Sense of Self - AP Psychology

Adolescents are more concerned with their self-understanding than children. Erik Erikson described this period of development as "identity versus role confusion." Adolescence is the period during which we establish our identity; children do not yet think about such complex issues. Following adolescence, adults carry the identity established and continue to re-evaluate their standing and role with respect to their self-understanding.

Adolescents deny their negative characteristics in order to protect themselves while on their quest for self-understanding. They do not necessarily isolate themselves from all types of people, nor do all of them make many friends just because they are afraid to be alone.

High-self monitors, despite their natural way of behaving, are more likely to alter behavior in accordance to their immediate surroundings. That is, instead of acting whichever way they normally do or prefer, they will look for cues in their environment for how they should behave. Low-self monitors consistently act the same way regardless of the situation.

Example: A student fails a test, acknowledges that s/he didn't study enough and didn't understand some of the test's key questions, and subsequently meets with the teacher to request advice on ways to improve next time. This student would be said to have an internal locus of control.

The term "self-concept" refers to the sum total of beliefs that people have about themselves. The self-concept is made up of cognitive molecules or units called self-schemas: beliefs about oneself that guide the processing of self-relevant information.

Durability bias is present when people overestimate the strength and duration of their emotional reactions. When people participate in affective forecasting—the process of predicting how they would feel in response to future emotional events—durability biases are usually evident.

Extrinsic motivation originates from factors outside the person. People are said to be extrinsically motivated when they engage in an activity as a means to an end, for tangible benefits. Intrinsic motivation originates from factors within a person. People are said to be intrinsically motivated when they engage in an activity for the sake of their own interest, the challenge, or sheer enjoyment.

Money is a common extrinsic motivator, while enjoyment and moral or religious beliefs can be intrinsic motivators.

Self-handicapping behaviors are actions people take to handicap their own performances in order to build an excuse for anticipated failures. These times of purposely setting up for failure are to the end of preserving self-esteem in the individual; it is a self-protective measure.

Self-esteem is defined as the emotional evaluation of ones own worth or self-image. The other answer options refer to different concepts of self-evaluation. Self-concept is the evaluation of self in terms of domains like academic, athletic, physical appearance. Self-understanding is the individual's cognitive representation of self. False self is the persona a person may present to others, while realizing that it does not represent what he or she is actually thinking and feeling.

Bem's Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is an antiquated system to evaluate correspondence between sex and gender, with the goal of helping to diagnose gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder. The test presents 60 personality traits, with each trait appropriated as either male or female. The individual will score himself or herself on each trait and be presented with a result of masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated. It is important to note that the BSRI is no longer considered a valid evaluation, as our understanding of gender roles and identification has evolved.

A false self is a self that a person may present to others while realizing that it does not represent what he or she is actually thinking and feeling in order to impress them. It is like a front that adolescents put up. Adolescents are more likely to exhibit their false selves when around romantic interests most likely because they are trying to impress them. They are likely to exhibit their true selves around close friends, and usually parents.

The term that best fits the definition is the "possible self."

Abramson's theory examines three dimensions of attributing control of an event:

Internal vs External - am I in control, or is someone/something else?

Specific vs Global - is this true of just this one situation, or more generally?

Stable vs Unstable - will things be like this forever, or is there potential for change?

Depressed people will most likely have a stable and global external locus of control, believing themselves powerless in all aspects of their lives, and unable to ever seize control of their own lives.

As defined by the APA, a person's gender identity refers to “one’s sense of oneself as male, female, or transgender”, and determines the pronouns (he/she/ze) that they prefer. "Sex" refers to physical sex characteristics. Sexual orientation refers to one's preference in terms of sexual partners. Gender role refers to societally conditioned roles played by individuals in their society or community (usually based on traditional gender norms).

Self-verification is a theory in social psychology that describes the phenomenon of accepting and integrating information that is consistent with one's current self-concept. This theory also posits that we actively avoid, ignore, or reject information that does not align with our current concept of self even if it is positive or complimentary. For example, an individual exhibiting the phenomenon of self-verification theory may disregard compliments that she is pretty because it does not verify or confirm her self-concept of being unattractive.

The "sense of self" is an essential term in both social psychology and sociology. It is best defined as a dynamic concept that embodies the way a person thinks about themselves, their beliefs, traits, and relationship with the world. Many people choose to define themselves in different ways. One person's sense of self may depend on their responsibilities in the world, such as being a mother, daughter, or performing some service to society. Another may strictly define themselves to their own inner thoughts and narrative. No matter which way one chooses to define oneself, it is inevitably dynamic as you change and grow from experience.

According to Carl Rogers’ theory of what makes up our sense of self, a person's self image is a composite of how we view our physical and personal traits. Some people may have an unhealthy self-image (i.e. people who believe that they are overweight when they are not and resort to self-starvation). Some others have an inflated self-image that may not correspond with reality (e.g. they see themselves as more intelligent, attractive, etc).

Carl Rogers' conception of the ideal self is defined as the ideal person we'd like to be and work on cultivating as we get older. This is linked to the process of self-actualization, the process of doing concrete actions that correspond with who we would like to be—our ideal selves. Carl Rogers proposes we are "self-actualized" human beings when our ideal self and actions match up.

The term “sense of self” can be used in many different ways across the theoretical spectrum. Freud would refer to it as one's psyche: the thoughts and beliefs that one has about themselves.

According to Carl Rogers, incongruity occurs when one's self-image and ideal self do not match up. In other words, the traits that we consider ourselves to possess may not match up with who we truly want to be. These could be traits within our control, such as intelligence, physical fitness, etc., or not, such as a health condition or our physical appearance. In order to deal with the negative feelings they experience due to incongruence, people will either use defense mechanisms (i.e. denial or repression) or tackle it in a proactive manner.