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Lecture 11: Self And Identity

Lecture 11: Self And Identity. INTRODUCTION A. BPS Model and Adolescence. The BPS Model suggests that changes in adolescence are the result of dealing with new capacities and demands on the adolescent due to...

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Lecture 11: Self And Identity

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  1. Lecture 11:Self And Identity

  2. INTRODUCTIONA. BPS Model and Adolescence • The BPS Model suggests that changes in adolescence are the result of dealing with new capacities and demands on the adolescent due to... • Evolutionary-based and biological changes in hormones resulting in the growth of primary and secondary sex characteristics. • Cognitive changes in the ability be think abstractly and hypothetically • There are also culturally-based social changes in expectations, responsibilities, and monitoring, given new status and sexual characteristics.

  3. INTRODUCTIONA. BPS Model and Adolescence • Biological, cognitive, and cultural forces don’t influence adolescents’ behavior directly but are mediated by social contexts. • Direct biological effects are minimal but indirect ones mediated in social context by secondary sex characteristics are strong • Cognitive influences are also mediated by social context. • Whether an adolescent uses cognitive abilities for abstract and hypothetical thinking depends on social context. • Cultural differences in forces which regulate microsystem-level organization and expectations.

  4. INTRODUCTIONB. Issues in Adolescent Development • The BPS model helps us fully understand the tasks and challenges uniquely faced by adolescents • Over the next 5 weeks we will consider a number of adolescent issues from the BPS perspective in order to understand what challenges they pose uniquely to adolescents: • Self and Identity • Gender & Sexuality • Morality, Values and Religion • Careers and Work

  5. INTRODUCTIONC. Introduction to Self and identity • The BPS model suggests that biological and cognitive changes affect adolescents’ sense of themselves depending of social-cultural context • We explore this claim over the next 5 lectures by focusing on 4 aspect of individuals’ sense of themselves • Personality • Traits: Relatively stable characteristics of self • Temperament: Inborn behavioral characteristics • Emotions: Affect which involves physiological arousal, behavioral expression and conscious experience • Self Understanding: Cognitive representation of the self • Identity: Defining and adopting adult social roles.

  6. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF A. Personality • 1. Traits • Personality and traits: Stable ways in which we all differ • Big five personality traits: Five core traits or personality

  7. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF A. Personality • Big five may not be as stable in adolescence as in adulthood. • Even stable traits do not necessarily deny the influence of social context on behavior. • Personality is also affected situations • Extravert at party may behave like an introvert in the library • “Interactionist” account of personality holds that both stability and situational fluctuation may be the rule in personality

  8. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF A. Personality • 2. Temperament is an individual's behavioral style; their characteristic way of responding. • Temperamental differences seen in newborns. • Easy (positive and adaptable), Difficult, (negative and rigid), Slow to warm up (low activity and intensity) • This category system has been reworked and applied to adolescents. • Positive affect/approachable (introversion/extraversion) • Negative affectivity (introversion and neuroticism) • Effortful control (self-regulation) • While biologically based, temperaments are also supported by environmental factors.

  9. II. PERSONALITY, EMOTIONS, AND SELF B. Emotions • Emotions, “feelings”, or “affect” involves physiological arousal, behavioral expression, and sometimes conscious experience. • 1. Emotions in Adolescence • Emotional changes in adolescence • Increase in intensity (higher emotional highs and lower emotional lows) • Increase in “fleeting” emotions (change rapidly) • Increase in negative emotions • Emotional expression (often inappropriately respond to more intense feelings)

  10. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF B. Emotions • 2. Biopsychosocial Nature of Emotions • Emotional changes in adolescence may be due to biological, psychosocial, and cultural factors. • Biological Factors • Hormonal changes may have a small effect on the changes in emotions, but with more importance given to social factors. • Increase in dopamine in the limbic system also makes adolescents more emotional. • Psychosocial Factors • Transitions to middle school • Onset of sexual and romantic relations • Cultural Factors • Emotions have cultural significance.

  11. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF B. Emotions • 3. Emotional Regulation Skills • Changes in emotions in adolescence associated with changes in emotional regulatory skills. • Coping skills: Altering intensity of emotions. • Emotional Expression: Communicating emotions to others more appropriately. • Adolescents remain poor mangers of their emotions. • Prone to emotional outbursts. • Poor skills anticipating their own emotions. • Anticipated regret, decision making, and risk taking

  12. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 1. Defining Self Understanding • Adolescents become more introspective in adolescence. • In what ways did you become more “self-conscious”, “self-exploratory”, and “self-focused”. • What is the self that adolescent reflect upon? • Self understanding: Cognitive representation of the self; the substance and content of the adolescents self-concept.

  13. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 2. Dimensions of adolescents’ self concept • Idealistic: Self described abstractly. Ideal (perfected) self created. • Differentiated: More variation in self with widening social contexts. • Fluctuating: More variation of the self across different situations. • Contradictory: Variationsin selfcontradict. • Real vs. Other: Ideal, Possible(the selves one would or would not like to be) and False (facades) selves distinguished from Real self.

  14. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 2. Dimensions of self concept • Social comparison: They evaluate themselves relative to others, although the tendency decrease over age. • Awareness: Self consciousness and preoccupation with the self. • Self-protectiveness: More sophisticated defense mechanism used to protect and enhance the self. • Unconsciousness: Recognize some things are outside their awareness. • Integrated: Motivation tosystematically piece together the self.

  15. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 3. Self and Socio-Cultural Contexts • Socio-contextual factors matter in the experience and expression of the self. • Self differs depending on the presence of others: Parents, friends, teachers, etc. • Self differs depending on the role portrayed: Student, athlete, employee, etc. • Self portrayed depends of characteristics that make you unique in a context. • Cultural variation in multiple selves • Consistent and stable selves emphasized in North America. • Relational selves emphasized in Japan.

  16. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 4. Self-Esteem and Self Concept • Self Esteem (self-worth or self-image): Global evaluation of characteristics of self • Self Concept: Domain-specific evaluation of the self. • Domains include academic, athletic, physical appearance, peer status • Appearance and peer acceptance are particularly important domains for adolescents.

  17. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • Measurement issues • Popular measure of Self Esteem: Self Perception Profile for Adolescents (Harter, 1989) • Measures both global self confidence and specific self concept • Self-concept domains: scholastic competence, academic competence, social competence, physical appearance, behavioral conduct, close friendships, romantic appeal, job competence. • Relations between global and specific measures show interesting patterns

  18. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding

  19. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 4ii. Changes in Adolescent Self Understanding • New dimensions of evaluation are added • Close friendship, romantic appeal, and job competence (in addition to academic, physical, social, and appearance) • Evidence that self-esteem decreases with transition from elementary to junior high school. • This applies to any major transition. • Some evidence suggests that self-esteem decreases over adolescence for girls • Gender intensification, Girls negative self evaluations

  20. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding The changes in self-esteem over the adolescent years may reflect four distinct patterns rather than a single general pattern. (mostly females)

  21. II. PERSONALITY, EMPOTIONS, AND SELF C. Self Understanding • 4iii. Increasing Self esteem • Low self esteem is problematic particularly when there are other stressors or problems present • Depression, suicide, delinquency, eating disorders • Techniques to improve self esteem • Identifying the causes of low self-esteem and which domains of competence are important to the self • Emotional support and social approval • Promoting (real) achievement • Learning coping strategies

  22. III IDENTITY A. Introduction • Identity is another way of thinking about oneself. • The concept of identity is similar to that of self • Both involve a cognitive representation of the substance and content of “who one is” • But identity is also different than self. • The textbook equates identity to self-integration. This has two characteristics: • Identity is continuous over time although one’s self may be different over time and from situation to situation • Identity is related to social roles although self may not be. Adolescents specifically but adopt adult social roles.

  23. III IDENTITY B. Erikson • Erikson is key theorist in identity development • To Erikson, adolescence is a period of tension between identity vs. identity confusion, during which time they experience a psychosocial moratorium. • Identity vs. identity confusion is Erikson’s 5th stage of psycho-social development in which adolescents are faced with deciding between who that are, what they are about, and where they are going in life. • Psychosocial Moratorium: Time period between childhood security and adult autonomy, that adolescents experienced as part of their identity exploration.

  24. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization • James Marcia’s expanded on Erikson’s conceptualization by identifying two dimensions of the identity formation process • Exploration (Crisis): Period in which the adolescent is choosing among meaningful alternatives. • Commitment: Period in which adolescents show personal investment in what they are going to do. • Levels of exploration and commitment were assessed in an interview addressing such domains as occupation, religion, marriage, sexuality, politics, lifestyle, etc.

  25. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization • Four Statuses • From the two dimensions, four identity status (not stages!) can be identified

  26. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization • Identity Achievement: • Individuals have explored and committed themselves to self-chosen values and occupational goals. • Identity Moratorium: • Individuals who are exploring alternatives in an effort to find values and goals to guide their life. • Identity foreclosure: I • Individuals who have accepted ready-made values and goals that authority figures have chosen for them. • Identity diffusion: • Individuals who do not have firm commitments to values and goals and are not actively trying to reach them.

  27. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization • 2. Development of Identity • Early adolescence associated with identity status of Diffusion, Foreclosure, and perhaps Moratorium. • Early in adolescence is a time to reflect on and reevaluate past identifications. • Motivation and parental support part of this reflection • Late adolescence associated with more Achievement and less Diffusion • The process of identity formation is not stage-like. • MAMA cycles involves vacillating between status • Developmental patterns are domain-specific.

  28. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization A = Achievement M= Moratorium F= Foreclosure D= Diffusion

  29. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization • 3. Identity status and Mental Health • Moratorium and Achievement • Have a higher self-esteem, tend to be abstract and critical thinkers, report less discrepancy between ideal and real selves, and are advanced in moral reasoning. • Moratorium associated with more stress than Achievement. • Foreclosure • Tend to be dogmatic, inflexible, and intolerant. • Diffusion • Long-term diffusion associated with few goals, poor educational achievement and attainment, and higher likelihood of using/abusing drugs.

  30. III IDENTITY C. Marcia’s Conceptualization

  31. III IDENTITY D. Biopsychosocial model • Biopsychosocial model of Identity Growth • Biology • Personality traits: Flexible, open-minded approach to grappling with competing beliefs and values. • Cognitive • Hypothetical and Relativistic thinking (more than logical thinking) related to the development of identity • Family • Can help the development of Achievement in two ways • Promoting Individuality (self-assertion and separateness) • Supporting Connectedness ( mutuality and permeability)

  32. III IDENTITY D. Biopsychosocial model • Gender Issues • Gender different in concerns and processes of identity development. • Males focus on autonomy (promotes Moratorium and Achievement), whereas females focus on family and relationships (promotes Foreclosure). • Females face irreversible choice of careers or family, so Moratorium (postponing both) not acceptable. • Peers • As adolescents interact with diverse peers, their exposure to new ideas and values expands. • Close friends provide emotional support, assistance, and role model for identity development.

  33. III IDENTITY D. Biopsychosocial model • School and Community • Classrooms foster identity achievement by promoting • high-level thinking • Extracurricular and community activities • Vocational training programs. • Between ages 13 and 17, exploration increases among adolescents living in urban environments, but decreases among youths in rural areas.

  34. III IDENTITY D. Biopsychosocial model • Larger Society • Social context and the importance of identity domains • In suburban non-religious youth, exploration and commitment take place earlier in the domains of vocational choice and gender-role preference than in religious and political values. • Youth in collectivist cultures experience less confusing identity development period. • Social obligations and commitments are less open to negotiation. • Societal forces are also linked to the special problems that gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths and ethnic minority adolescents face in forming a secure identity. • Difference between given versus chosen identity elements

  35. III IDENTITY C. Consequences • 1. Identity & Intimacy • Ericson’s 6th stage after identity is intimacy vs. Isolation. • Give to others only after you have a sense of self. • Relation between identity and intimacy may be different for males and females. • Males: Identity —> Intimacy • Females: Intimacy —> identity

  36. III IDENTITY C. Consequences • 2. Identity & Loneliness • Being alone can be constructive, a time for teens and youth to reflect. • Highest incidence of loneliness in late adolescence and young adults • Often defined in terms of contact with females for both males and females. • Loneliness as an emotion (not a state) related to • poor relations with parents, poor social skills, low self-esteem, problems with intimacy, inappropriate self disclosure.

  37. III IDENTITY C. Consequences • Types of Loneliness • Emotional Isolation • Person lacks intimate attachment relationships; single divorced, and widowed often experience this • Social isolation • Person lacks a sense of integrated involvement. • Being deprived of participation in a group or community (involving companionship, shared interests, organized activities, and meaningful roles) causes alienation, boredom, and unease. • BOTH in adolescence

  38. IV. RESEARCH FOCUS A. Markstrom-Adams • Hypothesis: • Variables • IV: Religion and Church attendance • DV: Identity status (OEM-EIS) • Predictions • “Minority” LDS members will score higher on commitment (more likely be Foreclosed or Achieved) than “majority” Protestants and Catholics. • High levels of church attendance will be associated with higher levels of commitment.

  39. IV. RESEARCH FOCUS A. Markstrom-Adams • Procedure • Logan-area adolescents, hand picked by their respective church leaders, filled out an Identity Questionnaire (EOM-EIS) and answered questions about church attendance. • Results • LDS adolescents had higher Ideological and Interpersonal Foreclosure means than Non-LDS adolescents (Table 1) • Weekly church-goers were higher in Interpersonal Foreclosure and lower Ideological Diffusion means those who didn’t (Table 2).

  40. IV. RESEARCH FOCUS A. Markstrom-Adams

  41. IV. RESEARCH FOCUS A. Markstrom-Adams

  42. IV. RESEARCH FOCUS A. Markstrom-Adams • There was an interesting interaction between Religious Status and Church Attendance on identity development Regular church attendance was related to higher Achievement for LDS but not non-LDS teens

  43. IV. RESEARCH FOCUS A. Markstrom-Adams • Discussion • Markstrom-Adams explains much of the effects on LDS minority religious status. What do you think?

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