The Self, Identity,

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The Self, Identity, Personality

• Chapter 11

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SELF

• All the Characteristics of the Person
• Self-concept everything the person believes to
  be true about him/herself
• Includes traits, preferences, social roles,
  values, beliefs, interests, self-categorization
• Self-understanding develops throughout the
  lifespan

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Self-Awareness in Infancy

• Dot-of-rouge experiment
• Recognize selves in mirror at 15-18 months
• 15-23 months
• Personal pronoun use
• Picture recognition
• Self-referencing, ownership, self-monitoring

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Self in Early Childhood

• Confusion of self, mind, and body
• Concrete descriptions
• Physical descriptions
• Activities what they do
• Overestimation of abilities

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Self Middle Late Childhood

• Shift to internal traits and abilities
• Social role descriptions
• Real and ideal selves
• More realistic about abilities

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Perspective Taking

• Opposite of egocentrism the ability to assume
  anothers perspective
• Children who are good at this are popular
• Development progresses through stages (Selman)

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Self in Adolescence

• Abstract-idealistic
• Self-conscious/ preoccupied
• Contradictions within self
• Fluctuating picture across time/situations
• Possible selves
• Self-integrations as they get older

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Self in Adulthood

• Self-awareness (emotional intelligence)
• Accept own good and bad qualities
• Possible selves become more realistic
• Life review evaluation of successes failures
  more likely as you get older

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Self-Esteem What is it?

• Evaluative part of the self-concept
• emotional
• Difference between the real and ideal self
• Have you realized your potential?
• Do you value the trait, but have little
  potential?
• Ideal self includes the ought and the wish
  selves
• Measure of our sense of meaning in life
• This includes purpose
• Self-respect (Have you lived up to who you are?)

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Self-Esteem What is it?

• Influenced by the reactions of others
• Generalized other, great ubiquitous they
• People are susceptible to flattery
• It is tougher to accept criticism
• Basis for conformity

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Self-Esteem What is it?

• Self-serving bias
• Overrate ourselves
• Blame our failures
• Claim our victories
• As a rule, only depressed people truly have low
  self-esteem

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Whats the problem?

• Why is being wrong so socially traumatic to
  students?

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The Self-Esteem Movement

• Thank you to Dr. Tracey Zinn, on whose conference
  presentation this section is based.

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The Self-Esteem Movement

• Propagated primarily in the educational system
• Curricula aimed at increasing students
  self-esteem
• Everyone born after 1970
• Focus has been on increasing self-esteem that is
  not rooted in reality
• Researchers now suggesting that students need to
  be able to identify their talents
• The Psychology of Self-Esteem Branden (1969)

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What Was Taught

• Keep your head up, feel good about yourself vs.
  take responsibility for your work. Forsyth et
  al (2007)
• You can do anything!
• No use of the word failure
• Everyone got all As in HS, doing little work
• Unrealistic expectations of success
• Students report being bored in class

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What Resulted
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What Resulted Attitudes

• Being happy is the most important thing
• We should always feel good about ourselves
• Increase in narcissism (debated)
• Dont say Im a good soccer player (Just say
  Im good.)

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What Resulted Attitudes

• Carol Dwecks research
• Effort is considered a sign of stupidity
• When children are told that they are smart, they
  choose an easier task.
• Panic when they are challenged or
• think they are engaging in a lot of effort.

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What Resulted - Behaviors

• Self-esteem coloring books
• Self-science
• Independent spellers
• Confused parents

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Result Confused Parents

• Encouraged delicate handling of children
• Shielded them from negative emotions, criticism
• Praised kids regardless of what they did
• Carol Dwecks research
• Parents often think that helping their kids build
  self-esteem is done by shielding them from
  criticism and praising their talents
• Protecting kids from hurt, failure, criticism,
  disappointment has made them more vulnerable

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What Resulted - Behaviors

• Weve created college students who are woefully
  vulnerable to pinpricks
• Thin skinned undergraduates, defensive when they
  miss questions or are challenged
• Generation X Goes to College (Peter Sacks)
• Students seem to be incapable of handling
  negative feedback.
• New hires are asking for raises and promotions
  almost immediately after being hired.
• When students with high SE are criticized
• Unfriendly, rude, and uncooperative.
• Entitlement regularly cited as an issue in
  college.

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What Failed to Result

• High self-esteem Isnt associated with improved
  grades, career achievement, reduced alcohol
  usage, lower violent behavior, etc.
• Baumeister and colleagues (2003)

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What Self-esteem Cannot Do?

• Improve school performance
• Improve social relationships
• Guarantee good leadership
• Prevent risky behavior such as drinking
• Promote health
• It is defined in more than one way.
• It may simply be a marker or indicator variable.

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Educational Outcomes of the Self-Esteem Movement

• Susan Jacoby The Age of American Unreason
• Are our students (people) hostile to knowledge?
• Self-esteem movement Im the smartest kid!
• Im supposed to be happy!

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Backlash against Self-Esteem

• John Hewitts
• The Myth of Self-Esteem Finding Happiness and
  Solving Problems in America
• Why do you feel good about yourself?
• Because of self-esteem

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Backlash against Self-Esteem

• Generation Me
• Risk of depression anxiety higher for young
  people today
• Our growing tendency to put the self first leads
  to unparalleled freedom, but it also creates an
  enormous amount of pressure on us to stand
  alone.

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Are Negative Emotions Normal?

• Against happiness In praise of melancholy
• Eric Wilson
• Loss of sadness How Psychiatry Transformed
  Normal Sorrow into Depressive Disorder
• Alan Horwitz James Wakefield
• The Medicalization of Society On the
  Transformation of Human Conditions into Treatable
  Disorders Peter Conrad

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Correlates of Self-Esteem

• More initiative
• Happier, less depressed
• As long as things are going well.
• Related to physical appearance
• Can become narcissistic
• Fluctuates across the lifespan

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Self-Worth

• Meaning
• Purpose
• Living up to your identity your destiny

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Components of Identity

• Career
• Political views
• Religious beliefs
• Relationships
• Ethnic identity
• Personality
• Body image

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EriksonIdentity vs. Identity Confusion

• Identity crisis - exploration
• Identity commitment
• Problems
• Weak sense of trust
• Little autonomy or initiative
• Lack of industry

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Paths to Identity

• Identity diffusion
• No crisis/ commitment
• Identity foreclosure
• Commitment/ no crisis
• Identity moratorium
• Crisis/ no commitment
• Identity achievement (goal)
• Commitment following crisis

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The Big Five Personality Traits
Trait Dimension Description
Emotional Stability Calm
versus anxious Secure versus
insecure Self-satisfied versus
self-pitying
Extraversion
Sociable versus retiring Fun-loving
versus sober Affectionate versus reserved
Openness
Imaginative versus practical
Preference for variety versus routine
Independent versus conforming
Agreeableness
Soft-hearted versus ruthless Trusting
versus suspicious Helpful versus
uncooperative
Conscientiousness
Organized versus disorganized Careful
versus careless Disciplined versus
impulsive
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Changes in Personality Traits

• Big 5 personality traits
• Individual personalities are very stable.
• On average, middle adults are less neurotic (more
  stable), less extroverted, and less open to new
  experience.
• They are more conscientious and agreeable. (They
  have settled down.)

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Erikson Generativity vs. Stagnation

• Generativity reaching out to others in ways
  that guide and give to the next generation
• Mentoring
• Parenting
• Teaching
• Writing
• Building businesses
• Political Activity
• Leaving your legacy

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Erikson Generativity vs. Stagnation

• Self-absorption
• Self-indulgence

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Levinson Seasons of a Mans Life

• Cycles of transition stability in 20s, 30s,
  and 40s
• By 40s mortality is realized
• Levinson Some are disappointed in not having
  realized their early adulthood dream some
  questions the value of their accomplishments to
  society

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Levinson - Seasons of a Mans LIfe

• Based on biographical interviews of 35-45 year
  old men later added women
• Key concept is life structure-relationships with
  significant other individuals and groups
• Dream (image of self in the adult world) guides
  young adult decision-making

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Is there a midlife crisis?

• No, not necessarily during the 40s.
• Most adults reach points of questioning what they
  are doing and considering the need for a change.
• This is usually brought on by life events.

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Valliant - Adaptation to Life

• Men focus on career consolidation in their 30s
• In their 40s they become more generative
• In their 50s and 60s they become keepers of
  meaning or guardians of the culture
• In their 70s they become more spiritual and
  reflective

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Research Findings for Midlife

• Overview
• General increase in introspection.
• Increased self-acceptance.
• Greater autonomy, less concern with the
  evaluations and expectations of others.
• High environmental mastery.