Title: The%20Self,%20Identity,%20
1The Self, Identity, Personality
2SELF
- 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
3Self-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
4Self in Early Childhood
- Confusion of self, mind, and body
- Concrete descriptions
- Physical descriptions
- Activities what they do
- Overestimation of abilities
5Self Middle Late Childhood
- Shift to internal traits and abilities
- Social role descriptions
- Real and ideal selves
- More realistic about abilities
6Perspective Taking
- Opposite of egocentrism the ability to assume
anothers perspective - Children who are good at this are popular
- Development progresses through stages (Selman)
7Self in Adolescence
- Abstract-idealistic
- Self-conscious/ preoccupied
- Contradictions within self
- Fluctuating picture across time/situations
- Possible selves
- Self-integrations as they get older
8Self 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
9Self-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?)
10Self-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
11Self-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
12Whats the problem?
- Why is being wrong so socially traumatic to
students?
13The Self-Esteem Movement
- Thank you to Dr. Tracey Zinn, on whose conference
presentation this section is based.
14The 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)
15What 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
16What Resulted
17What 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.)
18What 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.
19Result 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
20What 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.
21What Failed to Result
- High self-esteem Isnt associated with improved
grades, career achievement, reduced alcohol
usage, lower violent behavior, etc. - Baumeister and colleagues (2003)
22What 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.
23Educational 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!
24Backlash 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
25Backlash 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.
26Are 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
27Correlates 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
28Self-Worth
- Meaning
- Purpose
- Living up to your identity your destiny
29Components of Identity
- Career
- Political views
- Religious beliefs
- Relationships
- Ethnic identity
- Personality
- Body image
30EriksonIdentity vs. Identity Confusion
- Identity crisis - exploration
- Identity commitment
- Problems
- Weak sense of trust
- Little autonomy or initiative
- Lack of industry
31Paths to Identity
- Identity diffusion
- No crisis/ commitment
- Identity foreclosure
- Commitment/ no crisis
- Identity moratorium
- Crisis/ no commitment
- Identity achievement (goal)
- Commitment following crisis
32Erikson Generativity vs. Stagnation
- Self-absorption
- Self-indulgence