Content Category 8A Self-identity

Foundational Concept 8 Content Category 8A: Self-identity Self-Concept, Self-identity, and Social Identity (PSY, SOC) Broadly defined as the sum of an individual’s knowledge and understanding of himself. Differs from self-consciousness (an awareness of oneself) because it includes physical, psychological, and social attributes, which can be influenced by the individual’s attitudes, habits, beliefs, and ideas. It is the answer you would give to the question, “Who am I?” Self Concept is how an individual defines himself based on beliefs that person has about himself—known as self-schemas. The role of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and locus of control in self-concept and self-identity (PSY) • • • Self esteem = how you feel about yourself Self efficacy = your confidence in succeeding Locus of control = who controls your fate o Internal locus = you control your fate o External locus = others, luck control your fate Carl Rogers – founder of the humanistic psychology perspective, believed that personality is composed of ideal self and real self • Ideal self – construct ed out of your life experiences, societal expectations and the things you admire about role models o The person you ought to be, where the real self is the person you actually are o If ideal self is similar to real self, the result is a positive self-concept o Usually, ideal self is an impossible standard, and the result is incongruity Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Locus of Control in Self-Concept and Identity • Self-efficacy – belief in one’s own competence and effectiveness. Improves performance • Locus of Control – can be internal or external o internal – belief that they are able to influence outcome through their own efforts o External – perceive outcomes as controlled by outside forces ▪ can lead to learned helplessness – phenomenon where people have a lack of action, even in areas in which they can exert some control • Self-esteem – one’s overall self-evaluation of one’s self worth. Self-efficacy an improve self-esteem if one has it for an activity that one values. However, if it is in an area that one does not value, it will not help self-esteem Self identity • Self-verification – tendency to seek out (and agree with) information that is consistent with one’s self concept Different types of identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, class) Different Identities—Social and Personal Personal identity – consists of one’s own sense of personal attributes (smart, funny) Social identity – consists of social definitions of who you are (race, gender, occupation) Different aspects of one’s identity: ADRESSING: Age, Disability status, Religion, Ethnicity/Race, Sexual Orientation, Socioeconomic status, Indigenous status, National identity, Gender Self-reference effect – tendency to better remember information relevant to ourselves. Inconsistent information is more difficult. It is easier to externalize information that opposes a self concept (blaming a bad test score on bad sleep rather than on intelligence). When people have positive self-concepts (I am intelligent), they tend to act positively and have more optimistic perceptions of the world Formation of Identity (PSY, SOC) Theories of identity development (e.g., gender, moral, psychosexual, social) Stages of Identity Development Identity formation, or individuation, is the development of a distinct individual personality. • Moral = Kohlberg = development of moral thinking by cognitive reasoning, resolving moral dilemmas and the concept of right and wrong. o Preconventional morality (preadolescent): centered on consequences ▪ Obedience: fear of punishment ▪ Self-interest: desire to gain reward o Conventional morality (adolescent): social roles ▪ Conformity: seeks approval of others. Eg. Good boys don’t steal. ▪ Law and order: social order. Eg. If everyone steals, then society wouldn’t function. o Postconventional morality (adult): social rules ▪ Social contract: individual rights. Eg. Everyone has a right to live. • • ▪ Universal human ethics: abstract principles. Eg. Bribing the teacher for a good grade just feels wrong... Psychosexual = Freud = our sexuality and libido (sex drive) influences our psychology, and manifests differently as we develop. Fixation (overindulgence or frustration) during a stage leads to problems later on. o Oral state (0-1): we like to feel orally, like sucking, biting, putting things in our mouth. Fixation at this stage leads to excessive dependency later on. o Anal stage (1-3): we like to feel anally, like defecating. Fixation can lead to excessive orderliness or sloppiness. o Phallic stage (3-5): males love mom and envy dad (Oedipal conflict). Females love dad and envy mom (Electra conflict). To resolve these conflicts, the child identifies with the same-sex parent and focuses energy on other things like school. o Latency stage: upon resolution of the Oedipal/Electra conflict o Genital stage: enters heterosexual relationship starting at puberty. Sexual traumas in early stages lead to homosexuality, asexuality or fetishism. Psychosocial = Erikson = social interactions shapes psychology. Conflicts caused by social demands causes problems later on. o Trust/mistrust (0-1): can I trust others? Conflict leads to later paranoia o Autonomy vs shame and doubt (1-3): can I be myself? Conflict leads to external locus of control. o Initiative vs guilt (3-6): can I act? Conflict leads to either being too afraid to act or overcompensating by showing off o Industry vs inferiority (6-12): can I be competent? Conflict leads to low self esteem and self efficacy o Identity vs role confusion (12-20): who am I? Conflict leads to lack of personality/identity. o Intimacy vs isolation (20-40): can I love? Conflict leads to isolation and inability to form true relationships. o Generativity vs stagnation (40-65): can I make a difference? Conflict leads to boredom or self-centeredness. o Integrity vs despair (65+): did I live a good life? Conflict leads to bitterness and fear of death. Influence of social factors on identity formation • Influence of individuals (e.g., imitation, looking-glass self, role-taking) Influence of Social Factors on Identity Formation Influence of Individuals • Imitation: we imitate role models, peers, especially those similar to us and those we identify with • • • Charles Cooley – American sociologist, posited idea of looking glass self – idea that person’s sense of self develops from interpersonal interactions with others in society and the perceptions of others; people shape their self-concepts based on their understanding of how others perceive them ou're friends see you as funny. Your boss sees you as lazy. Your ex sees you as dumb. Your looking-glass self is a combination of all of these different perceived versions of you by other people. George Herbert Mead – American sociologist, developed idea of social behaviorism: mind and self emerge through process of communicating with others. The idea that the mind and self emerge thorough the social process of communication or use of symbols was the beginning of the symbolic interactionism school of sociology. o Specific path of development: ▪ Preparatory stage – children merely imitate others ▪ Play stage – children take on roles of other through playing (ex: “Mom”) ▪ Game stage – children learn to consider multiple role simultaneously, and can understand the responsibilities of multiple roles ▪ Finally, develops understanding of the generalized other—the common behavioral expectations of general society o Also characterized the “me” and the “I” ▪ “me” – how the individual believes the general other perceives it—the social self ▪ “I” – the response to the “me”; in other words, the “I” is the response of the individual to the attitudes of others. • The “I” is the self as subject, the “me” is the self as object • “Me” is responsible for preventing the “I” from responding to society in a way that will violate social norms. • It is not possible to directly reflect on the “I” since the “I” is the part of the self that is doing the reflecting • • Influence of groups (e.g., reference group) • Reference group – standard measure that people compare themselves to Influence of culture and socialization on identity formation Influence of Culture and Socialization • Socialization – process through which people learn to be proficient and functional members of society o a lifelong process o Feral children – not raised with human contact or care; proof of the importance of human contact