Exam 2 The Presentation and Construction of the Self The Social Construction of the Self The Looking Glass Self o A social psychological concept stating that a person s self grows out of society s interpersonal interaction and the perceptions of others We imagine how we appear to others we imagine the judgement of that appearance and we develop our self identity through the judgements of others The Self as a Product of Self Reflection o We learn to see ourselves from the eyes of another o Tend to have more flexibility in terms of how they are assigned and reproduced intelligence gender etc The Self as a Product of Social Structures o We adopt identities for the self that are representative of the larger social world i e gender sex sexuality race education etc o Tend to be assigned and unchangeable race sex birthplace Identity Markers o Set of characteristics qualities and components of the self that come together to symbolize the existence of a certain type of identity Identities are crafted to be exclusionary each with its own set of markers that can be used to metaphorically evoke a certain color that marks a person into a certain group or to see themselves in a certain way Identity as Multiple Selves Masks Identity Short Film o Individuals tend to wear different masks as a way of group and or separate different aspects of the self We adopt many identities but we have to accountable for those identities Self Fulfilling Prophecy fulfilling prophecy o When looking glass self and social structures collide it creates the self o The way we are raised internalization of messages reemergence in future whether or not we have training or cultural sensitivity Internalized stigma and stereotypes o Jane Elliot s Experiment A Class Divided Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Influences to the Social Construction of the Self Play vs Game language o The self arises through social experience primarily expressed through o The self arises through activities play and organized game o Play is less organized uninhibited and not rule bound whereas game is organized and players take on roles of others and follow rules o In the play state the self is not fully developed in the game stage we have self consciousness o The structure of the self reflects the social structure in which it arises Selves can exist only in definite relationships to other selves o The self as a structure is not complete but is continually revised and reconstructed in social experience Language is used to forge selves also necessary to communicate with our own selves I vs me o I performs action o Me internal self The Racist Continuum o Desirability of Whiteness salience of Skin Color and Internalized Difference The racism continuum runs from positive whiteness to undesirable blackness It privileges European like features and cultural norms Exchanges demonstrate the desirability of whiteness and white identity reflecting an awareness of racial preference and hierarchy in America Children demonstrate a sophisticated ability to categorize other children http www youtube com watch v 5m xhE2MAY8 Identity Salience o Hierarchical socially structured identity components Higher rank salience more often we draw on it If you rank the identity athlete as highly salient you will be more likely to define a given context as an opportunity to act in terms of that identity You will seek to play the role of athlete as often as possible perhaps even resenting the times you can t perform this role Higher rank higher likelihood to develop its components If you are a talented musician you are likely to jam regularly with other musicians thus cultivating those skills and friendships that leave you to invest more deeply in that identity This may in turn lead you to neglect other skills you ve developed Our commitment or enactment can carry over to other statuses can lead to a Role Person Merger If this continues for a bit it may leak into other components of the self A professor who carries her job demeanor and air of authority into her interactions with relatives neighbors or friends to a considerable degree this person becomes the professional role she plays at work Multiphrenia Dissolution of the Self o Individual fragmented identities o 3 Consequences Opportunity costs of self investments Threat of inadequacy of the self Rational decision making is sacrificed in expanding interactions paradox of choice The Presentation of the Self Dramaturgy a metaphor for social interaction We live in a stage society and we are all actors who follow play scripts but sometimes deviate from the script and present new lines in the social world that affect the outcome of the interaction o Society as stage Church setting o Individuals as performers Church goers pastors priests etc o Social norms as play scripts Remaining quiet throughout the duration of church dressing appropriately paying attention etc Impression Management Identity Work o Our way of presenting ourselves either consciously or unconsciously that affects others perceptions of us we have the ability to change those perceptions through identity work like emotion work is used to alleviate emotive dissonance Our roles are set by our social experiences but we have some influence on what the performance of our role will be Stigma Spoiled Identities o Abominations of the Body physical disabilities o Blemishes of Individual Character homosexuality mental illness drug addiction alcoholism criminal background etc o Tribal Stigma of Race Nation and Religion stigmas you can t really get away from Mixed Contacts o The idea that people with and without stigmas are constantly interacting This ultimately leads to othering and categorization People usually avoid association to avoid catching the stigma o Process of distancing one s self from another by means of categorizing Othering another as different Virtual Identity o Individuals with a fixed stigma or the idea that their stigma can be fixed These individuals usually have deformities in their body such as a missing leg A virtual identity is an identity that these individuals want to portray to others so they are not stigmatized An individual with a prosthetic leg will often put jeans on so that nobody can tell of his her deformity Therefore they have projected a virtual identity of normality Actual Identity o At the end of the day even though they have tricked others they have to face who they really are The individual with a prosthetic leg has to face the fact that they are