In defining the self, what are some aspects who have to consider?
- Cognitive construction (mental representation)
- Social construction (interactions/experiences with others)
What age do you think this self-description come from? “I’m good at art; I’m creative. Most of the other girls say that I’m nice. I have two girls who are my really good friends. I’m not very good at sports, like I don’t do well at baseball, soccer, or gymnastics.”
9-year-old
What age do you think this self-description come from?
“I have a dog, a cat, and two hamsters. I can colour really well, and paint really well. My room has dinosaurs in it. I always win at miniature golf! I have brown hair and I’m really strong. I can lift this chair!”
3-year-old
What age do you think this self-description come from? “I’m pretty complicated, actually. Most people don’t understand me, especially my parents! I’m sensitive, moody, affectionate, and sometimes self-conscious. When I’m with my friends, I’m affectionate and fun.”
14-year-old
When do infants (birth-3 years) show self-concept? What are some of the critical time periods?
Infants show some idea of self-concept, e.g., the rooting reflex
~18 months: Infants can pass the rouge test (react to the mark on the mirror)
~2 years: recognize self in pictures, label self using own name or “me”, use category labels for self (“categorical self”)
What self-concepts do children have during early childhood?
~3-6 years:
Children can describe self, but focus on concrete, observable features
They are unrealistically positive, e.g., I am very strong, I always win; related to egocentrism, not comparing to other people
Self concept during Middle childhood?
~6-11 years:
More integrated: begin to refer to global characteristics, e.g., I am creative
- More realistic and balanced, e.g., I am not really good at sports
- Linked to actual competencies/evaluation, taking into consideration other people’s perspectives
Self-concepts during Adolescence?
~11-18/19 years
- Nuanced view of self (harder in early adolescence years)
- Understand role of situations, context, and perspective
- More abstract and psychological, not entirely based on other people’s point of views, can refer to inner self
- Begin to think about the future, possible selves
- Begin to develop coherent/integrated self (in later stage of adolescence)
What are some common behavior or beliefs seen in adolescence?
- False self behavior: intentionally presents a false impression to others, e.g., pretending to be a cool girl to play video games with dating partners, a studious student with parents
- Personal fable: the belief that one’s own experience is unique and novel
“How would you know? You haven’t been through what I have!” - Imaginary audience: the belief that everyone else is focused on you, e.g., thinking about what clothes to wear because others may care
What are some influences on self-concept besides age?
- Cognitive development
- Parents - warmth & support, family narratives
- Peers - evaluation
- Culture - individualistic vs. collectivistic, one is more focused on oneself’s internal traits whereas the other is more concerned with relationality; Chinese children do less private descriptions, more collective and public descriptions, more specific rather than abstract descriptions
How do people’s self-esteem fluctuate over lifetime?
It starts high, decline through childhood, mixed findings during adolescence (may be due to individual differences)
What are some influences on self-esteem during adolescence?
- Gender
- Girls show more decline in self-esteem over adolescence than boys - Race
- Black youths have higher self-esteem, Asian American children have the lowest self-esteem (may be due to cultural difference) - Approval of others, from parents, peers, and teachers
- Societal standards
- Physical attractiveness (the most important factor) - Culture
- Different meanings of self-esteem across various cultures
All of the above add up to intersectionality of an individual
Teens believe they will have harder lives than their parents demonstrate which example?
Personal fable
The idea that teenagers are unique and self-focused
What impact does self-esteem have on development?
High self-esteem is related to better in school, better well-being. Lower self-esteem is correlated with emotional and behavioral problems.
However, the direction is unknown.
AND self-esteem movement is not effective in boosting academic performance
How to define identity?
A description or definition of self, a theory of oneself
The extent to which individuals feel secure about themselves
According to Erikson, what is a big crisis for adolescents?
Identity vs. role confusion
What is psychosocial moratorium?
Time in which individuals are free from excessive obligations and can experiment with different roles. e.g., university historically, study abroad
According to James Marcia, how should teenagers figure out their identity?
- Exploration: test out different roles, different friend groups
- Commitment: committing to an identity and saying this is who I am
What are four identity statuses according to James Marcia?
Young teens: Identity diffusion, haven’t explored nor committed
Identity foreclosure: haven’t explored but committed, “this is who I am because I have been told so”
Moratorium: actively exploring but haven’t committed
Identity achievement: tested out and committed
What are some problems associated with identity diffusion?
- Higher levels of behavioral and emotional problems, difficulties with relationships
- Likely to report low levels of parental warmth/support
What are the positive and negative sides of identity foreclosure?
- Teens tend to show low anxiety and general life satisfaction
Downside: - More common with overly protective or controlling parents
- Associated with higher levels of prejudice, inflexibility, need for social approval, lower sense of autonomy
What happens when teenagers stay in the moratorium status for too long?
- High levels of anxiety, conflict with authority
- Depends on the length of exploration, amount of rumination about exploration
What are the benefits of achieving the identity achievement status?
- Associated with high achievement, maturity, intimacy
- AGENCY: a sense of control and responsibility for one’s own actions
In relation to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, how might broader culture influence identity development?
How might time period influence identity development?
Culture:
Collectivistic (relationship with other people) vs. Individualistic (self-achievement)
Socioeconomic pressure, or cultural pressure on teens to figure out who you are by the age of xx.
Not everyone has the same opportunity to explore
Time period:
Role of social media and Internet
Opportunities for exploration may be different many years ago as compared to now
