Lecture 2: The Self

Flashcards covering key theories of the self, including perspectives from George Herbert Mead, William James, and Carl Rogers, as well as concepts like self-concept, self-complexity, and conditions of worth.

According to George Herbert Mead, what is the "I"?

The part of us that takes actions, perceives, and engages with other people.

According to George Herbert Mead, what is the "me"?

How other people view us.

What is reflected appraisal?

The idea that how people see us influences how we see ourselves.

Why is reflected appraisal considered a limited view?

Because how people view us does not always reflect how we actually are, such as good people being treated poorly.

How does William James define the "me" compared to Mead?

Anything that symbolizes and affirms who we are, which can exist outside of yourself, such as roles, relationships, values, identities, hobbies, and beliefs.

How does William James label the "I" and the "me"?

The "I" is the executive self, and the "me" is the descriptive self.

What is self-concept?

The collection of information that defines the self as an object of attention.

What is self-complexity?

A measure of self-concept organization that refers to the number of self-aspects in an individual's self-concept.

What is a self-aspect?

Dimensions (traits) of your identity or roles that you take on in different situations.

What structural factors result in higher self-complexity?

A high number of self-aspects and less overlap between those self-aspects.

What are the mental health benefits of greater self-complexity?

It makes it easier to cope with setbacks, provides alternative ways to think about yourself, reduces stress, and results in less affective spillover.

What is affective spillover?

A phenomenon where feelings towards one self-aspect leak onto another self-aspect.

What two criteria make a self-aspect authentic?

Being fully self-endorsed and volitionally enacted (incorporated into the self willingly).

How does Carl Rogers define conditions of worth?

The distance between who we are and what others want us to be.