PSYC 3551 Final Study Guide 04 21 2015 Changes in self understanding Abstract and Ideal Differentiation and fluctuation Increase in self consciousness Awareness of the unconscious self Self integration Self concept attractiveness social etc Self esteem domain specific characterizations of self athletics academics Barometric Adolescents feelings about the self do fluctuate day Baseline generally remains pretty stable throughout the course of to day adolescence ethnic differences Lower class youngsters also experience more self esteem difficulties than middle class youngsters Surprisingly research suggests that African American youth are similar to White youth in self esteem why gender differences exist Feelings about physical appearance appear to be the strongest predictor of overall self esteem in adolescence followed by feelings about peer relationships These findings help to explain why young adolescent females experience the most difficulties in self image consequences of low self esteem Adolescents whose self esteem is wrapped up in peer approval show more behavior problems and poorer school performance Theoretical perspectives on identity formation Erikson o 1st to propose that finding an identity was the major life task of adolescence o Identity vs identity diffusion 5th developmental stage o Characterized by personality and role experimentation The importance of a psychosocial moratorium o Erikson s theory implies four identity statuses Extent of crisis or commitment determines identity status specific point in identity development Crisis period of identity development during which the adolescent is choosing among meaningful alternatives exploration Commitment personal investment in what an individual is going to do o Identity diffusion no identity crisis and no commitment o Identity foreclosure made a commitment but no crisis o Identity moratorium in the midst of an identity crises but no o Identity achievement had an identity crises and made a clear commitment commitment Marcia Different selves ideal your representation of the attributes that someone yourself or another would like you ideally to possess i e a representation of someone s hopes aspirations or wishes for you The ideal self is what usually motivates individuals to change improve and achieve The ideal self regulatory system focuses on the presence or absence of positive outcomes e g love provided or withdrawn Possible various components of the cognitive sense of self represent individuals ideas of what they might become what they would like to become or what they are afraid of becoming Possible selves may function as incentives for certain behavior false adolescents are better than children at engaging in false self behavior Other people s expectations can become of overriding importance overlaying or contradicting the original sense of self the one connected to the very roots of one s being feared a domain that measures what one does not desire to be In many cases this may have a different level of influence in terms of priority on the self than previous domains and self guides It is human nature to avoid negative affect before approaching positives Ethnic identity forms of acculturation o Adjustment of minority groups to the culture of the dominant group Separation Individuals identify solely with their culture and reject host culture Assimilation Individuals solely identify with the dominant culture and sever ties with their own culture Marginality individuals reject their own group and the host culture Biculturalism Some believe that biculturalism is the healthiest alternative Individuals become bicultural by maintaining aspects their own group and selectively acquire some of the host culture effects of discrimination Parents who actively engage in racial socialization with their children have been found to speed up the process of ethnic identity development multidimensional model of racial identity The MMRI defines racial identity as that part of the person s self concept that is related to her his membership within a race It is concerned with both the significance the individual places on race in defining him herself and the individual s interpretations of what it means to be Black The MMRI proposes four dimensions of racial identity in African Americans the salience of identity the centrality of the identity the ideology associated with the identity and the regard in which the person holds African Americans The first two dimensions address the significance of race in the individual s self definition the second two dimensions address the qualitative meaning that the individual ascribes to being Black Ethnic racial socialization Parents who actively engage in racial socialization with their children have been found to speed up the process of ethnic identity development However these children do not have stronger ethnic identities than children whose parents did not engage in ethnic socialization Theoretical perspectives on intimacy Sullivan First to stress importance of intimacy in adolescent friendships chumships Need for intimacy with friends intensifies in preadolescence and early adolescence Intimacy enhances development o Advancement of perspective taking o Contributes to identity formation o Can answer questions about who you are and what you believe that separates you from your family o Contemporary support Developmental differences in disclosure Emphasis on intimacy as basis for starting and maintaining friendships Violations of intimacy as basis for ending friendships o Intimacy should develop after identity formation o Intimacy vs isolation 6th developmental stage that coincides with early adulthood o Finding oneself yet losing oneself in another Erikson Determinants of dating Females tend to enter opposite sex relationships with a more developed capacity for intimacy than males and so expect intimate relationships more than males do It may be that females play an important role in introducing males to openness and sensitivity in interpersonal relationships Today most adolescents date to have fun not to find a mate Functions of dating Recreation for fun Status and achievement gain status or popularity Learning Socialization how to act with other people Nervous at first but when you get more experience you feel more comfortable Teaches you the development of intimate features Unique and meaningful relationship Context for sexual experimentation Companionship friendships are formed Mate sorting