Self

"…trying to keep abreast of the research on self is like trying to get a drink from a fire hose" (Baumeister, 1998, p. 681).

Self-perception – self-other differentiations

- has begun by 3 mo. of age

Self-consciousness – the ability to reflect back upon the self and treat the self as object

- begins around 15 mo. of age

- rouge test

- video images test

- well established by 2 years of age

- language usage

- self-conscious emotions

"Psychological" self-consciousness

"I am this person with these qualities…"

Three Views of the Structure of Self

Rogers – Phenomenological Theory

phenomenal field – conscious and unconscious perceptions of self and the world

self-concept – an organized and consistent pattern of perceptions about "I," "me," or "self."

- not a homunculus

- both affective and cognitive

- both conscious and unconscious

- need for consistency and for positive regard

Object Relations Theory

- focus is on relationship seeking

- impact of early relationships on self in the present

self-representations are:

- multidimensional

- heavily affect laden

- associated with motives

- conscious or unconscious

- include representations of others & self in relation to others

A Social Cognitive View

- the self is an organized conceptual system

- seeks pleasure, relationships, enhanced self-esteem

Markus – people form cognitive structures about the self: self-schema

- cognitive generalizations about the self

- derived from past experience

- incoming stimuli are evaluated according to relevance to the self

- relevant information is processed more quickly

- there is a self-confirming bias

A "family of selves?"

Possible Selves (Markus)

- what we think we might become

- what we'd like to become

- what we're afraid of becoming

Self-guides (Higgins, 1997, 2000)

Actual self – what I am

Ideal self – what I'd like to be

Ought self – what I should be

Feared self – what I don't want to be

(Carver, Lawrence & Scheier, 1998)

- cognitive schema

- standards for individuals to meet

- influence the way information is processed

- frequently used, and thus readily activated

- may be automatic and non-conscious

- relatively stable

Independent Self

vs.

Collective or Interdependent Self

Independent:

- identity based on what one owns and accomplishes

- value placed on independence and self-sufficiency

Interdependent:

- identity based on membership in a group

- value placed on conformity

"Fundamentally, Japanese culture is based on rice farming. Rice cultivation requires a lot of water, and water must be shared evenly by everyone. Planting rice also required teams of people walking from row to row, at the same speed. And all of this has meant that uniqueness had to be suppressed" (The New York Times, 2001).

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