Understanding the Self Finals

• Physical characteristics


  Defining traits or features of the person's body
• Physical self


  The concrete dimension in the body, a tangible aspect of the person which can be directly observed and examined
• The first thing a person sees when one looks at another could be the facial features, hairstyle, cloths, or figure (can easily be distinguished by the naked eye, describes a person just by looking)
• Self-understanding


  Knowledge and understanding of one's own capabilities, character, feelings, or motivation
• Self-understanding


  The individual's cognitive representation of the self which consists of the substance and content of self-conception
• In adolescence, the development of self-understanding is from simple to complex and involves a number of aspects of the self
• Youth


  Ages between 15-30 years, defined by the Youth in Nation Building Act (1994)
• The physical changes that youth undergo in the period of adolescence are virtually the same as other adolescents anywhere in the world
• Teenage years are a time when respect and support of parents are very essential
• Erik Erikson


  • Believed in the importances of the body from early development because the physical as well as intellectual skills will somehow serve as a basis as to whether a person has achieved a sense of competence and be able to manage and face the demands of life complexities
• William James


  • Considered the body as the initial sources of sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of personality
• Three Periods of Adolescence

  • Early Adolescence (11-14)
  • Middle Adolescence (15-17)
  • Late Adolescence (18-21)
• Puberty


  A period of rapid physical changes
• Puberty is not the same as adolescence because puberty ends prior to the end of the adolescence period
• Puberty is the most essential marker of the beginning of adolescence
• Puberty is the time in life when a boy or girl becomes sexually mature
• Changes in Girls during Puberty

  • Girls reach puberty earlier than boys
  • The first sign of puberty is usually the breast development
  • Hair grows in pubic area and armpits
  • Menarche (first menstrual flow) happens
• Changes in Boys during Puberty

  • Puberty usually begins with the testicles and penis getting better developed
  • Hair grows in pubic area and armpits
  • Muscles grow, the voice deepens, and facial hair develops
  • Boys experience spermarche/semenarche (first ejaculation or nocturnal emission)
• Puberty


  A brain-neuroendocrine process occurring primarily in early adolescence that trigger the rapid physical changes in the adolescent stage of human development
• Pituitary gland


  The master endocrine gland that controls growth and regulate the functions of all other endocrine glands including gonads (ovaries for girls and testes for boys)
• Gonads (sex glands)


  Secrete hormones, distributed by the blood stream throughout the body
• Estrogen


  Hormone of girls that promotes physical changes such as increase in height, widening of the hips, and increase in fatty tissue in the breast
• Androgen and testosterone


  Hormones of boys that are responsible for the growth of facial and body hair, muscles, and changes in the voice
• Changes classified as


  • Secondary sexual changes (physical changes that distinguishes boys from girls)
  • Primary sexual changes (changes in the reproductive organs that prepare both boys and girls in procreation)
• Introspection


  The process by which one observes and examines one's internal state (mental and emotional) after behaving a certain way
• Studies show that introspection is limited because people are always commonly motivated to keep unwanted thoughts and experiences out of the memory and consciousness. This means that people have a low self-insight on aspects about the self where they wish were not true and many people tend to overestimate their positive aspects
• Self-Perception Theory


  Since one's internal state is difficult to interpret, people can infer their inner states by observing their own behavior—as if they were an outside observer
• Physical perception


  Includes all aspects of a person's perception of his physical self
• Self-concept


  A cognitive representation of self-knowledge which includes the sum total of all beliefs that people have about themselves
• Physical self-concept


  The individual's perception or description of his physical self, including his physical appearance
• Personal identity


  The concept a person has about himself that develops over the years, including aspects of his life that he was born into like family, nationality, gender, physical traits, as well as choices he makes
• Attachment Process and Social Appraisal

  People learn about their value and lovability when they experience how their mothers or caregivers care for them and respond to their needs. These earliest interactions are important in developing who they are
• Caregiving that is consistent and appropriately responds to the infant's needs promote positive self-concept; whereas caregiving that is neglectful and unresponsive creates a negative self-concept believing that they are not worthy and that others cannot be trusted
• Maintaining, Regulating, and Expanding the Self in Interpersonal Relationships

  The sense of self is continuously shaped through on-going interaction with others or with significant relationship partners. They act as private audiences with whom people carry an internal dialogue
• Reflected appraisal


  Inferences regarding other people's appraisal of a person. It is gained by observing how people react towards the individual. These reflected appraisals are internalized and become part of self-concept, which guides future behavior
• Social comparison


  A process of comparing oneself with others in order to evaluate one's own abilities and opinions
• Types of social comparison

  • Upward social comparison (comparing to those better)
  • Downward social comparison (comparing to those worse)
• Social Identity Theory (Collective Self Identity)

  People have a need for positive social identity, that is why they connect to a wider social network. This idea assumes an out-group. It enhances self-esteem because they feel secured with the shield of group membership where they belong
• Self-esteem


  A measure of how much you value, respect, and feel confident about yourself
• Culture


  A social system that is characterized by the shared meanings that are attributed to people and events by its members