Psychology Chapter on Self-Perception

The Self and Its Development

• Carl Rogers viewed personality as a single construct, the self-concept.
• The self-concept is a collection of beliefs about one's own nature, unique qualities, and typical behaviour.
• Self-concept includes beliefs such as "I am easy-going," "I am intelligent," or "I am hardworking."
• The self-concept is an organised collection of beliefs (self-schemas) about the self, developed from past experiences.
• Self-schemas encompass personality traits, abilities, physical features, values, goals, and social roles.
• These schemas are characterised by distinct thoughts and feelings, and include both strengths and weaknesses.

Hazel Markus and the Working Self-Concept

• Contemporary psychologists believe that only a portion of the total self-concept operates at any one time. This is called the working self-concept.
• Self-schemas have a dynamic quality and play an important role in processing self-relevant information.
• When a particular self-schema is operating, its associated thoughts and feelings strongly influence how people process information about that aspect of the self.

Possible Selves

• Markus proposed the concept of possible selves—conceptions about the kind of person one might become in the future.
• Possible selves are developed from past experiences, current behaviours, and future expectations.
• They motivate people to practice goal-related skills and envision desired future goals.
• Possible selves can be positive or negative, reflecting aspirations and fears.

Higgins: Self-Discrepancy Theory

• Some people perceive themselves as they would ideally like to be (ideal self) or ought to be(ought self).
• Differences between the actual self and either the ideal or ought self are called self-discrepancies.
• Such discrepancies can lead to negative emotions such as sadness and disappointment.
• Individuals have several sets of self-perceptions, including actual self, ideal self and ought self.
• These differing self-perceptions are central to self-discrepancy theory.

Self-Discrepancies and their Effects

• People experience high self-esteem when they meet personal standards (ideal or ought selves).
• Discrepancies between actual and ideal selves often lead to dejection-related emotions.
• Research demonstrates associations between self-discrepancies, actual/ideal body image and eating disorders.

Coping with Self-Discrepancy

• People use various strategies to manage self-discrepancies. Examples include changing behaviour in line with personal standards, choosing situations that reduce self-awareness (e.g., using alcohol)
• The amount of discrepancy, level of awareness, and importance of the discrepancy influence how people cope.

Factors Shaping the Self-Concept

• Self-concept is shaped by various factors—personal observations, feedback, and cultural values.
• Individuals often compare themselves to others in reference groups to understand their abilities and opinions (social comparison theory)

Subjectivity in Self-Evaluation

• People tend to view themselves in a positive light, often overestimating their abilities and qualities.
• They use various strategies to protect their self-esteem when faced with negative feedback or challenges.

Feedback from Others

• The self-concept is significantly shaped by feedback from other people, especially early in life from parents and other significant others.
• More generally, people are aware that their self-perceptions can be influenced by others’ opinions.

Cultural Values

• Cultural values shape self-concepts.
• Differences in cultural emphasis on individualism versus collectivism affect self-conceptions.

Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem is the evaluative component of the self-concept. It refers to how people regard their overall worth as a person.
• Self-esteem can be relatively stable, although daily events can cause fluctuations.
• Self-esteem is difficult to measure accurately because individuals often hold unrealistically positive views of themself.

Self-Regulation

• People actively manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours to reach personal goals (self-regulation).
• Self-efficacy—a belief that one can succeed—is important for self-regulation and persistence toward goals.

Self-Presentation

• Public self is how you want others to see you, which may or may not align with your self-concept.
• Individuals often engage in impression management—conscious efforts to present an ideal positive impression to others.
• Presentation, therefore, is how a person manages to create a favourable picture of themselves in social settings to influence others' thoughts or reactions.

Self-Attributions

• Self-attributions are inferences individuals make about causes of their behaviour.
• People tend towards internal (personal factors) or external (environmental factors) attributions.
• Internal-external attributions can influence their personal well-being, emotional state, mood and how they deal with events.
• Internal stability can lead to depression.

Self-Monitoring

• People vary in their awareness of how they are perceived by others.
• Self-monitoring refers to the degree to which individuals attend to and control impressions they make on others.
• High self-monitors are highly attentive to others' reactions and adapt their behaviours to align with expectations, whereas low self-monitors are less concerned with others' impressions.

This quiz explores the impact of parental attitudes and individualism on children's self-perception, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. It also addresses how self-awareness and social judgments influence individual behavior and mental health. Engage with thought-provoking questions that dive deep into psychological concepts and research findings.