Know Thyself
maxim inscribed in forecourt of Temple of Apollo at Delphi
Ancient Greeks understood “know thyself”
self is reflexive, reflects back on itself
William James (how do you know who you are)
“self” is what happens when “I” refects back on “me”
self = I (the knower)
me = what knower knows when think abt self
Epistemological Self
Me, part of self observed & described
*most research focused on ME
Ontological Self
I, part of self that DOES observing & describing
Self-knowledge
what we know about ourselves
What are the 2 forms of self-knowledge?
- Declarative knowledge
- Procedural knowledge
Declarative Knowledge
facts & impressions of ourselves that we consciously know & can describe
Procedural Knowledge
knowledge expressed through actions rather than words
Self-Esteem
evaluation of one’s own worth as a person
What is LOW self-esteem associated with?
depression, dissatisfaction, loneliness, hopelessness, delinquency
What is HIGH self-esteem associated with?
relationship quality, social network size, social support, physical health, mental health, job success, work satisfaction
What is TOO HIGH self-esteem associated with?
arrogance, abusive behaviour, criminal behaviour, narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder
Social Media & Self-Esteem
overall small negative effects
*negative effects stronger = women & eastern cultures
*effect depends on = how user engage w/ content, nature of content, user’s psychological characteristics
*mechanisms = social upward comparison BUT positive feedback possible
Self-Esteem Development
- increase from adolescence to middle adulthood (peaks 50-60yo, decrease old age)
- no cohort effects for older & younger generations
- ppl w. high/low self esteem = high/low self esteem decades later
What is better than striving to increase self-esteem?
strive for accomplishments that increase self-esteem legitimately
ie. make friends, help someone, study hard, go gym, throw party
What are the 2 parts of the Procedural Self?
- Relational Self
- Implicit Self
Relational Self (procedural self)
self-knowledge based on past experiences = how we relate to important ppl in our lvies
deeply ingrained, difficult to change
Implicit Self (procedural self)
have attitudes, feelings, opinions abt things we are not fully aware
works unconsciously
IAT to measure implicit self-esteem
high implicit self-esteem = respond more quickly when “me”&”good” paired VS “me”&”bad” pairded
predicts responses to success & failure
only weakly related to explicit, declarative self-report self-esteem
What are the 3 roles of self?
- social actor - maintain social approval while being self
- motivated agent - achieve goals, plans, projects
- autobiographical author - reconstructs past & imagines future to create life story w/ continuity & purpose
What are the 4 tasks of self?
- self-regulation
- information-processing filter
- relate to others
- foster sense of identity
actual vs ideal vs ought self
actual self = who you really are
ideal self = who you would like to be
ought self = who you should be
Self-Discrepancy Theory
difference b/w desired selves & actual self = ppl’s feeling
