a low self esteem
Mental health issues, antisocial behaviour, low confidence, bad reactions to stress and adjustment problems
Identify two interventions to boost self esteem
The Dove self esteem project and mind worksheets
Social determinants of self esteem
Family influence, peers and mentors and and receiving praise
What are the four identity outcomes?
Identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium and identity achievement
What is identity diffusion?
The person has experienced neither identity crisis or identity commitment
What is identity foreclosure?
This person has made a commitment without attempting identity exploration
What is identity moratorium?
This person is actively involved in exploring different identities but has not made a commitment
What is identity achievement?
This person has gone through exploration of different identities and made a commitment to one
What is an ethnic identity?
This refers to the sense of belonging to a certain race or ethnic group
What is ethnic knowledge?
Children ow that their ethnic group has distinguishing characteristics including behaviours, traits, customs, styles and language
What is ethnic self identification?
Children categorise themselves as a member of a particular ethnic group
What is ethnic constancy?
Children understand that the distinctive features of their ethnic group are stable across time and situation and that membership in the group does not change
What are ethnic preferences?
Children feel positive about belonging to their ethnic group and prefer their ethnic groups behaviour pattern
What issue do biracial and bicultural children face?
Forming an ethnic identity
