Self and Self presentation
- 2. ““He is a stranger to himself, a mystery to everyone else. At least he has a name, even if he knows it isn’t his own.”
- 3. “Who am I?” Few human beings live out their lives without pondering this question. Some pursue the search for self- knowledge and for meaningful identity.
- 4. Steps in the Genesis of Self
- 5. 1. Self-Differentiation We must–at a minimum–be able to recognize ourselves. That is, we must distinguish our own faces, and bodies from those of others.
- 6. Self-Differentiation Infants are not born with this ability, but they acquire it quickly. Learning one’s own name is one of the earliest and most important steps in acquiring a self.
- 7. Self-Differentiation A mature sense of self entails recognizing that our thoughts and feelings are our private possessions. Young children often confuse processes that go on in their own minds with the external events. They locate their own dreams and nightmares, for example, in the world around them.
- 8. 2. Role Taking The process of imaginatively occupying the position of another person and viewing the self and the situation from that person’s perspective. We can also recognize that each person sees the world from a different perspective.
- 9. The Social Origins of Self Play and the Game A social experience leading to the emergence of self. “Play” stage is when young children imitate the activities of people around them. “Game” is when children enter organized activities. The Generalized Other A conception of attitudes and expectatations held in common by members of the organized groups with whom they interact. Online Communication and the Self The impact of others whom we interact with online depends upon the nature of our relationship with them. Throughout our life, as we meet new people and enter new groups, our view of self is modified by the feedback we receive from others. Looking Glass Self – our significant others Self-Evaluation The views of ourselves that we perceive from others– positive or negative. These evaluations also become part of the self we construct.
- 10. IDENTITIES: The Self We Know
- 11. 1. Role Identities Each of us occupies a numerous positions in society– student, friend, son or daughter, customer. These identities are concepts of self in specific roles. It depends on the social positions available to us in the society.
- 12. 1I. Social Identities A second source of identities is membership in social categories or groups based on criteria such as gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, sexual preferences, or political affiliation. It is the defining of characteristics of a social group.
- 13. III. Research on Self-Concept The Adoption of Role and Social Identities Adopting a social identity involves a self- categorization – the defining of the self as a member of a social category such as Filipino American or feminist. It involves conforming to a role, thought associated with the identity, and styles of dress and behavior. Reflected Appraisals The idea that the person bases his or her self- schema on the reactions he or she perceives from others during social interaction. Identity and Multiracial Heritage An important influence on racial persons seems obvious; that is, their skin color or physical features.
- 14. 1V. The Situated Self The subset of self-concepts chosen from our identities, qualities, and self-evaluations that constitutes the self we know in a particular situation. Example: A Black woman who interacts with Black men and White women.
- 15. IDENTITIES: The Self We Enact
- 16. 1. Identities and Behavior Each of us makes dozens of decisions every day; most of them influence our behavior. These decisions are influenced by explicit and implicit egotism – that is, giving undue prominence to the self. A study of major life decisions suggests that these decisions are influenced by our names.
- 17. ““Once you are known, versatility will get you more opportunities than if you are a specialist.”
- 18. II. Choosing an Identity to Enact Each identity suggests its own lines of actions. These lines of action are all compatible, however, can they be pursued simultaneously in a single situation. Example: A family reunion in your parents’ home as you wish to claim identities.
- 19. What influences the decision to enact one rather than another identity? The Hierarchy of Identities Different role identities do not have equal importance for us. We recognize them into a heirarchy to their salience. Social Networks Each of us is a part of a network of social relationships. These relatioships may stand or fall depending on whether we continue to enact particular role identities. Need for Identity Support We are likely to enact those of our identities that most need support because they have recently been challenged. Situational Opportunities Social situations are restrictive; they let us enact only some identities profitably, not others. Their relative importance to the self- schema.
- 20. III. Identities as Sources of Consistency Although the self includes multiple identities, people usually experience themselves as a unified entity.
- 21. IV. Self-Awareness and Self-Discrepancies Effects of Self- Awareness While eating with friends, reading a book, or participating in conversation, your attentions is usually directed toward the objects, people, and events that surround you. You suddenly discover a photographer, lens focused on you, snapping away? Effects of Self- Discrepancies When the actual self matches the ideal self, we feel satisfaction or pride and if not, we feel discomfort.
- 22. Self-Esteem
- 23. What is self-esteem? Overall, how capable, successful, significant, and worthy are you reflects self-esteem; the evaluative component of self-concept.
- 24. 1. Assessment of Self-Esteem Some of our specific role and social identities and personal qualities are important to us; characteristics of self or categories of outcomes on which a person stakes self-esteem. Example: You may consider yourself as an excellent student and a worthy friend, an incompetent athlete and an unreliable employee, and not care about your social identiity as Filipino Japanese.
- 25. II. Sources of Self-Esteem Family Experience As one might expect, parent-child relationships are important for the development of self- esteem. Social Comparison To interpret whether performances represents success or failure, we must often compare them both with our own goals and self- expectations or with the performances of others. Performance Feedback Everyday feedback about the quality of our performances – our successes and failures – influences our self- esteem.
- 26. 1II. Self-Esteem and Behavior People with high self-esteem often behave quite differently from those with low self-esteem. Persons with high self-esteem participate more with extracurricular activities and leadership roles while persons with low self-esteem tends to be socialy anxious and ineffective.
- 27. IV. Protecting Self-Esteem Manipulating Appraisals We choose to associate with people who share our view of self and avoid people who do not. Example: Women associate frequently with those they believed saw them as they saw themselves. Selective Social Comparison Carefully selecting others with whom to compare ourselves, we can further protect our self-esteem. Selective Information Processing We protect our self- esteem by attending more to occurrences that are consistent with our self-evaluation. Selective Commitment to Identities Involves committing ourselves more to those self-concepts that provide feedback consistent with our self-evaluation.
- 28. Self- Presentation Few of us make our living by creating such a finely tuned impression.
- 29. Self-Presentation in Everyday Life In everyday settings, people routinely project specific social identities, and they must take care that others understand and accept their identity claims.
- 31. 1. Definition of the Situation An agreement who they are, what their goals are, what actions are proper, and what their behaviors mean. Frames The type of social occasion in which they are participating. Is it a wedding? A reunion? Identities Identities that will grant one another and, relatedly, on the roles they will enact. Self-Disclosure A primary means to make authentic identity claims is to reveal certain facts about ourselves.
- 32. 1I. Ingratiation Most people want to be liked by others. This attempts to increase a target person’s liking for us. Opinion Conformity People tend to like others who hold opinions similar to their own. Other Enhancement Using flattery on the target person. It stated that people are best flattered in those areas where they wish to excel but are unsure of themselves. Supplication Convincing a target person that you are needy and deserving. Selective Self- Presentation Involves explicit presentation or description of one’s attribution increase the likelihood of being judged attractive by the target.
- 33. 1Ii. Aligning Actions During interaction, occasional failures of impression management are inevitable. Disclaimers A verbal assertion intended to ward off any negative implications and are irrelevant to one’s established identity. Accounts Explanations people offer to mitigate responsibility after they have performed.
- 34. 1V. Altercasting Use of tactics to impose roles and identities on others. Example: “I know you can do better than that.”
- 35. V. Impression Management Online The widespread use of technology has multiplied the opportunities to engage in tactical self-presentation.
- 36. Ineffective Self- Presentation and Spoiled Identities
- 37. ▧ Embarrassment – the feeling we experience when the public identity we claim in an encounter is discredited. ▧ Cooling-Out – refers to gently persuading a person whose performance is unsuitable to accept a less desirable, though still reasonable, alternative identity. ▧ Identity Degradation – process of destroying the offender’s identity and transforming him or her into a low social type. ▧ Stigma – prevents competent or morally trustworthy behaviour.
- 38. Thanks!