11.2 The Self

self-concept

self-concept

a system made up of one’s thoughts and attitudes about oneself, including physical being, social characteristics, and internal characteristics

development of self-concept in infancy

Begins with an appreciation of one's physical self and the ability to control the environment.

self concept at different ages

• 2-4 months — have a sense of their ability to control objects outside themselves

• 8 months — recognize that they and their parents are separate entities

• 15 months — able to distinguish themselves by both gender/age

• 18-20 months — children look in mirrors and recognize themselves

• age 2 — recognize themselves in photographs

• age 3 - children’s self-awareness becomes quite clear

mirror self-recognition test

a test to determine whether a child can recognize themselves in a mirror, reflecting their self-awareness

susan harter

• sense of self os largely a social construction based on the observations and evaluation of others — can be direct or indirect

• direct — student is told they are doing well on somethings — child will internalize it — teacher influenced students sense of self

• indirect — comes from how children are treated by others

social comparison

the process of comparing oneself to others in terms of characteristics, behaviors, and possessions — elementary school

middle to late elementary school

conceptions for self are becoming integrated and more broadly encompassing

older children’s self-concept

reflects cognitive advances in their ability to use higher-order concepts that integrate more specific behavioural features of self

self-concept in adolescence

• emergence of abstract thinking

• typically develop multiple selves

• may lack ability yo integrate these different selves into a coherent whole

personal fable

A form of egocentrism where adolescents believe their feelings and experiences are unique and special

imaginary audience

the belief that everyone else is focused on the adolescent’s appearance and behavior — stronger for boys not girls

imaginary audience different ages

• middle teens — begin to agonize over the contradictions in their behavior and characteristics — feel confused and concerned who they really are

• late adolescence/early adult — individual’s conception of self become both more integrated and less determined by what others think

cultural contexts influence self-concept

cultural factors can impact how children think about themselves and their environments

self-esteem

a child’s overall subjective evaluation of their own worth and the feelings they have about that evaluation

self-esteem: age

• not constant and varies by developmental stage

• high in childhood, declining in adolescence — rebounding in adulthood

self-esteem: gender

• boys higher than girls — persist across lifespan

• no gender differences in academic performance

• boys/men higher in athletics, personal appearance, satisfaction

• girls/women higher in behavioural conduct and moral-ethical self-esteem

self-esteem: support

• most influence

• self-esteem as the internalization of the views of ourselves held by important people in our lives

• others argued that is it grounded in the quality of their relationships with their parents

effects of parental behavior on self-esteem

acceptance and support from parents generally lead to higher self-esteem in children

influence of peers on self-esteem

in late childhood, peer evaluations can have a greater impact on self-esteem than parental evaluations

self-esteem: school/neighbourhood environments

• most apparent in the decline of self-esteem is associated with the transition from elementary to middle school

• living in low-income and violent neighbourhoods is associated with lower self-esteem among adolescents

culture and self-esteem

sources, form and function of self-esteem may be different, and the criteria that children use to evaluates themselves may vary accordingly

identity

a description of the self that is often externally imposed, such as through membership in a group — have multiple identities

erik erikson

• all adolescents experience an identity crisis, in past as a means of separating from their parents

• identity achievement

identity achievement

the integration of various aspects of the self into a coherent whole that is stable over time

James Marcia's identity status categories

Four categories: identity achievement, moratorium, identity foreclosure, and identity diffusion.

moratorium

are exploring possible commitments to identities but have not committed to one

identity foreclosure

individuals who have committed early to an identity before engaging in any real exploration

identity diffusion

involves individuals who neither committed to an identity nor explored potential identities

most typical sequence

• diffusion — foreclosure — achievement

• diffusion — moratorium — foreclosure — achievement

factors influencing adolescents’ identity

1. approach parents take with offspring

2. larger social and historical context

3. ethnic and racial identity

ethnic and racial identity

beliefs and attitudes an individual has about the ethnic or racial groups to which they belong.

acculturation

the process of adjusting to a new culture while retaining aspects of one's culture of origin.

sexual identity

fefers to one’s sense of oneself as a sexual being, including sexual orientation.

sexual orientation

an individual’s romantic or erotic attractions to people of the same or different gender, both, or neither

sexual orientation is partly hereditary

identical twins more likely to exhibit similar sexual orientations than fraternal

sexual minority youth

• adolescents who are attracted to people of their same or different biological sexes or gender (LGB)

• face discrimination both in law and in practice and are frequent targets for harassment and violence

intersectionality

the potential for someone to experience multiple forms of discrimination and oppression linked to their multiple identities