US 3

• William James (1890) conceptualized the self as having two aspects: the "I" and the "me"
• "I" is the thinking, acting, and feeling self

  • "Me" is the physical characteristics and psychological capabilities that define who you are
• Carl Rogers's (1959) theory of personality also uses the terms "I" and "me"

  • "I" is the one who acts and decides
  • "Me" is what you think or feel about yourself as an object
• Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, responsibilities, and affiliations that define who one is
• Self-concept is what comes to mind when asked about who you are
• Self, identity, and self-concept are not fixed in one time frame

  • They can pertain to the past, present, and future
  • They are not fixed for life and are ever-changing
• Under Freud's theory, the self, its mental processes, and behavior result from the interaction between the Id, Ego, and Superego

  • Id: innate instinctive impulses and primary processes
  • Ego: mediates between the conscious and unconscious, responsible for reality testing and personal identity
  • Superego: tells a person how to behave based on learned morals and values
• Under symbolic interactionism, G.H. Mead (1934) argued that the self is created and developed through human interaction
• Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and align your actions, thoughts, or emotions with your internal standards
• Carver and Sheier (1981) identified two types of self-awareness: private self and public self

  • Private self: internal standards and private thoughts and feelings
  • Public self: public image geared toward presenting yourself to others
• Self-awareness presents three other self-schemas: actual self, ideal self, and ought self

  • Actual self: who you are at the moment
  • Ideal self: who you would like to be
  • Ought self: who you think you should be
• Self-esteem is your overall opinion of yourself, how you feel about your abilities and limitations
• Social comparison theory states that we learn about ourselves and our social status by comparing aspects of ourselves with others
• Downward social comparison is comparing ourselves with those worse off to raise self-esteem

  • Upward social comparison is comparing ourselves with those better off, which can lead to lower self-esteem
• Self-evaluation maintenance theory states that we may feel threatened when someone outperforms us, leading to three possible reactions:

  • Distance ourselves from that person or redefine the relationship
  • Reconsider the importance of the aspect in which we were outperformed
  • Strengthen our resolve to improve that aspect of ourselves
• Narcissism is a trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-centeredness