chapter 2 considering self

Self

An evolving composite of three components that develop continually over time based on life experience.

Self-awareness

The ability to view yourself as a unique person and to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Self-monitoring

Using self-awareness to assess how well your communication matches situational norms.

Social comparison (Mead)

Observing and assigning meaning to others’ behavior and comparing it with your own.

Self-concept

Your overall perception of who you are, based on the beliefs, attitudes, and values you have about yourself.

Looking-glass self

Your self-concept as shaped by what you believe others think of you.

Self-concept clarity

The degree to which you have a clearly defined, consistent, and enduring sense of self.

Self-fulfilling prophecies

Predictions about future interactions that lead us to behave in ways that ensure the interaction unfolds as we predicted.

Self-esteem

The overall value, positive or negative, that we assign to ourselves.

Self-discrepancy theory

Your self-esteem is determined by how you compare to your ideal self and ought self.

Gender

The composite of social, psychological, and behavioral attributes that a particular culture associates with an individual’s biological self.

Attachment anxiety

Anxiety related to the fear of rejection or abandonment in relationships.

Attachment avoidance

The tendency to avoid emotional closeness in relationships.

Secure attachment

A healthy attachment style characterized by trust and a strong bond.

Preoccupied attachment

An attachment style marked by dependency on others and. anxiety in relationships.

Dismissive attachment

An attachment style characterized by avoidance of emotional closeness.

Fearful attachment

An attachment style characterized by both anxiety and avoidance in relationships.

Culture

An established, coherent set of beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices shared by a large group of people.

Face

The public self you want others to see and know (Goffman).

Mask

A public self designed to conceal your private self.

Embarrassment

Feelings of shame, humiliation, and sadness due to losing face.

Self-disclosure

Revealing private information about yourself to others.

Interpersonal process model of intimacy

Closeness created through self-disclosure and the responsiveness of listeners.

Social penetration theory

The process of revealing the self to others by peeling back or penetrating layers.

Breadth

The number of different aspects of self revealed at each layer.

Depth

How deeply into each other’s self the partners have penetrated.

Intimacy

A feeling of closeness and “union” that exists between partners.

Johari window

A model that illustrates different areas of self-awareness, including public, hidden, blind, and unknown areas.

Selfie

A positive photo of oneself taken by oneself.

Warranting value

The degree to which information is supported by other people and outside evidence in online self-presentation.

Online self-presentation tips

Be wary of contradictory information, conduct web searches on yourself, and use the interview test.