Self and Identity PDF

# Meaning of Self and Identity The self is the continually developing sense of awareness and agency that guides action and takes shape as the individual becomes attuned to the various environments it inhabits. The self includes both the 'I' that reflects/experiences and the 'me' who is the object...

# Meaning of Self and Identity The self is the continually developing sense of awareness and agency that guides action and takes shape as the individual becomes attuned to the various environments it inhabits. The self includes both the 'I' that reflects/experiences and the 'me' who is the object of reflection and experience. 'I' is the knower and 'Me' is the known. 'Me' is 'who' part of I - the thoughts, needs, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, values one has. The 'me' aspect is constituted by and embedded within the moment to moment situations. For example, when we succeed, we feel that we are competent. When we fail, we feel incompetent. At times, we crave for stimulation, and at times, we need peace and quiet. The self is always situated and, as a consequence, it always reflects its contexts. Self includes not only what I think about me (personal perspective) but also what others may think of me (other's perspective). # Identity Identity can be understood as the definition of self, i.e., it refers to a consistent sense of self, providing directions about what one can do, where does one belong, what to value. ## Varieties of Self: * **The private self** includes cognitions about traits, states or behaviours of oneself ("I am kind", "I enjoy reading books"). It is an assessment of 'self by the self. * **The collective self** includes assessments about self by a specific group such as family, caste group, coworkers/peers, etc. ("My friends think I am a boring person", "My family makes fun of my soft-heartedness"). * **The public self** includes cognitions about the self coming from generalized others ("People usually perceive me as introverted", "Others think I can be easily bullied"). * **The independent self** takes one's own thoughts, feelings, and motives to be the basis of one's behaviour. Interactions with others produce a sense of being autonomous, separate, or distinct. * **Interdependent self**, the immediate referent is the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others with whom the person is in relationship. It is a sense of self as connected to, related to, or interdependent with others. # Dimensions of Self There are 5 dimensions of self: 1. **Spiritual Dimension:** Spirituality is the feeling of oneness with the universal. It has no set methods but relies on universal values such as harmony, peace, beauty, truth, perfection, equality, and silence. Spirituality enables us to lead more satisfied, fulfilled, and enriched lives. It also leads to the development of a strong sense of self. 2. **Mental Dimension:** Mind is a wonderful instrument, and it is fascinating to watch the functioning of the mind. If you trace the development of the mind, you will find that performs diverse functions. In the beginning, the mind tries to reason out and solve simple problems. It slowly graduates from simple to complex concepts and moves to abstract. It receives information and impressions from its senses and then processes them by organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing, and then finally expresses and communicates the ideas through language. The mind refers to that part of nature which deals with cognition, intelligence, ideas, thoughts, perceptions, mental formations, mental vision, and wills. Mind is like a reflective mirror which is capable of receiving information and images external to itself and more vast than itself. It is an instrument of organization and formation of mental movements and needs nurturing for optimal development. 3. **Social Dimension:** The socio-cultural process begins at birth and continues to expand as we grow. It is characterized by the understanding of 'self' and of the awareness of 'others'. This awareness of others begins with the mother who takes care of the infant and slowly expands to the other members of the family. The infant observes his surroundings, people try to reach out to others and interact with them, and thus the process of socialization begins. Through socialization the self gains experience about one's surroundings. 4. **Emotional Dimension:** Emotions are the release of pent-up energies or feelings of the individual, accompanied by internal or external changes in the body. Love, jealousy, anger, fear, and hatred are examples of emotions. Emotions involve excitement or depression or happiness of the being, in response to certain external stimuli. Whether it is a positive or negative response, most people would agree that emotions add richness and meaning to human existence. Without emotions, the self would not be able to express its feelings. Emotions, are therefore, the primary motivational system of human beings and form an indispensable aspect of their being. 5. **Physical Dimension:** These include: * Physical growth and development. * The body as the being of habits. * The body as the being of method, order and discipline. * The body having its own memory. **Physical Culture:** Physical culture includes cultivation of the right kind of habits and attitudes regarding food, sleep, posture, rest, and relaxation. **Physical Quality:** Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Balance, Endurance. **Physical Skill:** Speed, Agility Suppleness, Neuro muscular coordination. # Characteristics of a Well-Integrated Self * Maintains a balance between work, play, and leisure activities. * Shows respect to oneself, and others. * Maintains healthy relationships with peers, friends, and family. * Is independent, confident and has high self-esteem. * Has a positive attitude towards life. * Is open to explore, experiment and experience life. * Maintains a healthy rhythm with regard to nutrition, sleep, physical exercise, food, rest, and relaxation. * Enjoys freedom and responsibility simultaneously. * Has a quest for a deeper knowledge of self and the divine. * Has a sense of humour. * Shows emotional maturity in one's behaviour. * Displays positive traits such as honesty, cheerfulness and perseverance. * Is self-aware, self-accepting and self-determining. # Self Categorisation Theory Developed by John Turner, it is a psychological theory that explains how individuals perceive themselves within various social contexts. ## Key Concepts of Self Categorisation Theory: 1. **Self categorisation:** Individuals categorise themselves into various social groups (Gender, nationality, profession). This process is influenced by the context and can shift based on the situation. 2. **Social Identity:** This is the part of an individual's self-concept derived from their membership in a social group. It can affect behaviour attitudes and perceptions. 3. **Depersonalization:** When individuals categorise themselves as a part of a group, they may emphasize similarities with the group and downplay individual difference leading to a sense of shared identity. This can lead to group behaviour where the actions are more aligned with group norms than personal preferences. 4. **Prototypes:** Within any social group there are prototypes or typical examples that represent the norms and behaviours of the group within any social group. Individuals compare themselves, adjust their behaviours accordingly. ## Applications of Self Categorisation Theory: This theory is used to understand various social phenomenon such as group dynamics, leadership, intergroup conflict, and social influence. It is particularly relevant to understanding how social identity threats or how they behave in group settings. # Looking Glass Self Cooley's theory of self is one in which we learn who we are through our interactions with others. This is known as the looking glass self. This basically means that our self-image comes from our own self-reflection and from what others think of us. Cooley believed that it is through these interactions that one begins to develop an idea of who they are; therefore, the self is a product of our social interactions. There are two phases to the development of self, according to the looking glass self theory: 1. **We imagine how we present ourselves to others.** 2. **We imagine how others evaluate us.** We develop some sort of feeling about ourselves based upon our perception of what we think others have of us (other's perception of us). Result is that individuals will change their behavior based on what they feel other people think about them, even if not necessarily true. In this way, social interaction acts as a "mirror" or a "looking-glass," since one's sense of self and self-esteem is built off of others. For example, an individual may walk into a job interview with confidence and attempt to display this confidence. A person in this situation most often examines the reactions of the interviewers to see if they are positively or negatively reacting to it. If the individual notices positive reactions, such as nodding heads or smiles, this might further develop the individual's sense of self-confidence. If the individual notices negative reactions, such as a lack of interest, this confidence in self often becomes shaken and reformed in order to better oneself, even if the perceived judgements were not necessarily true. # Cultural Influences on the Self Culture is a historically determined set of denotative (what is), normative (what should be), and pragmatic (how to do) knowledge shared by a group of individuals who participate in a form of social structure. Society refers to pattern interrelationship among categories such as gender, caste, sex, race, class, religion, language, and their relative status and role. Cultural and society socialize their members. It shares 3 purposes:- 1. **Self regulation:** It is the capacity to exercise self-control over one's impulses and wishes and self-direct oneself in accordance with social norms. It is dependent on the development of conscience which monitors whether or not our behaviours are in accordance with rules and values. If not, then one feels ashamed or guilty. 2. **Role preparation:** We learn the worthwhile roles of the society such as student role, daughter role, son role, marital roles, employee role, citizen role through socialization. We acquire know-how about the functions of these roles. 3. **Sources of meaning:** As existential beings, we continuously make meaning of our lives and worlds, we ponder over questions of life and death, reality and fiction, matters of happiness and suffering. It is from social interactions with members of one's own culture that we derive these meanings. # Self Efficacy: Improving Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy is an individual's optimistic belief in their innate ability, competence or chances of successfully accomplishing a task and producing a favorable outcome. ## How To Develop Self-Efficacy: 1. **Performance Experience:** The first and foremost source of self-efficacy is through mastery experiences. However, nothing is more powerful than having a direct experience of mastery to increase self-efficacy. Having a success, for example, in mastering a task or controlling an environment will build self-belief in that area whereas a failure will undermine that efficacy belief. To have a resilient sense of self-efficacy requires experience in overcoming obstacles through effort and perseverance. 2. **Vicarious Experience:** The second source of self-efficacy comes from our observation of people around us, especially people we consider as role models. Seeing people similar to ourselves succeed by their sustained effort raises our beliefs that we too possess the capabilities to master the activities needed for success in that area. 3. **Social Persuasion:** Influential people in our lives such as parents, teachers, managers, or coaches can strengthen our beliefs that we have what it takes to succeed. Being persuaded that we possess the capabilities to master certain activities means that we are more likely to put in the effort and sustain it when problems arise. 4. **Imaginal Experiences:** Psychologist James Maddux has suggested a fifth route to self-efficacy through "imaginal experiences," the art of visualising yourself behaving effectively or successfully in a given situation. 5. **Physical and Emotional States:** The state you're in will influence how you judge your self-efficacy. Depression, for example, can dampen confidence in our capabilities. Stress reactions or tension are interpreted as signs of vulnerability to poor performance whereas positive emotions can boost our confidence in our skills.