3: The Self in the Social World

Self

Our sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals.

Social Self

Aspects of one’s identity or self-concept that are important to or influenced by interpersonal relationships and the reactions of other people.

Public Self

Aspect of one’s social self that is displayed to others in public.

Ideal Self

Aspect of one’s social self that expresses their idealized view of themselves.

Actual Self

Aspect of one’s social self that represents their current reality and the features and attributes that they actually possess

Role Self

Aspect of one’s social self that is influenced by the roles they fulfill within their social group or groups.

Self-Presentation

Behavior that attempts to convey some information about oneself or some image of oneself to other people

Pleasing the audience

Type of self-presentation:

• To match the audience’s expectations and preferences

Self-Construction

Type of Self-Presentation:

To match own ideal self

Ingratiation

To create liking by using flattery or charm

Intimidation

To create fear by showing that you can be aggressive

Exemplification

To create guilt by showing that you are a better person than the other

Supplication

To create pity by indicating to others that you are helpless and needy

Self-Promotion

To create respect by persuading others that you are competent

Self-Concept

The overarching, multidimensional perception an individual holds of their own identity, abilities, and characteristics.

It is a framework that answers “Who am I?”

Self-Image

How you perceive yourself right now

(physical traits, personality, social roles)

Self-Esteem

How mush you value, accept, and like yourself

Ideal Self

The person you ultimately aspire or wish to be

Multidimensional

Self-Concept encompasses multiple types of self-perception

Flexible and changeable

Self-Concept can change over time in response to experiences and feedback from others

Developmental

Self-Concept begins to develop in infancy and is influenced by family, media, and culture

Organizational

Self-Concept provides a framework that guides our behaviors, choices, and interpretations of ourselves and our experiences

Self-Knowledge

The “actual genuine information one possesses about onself”

Physical World

Source of self-knowledge:

Information limited to physical info

Social Comparisons

Source of Self-Knowledge:

Comparing oneself with others

Reflected Appraisal

Source of self-knowledge:

Others’ evaluations of us

Introspection

Source of Self-Knowledge:

Inward observation of thoughts, feelings, motives, and desires

self-perception

Source of Self-Knowledge:

Observing our own behavior

Latin aestimare

Esteem; “to estimate or appraise”

State vs Trait Self-Esteem

Address the durability and fluctuation of self-worth

Trait self-esteem

Enduring, baseline level of self-worth that remains relatively consistent over long periods

State self-esteem

Temporary fluctuations in how you feel about yourself based on specific events

Secure vs Defensive Self-esteem

how deeply your self-esteem internalized and protected from outside opinions

Secure self-esteem

A positive, confident, and stable self-evaluation

Defensive self-esteem

Fragile and highly dependent on external validation, achievements, or praise

Explicit vs Implicit self-esteem

Differentiate between conscious thoughts and unconscious, automatic feelings

Explicit self-esteem

The conscious, deliberate evaluations of self-worth you can readily express when asked

Implicit self-esteem

Unconscious, spontaneous, and automatic evaluations of yourself

Contingent vs Non-contingent self-esteem

What drives your self-worth

Contingent self-esteem

Tied to specific conditions, domains, or external factors

Non-contingent self-esteem

Unconditional feelings of self-worth that remains positive regardless of performance, failures, or the opinions of others

Personal, Relational, and Collective Self-Esteem

The varied social sources from which we draw our self-worth

Personal Self-Esteem

based on your unique individuals traits, abilities , and achievements

Relational Self-Esteem

derive from close interpersonal relationships

Collective self-esteem

Rooted in membership and identification with larger social groups

Looking-Glass Self

How we see ourselves comes from our perception of how others see us

Self-Discrepancy Theory

We have not one but three selves:

• actual self

• ought self

• ideal self

Social Comparison Theory

Describes the comparison processes people utilize to evaluate their actions, accomplishments, and opinions in contrast to those of other people

Upward social comparisons

Involve comparing ourselves to people who appear to be better than us

Downward social comparison

Comparing ourselves to people who appear to be worse than us