self and identity Flashcards
the self is a symbolic construct reflecting what 2 things?
consciousness of our own identity, awareness we exist as an individual separate from other individuals
psychological state in which people are aware of their traits, feelings and behaviours =
self awareness
at what age have studies with the rouge test shown we become self aware?
around 18 months children recognised reflection as themselves
how is the rouge test carried out?
put a red spot on babies nose and place in front of mirror, 9-18months treat mirror image as another child and show no interest in spot
what is the neurological basis of self awareness that develops around 18 months?
rapid growth of spindle cells in anterior cingulate > responsible for monitoring/controlling intentional behaviour)
what brain area develops rapidly in 18 month olds that is the same area activated when adults are self aware?
anterior cingulate
what are the 2 different types of self awareness?
private and public
‘I’m aware of me’ > evoked when looking in the mirror/experiencing physiological arousal leading to reflection on emotional state = ______ self awareness
private
‘I know others are aware of me’ > evoked when giving a presentation, being photographed/filmed = ______ self awareness
public
the 2 different kinds of self awareness have different __________
consequences
what are the consequences of private self awareness?
intensified emotional response to + and - emotions, clarification of knowledge, adherence to personal standards of behaviour (true beliefs become emphasised and less susceptible to external forces)
what are the consequences of public self awareness?
can increase evaluation apprehension (overthinking about what other people are thinking), nervousness, reduced self esteem, adherence to social standards of behaviour > follow group norms even if they don’t match privately held standards
individual difference in chronic self awareness, extent to which an individual is chronically aware of their traits, feelings, behaviours =
self-consciousness
is self consciousness viewed as a personality trait?
yes
what are the 2 types of self-consciousness?
private and public
experience more intense emotions, act in line with personal beliefs, less likely to suffer ill health = ______ self-conscious
privately self conscious
why would someone who is privately self conscious be less likely to suffer ill health?
attend to physiology and notice problems earlier so more likely to seek help
why would someone who is privately self conscious have a greater tendency to suffer from depression and neuroticism?
due to overthinking on feelings of unhappiness/discomfort
concerned with others perceptions of them, adhere to group norm, avoid embarrassing situations, more concerned with their appearance and likely to judge others on appearance = _______ self-conscious
publicity
what is used and helpful to organise self-knowledge?
schemas
mental structures that people use to organise their knowledge about the social world around themes and subjects that influence info =
schemas
a schema or knowledge structure that reflects our perception of the self on a particular dimension =
self schema
what do self schemas include?
perceptions of ourselves and our experiences on this dimension
do people tend to have clear perceptions of themselves?
yes
some self-schemas are more important than others and there are different types of schemas ranging from?
self-schematic > somewhat schematic > aschematic
e.g. people are self-schematic on things that have importance to the individual and aschematic on things that aren’t
what is our self-concept (knowledge of who we are) made up of?
a number of self-schemas
content of the self, knowledge about who we are =
self concept
the evaluating component of the self concept =
self esteem
a persons subjective appraisal of themselves is intrinsically _______ or _______ to some degree
positive, negative
what factors vary our levels of self esteem?
time, context, state
there are _______ differences in self esteem that can have significant impacts on psychological functioning
chronic
what has an impact on our development of self esteem?
parenting styles
what are the 3 different types of parenting styles?
authoritative, authoritarian, permissive
what parenting style would categorise the following? > reasoned arguments, dialogue, unrestrictive control, child as person in their own right, boundaries
authoritative
what parenting style would categorise the following? > controlling, power, absolute obedience, strong punitive measures
authoritarian
what parenting style would categorise the following? > total acceptance, child consulted about rules, no restrictions or boundaries, use of reason not power
permissive
which parenting style is associated with the highest self esteem?
authoritative
which parenting styles are associated with lower self esteem?
authoritarian, permissive
children are 6-11 were found to have fairly unstable self esteem. why is this?
perhaps because their self concept is still developing
what age was greatest stability found?
20s-mid adulthood
by 60 self esteem stability declines. why might this be?
later life changes, retirement, loss
what are the consequences of low self esteem?
mood regulation, dampens + feelings, feel worse after negative events, make less goals and plans to improve their mood, depression
what were Wood et al (2003) results looking at mood regulation with low self esteem?
ppts with low self esteem dampen + feelings, feel worse after negative event
what are the consequences of high self esteem?
narcissism, crave attention, over confident, lack empathy
what are the 3 self-motives humans have?
self assessment, self verification, self enhancement
we seek info to verify what we already believe to be true about our self concept =
self verification
what 2 concepts of self enhancement are important for the Michelangelo Effect?
desire to seek info that allows us to see ourselves in best possible light, important because these motives guide our behaviour
which motivation is the most important to us?
self enhancement
what are the 2 strategies to enhance the PERSONAL self?
self affirming theory, self serving attribution bias
we respond to threatened self esteem by publicly affirming positive aspects of the self = _______ theory
self-affirming
we interpret events in a way that is favourable to our view of ourselves (success > internal, failures > external) =
self serving attribution bias
what are the strategies to enhance the SOCIAL self?
derive + image from group memberships (as group members are motivated to hold a collectively + identity)
what do low status group members do to enhance their social self?
join a higher status group. dis-identification
social change strategies =
change the status of different groups,
social creativity strategies =
change the dimension of comparison
what countries show individualistic self concepts?
US, europe > i am a unique individual
what countries show collectivist self concepts?
China, we are chinese > my family is very supportive of my family
biculturalism =
individuals who simultaneously hold 2 cultural identities (original and host society identity)
individuals alter their cultural orientation depending on the situation = what model?
alteration model (makes it possible to have a sense of belonging in 2 cultures)
what are the benefits of biculturalism?
better problem solving strategies and interpersonal skills, higher self esteem, less experience of racial tension and interethnic conflict, higher cognitive functioning, better mental health
