Module 6: The Social Self (Cognitive Construct) PDF

MODULE 6 THE SOCIAL SELF LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  “if you are who you are… then WHO ARE YOU that makes you who you are?” LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT PSYCHOLOGY Areas of concern: HUMAN BEHAVI...

MODULE 6 THE SOCIAL SELF LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  “if you are who you are… then WHO ARE YOU that makes you who you are?” LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT PSYCHOLOGY Areas of concern: HUMAN BEHAVIOR and MENTAL PROCESESS At the foundation of all human behavior is the S E L F —our sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals. WILLIAM JAMES was one of the earliest psychologists to study the self and conceptualized the self as having 2 aspects: the “I” and the “me” 1. The I -is the thinking, acting and feeling self 2. The ME - Is the physical characteristics and the psychological capabilities that makes you who you are. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS conceptualize the S E L F using the basic principles of social psychology—that is, the relationship between individual persons and the people around them (the person-situation interaction) and the ABCs of social psychology—the AFFECTIVE, BEHAVIORAL and COGNITIVE components of the self.  COGNITIVE SELF SELF CONCEPT LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT SELF CONCEPT Part of what is developing in children as they grow is the fundamental cognitive part of the self, known as the self-concept. SELF-CONCEPT is a knowledge representation that 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. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  Throughout childhood and adolescence, the SELF-CONCEPT becomes more abstract and complex and is organized into a variety of different cognitive aspects of the self, known as SELF-SCHEMAS. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  Children have self-schemas about their: progress in school appearance skills at sports and other activities, and many other aspects. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  SELF-CONCEPT is the most important of all our schemas, it has an extraordinary degree of influence on our thoughts, LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT feelings, and behavior. COMPONENTS OF SELF CONCEPT PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Our physical characteristics are important to our self- concept because we realize that other people use them to judge us. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT COMPONENTS OF SELF CONCEPT PERSONALITY TRAITS The component of self concept related to personal characteristics. These are specific and stable personality characteristics that describe an individual “I am friendly” “I am shy” “I am persistent” LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT SOCIAL COMPONENT This is the more external aspect of self concept which includes one’s roles and memberships in the social groups that we belong to and care about. Examples: “I am an artist” “I am a mother, sister, daughter.” Group memberships form an important part of the self- concept because they provide us with our SOCIAL IDENTITY—the sense of our self that involves our LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT memberships in social groups. SELF-CONCEPT is a rich and complex social representation of who we are, encompassing both our internal characteristics and our social roles. Self-concept is related to several other “self” constructs, such as: SELF-ESTEEM SELF-IMAGE SELF-EFFICACY SELF-AWARENESS. SELF ESTEEM Our view of ourselves is also the product of how we feel about ourselves S E L F - E S T E E M refers to the positive (high self-esteem) or negative (low self-esteem) feelings that we have about ourselves. We experience the positive feelings of high self-esteem when we believe that we are good and worthy and that others view us positively. We experience the negative feelings of low self-esteem when we believe that we are inadequate and less worthy than others. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT SELF ESTEEM OUR SELF-ESTEEM IS DETERMINED BY: how well we view our own performance and appearance how satisfied we are with our relationships with other people LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT SELF ESTEEM Examples: When you have succeeded at an important task, when you have done something that you think is useful or important, or when you feel that you are accepted and valued by others, your self-concept will contain many positive thoughts and you will therefore have high self-esteem. When you have failed, or have done something harmful, or feel that you have been ignored or criticized, the negative aspects of the self-concept are more accessible and you LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT experience low self-esteem. SELF IMAGE S E L F - I M A G E is how an individual sees him- or herself, and it does not necessarily have to align with reality. A person’s self-image is based only on how they see themselves, while self-concept is a more comprehensive evaluation of the self based on how a person sees herself, values herself, thinks about herself, and feels about herself. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT SELF EFFICACY SELF-EFFICACY refers to an individual’s judgments of their own ABILITIES. It is an impression that one is capable of performing in a certain manner or attaining certain goals. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT SELF AWARENESS is the quality or trait that involves conscious awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and traits. To have a fully developed self-concept (and one that is based in reality), a person must have at least some level of self-awareness. When people lose their self-awareness, they experience D E I N D I V I D U A T I O N. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT Aside from our thoughts about who we are right now, 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  There are many theories about what exactly self- concept is and how it develops, but generally, theorists agree on these points: 1. On the broadest level, self-concept is the overall idea we have about who we are and includes cognitive and affective judgments about ourselves. 2. It is learned, not inherent. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  3. It is influenced by biological and environmental factors, but social interaction plays a big role as well. 4. Self-concept develops through childhood and early adulthood when it is more easily changed or updated. LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  5. It can be changed in later years, but it is more of an uphill battle since people have established ideas about who they are. 6. Self-concept does not always align with reality. When it does, our self-concept is “congruent.” When it doesn’t, our self-concept is “incongruent.” LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  PERSONS WITH POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT : :  See themselves as intelligent persons.  perceive themselves as important members of his community.  See themselves as good friends.  think of themselves as nurturing and caring persons.  View themselves as a hard-working and competent LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT  PERSONS WITH NEGATIVE SELF-CONCEPTS: See themselves as stupid and slow. Perceive themselves as expendable and a burden on the community. See themselves as a terrible person Think of themselves as a cold and unapproachable persons View themselves as lazy and incompetent LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT IMPROVING ONE’S SELF CONCEPT Here are activities which when implemented in your life, will help you develop the positive self concept necessary to achieve personal success. Find one of the items which you can easily implement. Then build on your success by trying other activities until you have a complete repertoire of positive experiences LESSON 3- THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT 1. WAKE UP HAPPY. Optimism and pessimism are learned behavioral attitudes. One of the best ways to develop a positive self-image is to start early in life, or at least early on any given day. 2. USE POSITIVE SELF-TALK THROUGHOUT THE DAY. “Today is going to be a great day.” “Everything is going to work out.” “We’re going to make it.” “I’m going to close this deal.” “Next time I’ll do better.” 3. FIND SOMETHING GOOD in all your personal relationships and accentuate the blessings or lessons in even the most trying of circumstances. 4. PROVIDE WARMTH, KINDNESS AND FRIENDSHIP TO OTHERS. These are the most yearned-for commodities in the world. Everyone wants recognition, attention, praise and acceptance. We bristle at criticism and respond warmly to a compliment. 5. BE EMPATHETIC Learn how others feel and consider where they are coming from before criticizing or passing judgment. Even if you can't feel for everyone you meet, be certain that you feel with every living thing you encounter. It's the key to positive self-awareness. 6. GIVE OF YOURSELF. Spend time listening to and giving encouragement to someone else. Treat people like brothers and sisters. Provide value to someone 7. SEE PROBLEMS AS OPPORTUNITIES Make a list of your most pressing problems. Write a one-sentence definition of the problem. Now rewrite the problem, only this time view it as an opportunity or exercise to challenge your creative ingenuity. 8.LEARN TO STAY RELAXED AND FRIENDLY no matter how much tension you’re under. Instead of griping, single out something or someone to praise. When tension or anxiety is present in a room, lower the pitch and tone of your voice, breathe slowly and deeply, sit back and relax your muscles, and respond calmly. 9. EXPECT THE BEST FROM OTHERS, TOO. Two of the keys of leadership are encouragement and praise. Vocalize, on a daily basis, your optimism and positive expectancy 10. ASSOCIATE WITH OPTIMISTS AND WINNERS. The best way to stay positive is to surround yourself with upbeat people. Remain optimistic by associating with winners and optimists. You can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. Avoid people and situations where you become susceptible to the negative influences of others. 11. READ A BIOGRAPHY EACH MONTH of someone you admire. As you read, imagine yourself achieving the same accomplishments. Implement in your life the qualities you admire in those whom you read about. 12. REPLACE THE WORD CAN’T WITH CAN in your daily conversation. The vast majority of challenges you 13. REPLACE THE WORD TRY WITH WILL IN YOUR DAILY VOCABULARY. Exhibit a new attitude of dwelling on things that you will do, rather than the things you plan to try. Replace “I have to” or “I should” with “I want to” or “I get to”. 14. FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION AND EFFORT ON ACHIEVING THE OBJECTIVES YOU ARE INVOLVED INRIGHT NOW. Focus on the present or the future, not the past. Learn from the past, but don’t live in it. Forget about past failures. Remember, you are what you think about most. 15. TAKE THE BLAME AND THE CREDIT HONESTLY AND OPENLY FOR YOUR POSITION IN LIFE. Accept what 16. DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR FEARS Fears are a part of being human. Share your fears with someone who can help you look at them realistically. Discard those fears that are not helpful to you. 17. MAKE A LIST OF FIVE OF YOUR MOST IMPORTANT CURRENT WANTS OR DESIRES Next to each, write what the benefit or payoff is to you when it's achieved. Look at this list before you go to bed each night and upon awakening each morning. Determine one thing you will do each day to move you closer toward the things you want. 18. LIMIT YOUR TELEVISION VIEWING TO STIMULATING, UPLIFTING SHOWS. Non-selective television viewing leads to tunnel vision and lethargy and diminishes creative imagination. Positive, forward-looking people have little time for television. 19. ENHANCE YOUR APPEARANCE. Since self-image is the conceptual, visual display of your self-esteem, assess those things which display yourself: clothes, vehicle, home, garage, closet, dresser drawers, desk, etc. Sharpen all of the expressions of your life. No expense is necessary. Clean and press your 20. INVEST IN YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT. Read books, listen to tapes, attend seminars. Listen to educational and inspirational cassette tapes while you drive and before retiring in the evening. Listening sparks the imagination and, as in learning a foreign language, promotes permanent memory retention. Take charge of your life! 21. SEE THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE when you look in the mirror. It takes just as much work and effort for a bad life as it does for a good one, so choose to be what you have 22. FINISH UNPLEASANT TASKS. Make a list of any necessary, but unpleasant, tasks you have been putting off. Put a completion date after each task and start and finish each one. Immediate action on unpleasant projects reduces stress and tension, thereby raising your self-image. 23. MAINTAIN GOOD POSTURE. Make a conscious effort to walk more erectly with a relaxed, but more rapid, pace. There is a strong correlation between the way you walk and how you feel about yourself. 24. SMILE It’s contagious. Smile and the world smiles with you. Your 25. SET YOUR OWN INTERNAL STANDARDS rather than comparing yourself to others. Keep upgrading your own standards in personal grooming, lifestyle, behavior, professional accomplishments, relationships, etc. 26. DO WHAT IS RIGHT You cannot do wrong and feel right. You cannot be bad and feel good. The right thing to do is usually apparent in most situations. Choose the right path. Do the right thing. Perhaps nothing impacts your self-image more than doing what is right.