Define Self-concept
The complete set of beliefs that people have about themselves, which form their understanding of who they are (Markus, 1977)
“The totality of the individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself/herself as an object” (Rosenberg 1979)
your knowledge, feelings and ideas about yourself.
Define Self schemas
Organise and guide the processing of self-related information (Markus 1977)
Schema about self + importance to the self = self-schematic
Two types of traits of Self Schemas
schematic traits i.e. those which are central to self and are most frequently used to describe self
aschematic traits i.e. traits which are present but not so frequently used for self definition.
3 points to self-concept clarity
- Confidently defined
- Consistent with each other
- Stable across time
Benefits to self-concept clarity
- Helps maintain relationships
- Bolsters self-esteem (Campbell, 1990)
- Subjective wellbeing (Campbell et al., 1996)
- Deal with daily negative events (Lavallee & Campbell, 1995)
- Deal with breakups (Slotter, gardner and finkel, 2010).
Define self-awareness
Is the psychological state of being aware of one’s characteristics, feelings and behaviours, or the awareness of oneself as unique.
Lewis and Brooks-Gun (1978) Assessment of self-awareness?
Lipstick on babies put in front of mirror 9-12 months - no effect, 18 onwards - try to take it off
Self-Awareness
Carver and Scheier (1981) two types…
- The private self
- personal thoughts and beliefs
- Increased by looking in mirror - The public self
- public image
- increased by being in social situation
Zimbardo – Deindividuation is…
(lack of self awareness)
6 theories of the self?
- Self-Perception theory
- Self-discrepancy
- Regulatory focus theory
- Control theory of self-regulation
- Social comparison theory
- Self-evaluation maintenance model
Self-Perception theory
Bem (1967, 1972)
People may learn about themselves by examining their own thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Self Discrepancy Theory
Higgens 1987
- The actual self (how we are)
- The ideal self (how we would like to be)
- The ‘ought’ self (how we ought to be)
Regulatory focus theory (Higgens)
Two systems…
People have two self-regulatory systems
The promotion system:
- Ideals: Hopes and aspirations
- Approach Strategic Means – for +ve goals
The prevention system:
- Duties and obligations: Oughts (ought self)
- Avoidance Strategies
Control theory of self-regulation
Carver & Scheier
1981, 1998
People compare themselves with internal or private standards for the self
Ego depletion – self-control and will power are a finite resource that can be used up.
Replication Crisis:
- Change in motivation?
- No phenomenon at all
Strength model of self-control
like exercise or strength training (Baumeister et al., 1998) -
Social comparison theory
Festinger, 1954
People learn about themselves by comparing themselves with other people.
- Upward social comparison (Blanton, Crocker & Miller, 1999)
- Downward social comparison (Wills, 1981).
Do both for accuracy.
Temporal comparison (Albert, 1977).
Self-evaluation maintenance model
Tesser, 1988
Maintain self-esteem in upward comparison Especially in case of relevant and important domains or uncertainly in own ability.
Strategies to maintain positive sense of self:
1 Exaggerate the ability of the ‘better’ person – freak, talent
2 Engage in downward social comparison.
3 Avoid the comparison person.
4 Devalue the dimension on which the other person is better.
3 Types of self and identity
Variety of ways we can define our identity
Social Identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1986):
-personal self & collective self
Brewer and Gardner:
-individual self & relational self & collective self
Markus and Kitayama:
-Independent (autonomous) self & interdependent self (defined by reationships)
Independent/Interdependent definitions
Inde - personal, defined by individual traits & goals
Inter - Social, defined by connections with others
Social Identity Theory
Tajfel and Turner, 1986
- We have an array of individual and group identities
- These vary according to social context
- Groups you identify with influence your self-concept
- People have ‘group level’ identities
Self esteem
Self-esteem is a person’s overall self-evaluation or sense of self worth.
Can be general or specific:
- Overall self
- Physical appearance
- Can be stable or vary over time/context
‘Sociometer’ (Leary 1995)
Measure of social success.
Parenting styles
(Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger and Vohs, 2003)
3 types…
Authoritarian: parents are more demanding and less responsive; children have lower self esteem.
Permissive: parents are less demanding and more responsive; children also have lower levels of self-esteem
Authoritative: parents who are both demanding and responsive; children have high self-esteem.
Self-esteem sources
Internal and external
Internal – positive emotions, positive self-schemas, abstract and flexible self-evaluation
External – social acceptance
