Chapter 6 Self Concept Identity Ethnicity Gender 03 22 2016 Dimensions of the Self Basic self concept o Always in the process of changing o Adolescents view of his or her personality and perceptions of his abilities and his status and his roles in the outer world Self concept conscious cognitive perception and assessment by an individual of himself or herself one s thoughts and opinions about oneself First step a person recognized that he or she is a distinct separate individual Often described as a global entity meaning how someone feels about themselves in general but also been described as multiple self conceptions Six different selves Who I really am Who I think I am Who others think I am Who I think I will become Who I think others want me to become Proprium inward unity the core of all personal identity all aspects of personality that make for o Influenced by the mood of the moment or by a recent or Transitory self concepts continuing experience Social selves o The selves he or she thinks others see which in turn influences how the individual sees himself or herself Ideal self o The kind of person an adolescent would like to be And ideal self that is too low impedes accomplishment Too high may lead to frustration and self depreciation Having a realistic concept leads to self acceptance mental health and attainment of realistic goals Possible Selves Hoped for selves the people we wish to become Expected selves the people we think we will become Feared selves the people we dread becoming What contributes to a positive self concept Significant others others vies of us and the way we think others view us o Individuals who occupy a high level of importance are influential and their opinions are meaningful Parents adolescents with higher self esteem report greater intimacy with their mothers and fathers o Mother adolescent relationships is an important factor especially for adolescent girls o Father child relationships serve different but equally important roles in adolescent development o When children perceive conflict between parents or between themselves and parents lower self esteem can be expected SES students o Low SES students have lower self esteem than high SES o The effect of SES appears to be more indirect than direct teens are doing poorly because of economic status o Teens from low income families are unlikely to be able to afford latest fashion or clubs that make people popular leading to feelings of judgment and lower self esteem Race Ethnicity o Self esteem in African Americans has risen o Adolescents who have a healthy dose of racial pride are apt to have a higher self esteem o Asian American youth are found to have the lowest self esteem They experience more verbal and physical harassment from peers than other adolescents o According to a study African American girls base their self worth mostly on scholastic abilities Chinese mostly on their close friendships Caucasian and Puerto Rican mainly from appearance o In adolescence girls global self esteem is somewhat lower Gender than boys o Girls self esteem is tied much more strongly to their perceived physical attractiveness and their feelings of interconnectedness o Boys self esteem is most strongly related to their feelings of achievement and athletic ability o Individuals with physical disabilities have negative body images and more difficulty developing positive self concepts and self esteem Disabilities Stress o Stress and self esteem are negatively correlated in teens As stress goes up self esteem goes down o Causes of stress Death of a loved one Failing an exam Changing schools Relationship problems Illness Family changes Erikson s View on Identity Development How does identity develop What contributes to a strong identity Seven conflicts 1 Temporal perspective versus time confusion Gaining a sense of time and the continuity of life is critical Learning to estimate and allocate ones time A true sense if time does not develop until mid adolescence 15 16 2 Self certainty versus self consciousness Developing self confidence based on past experiences so that a person believes in him herself and believes there is a chance of accomplishing future aims To do this teens must go through a period of increasing self awareness and self consciousness a Esp in relation to their physical self image and social relationships 3 Role experimentation versus role fixation Trying out different roles personality characteristics ways of talking and acting goals and types of relationships Identity comes from such experimentation Those who have developed too much inner restraint and guilt who have lost initiative or who have prematurely experienced role fixation never really find out who they are 4 Apprenticeship versus work paralysis Exploring and trying out different occupations before The choice of career plays a large part in determining a deciding on vocation persons identity A negative self imaging and its accompanying feelings of inferiority can prevent a person from mustering the necessary energy to succeed at school or on the job 5 Sexual polarization versus bisexual confusion Marcia s Identity Statuses Identity Diffused Clear identification with one sex or the other as a base for heterosexual intimacy and as a basis for firm identity For communities for function properly men and women must be willing to assume their so called proper roles Sexual polarization is necessary 6 Leadership and followership versus authority confusion Expanding social horizons beginning to take on leadership responsibilities and understanding how to follow them 7 Ideological commitment versus confusion of values Individuals need something to believe in or follow search for fidelity o Have not experienced a crisis period have not made commitments to occupation religion or sex roles o Have not gone through process of reevaluating searching and considering alternatives o Developmentally the mot unsophisticated identity status o Normal for early adolescents o If adolescent has tried to make identity commitments and has failed the response may be anger directed against parents or religious political leaders o Some identity diffused teens try to avoid anxiety crisis and commitment by using alcohol and drugs o Have not experienced a crisis but have made commitments to occupations and ideologies that are ready made handed down by parents at times They become what others want them to be Are not able to distinguish between their own goals and the ones
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