topic 7 - internal and external influences on the self and self-esteem

Question 1

define internal factors

Answer 1

what makes up the individual ie self, self-esteem, character etc

Question 2

define external factors

Answer 2

outside of an individual like a situation or experience

Question 3

explain how ideal self (external factor) can influence a persons self-esteem

Answer 3

Ideal self is how we would like to be like i.e. successful, certain beauty standards etc. This can negatively affect someone’s self image which then affects their overall esteem as they may believe they are not good enough for society etc.

Question 4

explain how temperament (internal factor) can influence a persons self-esteem.

Answer 4

Temperament is the nature someone is born with which affects their behaviour. This can influence someone’s self either negatively or positively depending on the traits someone is born with which influences their behaviour. For example, if someone is naturally charismatic, they may view themselves as friendly and in turn have many friends, this will positively affect their self-esteem. But if someone naturally has anger issues, they may view themselves as unapproachable and in turn disvalue themselves, negatively affecting their self-esteem.

Question 5

define temperament

Answer 5

Temperament is natural born characteristics someone is given which affects the behaviour.

or

Biologically based emotional and individual reactivity differences in self-regulation

Question 6

how can temperament affect someones self-esteem?

Answer 6

temperament can affect self concept for example someone with a low self-esteem who has a shy temperament might become an introvert and there is a possibility for them to fall into depression.

Question 7

what study supported that temperament affected self-esteem

Answer 7

Kati Heinonen et al (2002) found that children judged by their mothers to have difficult temperament at 12 years old reported that they had low self-esteem at the age of 18. This gives evidence on the link between or inborn temperament and our later self-esteem.

Question 8

define effortful control

Answer 8

using reasoned effort to control actions and thoughts.

An example could be paying attention in class when there are distractions.

Question 9

what study supported effortful control

Answer 9

Richard and Robins et al (2010) showed that young adolescents who had high self-esteem also had high levels of effortful control. They also found a relationship between low self-esteem and depression and aggression for both boys and girls.

Question 10

what did Robins et al find in relation to negative emotions?

Answer 10

Robins et al found another aspect of temperament is a tendency to have negative feelings. Someone with negative feelings is more likely to suffer from anxiety giving them a low-self esteem.

Question 11

what study looked at persistence and temperament and what did they find?

Answer 11

persistence (refers to how task-oriented someone is). Windle et al (1986) found that persistence goes hand-in-hand with high self-esteem. The same can be said for not being distracted which is a temperament trait.

Question 12

How might temperament differ in infants?

Answer 12

Temperament may differ in infants depending on the personality of their parents.

Question 13

Give 2 examples of how temperament can affect an infant’s behaviour.

Answer 13

Temperament can affect the infants behaviour as the first infant presented in the video is seen to be highly emotional and in contrast the second infant is seen to be calm and unfazed by the fact that she was unable to get the toy.

Question 14

What is a method that could be used to investigate children’s temperaments?

Answer 14

Self-report questionnaire for the parents of the child to write down and answer questions about the child’s behaviour.

Question 15

what is an advantage of using a self-report questionnaire to investigate a childs temperament?

Answer 15

More data as the parents know the child more than the researcher.

Question 16

what is a weakness of using a self-report questionnaire to investigate a childs temperament?

Answer 16

There could be some sort of bias of the parents as they want to view their child in a positive light and it would be unlikely for them to comment negatively.

Question 17

define self-efficacy

Answer 17

it is how strongly we believe we can succeed in a certain situation or achieve a task

Question 18

where does self-efficacy come from?

Answer 18

it comes from our experiences and interactions with the world

Question 19

how is the level of self-efficacy decided?

Answer 19

we decide our level depending on the situation we are in, which underlines the external aspect and the role of experience.

Question 20

what study investigated factors affecting self-image?

Answer 20

Michael Argyle (2008)

Question 21

what did Argyle (2008) suggest?

Answer 21

Argyle suggested that an important influence on self-esteem comes from the reactions of others. So a positive self-image comes from praise and attention while a negative self-image comes from criticism.

Comparison also affects our self-image as if we compare ourselves with someone who has done better than us then our self-image would be negative but if we compare ourselves with someone who has not done as well as us our self-image increases.

Question 22

what external factors affect the self and self-esteem?

Answer 22

self-efficacy, comparison, praise or attention/ criticism, perception by others.

Question 23

how does the perception of others affect our self-esteem?

Answer 23

For example, if someone does unexpectedly well on a test, then they are then seen as good or smart in that particular subject which affects their self-image in a positive way.

Question 24

what study looked at the perception of other affecting our self-esteem?

Answer 24

Rina Bajaj (2008) discussed the effects of the London bombings of 2005 on young asian men in London. She found that the young men had the same internal beliefs as belied as before but the way others perceived them changed. This affected their identity and their sense of self and an increase of bullying in school was documented.