social self theories

8/7/2019 Social Self Theories

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Social Self Theories Can you ever really know yourself?


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OBJECTIVES

Define self.

What is self-concept / identity?

What is self-esteem? Classical Theories regarding self.

The importance of self-concept.


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The Social Self

Know thyself


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The Social Self

Know thyself


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Aspect of self that is doing the

thinking, feeling, knowing

Sense of self that is:

* unique/distinctive* changing, but sill stable

* THAT NO ONE ELSE can tap into

The I or Excutive Function of the Self; The Knower; Reflexive


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THIS has been the focus of most

research on the self

Each theory emphasizes

* different components of the self

* different functions of the self

* different sources of where the self

comes from

The ME; aspects of self that are perceived


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Affect

Behavior

Cognition


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We have feelings towards

ourselves (like ourselves, hateourselves)

This is commonly known asself-esteem


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Obviously, we behave and our

behavior says something aboutwho we are


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We also obviously have ideas

about who we are. These ideas

can be called cognitions about the

kind of person we are.

The cognitive component of theself is typically what we mean

when we use the word self-

concept.


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Dont confuse the term

self-esteem with self-concept


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Your self-concept is what you know

about yourself:

I have brown hair

I have blue eyes

I am short

I am a student

I am a night owl


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Your self-esteem is what you feel

about each of these pieces of

knowledge

I hate my brown hair

I like my blue eyes

I hate being short

I like being a student

I like being a night owl


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The Self-Concept


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We think of our self-concept as

relatively fixed.

We also think of it as one whole

(unitary).

Self-concepts do change with time

(think of development)


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The Self-Concept


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Some say we introspect

Others say through observations of our

own Behavior

Others say through comparisons of our

own behavior with others

Others say we form a self-concept

through principles of learning and

feedback that we receive from others

Different view on this on social psychology


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The Self-Concept & Self-Esteem


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Higgins self-discrepancy theory

Higgins argues that we have different

standpoints on the self

He means that we know who we are

from different peoples perspectives (e.g.,

what we ourselves think; what our momsor dads think of us; what our spouses

think of us, etc.)


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Higgins self-discrepancy theory

Higgin also added that we have ideas

about who we are in different realms ordomains.

He means that we have concepts of how

we:

* actually are (how I really, really am)

* ideally would like to be

* ought to be


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TheTheories of Social-Self


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In its widest possible sense, however, a

man's self is the sum total of all that he can

call his, not only his body and his psychic

powers, but his clothes andhis house, his wife

and children, his ancestors and friends, his

reputation and works, his lands and horses,

and yacht and bank account. All these things

give him the same emotions.

James thinks the self is more than

subjectivity.


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He proposes that an investigation of the

self must look deeply into the constituents

of the self.

James thinks the self is not the base from

which all else rebounds but is incomplete.

The components which make it up he calls

the material self, the social self, the

spiritual self, and the pure ego.


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Properly speaking, a man has as many social

selves as there are individuals who recognize

him and carry an image of him in their mind.

Here James focuses to man as a social

being, an idea that has often escaped

recognition.

James concludes that the worst

punishment imaginable would be a

complete ostracision from one's fellows.

Losing one's nature as a being-for-others

can be more of a condemnation than any

imprisonment.


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"The human individual, then, is a member of

a social organism, and his acts must be

viewed in the context of social acts that

involve other individuals. Society is not a

collection of pre-existing atomic individuals,

but rather a process of whole within which

individuals define themselves through

participation in social acts."


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Self is sociallyconstructed in social interaction

with others; Human ability to use symbols is

the key aspect. We go through different

stages in this process.

Play stage - where we interact with

immediate 'others' - our 'Significant

Others'

Game stage - where we develop a more

complex and abstract sense of 'the

Generalised Other'.


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