UNDERSTANDING SELF CONCEPT

Lecture 2 Prof. Sasmita Palo Course Teacher

Lecture contents

The self concept Self-esteem & Self-enhancement Self Monitoring

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment." - Lao Tzu

WHAT IS SELF CONCEPT?

SELF CONCEPT
. How one views or feels about the self. Rosenberg defines the self-concept broadly as "the totality of an individual's thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object" (1979:7). Gecas (1984 ): It is the concept the individual has of himself as a physical, social, and spiritual or moral being.

Self awareness

Self Theory
Two divergent schools of thoughts (symbolic interaction): 1. Iowa or (Kuhn School)- self is a researchable phenomenon; 2. Chicago or ( California or Blumer School)through inferences

Iowa or (Kuhn School) The Twenty Statements Test: Who Am I? Originally developed by Kuhn & McPartland (1954)

The assumptions or assertions

1. The person will refer the question who I am? to himself and not to anyone else. 2. the person knows himself and he puts this knowledge into words.

3. The persons awareness of himself is dependent upon the behaviors of others in a situation and not a matter of traits or instincts. 4. The persons awareness of himself precludes the use of any fixed responses; the responses must be the persons own plan of actions. 5. The responses to the questions are not limited to the testing situation, but hve applicability in a variety of situations.

Analyze your responses

Rate each one according to the four categories listed below. Evaluate, to
the best of your ability, which responses fall into the A-mode, B-mode, Cmode, and D-mode categories. A-mode responses are the type of physical characteristics : I am short; I am a blonde; I am fair. B-mode responses describe socially defined statuses usually associated with group membership of some sort: I am a college student; I am a Hindu; I am Father of Two. C-mode responses describe styles of behavior or emotional states: I am a happy person; I am a country music fan; I am a fashionable dresser. D-mode responses are more general than individual: I am part of the universe; I am a human being.

Count the number of each type of response. Now compare the totalswhich category got the most responses?

Learning Log Assignment

1 1. What do you think are the consequences for a society overwhelmingly populated by one personality type or the other? 2. What would societys institutions look like if they were dominated by B or C mode only people? 3. Are these two orientations mutually exclusive, or can you combine the best parts of both? If the latter, what can you do in order to bring that about? Be sure to answer the above questions thoroughly and thoughtfully for full credit (any omissions will result in loss of points). Also be sure to attach your Twenty Statements Test (the I Am statements you did above) to your Learning Log !

KNOWING SELF BY INFERENCES

Draw your own tree

Leave enough space for the branches and the roots too. Don't write words, letters or numbers on your drawing. Only draw pictures, squiggles or shapes. You can use as much colour as you like.
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Your tree can look any way you would like it to look, but should include Root:

Draw one root for each parent, grandparent and caretaker in your life. Each root should have a small picture representing the person it belongs to.

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Your tree can look any way you would like it to look, but should include BRANCHES :
Draw one branch for each family member. But you can also include anyone who is important to you, means a lot in your life. Don't include too many friends just the most important people in your family life. Alongside each branch - draw a little picture to represent the person it belongs to.

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Your tree can look any way you would like it to look, but should include LEAVES
Draw a leaf for each significant event in your life. A significant event is anything that happened that changed you or your life in some way. Draw a little picture inside each leaf of the important event
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Your tree can look any way you would like it to look, but should include a few tattered LEAVES Draw a leaf for each limitation. Draw a little picture inside each leaf of limitations

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Your tree can look any way you would like it to look, but should include FLOWERS
Draw a flower for each thing in your life that makes you feel good about yourself. Draw a little picture inside each flower of the thing that makes you feel good. It should strengths include your
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Your tree can look any way you would like it to look, but should include Fruits
Draw a fruit for each of your achievements no matter how big or small. Inside each fruit draw a little picture to represent your achievement. Sometimes the fruits (achievements) are the same as the flowers (things that make you feel good about yourself). That's fine ! Draw them twice! Or combine them! You can never have too many good things going on.
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The environment that nourishes the tree

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IMPLICATIONS
Describe the tree in one word. What did you feel? The memories or feelings that might come up could be happy or sad. Whatever they are, simply: 1) notice them 2) name them 3) write down your thoughts and feelings in the learning journal.
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DIMENSIONS OF SELF CONCEPT

SELF-CONCEPTION: Situated Identity Labeling Theory

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SOURCES OF SELF CONCEPT

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 Intuitively, we recognize that introspection, the process of looking inward and examining ones own thoughts, feelings, and motives, is one basis of self-knowledge.

Source #2: Perceptions of Our Own Behavior

Daryl Bem (1972): People can learn about themselves simply by watching their own behavior. Self-Perception Theory: When internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain insight by observing their own behavior. Motivation---reward study
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Self-Perception Theory
No external reward Self-perception: I do this because I like it. Intrinsic Motivation

Enjoyable activities

External reward (e.g.)

Self-perception: I do this because Im paid to.

Extrinsic Motivation

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PSYCHOLOGICAL CENTRALITY "BIASED SCANNING

Source 3: Other people Social Comparison Theory

Emphasis on Accuracy: The holding of incorrect opinions and/or inaccurate appraisals of ones abilities can be punishing or even fatal in many situations.

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Festinger (1954). A theory of social comparison processes.

1. People are driven to evaluate their opinions and abilities. 2. In the absence of objective information, people compare to others.

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Social Comparison Direction

Upward social comparison- compare to someone who is better than you. Downward social comparison- compare to someone who is worse than you. Similarity- attraction hypothesis. People prefer to compare to others who have similar abilities.

Two types of social comparison research

Comparison choice- when do people choose to compare to others? With whom do people compare? Reactions to comparison- what happens to self-evaluations when people encounter social comparisons?

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Source 4 : REFLECTED APPRAISALS

Called the symbolic interactionist perspective on self-concept formation. Grounded in Cooley's (1902) influential concept of the "looking-glass self in his work, Human Nature and the Social Order in 1902 and in Mead's theory of the Self (1934). Three main components of the looking-glass self (Yeung, et al. 2003). 1. We imagine how we must appear to others. 2. We imagine the judgment of that appearance. 3. We develop our self through the judgments of others.
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Sources of the Self-Concept

Source 5: Autobiographical memories Flashbulb memories ( Brown and Kulik in 1977) Reminiscence bump Source 6: Culture Individualistic vs. Collectivistic Orientations

SELF EVALUATION: SELF ESTEEM

Self-esteem is the result of the selfs evaluations of the self-concept. TWO DIMENSIONS: Competence : Efficacy based esteemcapable and effacacacious Worth: Person of worth and value

Simpson and Boyle (1975)

Global self-esteem an overall evaluation of self-worth, Role specific self-esteem as the self-evaluation that arises from one of life's many roles (parent, student, spouse, etc.), and Task- or situation-specific self-esteem as the self-evaluation that results from behavior in a specific situation and representing a person's competence in a task just performed.
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SELF ESTEEM WORK SHEET

What your scores on the quiz for self-esteem mean?

0 10: Time to Change: You question every decision you make and are crippled by lack of self-respect. Your self-esteem is dangerously and you MUST make improving your self-esteem a #1 priority in your life.

 10-20: Middle of the Road: You have days when you think youre doing ok, and days when you question everything you do. Work on believing in yourself a little more, and everything will fall into place. 21-25: On the right track: Your faith in yourself is on the right track, but can use improvement. Practice recognizing each small accomplishment and your selfesteem will start to soar. 26-30: Solid self-esteem: No one has to tell you that youre ok! You have a healthy sense of self-respect and rarely, if ever, question your decisions. You learn from your mistakes instead of dwelling on them. Keep up the good work!

How self-esteem affects us

High self-esteem has all sorts of benefits. Conversely, low self-esteem predicts an altogether poorer life experience.

Self-enhancement Techniques
Four mechanisms to improve self-esteem
Self-serving cognitions

Self-handicapping Basking in reflected glory Downward social comparison

Self-serving cognitions
Schlenker et al. (1990)
People tend to take credit for their own successes and distance themselves from failure.

Self-handicapping (first theorized by Edward E. Jones and Steven Berglas)

If we (i) are unsure of our success on a task we value and (ii) feel we should do well, we may claim or create a handicap to our own performance. We do this in order to (i) build an advance excuse for possible future failure that might otherwise damage our self-esteem and/or (ii) be able to claim additional credit should we nevertheless succeed. Claimed Self and behavioral handicaps

BIRGing
Cialdini et al. (1976) BIRGing and CORFing Used most after threats to individual self-esteem Basking in reflected glory Enhancing self-esteem by identifying or claiming affiliation with a successful group.

BIRGing and CORFing

basking in reflected glory

cutting off reflected failure

Downward social comparisons

Social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954). In the absence of objective criteria, people may evaluate themselves relative to similar others. People can use this phenomenon proactively (Wills, 1981). Low or threatened self-esteem motivated downward social comparison relatively positive evaluation of self improved or secured self-esteem This works by demonstrating I am better (off) than someone else. I am better (off) than I could be.

OBSE : PIERCE &OTHERS

Self perceived value that individuals have of themselves as organizational members acting within organizational context. Employees with high OBSE should perceive themselves as important, meaningful, effectual, and worthwhile within their employing organization

 Low OBSE: 10-20 Moderate: 21-39 High: 40-50

The Determinants and Consequences of Organization Based Self-Esteem (OBSE)

Determinants of OBSE Factors Influenced by OBSE

Managerial respect Organizational structure Job complexity OBSE

Job performance

Intrinsic motivation General satisfaction Citizenship behavior Organizational commitment and satisfaction.

Practical tips for building On the Job Self Esteem

SHRM:

Be supportive by showing concerns for personal problems, interests, status and contributions. Offer work involving variety, autonomy, and challenges that suit the individuals values, skills and abilities Strive for mgt-employee cohesiveness and build trust Have faith in each employees self management ability

Self-Monitoring
Self-Monitoring
A personality trait that measures an individuals ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational factors

High Self-Monitors
Receive better performance ratings Likely to emerge as leaders Show less commitment to their organizations

The Self-Monitoring Scale

Direction: Describe whether each of the following statements is more true or false for you. Circle T or F to indicate your answer. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. I find it hard it imitate the behavior of other people. My behavior is usually an expression of my inner feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. At parties and social gatherings, I do not attempt to say and do things that others will like. I can only argue about ideas that I already have. I can make impromptu speeches, even on topics about which I have almost no information. I guess I put on a show to impress or to entertain people. When I am uncertain how to act in a social situation, I look to the behavior of others for cues. I would make a good actor. I rarely ask my friends advice on movies, books, or music. I sometimes appear to others to be experiencing deeper emotions than I actually am. I laugh more when I watch a comedy with others than when alone. In a group I am rarely the center of attention. In different situations and with different people, I often act like very different people. I am not particularly good at making others like me. T T T T T T T T T T T T T T F F F F F F F F F F F F F F

Source: Adapted from Bernard Asbell, What They know About You (New York: Random House, 1993).

Scoring and Interpretation:

To obtain your score, count one point for each False answer to statements 1,2,3,4,9,12 and 14. Count one point for each True response to statements 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 13. The higher your score, the stronger your tendencies toward self-monitoring. You are a highs self-monitor if your score is 10 or higher; low if 5 or less. Moderate- 6 to 9

For high self-monitors: Dont overdo it by turning from a successful chameleon into someone who is widely perceived as insincere, dishonest, phony, and untrustworthy. You cannot be everything to everyone. For low Self-monitors: You can bend without breaking, so try to be a bit more accommodating while being true to your basic beliefs. Practice regarding and adjusting to nonverbal cues in various public situations. If your conversation partner is bored or distracted, stop-because they are not really listening.