Self+HO

The Self

  • The self comprises three parts:

    • The Individual Self

    • The Relational Self

    • The Executive Self

  • Model referenced: Baumeister (1998), Sedikides & Brewer (2004)

Individual Self

  • Self-knowledge (Self-concept): Information about oneself, involving self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-deception.

  • Reflective Self: Considers how one presents oneself

    • Interpersonal self (Public self): Influenced by social roles, group membership, and reputation.

  • Executive Self: Responsible for decision making and self-control; involves taking charge of situations and active responding.

Understanding the Individual Self

  • Involves self-reflection on identity:

    • Self-Serving Biases: Favorable evaluations of oneself.

    • Actor-Observer Effect: Different attribution of behavior.

    • Implicit Egotism: Preference for things associated with the self.

    • Self-Concept: Set of beliefs about oneself.

Self-Concept Defined

  • Definition: The set of beliefs one has about oneself and their traits.

  • Impact: Influences how we process and recall information about ourselves and others.

Possible Selves

  • Definition: Various selves or roles one may assume in social situations, akin to roles in a play.

  • Each self prescribes specific behaviors based on core identity.

    • Actual Self: Current self-state.

    • Ideal Self: Aspiration of who one wants to be.

    • Ought Self: Self one feels obligated to become.

    • Feared Self: Self one fears becoming.

Discrepancy Theory

  • Our perception of self relates to how closely our actual self matches one of our self-guides.

  • Discrepancies can lead to emotional reactions, indicating a mismatch between actual and ideal/ought selves.

Self-Knowledge Motives

  • Three primary motives:

    • Appraisal: Seeking accurate self-awareness.

    • Consistency: Desire for a stable self-concept, reinforcing existing beliefs.

    • Self-Enhancement: Motivation to maintain a favorable self-image, often focusing on strengths.

Positive Illusions

  • Evidence suggests people tend to hold slightly positive views of themselves beyond objective measures (Taylor & Brown, 1988).

Implicit Theories of the Self

  • Individuals possess unconscious views of their abilities:

    • Changeable (Incremental theorists): Belief in the ability to grow and adapt.

    • Unchangeable (Entity theorists): Belief that abilities are fixed and immutable.

Responses to Failure

  • Entity Theorists: Tend to become self-protective after failures.

  • Incremental Theorists: Generally become more motivated following setbacks.

  • Moral: Embrace an incremental approach to personal growth.

Self-Awareness Defined

  • Ability to reflect on actions and derive personal insights (Duval & Wicklund, 1972).

The Relational Self

  • Self-view influences perceptions of others.

  • Reflected Appraisal: Obtaining self-knowledge based on others' views; also known as the Looking-Glass Self.

  • Can lead to distorted self-perceptions.

Social Comparison and Influence

  • Examples of social dynamics:

    • Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG): Associating with successful close others.

    • Envy: Feeling negatively when peers excel in relevant areas.

    • Defensive strategies:

      • Distancing from those who excel.

      • Minimizing the importance of their success.

      • Possible sabotage of relationships.

Self-Presentation Strategies

  • Strategy to convey impressions to others:

    • Motives for self-presentation include:

      1. Present a positive self-image.

      2. Construct and maintain a specific self-image.

Overview of Self-Esteem

  • Concept: How positively individuals view themselves.

  • Generally, high self-esteem is beneficial:

    • Associated with better education outcomes, job satisfaction, and overall happiness.

  • High self-esteem aids in resisting threats.

  • However, excessive self-esteem may have downsides.

Sociometer Theory of Self-Esteem

  • Self-esteem develops from social interactions and reflects peer acceptance.

  • Individuals with high self-esteem attract others more easily.

Influence of Self-Esteem on Self-Concept

  • High self-esteem correlates with confidence in abilities and predicts success in various endeavors.

  • People with high self-esteem often adopt proactive strategies.

The Executive Self Overview

  • Represents the urge for control over events.

  • Involves perceptions of control and beliefs in the power of superstition.

Locus of Control

  • Measures perception of control over outcomes:

    • Internal Locus: Belief that one’s efforts determine results (e.g., "I did it!").

    • External Locus: Belief that outside forces dictate outcomes (e.g., "I was lucky...").

Self-Regulation: Definition & Function

  • The ability to monitor and adapt thoughts, feelings, and impulses to achieve personal goals.

  • Considers self-regulation a stable, adaptive trait (Mishel, 1988).

Self-Regulation Mechanism (Control Theory)

  • Operates based on a feedback loop (Carver & Scheier, 1982):

    • Input: Information about performance.

    • Comparator: Evaluation of the current state against goals.

    • Output: Response efforts to adjust behavior.

    • Impact on Environment: Effects of actions taken to modify surroundings.

Resource Model of Self-Regulation

  • Compares self-regulation to muscle strength, indicating limited resources (Muraven & Baumeister).

Experimental Evidence for Self-Regulation

  • Baumeister et al. (1995)

  • Participants engaged in tasks involving food choices (chocolate vs. radishes) to study willpower and self-regulation over time.

Habitual Self-Regulation

  • Explored through a setup where participants refrained from eating before a taste-testing experiment (Polivy & Herman, 1993).