Me, Myself and I

Question 1

What was the belief about identity in 1979?

Answer 1

Tajfel and Turner believed that there was a social and a personal identity.

Question 2

When did Brewer and Gardner develop the theory of the types of self, and what are they?

Answer 2

1996
* Individual – personal traits that distinguish you from others (friendly)
* Relational – dyadic relationships that assimilate you to others (mum)
* Collective – group membership (academic)

Question 3

What is self-awareness and what is the test for it?

Answer 3

it is the realisation of being an individual
- and can be tested for using the Mirror test (Gallup, 1970)

Question 4

Carver and Scheier view of the self 1981

Answer 4

— 1. Private (thoughts, feelings, attitudes)
2. Public - social image

Question 5

What did Carver and Scheier state about the public self?

Answer 5

— Public Self - can be seen and evaluated by others
→ evaluation apprehension
→ enjoy admiration
→ adhere to social standards of behaviour

Question 6

What is chronic self awareness and how do people cope with it?

Answer 6

• stressful - constantly aware of shortcomings
  coping - use of alcohol and drugs

Question 7

What is reduced self awareness?

Answer 7

— No monitoring of own behaviour (e.g., impulsive, reckless)

Question 8

what did Kabat-Zinn say about mindfulness?

Answer 8

1991 - stated “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally”

Question 9

MIndfulness

Answer 9

— Incorporates self-awareness
— Additionally includes acceptance, and not being reactive

Question 10

Heightened Private - Chronically self aware

Answer 10

• more intense emotion
• accurate self perception
• adhere to personal beliefs
  Positive - less stress related illness
  Negative - depression and neuroticism

Question 11

Heightened Public - Chronically self aware

Answer 11

• focus on perception of others
• nervousness
• loss of self esteem
• adhere to group norms avoid embarrassment
• concern with physical appearance, both self and others.

Question 12

Self awareness - self-schemas

Answer 12

self schema = act, think, behave, feel

Question 13

self schematic

Answer 13

important part of self image

Question 14

Aschematic

Answer 14

not important to the person in terms of their identity

Question 15

What are the six theories for how self schemas develop?

Answer 15

• Control Theory of Self-regulation (Carver & Scheier, 1981, 1998)
• Self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987)
  -Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954)
  -Self Evaluation Maintenance (Tesser, 1988)
  -Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979)
  -Self-categorization Theory (Turner et al., 1987)

Question 16

Self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987)

Answer 16

Actual self (person you are right now) has ideals of how they would ‘like’ to be, and how they ‘ought’ to be.

SDT - explains how the actual self relates to the ideal self that they would like to be, and the standard self that they ‘ought’ to be.

The discrepancies motivate change - however if the individual fails to change.
failing to become Ideal = dejection (e.g. disappointment)

failing to be what they Ought = agitation (e.g. anxiety)

Question 17

Control Theory of Self-regulation
(Carver & Scheier, 1981, 1998)

Answer 17

What = SCT, our capacity for control + our motivation for control + control effort BATTLE desire and higher order goal (intentional desires - wanting to be a wife), and CONFLICT, takes place in the D-G.
D-G resolves incompatible HOG and D.

in the SCTexperiment

self-awareness:
assess whether goals met
— Test – try to work against the desire = by operate to change (this is the test) -> (experiment over).
ability to combat desire determines the Strength of our Self control.
— - we hold ourselves to different Private/ public standards - showing up to work on time, but not waking up to go for a run.

Question 18

Self Evaluation Maintenance (Tesser, 1988)

Answer 18

— Upward Social Comparison
1. Exaggerate target’s ability (there genetically better).
2. Change target
3. Distance self from target (not in the same group).
4. Devalue comparison dimension (not the same, your male).

Question 19

Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954)

Answer 19

Objective benchmark (goal) in similar people

We generally compare ourselves to people below us, downward comparison (bronze medallist).

But also upwards in some situations.

Question 20

olympics example for Festinger Social Comparison Theory

Answer 20

looked at the facial expressions of the three-medallist expecting to see a downward scale in happiness from gold to bronze, however bronze was happier than silver, as silver thinks “oh I could’ve made it first”, whilst bronze compares themselves to the other competitors who achieved no medal at all and therefore feels better about themself.

Question 21

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979)

Answer 21

— Personal Identity: unique personal attributes, relationships, and traits
— Social Identity: defines self by group membership -> associated with inter-group behaviour/group norms

Question 22

Social-categorization Theory (Turner et al., 1987)

Answer 22

— self-categorisation to groups → internalise group attributes → collective self → Social identity.

Meta-contrast principle - higher ration of similarities to differences in group compared to other groups.

BIRGing - ‘basking in reflected glory’

If group categorisation is too overpowering, then the perception of self and others in the group is depersonalised.

Question 23

What are the self Motives?

Answer 23

• self assessment
• self verification
• self enhancement

Question 24

self assement?

Answer 24

desire for accurate and valid info
- seek out the truth about self

Question 25

self verification

Answer 25

desire to confirm what they know
- seek out consistency about self

Question 26

self enhancement

Answer 26

desire to maintain good image
- seek favourable info about self

Question 27

What is the Self affirmation theory?

Answer 27

when we do good we attribute it to internal factors
in ourselves. - boast about it.

Question 28

What is self serving attribution bias?

Answer 28

tbc

Question 29

Individualist Cultures?

Answer 29

• Independent self
• autonomous individual separate from context.
• focus on internal traits, feelings, abilities.
• unitary and stable across situations
• acting true to internal beliefs prompting own goals and differences from others.

Question 30

Collectivist Cultures?

Answer 30

• connected with others and embedded in social context
• represented in terms of roles and relationships
• fluid and variable self, changing across situations
• belonging, fitting in and acting appropriately, promoting group goals and harmony.

Question 31

what are the two different types of cultures?

Answer 31

Individualist and Collectivist