Week 4 - Development of sense of self and individualism Flashcards
What is a self concept / identity?
HYPOTHETICAL CONSTRUCT:
- It is the explicit theory we each develop about who we are and how we fit into society
- It is how we perceive our behaviours, abilities, and unique characterisitics
Affects our motivations, attitudes, and behaviours
What are the 3 major components of self concept (Rogers, 1959)?
Self Image
- The way we describe ourselves, what we think we’re like (including: social roles, personality traits, bodily self)
Self-Esteem/Regard
- How much we value or like ourselves
Ideal Self
- Who we would like to be
These all relate to each other
Is identity socially constructed?
Yes, we discover who we are
- By comparing ourselves to others and to social norms
- By making sense of how others react to us
The Looking Glass Self (Cooley, 1902)
- In order to understand what we’re like, we need to see how others see us (reflected appraisals)
- This self is reflected in the reactions of other people
-^^ note; our beliefs about how we’re seen by others
DEVELOPMENTAL ACCOUNT:
Children gradually build up impressions as they interact
with more and more people – thus social experience drives identity formation.
One self or many?
Personality theorists tend to assume that the person has a single, unitary self
- E.g., that can be assessed and characterized via measures/scales
Social psychologists recognize multiple ‘selves’
- A complex set of perceptions composed of a number of self schemata relating to what we’re like
- And also how we could be
James (1890, 1892) broke identity into 2 components. What are they?
1. I-Self - Self Awarness:
I.e., the self as a subject of experience.
You might experience the ‘‘I Self’’ when fully absorbed in an activity, and there is a snese of agency and ownership of your actions.
2. Me self - Self Perception:
I.e., the self as an object of experience
You might experience the ‘‘me self’’ when thinking about how others evaluate you, or when reflect yourself on your own past expeirences that shape your identity.
From birth babies differ in how they respond to events and other people; What are temperamental dispositions (reactions)?
- Stable characteristics, rooted in biology
- e.g., patterns of neural responding to different types of stimuli, under genetic influenfce
- These temperamental dispositions shape what is ‘there’ for the child to learn about themselves, other people, and the world.
How are temperament and personality distinct?
Temperament = Stable and rooted in biology
Personality = More variable and the product of socialization and experience (implicit and unconscious)
- Both are distinct from self concept / indenity
SELF CONCEPT = explicit, conscious, articulate, and evaluative
What does the early formation of self concept include?
Rochat, 2003
- Self as subject ‘‘I’’ may develop first
Bodily awarness:
- By 24 hours of age, newborns respond differently to their own touch vs a researcher
- Over the coming months, come to be able to act intentionally
- Recognise the consequences of their behaviour
What is appearance awarness?
5-6 MONTHS:
- Infancts show preferential looking to a pre-recorded video of another child vs self (Bahrick et al., 1996)
18-24 MONTHS
- Infants reliably pass mirror self-recognition (Lewis and Brooks-Gunn, 1979)
What is Gallup’s (1977) technique?
MIRROR TESTl: Typically applied with 6 – 24 month old children.
Before 15 months
- No dot touching
15 – 18 months
- 5-25% infants touch the dot
18 – 24 months
- 75% infants touch the dot
Around the same time children pass the mirror test,
they can also verbally mark contrasts between
themselves and other people…..
They use lables (I, you, me, it, etc…) to communicate the notions of selfhood to others.
- Languange development provides scope for autobiographical narrative (Mead)
- This narrative is typically what we mean when referring to one’s sense of identity, their conception of self
- Words allow us to articulate and interconnect our experiences
Harter (1999) identified themes characterizing the developmental progression E.g…..
- Shift from specific concrete»_space; more abstract descriptions
- Shift from emphasizing the material»_space; psychosocial orientation (increasingly defining the self in relation to other people)
- Increasing awarness of contradiction between components of the self»_space; sense of self gradually become more intergrated: incorporating an overview of how our various selves relate to each other
- Increasing concern over social standing and relative competence (comparison with others)»_space; later still, social reference group becomes less important
- Increasing internalization of own values, so less directly dependent on other peoples reactions for self evaluations
Consistent developmental tendencies in the pattern of ideas that are added to our identity narrative: elements of James’ (1890) me self
Does it also reflect general cognitive development?
YES
- Age related improvements in cognitive ability to conceptualise things in principled, abstract ways: evident in all areas of developing knowledge and reasoning.
2 - 4 years children’s expanding cognitive abilities allow them to…
Think in symbolic terms, understand object constancy, and to view themselves as objects (Piaget, 1962)
- Scope to recognize they have properties like other objects
- e.g., gender identity, personal characteristics, favourite activities
- BUT! they are not very stable!
In this stage of ‘pre-operational egocentrism’ they assume other people recognize their inner thoughts and feelings (but the reverse is not yet true)
- As perspective taking abilities improve, children consider more the perceived judgements and reactions of others
- Thus self descriptions/concepts can become more complex and also stable
Social drivers of developmental change
Critically there are also systematic changes in people and situations we encounter throughout childhood, adolescence, and adult life.
e.g. home»_space; nursery»_space; primary school»_space; secondary school
- Explosion ink the number of social roles we take on
Remember: identity is socially constructed.
- Different socialisation agents shape beliefs, values, and behaviours related to self-identity by providing frameworks for understanding the self in relation to others and society.
How are family social drivers?
FAMILY: Often the primary socialization agents, impacting things like:
- Development of individualism (e.g. parents encouraging vs discouraging independence and self-expression)
- Formation of individual identity (e.g., families priortize certain value, which influence how individuals perceive themselves in relation to sicety?
How are Peers social drivers?
PEERS: Increasingly influential during adolescence and young adulthood
- Interaction with peers provide opportunities for experimentation, comparison, and the formation of personal values and beliefs.
How are Societal Institutions drivers?
Societal Institutions (e.g., education, media, religion, goverment)
- Contribute to the socialization process by transmitting cultural values, norms, and expectations
DRIVERS online
Digital spaces and communities are increasingly important to us, perhaps particularly during adolescence
- Encountered in the context of engagement with social media, gaming, dating apps, …
- Spaces in which people address core intrapersonal needs needs in identity development e.g.,
- Communion – the need to feel connectedness, belonging, acceptance
- Agency - the need to assert onself and make decisions based on personal interests and values
- Coherence - balancing the above (i.e., pursuing what one finds personally meaningful and also feeling accepted and supported by peers and society more broadly
DIFFERENCES online
In some ways online development seems very different from offline
- More public/enduring: Less scope for evidence of experimentation/exploration to be hidden or ‘left behind’ (e.g., embarrassing photos, ‘outgrown’ opinions)
- But distinctions may feel increasingly artificial
- Many (especially younger people) now live in an offline world that is woven dynamically and interactively with online contexts in a single holistic ecosystem or hybrid reality.
Key developmental account: Erikson (1950s - ) What is the Theory of Psychosocial Development?
- Rooted in psychoanalytic theory and insight, rather than empirical research
- Limited account of specific mechanisms driving development in this domain
- Influential – even if challenged for lack of scientific rigour
Also biases associated with gender, culture, … - Proposal: The development of a coherent identity is a life-long challenge
We must each resolve 8 main psychosocial crises, which emerge at different (approximate) time points and challenge us to resolve our identity in one direction or
another
- Each stage involves a struggle between 2 conflicting personality outcomes
Adaptive vs Maladaptive
What is a culture-based critique of Erikson
For Erikson, ‘‘identity achievement’’ rests on individuation and coherence?
- But some cultures are more collective value and develop more group orientated, group-defined identities
- Some also value a flexible (rather than highly consistent) identity
Identity formation in ethnic minority groups
Children have a natural tendency to identify with others like themselves
- Means ethnicity can be an important part of the self concept (but often selectively for minorities)
Individuals in ethnic minorities are exposed to competing sets of values of lifestyles
- Socialisation experiences outside the home may particularly contrast with family
A particularly interesting group to consider developmentally
- ‘Labels’ appear around 3 years, e.g., ‘I’m Indian’
- By 7-9 years children understand ethnicity as a long term/stable feature of the self
Issues associated with a minority ethnic identity can become more pressing in adolescence (Santos &
Umaña Taylor, 2015)
- More likely to encounter prejudice
- New need to resolve clashes between values they’ve grown up with and mainstream culture
- Adopting too much of the majority might risk rejection from family and peers»_space; creates pressure to
conform to ethnic origins and expectations
