Understanding the self Flashcards
“I”
The self as thinker, active processor of information. (self-awareness)
“Me”
The known self. Our thoughts and beliefs about ourself. (self-concept)
Self Concept
Sum total of an individual’s personal beliefs about his or her own personal attributes
-Made up of self schemas
Self schemas
Beliefs people hold about themselves that guide the processing of self relevant information
Three functions of Self Concept
-Managerial: tells of relationship to physical and social world, organizes behavior, plans for future
-Organizational: Helps organize, interpret, and recall info about self and world
-Emotional: Helps determine emotional response
Red dot study (findings)
The social environment affects the development of the self. Without your social environment, you might not even have a self
Independent
The self is separate and autonomous
Collectivist/Interdependent
Self is connected with others
Sources of self knowledge
Introspection, Self Perception, Social Comparison
Introspection
-Thinking about yourself, looking within
-You are just searching your own brain for a ready made answer or a feeling
-Typically used when an answer is clear and readily available
-Introspections can be biased
Self Perception
-Looking to your own behavior to determine your thoughts or attitudes
-Will only occur if your thoughts and attitudes are uncertain or ambiguous
-Similar to figuring out information about someone else by observing them
Social Comparison
-We learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to other people
-People turn to others to evaluate their opinions, abilities, and emotions
-We define ourselves by using others as a benchmark
3 keys for social comparison theory
-People desire accurate knowledge
-If available, they will consult an objective standard; if not they will compare with another person
-People will gain the best knowledge when comparing with similar others
Counterfactual thinking
Imagining alternative scenarios and outcomes that might have happened, but didn’t
-Upward counterfactual (if only…)
-Downward counterfactuals (at least…)
Self esteem
The evaluative component of the self and it consists of both positive and negative self-evaluations
-An attitude towards the self or as how we like ourselves
-Self esteem is a continuous variable, though it is often talked about as being
