CEP 260 1nd Edition Lecture 3Outline of Last Lecture I. Psychology and Physical HealthOutline of Current Lecture II. Self-ConceptIII. Self-EsteemIV. Self-PerceptionCurrent LectureSelf-Concept• The nature of the self-concept– Self-concept - an organized collection of beliefs about the self– These beliefs are also called self-schemas and include personality traits, abilities, physical features, values, goals, & social roles – Possible selves – one’s conceptions about the kind of person one might become in the futureSelf-Discrepancies• Individuals have the following self-perceptions:– An actual self (qualities people think they actually possess).– An ideal self (qualities people would like to have).– An ought self (qualities people think they should possess).• Self-discrepancies –mismatches between the actual, ideal, and/or ought selves. • These can cause various effects: – When the “actual self” falls short of the “ideal self”, we feel dejected and sad.– When the “actual self” falls short of the “ought self”, we feel irritable and guilty.These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.• People cope with self-discrepancies by:– Changing their behavior to bring it more in line with the ideal, or ought, self.– Blunting self-awareness by avoiding situations that increase self-awareness, or by using alcoholFactors Shaping the Self-Concept• Festinger’s (1954) social comparison theory states that we compare ourselves with others in order to assess and/or improve our abilities.• A reference group is “a set of people who are used as a gauge in making social comparisons”.– If we want to improve, we choose reference groups of superior quality, but if we want tobolster self-esteem, we choose inferior groups.• Generally, our self-perceptions are distorted in a positive direction.• Feedback from others is important in balancing our own observations.– Early in life, parents and family members are the primary influences.– As children age, peers become progressively more important.– Later in life, close friends and marriage partners play dominant roles.• Social context also affect our self-concept.– We may view ourselves more, or less, critically, depending on the situation.• Cultural values and self-concept– In cultures that value individualism – “putting personal goals ahead of group goals” – identity is defined more in terms of personal attributes.– In cultures that value collectivism – “putting group goals ahead of personal goals” – identity is defined more in terms of the groups one belongs to.Individualism vs. collectivism– People raised in individualistic cultures:• Have an independent view of the self.• View themselves as unique, self-contained, and distinct from others.– People raised in collectivist cultures:• Have an interdependent view of the self.• View themselves as more connected to others Self-Esteem• Self-esteem refers “to one’s overall assessment of one’s worth as a person”.• Self-esteem can be construed two ways:– Trait self-esteem (an enduring sense of confidence in a person).– State self-esteem (dynamic feelings about the self that change with the situation).• Self-esteem and adjustment– Self-esteem is strongly and consistently connected to happiness.– People with high self-esteem also feel more likeable and attractive, have better relationships, and make better impressions on others. – People with high self-esteem persist longer in the face of failure and cope better with setbacks.• High self-esteem versus narcissism– Feeling too good about oneself is not desirable.– Narcissism – “the tendency to regard oneself as grandiosely self-important” - is pathological and different from high self-esteem, a healthy trait. People with narcissism: • Are preoccupied with fantasies of success.• Believe they deserve special treatment.• React aggressively when their view of themselves (ego) is threatened The Development of Self-Esteem• Parents play an important role in shaping self-esteem early in life.• Two dimensions of parenting are important– Parental acceptance.– Parental control.• Together, these dimensions yield four parenting styles • The authoritative style is associated with the highest self-esteem scores.• Teachers, classmates, and close friends also influence children’s self-esteem.– Children with perceived support from significant others have the highest self-esteem.• Children also use reference groups as a basis for self-judgments.– Those who feel competent, relative to others, have the highest self-esteem.Ethnicity, Gender, and Self-Esteem• Ethnicity and gender interact in complex ways with regard to self-esteem:– White males have higher self-esteem than do white females, but minority males have lower self-esteem than do minority females.– Overall, males score slightly higher on self-esteem than do females, and white females have lower self-esteem than do minority females.– Individualism is also associated with high self-esteem.Basic Principles of Self-Perception• Cognitive processes affect the ability to maintain a view of the self.• Two different types of processes are at work:– Automatic processing – default mode in which we handle information without much deliberate decision-making (going through our morning routine).– Controlled processing – active thinking required for important decision-making and analysis.• Self-attributions – are “inferences that people draw about the causes of their own behavior”.• Three key dimensions of attributions:– Whether they are internal or external.– Internal attributions – “ascribe the causes of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings”.– External attributions – “ascribe behavior to situational demands”.– Whether they are stable or unstable.– Stable attributions – the cause of behavior is unlikely to change over time.– Unstable attributions – the cause of behavior is variable, or subject to change.– Whether they are controllable or uncontrollable.– This dimension simply considers whether or not the individual has any control over the behavior.• Explanatory style – refers to the “tendency to use similar causal attributions for a wide variety of events in one’s