week 5 Self and Identity Flashcards
What is the self-concept, and why is symbolic interactionism important to this construct?
The self-concept is the whole set of beliefs that one has about oneself. It is a cognitive system. How we view ourself changes with our symbolic interactions with others. Symbolic Interactionism is the Theory of how we interact with others via gestures and consensual symbols, and by doing so, we recognise ourselves.
What have been some of the historical influences on how we view ‘the self’?
In ancient times, someone may have been very “set” by identity being dependent upon sex, class, etc We have moved through various ideas such as:
Secularisation-fulfilment will be achieved in this life as opposed to the afterlife.
Industrialisation-when people become units of production, they would move for work and take identity with them.
Enlightenment-better identities were possible with downfall of oppressive regimes such as French and American Revolutions.
Psychoanalysis-the self recognised as largely unfathomable due to being largely unconscious.
What is the debate about individual vs. collective self about? How does it relate to the question of what is a group?
a collective self is when the “I” resonates with being part of a group. Pertains to how one might behave differently when with a group or identifying with them.
What is the ‘looking glass self’ and where does this idea develop from?
This is the self we see when considering ourself as others see us. Our descriptions of ourselves are more likely to be emphasised to the direction we believe we have behaved, when we believe we have been obsereved. In particular, we tend to rate ourselves as we think others rate us.
What is a self-schema, what types exist, and what does self-perception theory propose regarding self-schemas?
A self-schema is an idea or belief we hold about ourselves. We have many. Usually described as falling into the categories of
Individual self (personal likes/attributes distinguishing self from others)
Relational self-social connections eg daughter, partner etc
& Collective Self-the group memberships we belong to.
Bem’s Self Perception Theory proposes we infer our attitudes from our behaviour. This means we use our schemas to understand ourselves, but also by comparison to others, as this process has helped to establish our schemas.
Note what is meant by self-awareness. How might self-awareness help or hinder academic performance?
State of being aware of oneself (sometimes as an object).
2 forms of self awareness;
1. the Private Self
2. The Public Self (awareness of your public image).
May help public performance if think comparing favourably to others but hinder if think comparison is unfavourable
What is known about self-schemas? For example, are compartmentalisations good or bad?
It is generally considered more helpful to overcome adversities if have many schemas to chose from. If schemas are extreme or very stand-alone, they may make life harder cf more integrated or less extreme schemas.
What is Bem’s (1967; 1972) self-perception theory and what does it propose?
proposes we use the same attribution process on ourselves as we do for others
What is the overjustification effect? Provide a real-world example of its impact.
This is where external motivators such as rewards (but not based on competence) become salient such that intrinsic motivation is lost and performance actually decreases. May actually worsen what was previously good performance (was good because enjoyed it etc).When there are no external attributions of motivation, we tend to overjustify our internal validations for doing something (such as liking it or being committed to it).This effect is realy seen best when performing tasks that have some meaning to how we see ourselves. intrinsic motivators will in these cases be more powerful (overjustified) than external ones.
How do we learn about the self, including the types of social comparisons we make? What does social comparison theory propose?
Social Comparison Theory proposes we compare ourselves to others to determine how to feel/think about ourselves, as well as determining socially appropriate behaviours.
The types of comparisons we make may be;
a)lateral-look to other similiar to us to validate ourself
b) Downward-look to those who are”worse” to enhance self image
c) Upward-look at those “better” so can model and improve, but we avoid them if their achievements unattainable.
Describe the self-evaluation maintenance model. How does this relate to self-esteem?
This theory proposes that if we do make upward comparisons, in order to maintain our self esteem, we are more likely to sever or reduce our relationship with such a person, or try to justify why we are actually dissimilar.
How does BIRGing relate to self-esteem?
BIRGing= Basking in reflected glory. This improves one’s self esteem as one links oneself to eg a winning team or eg name drops so others recognise our importance.
With reference to Higgin’s (1987) self-discrepancy theory: (i) what are the major types of self-schema? (ii) when will we engage in self-regulation? (iii) what sorts of emotions occur when there is a discrepancy between the actual and ideal selves? (iv) what sorts of emotions occur when there is a discrepancy between the actual and ought selves?
The Self-Discrepancy Theory argues that the self is important to us and how we view the world. Proposes 3 self schemas:
a) Actual Self-how we actually are and our attributes at that moment.
b)Ideal Self-the attributes we idealise and would like to have in the future. This is internally driven.
c)Ought Self-how we think we should be. This is externally driven. (ie how we think others think we should be).
Discrepancy b/n Actual and Ideal self leads to dejection related emotions (such as disappointment, sadness, dissatisfaction).
Discrepancy b/n Actual /ought self leads to agitation related emotions (eg fear, anxiety, threatened etc).
Discrepancies can be reduced by engaging in self regulation (which may be beneficial or maladaptive).
Describe the differences between the promotion and the prevention systems associated with the regulatory focus theory.
The Regulatory Focus Theory proposes reduction in discrepancies b/n actual/ideal and actual/ought is achieved by 2 different motivational systems;
a)Promotional system-motivated to achieve by striving for one’s ideals. Tends to be coupled with an Approach Strategy such as find a challenge.
b)Prevention system-motivated to fulfil one’s ‘Oughts” ie obligations and duties. Tends to be coupled with an Avoidance Strategy such as avoid failure.
People have different natural settings to be more Approach or Avoidant in strategy. A promotional or Approach strategy is more common in children who receive affection for being good and withdrawal of it for
misbehaving. A prevention or avoidant strategy is more common in children warned to be alert to danger, or punished /shouted at for misbehaviour.
What are the major tenets of social identity theory, and what are the different types of self it proposes?
Proposes-we want a positive view of self
- want to reduce subjective uncertainty in our social environment
- how one responds in any situation is dependent upon whether personal identity OR social identity is the more salient.
