Social Self And Self-Representation Module 2 PDF

LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this modules, the students are expected to: 1. Define and describe concepts in the cognitive self, feeling self, and social self. 2. Differentiate the various types of self-awareness and self-consciousness. 3. Explore how we sometimes overestimate the accuracy...

LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this modules, the students are expected to: 1. Define and describe concepts in the cognitive self, feeling self, and social self. 2. Differentiate the various types of self-awareness and self-consciousness. 3. Explore how we sometimes overestimate the accuracy with which other people view us. 4. Explore findings indicating diversity in self-esteem in relation to culture, gender, and age. 5. Explore the impact of the labeling bias, self-labeling, and internalized prejudice on people’s self- concepts, particularly in those from marginalized social groups. 6. Give examples of the use of upward and downward social comparison and their influences on social cognition and affect. 7. Describe the concept of self-presentation and identify the various strategies we use to portray ourselves to others. 8. Describe the concept of reputation management and how it relates to self-presentation. 9. Describe the individual-difference variable of self-monitoring and how it relates to the ability and desire to self-present. The Social Self: The Role of the Social Situation SELF Our sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals. Aspects of Cognitive aspect  Self-concept - the thoughts that we hold about ourselves self:  Self-awareness - the extent to which we are currently fixing our attention on our own self-concept Affective aspect  Self-esteem - the positive or negative feelings that we have about ourselves Social aspect - It includes how we present ourselves to others in order to portray a positive self-image, as well as the many ways that our thoughts and feelings about ourselves are determined by our relationships with others. THE COGNITIVE SELF: THE SELF-CONCEPT AND SELF- AWARENESS  SELF- CONCEPT Self- It is the knowledge representation that concept contains knowledge about us, including our beliefs about our personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles, as well as the knowledge that we exist as individuals. Self-concept is the most important of all our schemas, it has an extraordinary degree of influence on our thoughts, feelings, and behavior.  Self- Finding that the Reference information that is Effect processed in relationship to the self is particularly well remembered. The more you personalize something, the better you will remember it.  Each person has a unique self-concept, we can identify some characteristics that are common across the responses given by different people on the measure. a. Physical characteristics b. Personality traits c. Social identity Physical characteristics Our physical characteristics are important to our self- concept because we realize that other people use them to judge us. Personality The specific and stable personality traits characteristics that describe an individual (“I am friendly,” “I am shy,” “I am persistent”). These individual differences are important determinants of behavior, and this aspect of the self-concept varies among people. Social identity The sense of our self that involves our memberships in social groups.  The self-concept also includes thoughts about our past self—our experiences, accomplishments, and failures—and about our future self— our hopes, plans, goals, and possibilities (Oyserman, Bybee, Terry, & Hart-Johnson, 2004).  Self- Self-complexity it is the extent to complexity which individuals have many different and relatively independent ways of thinking about themselves (Linville, 1987; Roccas & Brewer, 2002). – Having a complex self means that we have a lot of different ways of thinking about ourselves.  Research has found that compared with people low in self-complexity, those higher in self-complexity tend to experience more positive outcomes, including higher levels of self- esteem (Rafaeli-Mor & Steinberg, 2002), lower levels of stress and illness (Kalthoff & Neimeyer, 1993), and a greater tolerance for frustration (Gramzow, Sedikides, Panter, & Insko, 2000).  The benefits of self-complexity occur because the various domains of the self help to buffer us against negative events and enjoy the positive events that we experience. – For people low in self-complexity, negative outcomes in relation to one aspect of the self tend to have a big impact on their self-esteem.  Self- Self-concept clarity is the extent to which concept one’s self-concept is clearly and consistently defined (Campbell, 1990). clarity – Higher self-concept clarity is positively related to self-esteem (Campbell et al., 1996).  Self- Having a clear and stable view of ourselves can help us in our relationships. concept – As Lewandowski and colleagues (2010) argue, when we have a clear self- clarity concept, we may be better able to consistently communicate who we are and what we want to our partner, which will promote greater understanding and satisfaction. Self- Awareness It refers to the extent to which we are currently fixing our attention on our own self-concept.  Self-consciousness – When our self-concept becomes highly accessible because of our concerns about being observed and potentially judged by others (Duval & Wicklund, 1972; Rochat, 2009). – Emotions such as anxiety and embarrassment occur in large part because the self-concept becomes highly accessible, and they serve as a signal to monitor and perhaps change our behavior. Deindividuation It is the loss of individual self-awareness and individual accountability in groups (Festinger, Pepitone, & Newcomb, 1952; Zimbardo, 1969) and become more attuned to themselves as group members and to the specific social norms of the particular situation (Reicher & Stott, 2011). – For example, participation in mass demonstration and riots, they may become so much a part of the group that they experience.  Self in Two aspects of individual differences in self-awareness have Public been found to be important, and Interest they relate to self-concern and other-concern: a. Private self-consciousness b. Public self-consciousness  Private self-consciousness – It refers to the tendency to introspect about our inner thoughts and feelings. – People who are high in private self-consciousness tend to think about themselves a lot and agree with statements such as “I’m always trying to figure myself out” and “I am generally attentive to my inner feelings.” – People who are high on private self-consciousness are likely to base their behavior on their own inner beliefs and values—they let their inner thoughts and feelings guide their actions—and they may be particularly likely to strive to succeed on dimensions that allow them to demonstrate their own personal accomplishments (Lalwani et al., 2009).  Public self-consciousness – It refers to the tendency to focus on our outer public image and to be particularly aware of the extent to which we are meeting the standards set by others. – Those high in public self-consciousness agree with statements such as “I’m concerned about what other people think of me,” “Before I leave my house, I check how I look,” and “I care a lot about how I present myself to others.”  Self-Awareness Theory When we focus our attention on ourselves, we tend to compare our current behavior against our internal standards (Duval & Wicklund, 1972). SELF-DISCREPANCY THEORY It states that when we perceive a discrepancy between our actual and ideal selves, this is distressing to us (Higgins, Klein, & Strauman, 1987).  SELF-AFFIRMATION THEORY It suggests that people will try to reduce the threat to their self-concept posed by feelings of self-discrepancy by focusing on and affirming their worth in another domain, unrelated to the issue at hand.  ONLINE ENVIRONMENTS The role of the self-concept in influencing people’s choice of avatars is only just beginning to be researched, but some evidence suggests that gamers design avatars that are closer to their ideal than their actual selves. THE FEELING SELF: SELF-ESTEEM Self-esteem It is the overall attitude toward self – positive (high self-esteem) or negative (low self-esteem).  People’s self-esteem seems to be responsive to life events. When we reflect on our achievements, self- esteem increases. When we consider our failures, self-esteem decreases. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale The most common method of measuring personal self-esteem as an overall trait-like self-evaluation which consist of 10-items. IMPLICIT SELF-ESTEEM Feelings about the self of which we are not consciously aware.  People often engage in positive self-talk, especially when preparing for a challenge. Recent research has found that such positive self-talk in low self-esteem people can backfire and make them feel less happy about themselves. High self-esteem – especially when it is unstable – is associated with violent reactions when that superior view of the self is threatened. There is a small but reliable gender difference in self-esteem. Men have higher self-esteem than women. Women have historically occupied lower status in social positions and are frequently targets of prejudice. Self-efficacy It is the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the sources of action required to manage prospective situations. – Albert Bandura, 1986 How competent we fill on a task.  Children and adults with strong feelings of self- efficacy are more persistent, less anxious, and less depressed. They also live healthier lives and are more academically successful.  In everyday life, self-efficacy leads us to set challenging goals and to persist. When problems arise, a strong sense of self-efficacy lead workers to stay calm and seek solutions rather than ruminate on their adequacy. COMPETENCE + PERSISTENCE = ACCOMPLISHMENT And with accomplishment, self-confidence grows. Self-efficacy grows with hard-won achievements. Difference between SELF-EFFICACY and SELF- ESTEEM If you believe you can do something, that’s self- efficacy. “I know you can do it!” (intended to build self-efficacy) If you like yourself overall, that’s self-esteem “You’re special!” (intended to build self-esteem) THE SOCIAL SELF: THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL SITUATION Self-verification theory How feedback can affect our self-concept and self- esteem. Social situation defines our self-concept and our self- esteem. We rely on others to provide a “social reality” – to help us determine what to think, feel and do. LOOKING-GLASS SELF (CHARLES COOLY) It states that part of how we see ourselves comes from our perception of how others see us. Sometimes the influence of other people’s appraisals of ourselves on our self-concept may be so strong that we end up internalizing them. a.Labeling bias  It occurs when we are labeled, and others’ views and expectations of us are affected by that labeling.  For example, if a teacher knows that a child has been diagnosed with a particular psychological disorder, that teacher may have different expectations and explanations of the child’s behavior than he or she would if not aware of that label. b. Self-labeling  It occurs when we are repeatedly labeled and evaluated by others which happened when we adopt other’s labels explicitly into our self-concept.  Internalized prejudice – it occurs when individuals turn prejudice directed toward them by others onto themselves. c. Social Comparison Theory It occurs when we learn about our abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and validity of our opinions, and about our relative social status by comparing our own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those of others – people with whom we interact with, we read about or see on TV. The most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those we see as similar to ourselves. Downward Social Comparison Upward Social Comparison The outcomes of upward and downward social comparisons can have a substantial impact on our feelings, on our attempts to do better, and even on whether or not we want to continue performing an activity. DOWNWARD SOCIAL COMPARISON It occurs when we attempt to create a positive image of ourselves through favorable comparisons with others who are worse off than we are.  UPWARD SOCIAL COMPARISON It occurs when we compare ourselves with others who are better off than we are.  Social Identity It asserts that we draw Theory part of our sense of identity and self-esteem from the social groups that we belong to. SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY Basking in the reflected glory Our self-esteem is enhance when we use and advertise our ingroups’ positive achievements to boost our self-esteem. When people in our ingroups perform well, social identity theory suggests that we tend to make intergroup social comparisons, by seeing our group as doing better than other groups, we come to feel better about ourselves. Self-evaluation maintenance theory – it asserts that our self- esteem can be threatened when someone else outperforms us, particularly if that person is close to us and the performance domain is central to our self-concept. This theory leads to the interesting implication that these threats will often occur in the context of our family relationships and they have been shown to be an integral part of both family functioning in general. SELF-PRESENTATION The tendency to present a positive self-image to others, with the goal of increasing our social status. We attempt to convince others that we are good and worthy people by appearing attractive, strong, intelligent, and likable and by saying positive things to others. FIVE SELF-PRESENTATION STRATEGIES: 1. The goal of ingratiation is to create liking by using flattery or charm. 2. The goal of intimidation is to create fear by showing that you can be aggressive. 3. The goal of exemplification is to create guilt by showing that you are a better person than the other. 4. The goal of supplication is to create pity by indicating to others that you are helpless and needy. 5. The goal of self-promotion is to create respect by persuading others that you are competent. ONE CONCRETE WAY TO SELF-PROMOTE IS TO DISPLAY OUR POSITIVE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. This is why many of us spend money on improving our physical appearance is the desire to look good to others so that they will like us. People who talk more and louder and those who initiate more social interactions are afforded higher status. REPUTATION MANAGEMENT It is a form of long-term self-presentation, where individuals seek to build and sustain specific reputations with important audiences. It can be used to help explain a wide variety of social and antisocial behaviors, including corporate branding, sociomoral debate, and teenage criminal activity. SELF-MONITORING It refers to the tendency to be both motivated and capable of regulating our behavior to meet the demands of social situations. High self-monitors use self-presentation to try to get other people to like them by behaving in ways that the others find desirable, whereas low self-monitors tend to follow their internal convictions more than the demands of the social situation.