Chapter 6 Dimensions of self Basic self concepts o Adolescents view of his or her personality and perceptions of his abilities and his status in the outer world Transitory self concepts o Ideas of the self are influenced by the mood of the moment or by recent or continuing experience A recent low grade may leave a person with a temporary feeling of being stupid Social selves Ideal self o The selves he or she thinks others see which in turn influence how the individual sees himself or herself o The kind of person an adolescent would like to be Possible Selves The different selves we envision ourselves becoming o The people we wish to become Hoped for selves Expected selves Feared selves o The people we think we will likely be in the future o The people we are afraid of becoming in the future You hope to be a world famous violinist expect to become a music teacher and fear becoming an unemployed street musician What contributed to a positive self concept Adolescents who lack a positive expected selves drift into unproductive antisocial behavior Significant others Parents Socioeconomic status Race Ethnicity o African Americans had lower self esteem compared to white Americans but nowadays studies show that African Americans have higher self esteem than any other race o Girls had lower self esteem mostly in regards to physical Gender looks Disabilities Stress Erikson s view on identity development Described the task of identity formation as one of making choices by exploring alternatives and committing to roles How does identity develop o Temporal perspective versus time confusion Learning to estimate and allocate one s time o Self certainty versus self consciousness Developing self confidence based on past experiences so that a person believes in himself or herself and believes there is a reasonable chance of accomplishing future aims o Role experimentation versus role fixation Adolescents have opportunities to try out the different roles they are to play in society o Apprenticeship versus work paralysis Teens have the opportunity to explore and try out different occupations before deciding on a vocation o Sexual polarization versus bisexual confusion o Leadership and followership versus authority confusion o Ideological commitment versus confusion of values search for fidelity Marcia s Identity status o Identity diffused Subjects who are identity diffused have not experienced a crisis period nor have made any commitment to an occupation a religion a political philosophy sex roles or personal standards of behavior They have not experienced crisis in relation to any of these issues nor have they gone through the process of considering alternatives Usually low self esteem influenced by peer pressure and lack meaningful friendships o Foreclosure o Moratorium Subjects in foreclosure have not experienced a crisis but they have made commitments to occupations and ideologies that are not the result of their own searching but are ready made and handed down to them frequently by their parents Usually have a close relationship with their parents which make them lack independence Negative identity An identity based on rejecting parental and societal values Derives satisfaction from rebelling against and defying mainstream individuals A period of delay granted to someone who is not yet ready to make a decision or assume an obligation Some are involved in continuous crisis as a consequence they seem confused unstable and discontented Rebellious and uncooperative Tend to procrastinate until situations dictate a course of action Mostly college but stimulates identity growth because you are approached by people with different values and it makes you reconsider or alter your own Subjects whose status is identity achieved have experienced a psychological moratorium have resolved their identity crisis by carefully evaluating various alternatives and choices and have come to the conclusions and decisions on their own Once an identity has been achieved there is a self acceptance a stable self definition and a commitment to a vocation religion and political ideology o Identity achieved Identity as a process Identity control system o Burke s identity control system consists of two interpersonal and three intrapersonal components Interpersonal components One s social behavior Intrapersonal components Interpersonal feedback one gets from others Self concept Identity standards Beliefs how one should behave Comparator Assesses the similarity between the two If there is a discrepancy between the two then one s behavior standards or self concept must be modified to increase consistency o Diffused Individuals have yet to develop identity standards and so do not experience discrepancies o Foreclosed Overemphasize the feedback from their parents and significant others and form standards too early on o Moratoriums Actively seeking feedback and are willing to adjust their identity standards o Idenity achieved Have solidified their identity standards but they developed these standards more slowly and based them more on broad based feedback Three styles of Identity searching o Informational style Seek out diagnostic information and modify their plans and behaviors if necessary to match it They are resistant to change and block out discrepant o Normative style information o Avoidant style They put off making decisions and evade feedback when they do make changes these changes are superficial and short lived Usually diffused individuals Four patterns of acculturation o Separation o Assimilation Involves exclusive focus on the cultural values and practices of the ethnic group and little or no interaction with the dominant society o Integration It is the opposite Occurs when an ethnic group member chooses to identity solely with the culture of the dominant society and to relinquish all ties to his or her ethnic heritage Results in lower self esteem Characterized by strong identification and involvement with both the dominant society s culture and the traditional ethnic culture Results in better psychological adjustment and higher self esteem Blended biculturalism o The state in which one finds the commonalities between one s ethnic and mainstream identities o Alternating biculturalism The state in which one vacilitates between following one s ethnic beliefs and those of the societal mainstream o Fusion The state in which one has merged one s ethnic traditions and those of the cultural mainstream into a new whole
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