The self Flashcards
Define social psychology
Attempting to understand how the thoughts, feeling and behaviours of individuals ar influenced by the actual, implied or imagined presence of others
What are the 4 levels of analysis in social psychology?
- Ideological - culture, values, norms
- Positional - status, group membership, relationships between groups
- Interpersonal - between individuals
- Intrapersonal - within the individual, how we organise our experience and perceptions of sense of self
What is the self?
Awareness of ourselves as a thing in the world
What was William James’s idea of the self?
Private subjective experience, simultaneously an object of awareness (me) and the knower itself (I)
What was George Herbert Meads ideas of self?
‘looking glass self’ - we are aware that we are being evaluated by others
What does the self regulate?
Information processing, behaviour and relationships
What is the self concept?
The entire collection of beliefs we hold about ourselves
What is the self schema?
Attributes about which we are certain and represent clearly
What is the working self?
Information about the self which is used in a given situation
What are the 3 self-motives?
Self-enhancement - having self-esteem
Self-assesment - being accurate about ourselves
Self-verification - confirming what we already know
What is the better than average effect?
People generally rate themselves as better than average (Alicke 1985)
What is an individualistic cultures idea of self-worth?
Independent self - be unique, distinctive and independent, persue goals effectively
What is a collectivist cultures idea of self worth?
Interdependent self - fitting in, fulfilling your obligations to others, promote others goals
How do the bases of the concept of self in collectivist and individualistic cultures differ?
Individualistic - based on stable personal abilities, traits and beliefs
Collectivist - based on relationships and roles
How does the better than active effect change across cultures?
Observed on values most valued by a culture
