The Self, Identity, Emotion, and Personality (Modules 1 and 2)

Chapter 4: The Self, Identity, Emotion, and Personality (Modules 1 and 2) Key Ideas/Terms to Know (be sure to define IN YOUR OWN WORDS for best understanding) The self: All of the characteristics about a person Possible self: What individuals might become, what they would like to become, and what they are afraid of becoming Perspective taking: The ability to assume another personÕs perspective and understand his or her thoughts and feelings Narcissism: A self-centered and self-concerned approach towards others Self-regulation: The ability to control oneÕs behavior without having to rely on others for help Identity: Who a person believes he or she is, representing a synthesis and integration of self-understanding Identity vs. identity confusion: EriksonÕs fifth developmental stage, which occurs during adolescence. At this time, individuals are faced with deciding who they are, what they are all about, and where they are going in life Psychological moratorium: EriksonÕs term for the gap between childhood security and adult autonomy that adolescents experience as part of their identity exploration Crisis: A period of identity development during which the adolescent is choosing among meaningful alternatives Commitment: The part of the identity development in which adolescents show a personal investment in what they are going to do Identity diffusion: MarciaÕs term for the state adolescents are in when they have not yet experienced an identity crisis or made any commitment Identity foreclosure: MarciaÕs term for the state adolescents are in when they have made a commitment but have not experienced an identity crisis Identity moratorium: MarciaÕs term for the state of adolescents who are in the midst of an identity crisis but who have not made a clear commitment to an identity Identity achievement: MarciaÕs term for an adolescent who has undergone an identity crisis and made a commitment Individuality: An important element in the adolescent identity development. It consists of two dimensions: selfassertion, the ability to have and communicate a point of view; and the separateness, the use of communication patterns to express how one is different from others Chapter 4: The Self, Identity, Emotion, and Personality (Modules 1 and 2) Connectedness: An important element in adolescent identity development. It consists of two dimensions: mutuality, which is the sensitivity to and respect for others views; and permeability, which is openness to othersÕ views Ethnic identity: An enduring, basic aspect of the self that includes a sense of membership in an ethnic group and the attitudes and feelings related to that membership Bicultural identity: Identity formation that occurs when adolescents identify in some ways with their ethnic group and in order ways with the majority culture Intimacy vs. isolation: EriksonÕs sixth stage of development, which individuals experience during early adulthood. At this time, individuals face the developmental task of forming intimate relationships with others Self Understanding: The individualÕs cognitive representation of the self; the substance and the content of self conceptions Narcissism: A self-centered and self-concerned approach towards others Self-Concept: Domainspecific evaluations of the self Self-Esteem: The global evaluative dimension of the self; also referred to as self worth or self image Directions: As you read, you should be sure to be able to answer these questions. While I will not be collecting your responses, I will also expect that in your preparation for class sessions, you will be able to participate in discussions related to these questions AND that you will bring your questions related to the chapter materials to the class. Any presentations related to the material in this chapter will extend the materials covered herein and WILL NOT review the full chapter. Successful answers to these kinds of questions demonstrate an ability to comprehend and apply ideas discussed in this chapter. 1. What is self-understanding compared to self-esteem and self-concept? Give some examples. 2. Identify and describe changes in the understanding of self during adolescence, and explain how self-understanding is influenced by social contexts. Chapter 4: The Self, Identity, Emotion, and Personality (Modules 1 and 2) 3. Explain the criticisms of MarciaÕs theory, and describe identity consolidation. Self understanding -abstract ideas of self (childhood vs adolescents) -personality (abstract) as compared to hair color -differential and contextual -how you would act in different contexts -Fluctuating self (quick changes) -possible selves -who you could be as opposed to who you are -true vs false self -social comparisonÑ how do I compare to others -self consciousness -self protection Other Aspects of the Self: -self concept: evaluations of yourself with respect to a specific area Ñ high academic self concept means good student in all of school, low athletic self concept means bad at all sports -self esteem: overall global evaluation of yourself -self efficacy: belief in abilities to exceed in specific situations and tasks Ñ becomes more accurate as you age (experience) -self efficacy would be related to bad performance on ALL tests as self concept would be related to bad performance on just multiple choice tests -self regulation: ability to see where you are and make changes for the future Self-EsteemÑ Perception and Reality: -Self esteem reflects perceptions that do not always match reality -when self esteem is too lowÑ leads to: people less likely to interact with other people, tasks are completed poorly or not at all (lack of effort), depression -when self esteem is too highÑ leads to: narcissism -Temporary feeling that only leads to big problems when it is VERY low -TodayÕs adolescents are more self centered and narcissist than in the past -Changes in self esteem during adolescents -life span fluctuations bc abilities start declining as age increases and puberty -gender differences bc physical appearance is the dominant domain Understanding Others: -todays adolescents do not take othersÕ perspectives into consideration as much as before Chapter 4: The Self, Identity, Emotion, and Personality (Modules 1 and 2) EriksonÕs Psychosocial Theory: -Lifespan theory -Development influenced by social and psychological challenges -psychosocial crises -Eights developmental stages: 1. Trust vs Mistrust: infancy 2. Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt: toddler 3. Initiative vs Guilt: preschool 4. **Industry vs Inferiority: school age -relationship: school, teachers, friends, neighborhood -issues: achievement and accomplishment -basic strength: competence -industry includes a willingness to remain busy with something and finish the job, even in the face of challenge and difficulty 5. **Identity vs Role Confusion: adolescents -relationship: peers, groups, influences -issues: resolving identity and direction -basic strength: fidelityÑ faith in oneÕs ideology (political, religious, social) -the individual looks to find connections among the various skills, values, and roles in his life -Erikson's psychological moratorium: security of childhood, who/what you are in adulthoodÑ exploring all options MarciaÕs Four Identity Statuses: -stressed that EriksonÕs theory of identity development involves four identity statuses 1. identity diffusion 2. identity foreclosure 3. identity moratorium 4. identity achievement -people go back and forth between achievement and moratorium throughout life-span