Lecture 4: The self,

identity, emotion,
and personality
Jennifer Eastabrook, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Trent University
Todays agenda:

1 The self

2 Identity development

3 Emotion

4 Personality
The Self
Describe the development of the self in adolescence
Self-understanding
An individuals cognitive representation of the self
what a person believes to be true about their own
substance and content (eg, what makes you who
you are)
Developing self-understanding
Abstraction and idealism How does an
adolescents self-
Differentiation understanding
Fluctuating differ from that of a
Contradictions childs?

Real vs ideal
Social comparison
Self-consciousness
Self-protection
Unconscious self
So.
Not quite yet a coherent,
integrated self
Due to an increase of
selves (eg, trying different
roles), the task of
integrating these varying
self-conceptions becomes
problematic
Not until emerging
adulthood do individuals
successfully integrate the
many aspects of the self
Self-esteem and self-concept
Self-esteem and self-concept

Self- Global evaluative

esteem dimension of the self

Self- Domain-specific
concept evaluations of the self
Developmental trajectories
 Trends in self-esteem: gender
Why is self-esteem lower in girls?
More negative body images during puberty
Greater interest in social relationships

Domain US samples Other

Physical appearance .65 .62
Scholastic competence .48 .41
Social acceptance .46 .40
Behavioural conduct .45 .45
Athletic competence .33 .30

Falci, 2012; Harter, 2006

Self-esteem as dynamic
More success than expected = positive evaluation
Less success than expected = negative evaluation

Barometric

Baseline
Trends in self-esteem
Consequence of empty praise?
Inflated self-esteem; difficulty
handling competition and criticism
(Graham, 2005)
Identity
What are the various facets of
adolescent identity development?
Identity
Individuals perceptions of their characteristics and
abilities, their beliefs and values, their relations with
others, and how their lives fit into the world around
them (Arnett, 2010)
What makes up your identity?
Career
Political
Religious
Relationship
Achievement
Sexual
Cultural
Interests
Personality
Physical
Eriksons Life-Span
Developmental Theory
Development proceeds in
stages
Each stage is
characterized by a
psychosocial challenge or
crisis
At each stage, a balance
must be achieved
Success (or lack of
success) influences future
stages and development
Eriksons Stages Developmental Period

Trust vs. Mistrust Infancy (first year)

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Infancy (1-3 years)

Initiative vs. Guilt Early Childhood (3-5 years)

Industry vs. Inferiority Middle and Late Childhood (6 years to

puberty)
Identity vs. Identity Confusion Adolescence (10-20 years)

Intimacy vs. Isolation Early Adulthood (20s and 30s)

Generativity vs. Stagnation Middle Adulthood (40s and 50s)

Integrity vs. Despair Late Adulthood (60s onward)

Identity vs. Role Confusion
WHEN:
Adolescence (10 to 20 years)
WHAT:
Develop a consistent sense of self-identity
HOW:
Exploration of different paths to attain a
healthy identity
The identity crisis
Adolescents must
explore many roles and
see which fit
If roles are explored in
a healthy manner,
consistent self-identity
will be achieved
If not (eg, identity
pushed by parents),
role/identity confusion
will result
Psychological moratorium

Childhood Adulthood
security independence

A period in which adolescents are given a degree of freedom to

explore their impulses, talents, interests, social roles and beliefs
without fear that minor offenses against convention will bring
drastic consequences (McMahan, 2009)
The Identity Status Model
James Marcia

Commitment

Yes No

Exploration Yes Achievement Moratorium

(eg, crisis) No Foreclosure Diffusion
The Identity Status Model
Diffusion:
Have not yet explored options or made any
commitments
Foreclosure:
Premature commitment to assigned identity
Moratorium:
State of adolescents who are in the midst of an identity
crisis, but who have not made a commitment
Achievement
Status of adolescents who have undergone an identity
crisis and made a decision
Name that identity status!
13 year old girl
Has not begun to
explore her identity in
any meaningful way
Has not made any
?
identity commitments
Name that identity status!
18 year old boy
Parents want him to be a doctor, so he is planning
on majoring in pre-medicine
Has not had the opportunity to try out any other
identities
Name that identity status!
19 year old girl
Not sure what path she
wants to follow
Recently went to career
center to explore
options
Name that identity status!
21 year old male
Extensively explored a
number of different
career options in college
Eventually got his degree
in science education
Developmental changes in
identity
Foreclosure and diffusion:
Declined across high school, fluctuated during
emerging adulthood
Moratorium:
Rose steadily until age 19 and then decreased
Achievement:
Rose across late adolescence and emerging
adulthood
Modern thoughts on identity
More gradual and less cataclysmic than Eriksons
crisis implies
Doesnt begin or end in adolescencebegins in
infancy with appearance of attachment and ends
with a life review
Whats different about adolescence?
First time when physical, cognitive, and socioemotional
abilities are mature enough to begin paving the path to
adult maturity

Azmitia et al., 2013

 Identity and intimacy
Eriksons Stages
Trust vs. Mistrust
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Initiative vs. Guilt
Industry vs. Inferiority
Identity vs. Identity Confusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Integrity vs. Despair
Developmental Period
Infancy (first year)
Infancy (1-3 years)
Early Childhood (3-5 years)
Middle and Late Childhood (6 years to
puberty)
Adolescence (10-20 years)
Early Adulthood (20s and 30s)
Middle Adulthood (40s and 50s)
Late Adulthood (60s onward)
Intimacy and isolation
Erikson argued that
intimacy should develop
after individuals are
well on their way to
establishing a stable
and successful identity
Emotional development
Discuss the emotional development of adolescents
Emotions of adolescence
Adolescents experience:

Negative affect
Emotional reactivity Positive affect
Sensitivity to stress

Many internalizing disorders emerge during

adolescence:
Depression
Social anxiety
 Emotional awareness

Mixed
emotions
Basic (anger plus
emotions guilt)
(happy, sad)
Global
feeling states
(content vs
distressed)

1. Buckley & Saarni, 2006; 2. Halberstadt, Denham, & Dunsmore, 2001; 3. Lane & Schwartz, 1987; 4. Mayer &
Salovey, 1997; 4. Saarni, 2000
 Emotional awareness and internalizing
symptoms

Emotional Internalizing
Awareness Symptoms

1. Feldman Barrett, Gross, Christensen, & Benvenuto, 2001; 2. Izard et al., 2011; 3. Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, &
Sitarenios, 2001; 4. Saarni, 1999
 Emotional awareness and internalizing
symptoms

Emotion
Regulation

Emotional Internalizing
Awareness Symptoms

1. Feldman Barrett, Gross, Christensen, & Benvenuto, 2001; 2. Izard et al., 2011; 3. Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, &
Sitarenios, 2001; 4. Saarni, 1999
Emotion regulation strategies

Emotional Cognitive Behaviour

elicitation change change
(awareness)
Cognitive Expressive
reappraisal suppression

1. Gross & John, 2003

Reappraisal
Reappraisal Associated with higher
Changing the way you levels of emotional
think about something, awareness and lower
that changes the way levels of depressive and
you feel about anxiety symptoms
something
Suppression
Associated with lower Suppression
levels of emotional Hiding/not showing
awareness and higher emotion-expressive
levels of depressive and behaviours
anxiety symptoms
Personality development
Personality and temperament
Is there a difference?

Temperament: a persons
behavioural style and characteristic
ways of responding

Personality: distinctive thoughts, emotions, and

behaviours that characterize the way an
individual adapts to the world
Temperament
Basic foundation of personality
Assumed to be biologically determined and present
early in life
Temperament: categories

Slow-to-
Easy Difficult
warm-up
Positive mood Reacts negatively Low activity level

Quickly Aggressive Somewhat

establishes tendencies negative
regular routines
Lacks self-control Low adaptability
Easily adapts to Slow to accept Low intensity of
new experiences new experiences mood
 Personality: the Big Five
Openness to experience
Imaginative Practical
Variety Routine
Independent Conforming

Briley et al., 2014; Luyckx et al., 2014; McCrae & Sutin, 2009
Personality: the Big Five
Conscientiousness
Organized Disorganized
Careful Careless
Disciplined Impulsive

Gartland et al., 2014; Jenson-Campbell & Malcolm, 2007; McAbee & Oswald, 2013;
Walton & Roberts, 2004
Personality: the Big Five
Extraversion
Sociable Retiring
Fun-loving Sombre
Affectionate Reserved
Personality: the Big Five
Agreeableness
Soft-hearted Ruthless
Trusting Suspicious
Helpful Uncooperative
Personality: the Big Five
Neuroticism
Calm Anxious
Secure Insecure
Self-satisfied Self-pitying
Person-situation interaction
theory
The best way to characterize an individuals
personality is not in terms of personal traits or
characteristics alone, but also in terms of the
situation involved
Key messages: