290 likes | 684 Views
CHAPTER 11. The Self, Identity, and Personality. The Self. Self-understanding Self : All characteristics of a person Self-understanding, self-esteem, self-concept Identity : Who a person is, representing a synthesis of self-understanding
E N D
CHAPTER 11 The Self, Identity, and Personality
The Self • Self-understanding • Self:All characteristics of a person • Self-understanding, self-esteem, self-concept • Identity: Who a person is, representing a synthesis of self-understanding • Personality: Individuals’ enduring personal characteristics • When does self-understanding Begin? • Rebecca Elder
The Self • Self-understanding • Middle and Late Childhood • Increased awareness of social standing • Self-understanding becomes more complex • Understanding others • Realize others have access to more information • Assume others understand them, too.
The Self • Self-understanding • Perspective-taking: Ability to assume another’s perspective and understand his or her thoughts and feelings • Important in children developing prosocial and antisocial attitudes and behaviors • Affects peer status and quality of friendships
The Self • Middle and Late Childhood • Self-understanding: five key changes • Internal characteristicsemphasized • More referencing insocial descriptions • More use ofsocial comparisons • Distinguish betweenreal self and ideal self • Realistic in self-evaluations
REAL SELF IDEAL SELF REAL SELF IDEAL SELF Carl Rogers and Self-Concept • Real self - one’s perception of actual characteristics, traits, and abilities • Ideal self – what one should or would like to be Mismatch = Anxiety Match = Harmony
The Self • Self-esteem and self-concept • Self-esteem: Self-worth, self-image • Refers to global self-evaluation • Self-concept: Domain-specific evaluations of self • Distinct: not really interchangeable
The Self • Issues in self-esteem • Modest correlation with school performance • Linked to job performance; correlations vary • Related to perceived physical appearance across life-span • Depression lowers high self-esteem • Self-esteem in adolescence appears linked to adjustment and competencies in adulthood
Erikson’s Life-Span Development Theory • Development proceeds in stages • Each stage is characterized by a psychosocial challenge or crisis • Stages reflect the motivation of the individual
8 - Integrity vs. despair 7 - Generativity vs. stagnation 6 - Intimacy vs. isolation 5 - Identity vs. identity confusion 4 - Industry vs. inferiority 3 - Initiative vs. guilt 2 - Autonomy vs. shame and doubt 1 - Trust vs. mistrust Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Human Development
Developed through consistent love and support Independence fostered by support and encouragement Developed by exploring and accepting challenges 1 - Trust vs. Mistrust 0–1 years 2 - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt1–3 years 3 - Initiative vs. Guilt3–5 years Erikson’s Human Development Stages
4 - Industry vs. Inferiority6 years–puberty 5 - Identity vs. Role ConfusionAdolescence 6 - Intimacy vs. IsolationEarly adult years Mastery comes from success and recognition Exploration of different paths to attain a healthy identity Form positive, close relationships with others Erikson’s Human Development Stages
Erikson’s Human Development Stages 7 - Generativity vs. StagnationMiddle Adulthood 8 - Integrity vs. DespairLateAdulthood Transmitting something positive to the next generation Life review and retrospective evaluation of one’s past
Physical Academic Social Cognitive Self-Concept and Self-Esteem Self-concept is a cognitive appraisal of our social, physical, and academic competence. Self-esteem is the affective or emotional reaction to one’s self-concept.
The Self • Developmental changes in self-esteem • Concern today: Unmerited praise as child linked to inflated self-esteem in college students; difficulty handling competition and criticism • Adulthood • Results vary on self-esteem decreasing • Individual coping skills affects perceptions of changes, events; social context matters
Strategies for Erikson’s Stages of Development • Initiative • Encourage social play • Have children assume responsibility • Structure assignments for success • Industry • Nourish motivation for mastery • Be tolerant of honest mistakes • Identity • Recognize that identity is multidimensional • Encourage independent thinking • Stimulate students to examine different perspectives
Identity • Developmental changes • Identity statuses by Marcia • Crisis: Period for exploring alternative identities • Commitment: Personal investment in identity • Young adolescents primarily in statuses of diffusion, foreclosure, or moratorium • Handouts
Ethnic Identity … “is an enduring aspect of the self that includes a sense of membership in an ethnic group, along with the attitudes and feeling related to that membership” (Phinney, 2006) (as cited in Santrock, 2009). Positive ethnic identity • Higher school engagement • Lower aggression • good coping • Affected by higher education
Personality • Definition: Enduring personal characteristics • Trait theories • Traits: Ways to describe a person by behaviors • Basic units/building blocks of personality • Five big factors: OCEAN • Led to advancements in assessing personality • Most believe personality is result of trait-situation interaction
Personality • Views on adult personality development • Stage crisis view: Erikson, Levinson • Levinson’s seasons of a man’s life • Stage and transitions occur in life span • Tasks/crisis in each stage shape personality • Levinson’s midlife crisis in 40s: try to cope with gap between past and future • Vaillant’s Grant Study
Levinson’s Seasons of Life • Early Adult Transition: 17 to 22 • Entry life structure for early adulthood: 22 to 28 • Age 30 transition: 28 to 33 • Culminating life structure for early adulthood: 33 to 40 • Middle Adult Transition: ages 40 to 45 • Entry life structure for middle adulthood: 45 to 50 • Age 50 transition: 50 to 55 • Culminating life structure for middle adulthood: 55 to 60 • Era of late adulthood: 60 to ? • Late Adult Transition: 60 to 65
Personality • Individual variations • Individuals have different experiences, ways of adapting, expectations, perceptions of needs, and giving meaning to one’s life • Stage theories stress stage crises too much • Too much emphasis on midlife crisis • Great variation in how individuals experience stages (coping abilities, emotions)
Personality • Life events approach • Alternative to stage approach • Contemporary life-events approach • How a life event influences individual’s development depends on • The life event • Individual’s adaptation to the life event • Life-stage context • Sociohistorical context