Topic 4 - Self & Identity Flashcards
Self-concept
Self concept is the set of beliefs and characteristics people have about THEMSELVES. It is a cognitive system.
Implications?
Self and social interactions influence one another
Self schema
mental frameworks we use to describe ourselves, eg: physical characteristics, interests, values, behaviors, personality traits, groups
3 types of self-discrepancy theory:
Actual self: How we currently are, Attributes you believe you have in the present moment.
Ideal self: How we would like to be, Attributes you idealise and would like to have in the future.
Ought self: How we think we should, Attributes you believe you should have.
Self-discrepancy theory:
We can have discrepancies between these three types of self-schemas which results in negative emotions. This motivates us to use strategies to reduce these discrepancies.
Actual / Ideal discrepancy =
dejection related emotions (disappointment, sadness, dissatisfaction)
Actual / Ought discrepancy
agitation related emotions (fear, anxiety, threat)
What determines whether an identity is accessible and fits in the social context?
- Its chronically accessible – We use the identity frequently and often, it is important to our sense of self
- Its situationally accessible – How people refer to us (as individuals or group members) can cue/prime us, features of the context makes an aspect of ourselves distinctive
- It has structural fit – the identity is relevant to the social context (explains similarities and differences)
- It has normative fit – it helps makes sense of other people’s behaviour in the momentIn the end, we bring out what reduces uncertainty and produces self-enhancement
The impact of salient identities:
Our self-description, i.e., identity content are situation-dependant as we ofte define ourselves by comparing ourselves to relevant others, i.e., referent others.
Theories on salient identities
- Social comparison theory
Proposes that we make comparisons to others to
(1) determine how to think and feel about ourselves and
(2) to help to decide the socially appropriate way to think and act
But we want to have a positive self view (i.e., positive self-esteem motive)… so our comparisons are often strategic
- Lateral comparison
- downward comparison
- upward comparison
Social identity theory
In any given situation one’s self, & associated emotions, attitudes & actions, are dependent on whether social or personal identity is made salient and we self-categorise with it (remember fit and accessibility?)
When a personal identity is salient…
- content comes from us comparing ourselves to others, in groups, you make intragroup comparisons
- …and you self-categorise with that personal identity? Align yourself with who you think is worse off, distance yourself from someone who is doing much better (especially if you can’t downplay your similarity to them)
When a social identity is salient…
-Its content comes from us comparing how similar we are to those in our ingroup, and how different we are to outgroups. You make intergroup comparisons
-…and you self-categorise with that social identity?
• You see self and others as interchangeable group members (depersonalisation)
• Positive group evaluations become positive self-evaluations (basking in reflected glory)
• You favouritise and value your ingroup (in-group favouritism)
• You accentuate similarities with ingroup and exaggerate dissimilarities with outgroup (accentuation effect)
• You conform to the groups norms (including behaviour, emotions, cognitions)
Self-reference effect
We are more likely to remember, and process information related to the self
Self verification
We seek out information that verifies and confirms what we think we already know about ourselves
Self-promotion / enhancement
We are motivated to create, maintain, and promote a favourable image of our self
