CHAPTER 3

The Self

© 2014 Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Chapter Topics

What is the Self? Where Self-Knowledge Comes From

Self and Information Processing

Self Esteem, Self-Deception, and Positive Illusions

Self-Presentation

Debate: Post-Mortem Plastic Surgery More and more people are requesting plastic surgery after death, to help them look their best for their funeral What does this say about our cultural need to be accepted and admired?

How else do people try to control how others perceive them?

What is the Self?

Is the self an illusion? Why are human selves put together the way they are?

What is the purpose of a self? Who makes the self: the individual or society?

Do you have an inner “true” self, and if so, is it the “real” you?

Purpose of the Self

Gain social acceptance Play social roles

Society creates and defines roles The individual seeks and adopts them

How does your behavior differ when you’re interacting with a professor, coworker, parent, or friend? How do these differences reflect varying social roles?

The ABCs of the Self

Affect: How do we evaluate ourselves, enhance our self-images, and defend against threats to our self-esteem?

Behavior: How do we regulate our actions and present ourselves according to interpersonal demands?

Cognition: How do we come to know ourselves, develop a self-concept, and maintain a stable sense of identity?

Cultural Differences of Selfhood Independent self-construal

What makes the self different? Interdependent self-construal

What connects the self to the group?

Self-Awareness

Private self-awareness What are my inner thoughts, emotions, and desires?

• Public self-awareness What do others think of me?

How do standards affect self-awareness?

Self Awareness Theory

Duval & Wicklund (1972)

Self-Awareness and Behavior How does self-awareness shape behavior? How does being in front of a mirror change our behavior?

How do people react when self-awareness makes them feel badly about themselves? What types of behaviors do people engage in to avoid self-awareness?

Purposes of Self-Awareness How does self-awareness lead to self-regulation?

How does self-awareness help us adopt the perspective of other people? Why is it important to understand others’ perspectives?

How does self-awareness encourage people to manage their behavior in order to reach their goals?

Food for Thought

Why do people who diet binge eat? How does the act of eating serve as an escape from problems?

Dieters are high in public self-consciousness, but low in private self-awareness Eating provides a low-level distraction from thoughts about self

Dieters may lose an awareness of “fullness”

Self Knowledge comes from: Looking outside Looking inside Looking at others

Self-Knowledge: Looking Outside The looking-glass self (Cooley, 1902) Imagine how you appear to others Imagine how others will judge you Develop an emotional response as a result of imagining how others will judge you

The generalized other (Mead, 1934) Combination of others’ views informs us

Self-Knowledge: Looking Outside (cont’d.)

What happens when someone views you differently from how you view yourself?

People respond to feedback from others, but there are discrepancies between the view of self and others’ views What happens when people are not completely honest to friends and acquaintances?

What happens when people are not receptive to negative feedback about themselves?

The classic: Does this make me look fat?”

Self-Knowledge: Looking Inside Introspection: examining your thoughts and feelings How do we have privileged access to our inner processes?

Limitations of introspection Development & children’s views of themselves

People aren’t always privy to their true motivations (Nisbett & Wilson, 1977)

Self-Knowledge: Looking At Others How can social comparison help people learn about themselves? How can upward social comparisons inspire? How can they discourage?

What effect can downward social comparisons have on a person’s self-esteem?

Self-Perception

Self-perception theory (Bem, 1965) People look at their behaviors and adjust their self-perception accordingly

Does this contradict the “privileged access” of introspection?

The overjustification effect Does play become work when it is rewarded?

Consider the role of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation in your own life

Fluctuating Image(s) of Self Phenomenal self (working self-concept)

The aspects of self that are currently “on display” What parts of you are you aware of right now?

Heightened awareness of aspects of yourself associated with differences in the group around you How does being the only member of a racial group on a committee affect a person?

Why might this awareness impair performance?

Why People Seek Self-Knowledge Appraisal motive

Looking for the truth about oneself Self-enhancement motive

Looking for flattering aspects of oneself

Consistency motive Looking for confirmation about current beliefs about oneself

Can Self-Concept Change? When do people change so much that their self-concept changes?

How do social forces affect self-concept changes? How does this relate to brain-washing? How might promoting change bolster the success of recovering addicts?

How do people revise memories after their self-concept has changed?

SELF ESTEEM

The affective componentof the self consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations

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Self-Esteem What are the differences in the way people with high self-esteem versus low self-esteem view themselves?

How does low self-esteem affect people? How do they view failure? Why might they have self-concept confusion?

Why is self-protection important to them?

Self-Esteem Myths

Are the effects of low self-esteem in the United States a myth?

Reality and Illusion

How do positive illusions help stave off depression?

What types of positive illusions do “normal” people have? Overestimating good qualities Underestimating faults Overestimating one’s control over events

Being unrealistically optimistic

How People Fool Themselves How do people use self-deception strategies to maintain a positive outlook? Using self-serving bias Being more skeptical of bad feedback Remembering good things more Making comparisons with those slightly worse

Skewing impressions of others to highlight own good traits as unusual

Choosing definitions wisely

The Social Side of Sex: Self-Esteem and Saying No to Sex Evidence does not show that high self-esteem is associated with youngsters who say no to sex

A link between low self-esteem and virginity in men (age 20) exists, but not in women

However, women with high self-esteem tend to ignore pregnancy risk and underestimate dangers of sex

Why Do We Care About Self-Esteem? What are some benefits of self-esteem? Does self-esteem predict success, and if so, in what situations?

Sociometer theory How does self-esteem measure social acceptability?

Theory of terror management How does self-esteem let us avoid our own mortality?

Is High Self-Esteem Always Good? How is narcissism related to high self-esteem? Is high self-esteem beneficial for both parties in a relationship?

Is having more initiative always a good thing? Consider bullies vs. those who stand up to them

Pursuing Self-Esteem

How can pursuing self-esteem have harmful consequences? Taking the easy road to ensure success Impairing autonomy Needing to meet expectations of others Weakening individual intrinsic motivation

Impairing learning Damaging relationships Potentially harmful to health

Self-Presentation

Why is public esteem more important than private self-esteem to most people?

Self-presentation: behaviors that convey an image to others How do users present themselves on Facebook? Are these self-presentations authentic?

How do public behaviors differ from private ones?

What Makes Us Human?

What makes us special? What role does self-awareness play in society?

What is the motivation for self-knowledge?

How do differing roles and extrinsic motivation highlight what sets humans apart from other animals?

http://youtu.be/kG_QhttG6jo

Conclusion

Humans have self-concept that distinguishes them from others

Yet, humans also crave social acceptance

Self-esteem and self-presentation play an important role in establishing and preserving the self