Psychology A2 - concept five - social

Question 1

self-concept

Answer 1

-how you see yourself
-strongly influenced by other people, especially by how they evaluate you and feedback they provide
-‘looking-glass self (Cooley, 1902), people are ‘mirrors’ in which we perceive their judgements of ourself

Question 2

two key components of self-concept

Answer 2

1. self-esteem
2. self-image

Question 3

1. self-esteem

Answer 3

-concerns extent to which we accept and like ourselves
-high self-esteem = positive self-image, confidence in abilities, linked to psychological wellbeing
-Argyle (1973), key source of self-esteem is our interactions with others
-others react to us = develop high self-esteem if others respond to us in ways that makes us feel good
-compare ourselves to others = self-esteem rises when we compare ourselves with people whose qualities we believe are less desirable
-play social roles = some are widely admired, leads to high -self-esteem, others carry a social stigma, linked with low self-esteem

Question 4

2. self-image

Answer 4

-awareness of your mental and physical characteristics
-based on beliefs about yourself through life experiences
-someone with positive self-image may be satisfied with body shape/size and perceive themselves as helpful
-based on feedbacks from others (peers, teachers)
-positive self-image develops from positive feedback
-self-image is more complex, people don’t always feedback accurately

Question 5

self-efficacy

Answer 5

-extent to which we are confident we ca achieve a successful outcome
-linked to self-image and self-esteem
-example, someone with high self-efficacy is confident that they have ability to get a good grade
-feel better and have a more positive view of themselves

Question 6

influence of others on self-efficacy

Answer 6

-Bandura (1997), suggests two man ways other people influence self-efficacy
-social modelling = when you observe another person achieving success on a task, increases belief that you’re capable of doing the same, called role models
-social persuasion = using positive verbal feedback can increase person’s self-efficacy, overcomes self-doubt and persuades a person that they are capable of achieving success

Question 7

evaluation: practical applications (+)

Answer 7

-understanding self-concept can lead to positive practical outcomes
-Lawrence (2006), ran workshops with children who were underperforming at school
-best way to improve academic achievement and reduce behaviour issues was to increase self-esteem
-children who had counselling didn’t show same improvements as those with self-esteem enhancement
-suggests that self-esteem is an important factor in wellbeing and academic achievement

Question 8

evaluation: research support (+)

Answer 8

-research evidence that other people influence our self-esteem
-review of 52 studies concluded that self-esteem is increased when our relationships with others are fulfilling and supportive (Harris and Orth, 2020)
-high self-esteem improves quality of our relationships, and so on – positive feedback loop
-true across all ages, genders and ethnic group
-shows that there is a reciprocal link in which self-esteem and other people influences others

Question 9

evaluation: vague concepts (-)

Answer 9

-different aspects are poorly defined
-some psychologists define self-concept as ‘beliefs’ about the self
-others include ‘feelings’
-concepts overlap – self-image and self-esteem
-good example of jangle fallacy, assumption that two identical things are different just because we have given them different names
-vagueness limits our understanding of ideas such as self-concept, practical benefits we can derive from them