The Self-Concept (Midterm #1) Flashcards
The self according to William James
According to him, there re 2 important components of the self - Duality of Self:
1. “Me”: The objective self or sense of self as an object of reflection.
2. “I”: The subjective part of the self.
The “Me”
- Material self: Physical entities that belong to a person (body, house, clothes).
- Social self: Shaped by and expressed through interactions with others (we have as many selves as people we have interactions with)
- Spiritual self: The inner self - who we are at our core (personality, core values, emotions).
The “I”
The part of the self that thinks, experiences, and perceives (consciousness). Enables us to have a sense that our experiences belong to us rather than someone else. Provides continuity between the past, present, and future self.
Defining the Self
The self is both the “me” and the “I”.
The self: your social identity and your inner processes that enable you to operate your body successfully in society. The self is dynamic in that it is always in flux dealing with new situations, learning, and adapting.
Self-Concept
A cognitive representation of the knowledge and beliefs we have about ourselves, including: personality traits, abilities, social rules…etc). Essentially, everything a person claims as “me” or “mine”. Shapes how we think about the world, feel, and behave.
Associative Network
Knowledge is organized as a metaphorical network of cognitive concepts interconnected by links. Some concepts are more central. Link between concepts vary in strength.
Working self-concept
The subset of self-knowledge that is currently focus of awareness. Created moment-to-moment.
Situational activation
Different situations can activate different pieces of self-knowledge thus creating different working self-concepts.
Spreading activation
when specific self-aspect is activated, other self-aspects that are linked with it are also activated. Self-aspects that are strongly linked will be activated more quickly.
Contents of the Working Self-Concept
Contents of the working self-concept = self-knowledge that’s most accessible.
Accessibility of self-knowledge is determined by:
1. Distinctive to the situation
2. Relevance to the situation/activity (job interview vs. party)
3. Frequency of activation (very important self-aspects, self-aspects we engage in often).
Distinctiveness Theory
A person’s unique, distinctive characteristics are more salient to them than characteristics that they have in common with others. Distinctive characteristics are more valuable in distinguishing yourself from others.
Distinctiveness Theory Study
McGuire et al., 1976. Study: 6th graders completed “Who am I?” exercise. Students with distinctive features mentioned these more often than those with more typical features. Shows that the situation context influences what spontaneously comes to mind when describing the self.
Implications of Working Self-Concept
The self-concept is malleable and is highly dependent on the context (we have different versions of ourselves). Non-central self-aspects can enter the working self-concept. Allows for contradictory self-aspects to simultaneously exist. Working self-concept influences how we behave (why we behave differently in different situations).
Working Self-Concept and Behaviour Study
Does the working self-concept influence behaviour? Method: Study presented as aiming to validate new questionnaire to “reveal elements of personality”. Experimentally manipulated working self-concept:
Extroversion: “What would you do if you wanted to liven things up at a party?”
Introversion: “What things do you dislike about loud parties?”
Results: Those in the extroverted condition described themselves as more extroverted, and acted more extroverted in a subsequent situation. Shows that working self-concept depends on situational activation and that it influences behaviour.
4 elements common to theories about the true self
- Natural endowment: already born with a true self (often in the form of potential).
- Feels authentic: Actions consistent with internal states (feelings, needs, desires) that are subjectively experienced as one’s own.
- People naturally want to be true to themselves: Living in accordance with true self leads to a satisfying and fulfilling life.
- Competes with external influences: Reason why it is difficult to be in tune with true self and to follow it.
The case for a true self: Implication
Idea of a true self resonates with people. People are more satisfied with their decisions when these are in accord with the true self than when they are not.
The Case for a True Self Study
Do people believe in a true self and use it as a guide to make decisions? Method: 60 online community participants. “Please take a few moments to think about occasions when you had to make an important decision.” Rated potential decision-making strategies on how important they are for making satisfying decision. People believe that following one’s true self is an important strategy for making satisfying decisions.
The Case for a True Self Study 2
Method: Participants randomly assigned to describe true or actual self and rate how easy it was to do this. True self: “who you really are” Actual self: “who you are in everyday life”. Rated satisfaction with recent big life decisions. Results: Subjective easy related to decision satisfaction in the true condition, but not in the actual self condition. Difficulties accessing true self related to less satisfaction with decisions.
Problem 1 with idea of a true self: Natural Endowment?
Natural endowment of a true self is not a provable idea. How to assess a baby’s potential. Suggests that babies are born with specific destiny/motivations for adult life which seems unlikely.
Problem 2 with idea of a true self: Self-Beliefs are Inaccurate
Idea of true self requires that people have accurate self-knowledge about what their true self is like. But, lots of research suggests that our self-concepts are full of inaccuracies are distorted. E.g. better-than-average effect. Suggests that no self-concept is fully “true”.
Problem 3 with idea of true self: True self = What is “Good”
True self seems to be about social desirability, rather than acting in line with one’s unique characteristics.
Authenticity and the Big Five study
Study: When do people feel most authentic? Method: 97 participants in a lab study. Rated themselves on “Trait” Big Five: what are they generally like? Participated in 10, one hour-long lab sessions in small groups. Each lab session consisted of 1-2 activities. During activities, self-reported on “State” Big Five: how extroverted, agreeable, open to new experience, conscientious, emotional stable are you right now?
“State” authenticity: how authentic do you feel right now?
Results: Evidence for desirable-trait hypothesis: Authenticity was positively associated with acting extroverted, agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable, regardless of the participants trait/typical Big Five. Suggests that people feel more authentic when behaving in socially desirable ways, rather than in ways consistent with their personality.
True Self as Desired Reputation
The true self is more of a guide, than a reality. Desired reputation = what is valued by society (ideals) + what distinctive role one’s own abilities and traits are best suited to (actual self). People will feel most authentic when actions are consistent with desired reputation. Slightly different with different people.
