The self - social psychology

• Self


  The cognitive and affective representation of one's identity or the subject of experience
• Functions of the Self

  • Behavioural: Self presentation and self expression, Setting and pursuing goals
  • Cognitive: Self concept, Self schemas, Attention, memory and recall, Social comparison
  • Affective: Emotional response, Self esteem, Regulation of emotions
• William James


  The founder of American psychology, described the basic duality of our perception of self - the "known" or "me" and the "knower" or "I"
• Charles Cooley


  Saw the self as a looking-glass or reflective self, where people form concepts of themselves based on the opinions held by others about them
• George Herbert Mead


  Saw the self as emerging within a social context and the self as a social process, with the "I" as the active spontaneous part and the "Me" developing through interaction with others
• Self-recognition


  Develops at around age 2, but self-concept becomes more complex as we develop self knowledge
• Sources of self-knowledge


  1. Introspection

  2. Self-perception

  3. Feedback from others

  4. Social comparisons

  5. Socialization
• Fundamental attribution error


  When we take the observer's perspective we tend to attribute other people's behaviours to dispositional factors and underestimate the role of situational factors
• Actor-observer bias


  We attribute our own behaviour to situational factors and others' behaviour to dispositional factors
• Autobiographical memory


  A memory of oneself from the past, as compared to the present view of oneself
• Possible selves


  Image of how the self might be in the future, "dreaded" or "desired", can be used to improve self
• Self-serving bias


  We attribute positive events to internal factors and negative events to external factors
• Personal identity

  We think of ourselves primarily as individuals, how I am different from the group
• Social identity


  We think of ourselves as members of specific social groups, how I am similar to the group
• Self-esteem


  Evaluation of the self along a positive-negative continuum, one's overall attitude toward the self
• Implicit self-esteem


  Automatic evaluations about the self of which we are not consciously aware
• Explicit self-esteem


  Conscious evaluations, beliefs, and feelings that individuals have about themselves
• Self-concept


  Composite ideas, feelings and attitudes that a person has about his own identity, worth, capabilities and limitations
• Actual self


  Your representation of the attributes that you believe you actually possess at the present moment
• Ought self


  Your representation of the attributes that you believe you should or ought to possess (sense of duty, external expectations, social norms)
• Ideal self


  Your representation of the attributes that you would ideally like to possess (hopes, aspirations, wishes)
• Self-presentation


  The attempt to control self-relevant images before real or imagined others
• Self-presentation tactics


  • Ingratiation
  • Intimidation
  • Self-promotion
  • Exemplification
  • Supplication
  • Self-verification
  • Self-deprecation