chapter 8: identity & self-esteem

describe sex and ethnic differences in self-esteem

• males have higher self esteem throughout life until late adulthood

• females have a higher self esteem drop during puberty

what is Erikson’s theory of identity development

• the developing person moves through a series of 8 psychosocial crises over the course of the life span

• the establishment of a coherent sense of identity (identity vs. identity diffusion) is the chief psychosocial crisis of adolescence

• the key to resolving identity vs. identity diffusion lies in the adolescent’s interactions with others

describe Marcia’s four identity statuses

achieved

• finding a right identity

• gone through a period of exploration

foreclosed

• influenced by someone else

• strong commitment to identity before exploring others

moratorium

• prolonged exploration

• have not yet made any commitments

diffused

• disengaged

• has not explored any identity options/directions

it is typical to cycle between which two identity statuses over the lifespan

moratorium and achievement

• also called MAMA cycling

how does future orientation relate to identity development

future orientation increases

• extent to which youth can and do think about potential consequences of decisions and choices

• includes longer time horizons or how far youth project their life into the future

  • longer time horizon usually linked to better outcomes

what does having a negative identity mean

selection of an identity that is obviously undesirable in the eyes of significant others

• the desire to be bad rather than nobody at all

a coherent sense of identity is not usually developed before which age

18

what are the dimensions of the multidimensional model of racial identity

centrality

• proximity of race to one’s self concept

regard

• value of membership in a racial group

why might the development of identity be more complex for ethnic minority adolescents than it is for white adolescents in the US

• ethnic minority typically face a negative disrupting event that starts their identity searching process

• white adolescents are considered the “default” group

describe Trawalter and Richeson’s findings about interracial conversations and anxiety

• white participants behaved more anxiously during interracial than same-race interactions

• black participants of interracial interactions found race-related discussions less stressful than race-neutral discussions

what roles do racial centrality and regard (private and public) have in identity formation

private

• the extent to which one feels positively or negatively about being their racial group

public

• the extent to which one feels their group is viewed positively or negatively by others

how does the gender intensification hypothesis affect boys and girls in adolescence

• adolescents face increased pressure to conform to gender roles during adolescence

  • boys are pressured into sports, body ideals, masculinity

  • girls are pressured into body ideals, femininity, making self small

explain trends of narcissism and possible interpretations of the trend

• scores on the narcissism personality inventory increasing overtime

• 2/3 of recent college students are above the average level of narcissism in 1980s

  • because of social media, generational increases

what is the trajectory of self-esteem across the lifespan

self esteem becomes increasingly more stable between childhood and early adulthood

how does self-esteem across the lifespan vary by gender

early adolescent girls

• more vulnerable to disturbances in their self-image

• self-esteem is lower

• self-consciousness is higher

sex differences in adolescents’ self perceptions become smaller over the course of adolescence

why are there self-esteem declines in early adolescence

• fluctuations in adolescents’ self-image occur most here

• this age group has lower self-esteem, are more self-conscious, have an unstable self-image

  • egocentrism makes them aware of others’ reactions to their behavior

  • learn it’s not always possible to tell what others are thinking by how they act/say

  • especially interested in others’ opinions of them

what are the characteristics of fragile self-esteem

• unstable

• discrepant

• contingent

define barometric self-esteem and it’s relationships with fluctuation and stability

fluctuating sense of worth as one responds to different thoughts, experiences throughout the day

• state self esteem

• the state may fluctuate, but the level of volatility tends to be stable

define baseline self-esteem and it’s relationships with fluctuation and stability

stable, enduring sense of worth and well being

• trait self esteem

what kind of barometric self-esteem is associated with more adverse outcomes

more volatile barometric self-esteem

• early adolescents

describe some general group differences in self-esteem during adolescence

sex

• girls more vulnerable to disturbances in self-image

ethnic

• black adolescents have higher self esteem than white adolescents

• white adolescents have higher self esteem than hispanic, asian, or native american youth

• asian american adolescents have low self esteem compared to their peers

in what domains do we see the largest gender differences in self-esteem

physical self esteem

• more important influence on overall self esteem among girls than boys

what role does physical appearance play in self-esteem

• most important predictor of overall self esteem

• although adolescents say that their physical appearance is one of the least important contributors to how they feel about themselves

  • they are unaware of the degree to which their self worth is based on their feelings about their appearance