Chapter.5 : The Self : Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context
5.1 : What is self-concept and how does it develop ?
The Origins and Nature of the Self-Concept
- Humans and other species have at least a rudimentary sense of self.
o Studies suggest that chimps and orangutans have a rudimentary sense of self in which they
were able to realize the image in the mirror was themselves.
- Human self-recognition develops at around 18 to 24 months of age.
o Rudimentary sense of self develops into a full self-concept.
▪ Self-concept : overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes.
o Child’s self-concept is concrete with easily observable characteristics like age, sex, and hobby.
o As we mature, we put less emphasis on physical characteristics and more on thoughts and
feelings and on how other people judge us.
- Morality is viewed as central to self-concept more than desires or cognitive processes.
Cultural Influences on the Self-Concept
- An important influence on self-concept is the culture we grew up in.
o In Western cultures, people have an independent view of the self.
▪ Independent View of the Self : defining oneself in terms of one’s own internal
thoughts, feelings, and actions and not in terms of others.
o Many Asian and non-Western cultures have an interdependent view of the self.
▪ Interdependent View of the Self : defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to
other people and recognizing that one’s behavior is determined by thoughts, feelings,
and actions of others.
o What is viewed as positive and normal by one may be viewed differently by another.
o However, not every Westerner has independent view of self and not every Asian has
interdependent view.
- Difference between Western and Eastern sense of self is real and has consequences for communication.
o It is very difficult for people with independent views to appreciate to have an interdependent
view and vice versa.
- William Shakespeare Paraphrase : “The self is the measure of all things.”
o The concept of self is socially constructed and may differ between cultures.
Functions of the Self
- Four main functions of Self :
o Self-Knowledge : way we understand and formulate and organize information.
o Self-Control : way we make plans and execute decisions.
o Impression Management : way we present ourselves to others and get them to see us the way
we want.
o Self-Esteem : way in which we try to maintain positive views of ourselves.
, 5.2 : To what extent do people know themselves through introspection, and
what are the consequences of introspection ?
Knowing Ourselves Through Introspection
- Introspection : looking inward to examine own feelings, thoughts, and motives.
o As useful it can be, it is not by no means perfect.
Focusing on Self : Self-Awareness Theory
- According to self-awareness theory, we evaluate and compare our current behavior to our internal
standards and values.
o Self-Awareness Theory : people focus their attention on themselves, they evaluate and
compare their behavior to their internal standards and values.
o We become self-conscious that we become judgmental observers of ourselves.
▪ If you can change your behavior to match your guidelines, you will do.
▪ If you can’t change your behavior, being in self-awareness will be uncomfortable due
to being confronted with negative feedback about yourself.
- When people are in negative state of self-awareness, they try to escape their state.
o Not all means of escaping are damaging making it not aversive.
o Self-focus can be a way of keeping you out of trouble by reminding yourself of sense of right
and wrong.
o Self-awareness becomes aversive when it reminds people of their shortcomings and try to
avoid it.
o A dose of self-awareness is not bad because it makes you aware of your morals and ideas.
Judging Why We Feel the Way We Do: Telling More Than We Can Know
- Another function of introspection is to figure out why we feel the way we do.
o Problem is knowing why is difficult.
- Many of our basic mental processes occur outside of awareness.
o We are aware of the final result of our thought processes but unaware of the cognitive
processing leading to the result.
o Even if don’t know why we feel a certain way, we are always able to come up with an
explanation.
o Introspection won’t lead to the true causes of feelings and behavior but manages to convince
ourselves it did.
- Causal Theories : theories about the causes of one’s own feelings and behaviors; often we learn such
theories from cultures.
o Our schemas and theories aren’t always correct and can lead to incorrect judgements about
the causes of actions.
o In addition to causal theories, people have information about themselves.
5.1 : What is self-concept and how does it develop ?
The Origins and Nature of the Self-Concept
- Humans and other species have at least a rudimentary sense of self.
o Studies suggest that chimps and orangutans have a rudimentary sense of self in which they
were able to realize the image in the mirror was themselves.
- Human self-recognition develops at around 18 to 24 months of age.
o Rudimentary sense of self develops into a full self-concept.
▪ Self-concept : overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes.
o Child’s self-concept is concrete with easily observable characteristics like age, sex, and hobby.
o As we mature, we put less emphasis on physical characteristics and more on thoughts and
feelings and on how other people judge us.
- Morality is viewed as central to self-concept more than desires or cognitive processes.
Cultural Influences on the Self-Concept
- An important influence on self-concept is the culture we grew up in.
o In Western cultures, people have an independent view of the self.
▪ Independent View of the Self : defining oneself in terms of one’s own internal
thoughts, feelings, and actions and not in terms of others.
o Many Asian and non-Western cultures have an interdependent view of the self.
▪ Interdependent View of the Self : defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to
other people and recognizing that one’s behavior is determined by thoughts, feelings,
and actions of others.
o What is viewed as positive and normal by one may be viewed differently by another.
o However, not every Westerner has independent view of self and not every Asian has
interdependent view.
- Difference between Western and Eastern sense of self is real and has consequences for communication.
o It is very difficult for people with independent views to appreciate to have an interdependent
view and vice versa.
- William Shakespeare Paraphrase : “The self is the measure of all things.”
o The concept of self is socially constructed and may differ between cultures.
Functions of the Self
- Four main functions of Self :
o Self-Knowledge : way we understand and formulate and organize information.
o Self-Control : way we make plans and execute decisions.
o Impression Management : way we present ourselves to others and get them to see us the way
we want.
o Self-Esteem : way in which we try to maintain positive views of ourselves.
, 5.2 : To what extent do people know themselves through introspection, and
what are the consequences of introspection ?
Knowing Ourselves Through Introspection
- Introspection : looking inward to examine own feelings, thoughts, and motives.
o As useful it can be, it is not by no means perfect.
Focusing on Self : Self-Awareness Theory
- According to self-awareness theory, we evaluate and compare our current behavior to our internal
standards and values.
o Self-Awareness Theory : people focus their attention on themselves, they evaluate and
compare their behavior to their internal standards and values.
o We become self-conscious that we become judgmental observers of ourselves.
▪ If you can change your behavior to match your guidelines, you will do.
▪ If you can’t change your behavior, being in self-awareness will be uncomfortable due
to being confronted with negative feedback about yourself.
- When people are in negative state of self-awareness, they try to escape their state.
o Not all means of escaping are damaging making it not aversive.
o Self-focus can be a way of keeping you out of trouble by reminding yourself of sense of right
and wrong.
o Self-awareness becomes aversive when it reminds people of their shortcomings and try to
avoid it.
o A dose of self-awareness is not bad because it makes you aware of your morals and ideas.
Judging Why We Feel the Way We Do: Telling More Than We Can Know
- Another function of introspection is to figure out why we feel the way we do.
o Problem is knowing why is difficult.
- Many of our basic mental processes occur outside of awareness.
o We are aware of the final result of our thought processes but unaware of the cognitive
processing leading to the result.
o Even if don’t know why we feel a certain way, we are always able to come up with an
explanation.
o Introspection won’t lead to the true causes of feelings and behavior but manages to convince
ourselves it did.
- Causal Theories : theories about the causes of one’s own feelings and behaviors; often we learn such
theories from cultures.
o Our schemas and theories aren’t always correct and can lead to incorrect judgements about
the causes of actions.
o In addition to causal theories, people have information about themselves.
