self and identity Flashcards
what are the three types of identity
- personal identity (links to Erikson 1959 psychosocial theory)
- social identity (e.g women) (social identity theory Tajfel and Turner 1979) - the way we develop identity is through the social group around us, depends on emotional sig. of the group and how we value them
- identity fusion (Swann and Burhmester 2015) integration between personal and social identity
historical context of identity
Baumeister 1987
-fixed and stable social relations in medieval society
-the signs and signals we give off determine our self
what changed the development of identity
secularisation, industrialisation, enlightenment and psychoanalysis
which changes in society directed us to looking inward at ourselves
enlightenment and psycholanalysis
who is John Locke and what did he state about personal identity
- a philosopher
- personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity
-he considered personal identity to be founded on consciousness (memory) and not on the substance of soul/body
-believed in the idea of an empty mind ‘tabula rasa’, experiences determine identity
-sensations and reflections are the two sources of ideas
when do we develop a sense of self
-early in life and continues to develop in adulthood
-becomes more complex as emotional and cognitive development deepens
how do adults contribute to a child’s self image
by providing descriptive info about the child
e.g telling the child they are clever or hardworking determines their self perception
how do children describe themselves
using physical qualities e.g tall, strong, fast etc
-Rosenhan found as children progress and mature they begin to use features of personality over physicalities
what is the rouge mark test
Amsterdam 1972
-self recognition test of infants and children
-red dot placed on child’s nose and they look in a mirror
-the child who touches the red dot whilst looking in the mirror shows some global self awareness
what are the findings and ages of the rouge mark test
-up to 12 months old, child looks in mirror and sees child with red dot on nose as a playmate, no realisation of self here
-at 12 months, child has some sense of self
-at 14 months old, child is inquisitive thinking is it really me with the red dot?
-18 months old, child realises dot is actually on their nose and not part of the mirror
definition of self
-person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as object of introspection or reflexive action
definition of identity
the fact of being who or what a person or thing is
definition of personal identity
persistent and continuous unity of the individual person normally attested by continuity of memory with present consciousness
- allows schemas to form creating our personal identity
what is self concept
perception of self in relation to any no. of characteristics e.g gender roles
what is self awareness
psychological state in which one takes oneself as an object of attention
what is self esteem
evaluative element of the self concept
what are the three components of Roger’s self concept
- self esteem
- self image
- idea self
-believes the current and ideal self should be congruent
-where there is incongruency, person centred therapy was introduced by Rogers
how is self awareness induced
by circumstances that make you aware of yourself e.g looking at yourself in the mirror, being asked how you are feeling
what are the types of self awareness
public and private
effects private self awareness
self awareness can increase intensity of emotions
effects of public self awareness
how we believe others see us
evaluation apprehensiveness: anxiety you might be seen negatively causing temporary loss of self esteem
why do we need a balance of private and public self awareness
without a balance, it may have a negative impact on self esteem
high self esteem
optimistic, high goals, cope well with neg. things, accepting of others
low self esteem
pessimistic, under achievers, handle adversity badly
who came up with the self esteem questionnaire
Rosenhan
-questionnaire style give self esteem score between 0 and 40
-above 20 is good self esteem
what are Lewis’ two types of self concept
1- existential self: experiences we have with environment
-child realises they are a separate entity from others and they continue to exist over time and space (2-3 months) e.g child smiles and someone smiles back
2- categorical self: child aware they are an object in the world which has properties. the self puts us into categories like age gender skill etc
- in childhood the categories are concrete e.g hair colour, height etc, later self description includes reference to psychological traits and how others see them
what are the three types of self
1 individual self: a person is unique and separate from others
2 relational self: aspects with self involve connections with others, develop with interactions
3 collective self: concept of self in group e.g based on race or gender
how do we develop sense of self internally
introspection
memories/experiences/personality
self perception theory
self evaluation maintenance theory
self discrepancy theory
regulatory focus theory
how do we develop sense of self externally
symbolic interactionism
looking glass self
social identity theory
social categorisation theory
social comparison theory
feedback from others
how does introspection develop sense of self
INTERNALLY
-looking inward at yourself
-imaging yourself being a type of person can affect the way you behave
Van Gyn 1990 runners used introspection to imagine themselves running really fast and this affected their actual speed
how does symbolic interactionism affect sense of self
EXTERNALLY
-Herbert Blumer 1969: relationships affect formation of self but meaning is determined by individual interpretation
how does the looking glass self theory impact sense of self
EXTERNALLY
Cooley 1902
-imagining reactions of others towards oneself
-we interpret who we are based on reflexive evaluation of how others see us and we behave accordingly
-Rosenthal and Jacobson’s ‘pygmalion in the classroom’ - we become others perceptions of us e.g teachers changed expectations of students and this affected their grades
what is the social identity theory
EXTERNAL
tajfel and turner
-we understand who we are based on the groups we belong to
what is the self categorisation theory
Turner 1987
-share qualities with those in in group, helps us enforce boundaries
-categorising ourself as a group member produces social identity
what is BIRGing
Cialdini
Basking In Reflective Glory (gives our self esteem a boost)
supportive research for the self categorisation theory
David Grace and Ryan 2004: self categorisation and development of gender identity
what is the social comparison theory
Festinger 1954
-people have fundamental drives to evaluate attitudes by comparing with others
-we are likely to compare when we are uncertain
what are the two motives for social comparison
1- gain knowledge
2 - feel better
what are the two types of comparison
upward and downward
-upward is more damaging as we see others as better than ourselves
what is the self perception theory
INTERNAL
-Daryl Bem
-gain knowledge through self attributions
- actual vs ideal self discrepancies (dejection related emotions)
-actual vs ought self discrepancies (agitation related emotions)
-conventional wisdom suggests attitudes determine behaviours
-according to bem, sometimes things go in the opposite direction
what is the self evaluation maintenance model
INTERNAL
(Tesser 1998)
-self evaluation affected by others and self esteem enhanced by making downward comparisons
self discrepancy theory
INTERNAL
-the cognitive processes used to judge others are used to judge ourselves
what are Higgins’ three selves as part of the self discrepancy theory
ideal self: how we’d like to be
actual self: how we are
ought to self: how we should be
what is the regulatory focus theory
Higgins 1997
-2 regulatory systems
1= promotion: approach behaviours to achieve goals
2= prevention: avoidant and cautious behaviours to prevent harm
