The self Flashcards
what is self concept
A mental representation of oneself (Kihlstrom & Cantor, 1984)
•Set of beliefs about the characteristics we possess (Amiot, de la Sablonniere, Smith, & Smith, 2015)
•The self is not an objective entity but the subjective perception of one’s abilities, limitations, appearance, characteristics, and personality (Mehta, 1999; Graeff, 1996
self- schemas
•When we are self-aware, we access information we have about ourselves
- The knowledge that we have about the world is stored as schemas
- A self-schema reflects how we expect ourselves to think, feel and behave in a particular situation
- Each of us holds complex self-concept made up of a number of discrete self-schemas
personal vs social identity - tajfel
identities are tangled up in groups
Social identity (Tajfel): constructions of the self is defined broadly by shared self-definition with group members
Personal-versus-social identity continuum (Tajfel & Turner, 1986)
Whats personal identity?
We can perceive ourselves differently at any given moment, depending on where we are on the continuum.
•We do not experience all aspects of our self-concept at once
When personal identity is salient, and we think of ourselves as unique individuals, this results in self-descriptions that emphasize how we differ from individuals (intragroup comparison)
whats social identity?
We perceive ourselves as members of a group and emphasise what we share with group members. We describe ourselves in terms that differentiate our group from another comparison group (intergroup comparisons)
Describe the Multiple Self-Aspects Framework
McConnell (2011
The self is a collection of multiple, context-dependent self-aspects.
- Self-aspects are associated with personal attributes, which become more accessible when the self-aspect is activated
- Affect then reflects the evaluation of one’s self-aspects. Aka do we feel good about our self-aspect?
- Feedback about a self-aspect influences evaluations of other self-aspects that are positive
- The impact of information pertaining to a specific attribute on overall affect increases as the number of self-aspects associated with the attribute increases
What does intersectionality mean?
A term derived from Black feminist thought
•The word intersectionality started as a legal term, adopted by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, to draw attention to the way that employees who are both women and from an oppressed minority are often discriminated against more toughly because of the ‘doubly disadvantage’ of being both black and women. •Our social identities intersect
How is treatment from others impactful?
How others treat us (and how we think they will treat us in future) has important implications for how we think about ourselves.
If we expect that others will reject us because of some aspect of ourselves we can change or hide this aspect of ourselves (Tajfel 1978).
LGBTQ+ students’ identity management study (Talbot, Talbot, Roe, & Briggs, 2020)
Students used social media to explore, conceal, protect and express their identities. Multiple selves co-existed and were bound to specific platforms
- In contrast, we can rebel against those rejecting us by making that feature even more self-defining.
- Jetten et al. (2001) body piercings study.
- How we dress and alter our body can be seen as important ways of communicating who we are.
- Young people used body piercing and tattoos to engage in a form of ‘rebel identity construction
Higgins 1987 Self-discrepancy theory:
how many selfs and what are they?
Actual self – how we are at present
deal self – how we would like to be
Ought self – who we should be
what happens when there is a Discrepancy between actual self and ideal self?
elicits dejection-related emotions such as disappointment and sadness
what happens when there is Discrepancy between actual self and ought self?
elicits agitation-related emotions such as anxiety, guilt, or anger.
Body image and SDT
Harrison (2001) – causal relationship between long-term exposure to thin-ideal media and developing self-discrepancies.
Solomon-Krakus et al. (2017) – depressive symptoms among 556 early adolescents were more frequent when there were actual-ideal self discrepancies.
Whats social comparison theory (Festinger 1954)
We learn how to define the self by comparing ourselves to others
People are motivated by a desire for an accurate self-evaluation
However, people are motivated to see themselves in a positive light (Sedikides & Gregg, 2003
whats upward/downward comaparisons?
Upwards comparisons – compare self with someone who you perceive to be better
Downwards comparisons – compare self with someone who you perceive to be less capable
whats self-evaluation maintenance model (Tesser, 1988)?
comprises two components: reflective process; comparison process
•“The outstanding performance of a close other can cause one’s own performance to pale by comparison and decrease self-evaluation” (p. 182)
•When someone is more “successful” than us, it can have a negative impact on our self-esteem
