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Topic 10

The Self

The Self

• I'm great! What about you?

Basic questions

• What am I really like? (physical, gender, emotional, social)
• What do others think?
• How do I feel about myself? (Am I happy with what I am? Do I like what I am and what I do?)
• What control do I have over what I am? (Can I change? Do I want to change?)

The questions are important because

• Key issues in personality development (e.g. Erikson's stages)
• View of self affects how we relate to others
• Critical part of understanding of gender and gender relationships
• Relationship to mental illnesses such as depression
• Relationship to dangerous action

Lewis

• Subjective self
• Objective self

Subjective Self

• fused self
• existential self - object permanence - stored experience - control of environment - basic trust

Objective Self

• concrete categorical self - physical characteristics
• abstract categorical self - personality, beliefs

Selman (a developmental process)

Infancy: slowly understand physical existence (body parameters, visual self recognition, use of senses); unaware of psychological existence (thoughts, emotions, feelings); egocentric; "Personal agency" (can cause events)

• The subjective or existential self (Lewis)
• Basic trust (Erikson)

Early Childhood: Separates psychological states; believes thoughts control actions; believes that outward appearance reveals inner self; family central to self; preoperational thought on here and now "I have freckles. I like pizza" (Eisen in Bee); "Personal agency" (cause events which are +ve or -ve)

• The objective or categorical self (Lewis)
• Autonomy and initiative (Erikson)

Middle Childhood: Feelings and motives can be different from behaviour; self can be hidden from others but not from oneself; physical self generally accepted (glasses, braces); peers of some importance but family central; concrete operational thought of tangibles "I'm a good singer, I'm in Cubs"; "Personal agency" as before

• Categorical self (Lewis)
• Industry (Erikson)

Preadolescence: Self is a stable part of personality; can know and evaluate inner self; mind is separate from self because it does the evaluating; physical self re-emerging as a major issue; self seen in relation to peers; thoughts becoming abstract "Guns should be banned, It's morally wrong to steal"; Personal agency (events affect others who have expectations of me)

• Beginning abstract categorical self (Lewis)
• Identity (Erikson)

Adolescence: realises self cannot be completely known; mind, emotions, motives, aspirations and achievements are part of self; critical time for acceptance of physical self; hopefully completes move from family peers independent self: thoughts are abstract and hypothetical "I'll study psychology because.......": Personal agency (I am responsible!!)

• Abstract categorical self (Lewis)
• Identity and intimacy (Erikson)

The self in adolescence and adulthood

• Achievement (crisis past/ commitment made)
• Moratorium (crisis in progress)
• Foreclosure (Commitment without crisis or change)
• Diffusion (no crisis or commitment)

Self Esteem

• Global self evaluation
• Discrepancy (Harter) in internal judgements
• Like to be / thinks is
• Varies according to personal standards
• Varies according to social support

Gender roles

• gender role - identity stability constancy
• types - concepts & stereotypes
• behaviour

Sex role Development

• Social learning
• Cognitive development
• Gender schema

Issues

• Source (experience, values, views of others)
• Stability
• Context (socio economic factors, learned helplessness/learned dominance, social norms, gender, race, parenting style *, rites of passage)
• Parenting style (Maccoby & Martin adapted from Baumrind)

• Stereotyping (physical, success, race, gender etc.)

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