self part 2 Flashcards
Possible Selves Definition
the images we have, or can construct, of the other possible ways we might be
Possible future selves may affect goals
Who you think you will be or what role you will have may influence the goals you set
What is the evidence that it affects mate preferences?
People who were asked to imagine themselves as married with children and working as a homemaker preferred mates who were older and could provide for them (consistent with what women typically report, so women may be more likely to perceive homemaker as a future possible self than men).
How do we want future selves that fulfill the needs for self-esteem, competence, and meaning?
People want their future self to be similar to how they are now (we want continuity of identity).
Ideal self
-view of what you could be at your best
Discrepancy leads to depression because of disappointment at failing to achieve rewards
Ought self
-view of what you should be
Discrepancy leads to anxiety because of fear of not avoiding punishment
A hallmark of mental health
The Declarative Self: Accurate Self-Knowledge
people who are healthy, secure, and wise enough to see the world as it is tend to see themselves more accurately too;
accurate self-knowledge allows people to make better decisions on important issues
What is the Process for gaining accurate self-knowledge?
based on assumption that we learn about ourselves in the same way that we learn about others
Realistic Accuracy Model
relevance, availability, detection, utilization
Who knows our behavior better? Us or others?
Others know our behaviors better than we do
People tend to think that others would behave the same way that they did, and therefore they do not learn as much about how their behaviors differ from others and are related to their personality.
But time may put our own behavior in perspective because when people think about behaviors in the past, they are more likely to see their pattern of behavior and how it differs from others
Introspection
*Improving Self Knowledge
look into your own mind and understand who you are; honestly evaluate your behavior
Seek feedback
*Improving Self Knowledge
especially helpful for aspects that are obvious to everyone but you; either through direct feedback or from reading subtle, nonverbal indicators of what people think of you
Observe own behavior
*Improving Self Knowledge
put yourself in different situations, try new things, and meet new people. This can be limited by where you live (small town), and family or culture (if self-expression is not encouraged)
Define The Procedural Self
patterns of behavior that are characteristic of an individual; the unique aspects of what you do; includes ways of doing things, or procedures
Is the procedural self conscious?
Not conscious and not possible to explain to others
Learned by doing and watching others
Relational self-schema
self-knowledge based on past experiences that directs how we relate to the important people in our lives
-Deeply ingrained and difficult to change, probably because they are set early in life
Define The Procedural Self: Implicit Selves
self-relevant behavioral patterns that are not readily accessible to consciousness
Includes the relational self
What is implicit self measured with?
Measure with the Implicit Association Test (IAT):
by testing the strength of associations in an individual’s cognitive system that the person might not be conscious of
Self-esteem
*implicit self
People with high implicit self-esteem respond more quickly when “me” and “good” are paired than when “me” and “bad” are paired
Predicts responses to success and failure
Only weakly related to declarative self-esteem
Narcissism
*implicit self
implicit self-esteem is lower than explicit
Shyness
*implicit self
Implicit and declarative self-esteem predict behavior differently
declarative predicts controlled behavior (speech, gestures), and implicit predicts spontaneous behavior (facial expressions, body movements)
Implications of implicit self?
*implicit self
We have attitudes and feelings about many things of which we are not entirely aware, but this influences our emotions and behaviors
Conscious self-consciousness
awareness of who one is and what one is doing; the traditional view
Negative implications of Conscious self-consciousness?
: overly focused on the self, especially during social interactions
How is Acquiring and changing procedural knowledge done?
Practice and feedback are necessary
Have experiences that are different from the current procedural knowledge
How Many Selves?
Some theorists think each person has many declarative and procedural selves
The concept of the self…
is likely to have different implications in different cultures
When you describe yourself as hard-working and friendly, you are describing the…
declarative self.
The procedural self…
predicts behavior differently from what is predicted by the declarative self.
