Week 9

Question 1

Self-concept

Answer 1

• the way we describe ourselves
• the way we see ourselves (may not align with how others see us)
• our assessment of our abilities, traits, and characteristics

an ever-changing process becoming increasingly complex over our lifespan

Question 2

Self-esteem

Answer 2

• feelings of self-worth, self-acceptance, and self-respect based on evaluation
• relies on cognitive development and a sense of self that emerges over the course of childhood

Question 3

Contextual influences on self-concept, self-esteem, and identity development

Answer 3

• relationships with caregivers, teachers
• socioeconomic status (e.g. kids in high SES families have more opportunities to explore their identities)
• culture (e.g. individualistic West vs collectivistic East)
• perceived control over your life (i.e. self-efficacy)

Question 4

Correlates to high perceived control

contextual influence on self-concept, self-esteem, and identity development

Answer 4

• better physical and mental health
• greater life satisfaction
• better able to adapt to stress and change
• better emotion regulation

higher perceived control in men and lower in visible minorities

Question 5

Gender differences in moral reasoning (Gilligan)

Answer 5

• care orientation: desire to maintain relationships and responsibility to not cause harm
• justice orientation: based on abstract principles of fairness and individualism

women are more likely to have a care orientation while men are more likely to have a justice orientation!

Question 6

Prosocial behavior

Answer 6

voluntary behavior intended to benefit another

Question 7

Biological and contextual influences on prosocial behavior

Answer 7

• genes that influence oxytocin (associated with attachment)
• cognitive advances
• parents and other caregivers
• broader social world (e.g. collectivist cultures show more prosocial behavior)

e.g. parents can include kids in household chores and caregiving, use language to describe emotions, and model sympathetic concern

Question 8

Aggression

Answer 8

behavior that harms or violates the rights of others, whether overtly or covertly

can be physical or verbal!

Question 9

3 kinds of aggression

Answer 9

1. instrumental aggression: oriented toward achieving a goal (e.g. 1-year-old hits you when you take their toy)
2. relational aggression: verbal form intended to harm others’ relationships
3. bullying or peer victimization

Question 10

Bullying

Answer 10

ongoing interaction in which a child repeatedly attempts to inflict physical, verbal, or social harm on another child

Question 11

Contextual influences on aggression

Answer 11

• familial influences (e.g. no evidence for benefits of spanking and other controlling behavior)
• exposure to aggressive models (e.g. Bobo doll, domestic and community violence)
• community factors (e.g. poor communities offer fewer educational and recreational opportunities)

also associated with low perceived control!