Psychology 2550A/B Lecture 17: Chapter 13
14 Dec 2016
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Chapter 13 6/27/2014 4:54:00 PM
Why Self Matters: Consequences of Self-Discipline
People experience different types of discrepancies between different aspects
of the self, influencing their emotions and behaviours
Actual self: yourself as you are
Ideal self: who you would like to be
Ought self: Who you believe you should be
Discrepancies may be experienced from one’s own vantage point or from
that of significant others
Anorexic behaviour is linked to actual/ought discrepancies, bulimic behaviour
to actual/ideal
if discomfort from self-discrepancies becomes too great, it may be reduced
by
re-evaluating the negative interpretation of painful events
changing actual behaviour to match an important standard
seeking positive feedback about the self from significant others
shifting attention toward other aspects of the self
Seeing Through the Other Person’s Eyes
The person’s own viewpoint;
What the person is actually doing, feeling, perceiving rather than on what we
(friends, researchers, therapists) expect in terms of our own constructs
Uses of Self-Assessments
Self-assessments/reports may be as valid as, and sometimes better
predictors than, more sophisticated, complex, and indirect tests
They may predict, for example
Future adjustment for schizophrenic patients
Success in the Peace Corps
Self-assessments—e.g., The Q-Sort Technique
Many cards, each with a phrase one it (e.g., “I am submissive”)
Individuals sort cards into piles, from most to least like themselves, or, their
ideal self
Can assess, how similar a person’s “real self” is to their “ideal self” by
comparing piles of the two
The Q-sort’s goal is to examine the pattern of various characteristics within
each person
Interviews
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Rogers—interviews may be better than self-reports because they can create
conditions of acceptance, warmth and empathy that help individuals feel at
ease for open self-exploration
The Semantic Differential
The individual indicates the meanings of diverse words, phrases and
concepts by rating them on many scales
E.g., words like “feather” or “my mother” are rated on a seven-point, bipolar
scale
Key factor are evaluative (good-bad) factor, potency and activity
Nonverbal Communication
Phenomenological, “inner” experiences may be visible in the form of non
verbal behaviours=significant communication
E.g., facial expressions, movements and gestures
Researchers explore possible meanings effects of such nonverbal
expressions as eye contact
Studying Lives from the Inside: Psychobiography
Some intensive studies try to provide a comprehensive psychological
understanding of one person
The methods employed are borrowed from biography, history,
(phenomenological) psychology, and other social sciences
Narrative Identity: Stories that Gives Lives Meaning
McAdams (1999) focuses on individuals’ personal narratives:
Self-constructions try to answer basic questions about who one is, why
one lives and how one fits into the existing social order
Narrative identity concerns the internal stories, implicit and explicit, that
evolve over time to try to make sense of one’s behaviour
Enhancing Self-Awareness: Accessing One’s Experiences
Changing the subjective views of the self can have significant impact on
individuals’ well-being
Drugs (e.g., psilocybin, LSD), meditation and encounter groups may
influence such changes
Gestalt therapy (Perls, 1969) sought to expand human awareness and to
achieve “joy”, trust and honest communication
Group Experiences
Human-relations training groups (T-groups) and sensitivity training
groups focused on doing activities, not just talking
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
People experience different types of discrepancies between different aspects of the self, influencing their emotions and behaviours. Ideal self: who you would like to be. Discrepancies may be experienced from one"s own vantage point or from that of significant others. What the person is actually doing, feeling, perceiving rather than on what we (friends, researchers, therapists) expect in terms of our own constructs. Self-assessments/reports may be as valid as, and sometimes better predictors than, more sophisticated, complex, and indirect tests. Many cards, each with a phrase one it (e. g. , i am submissive ) Individuals sort cards into piles, from most to least like themselves, or, their ideal self. Can assess, how similar a person"s real self is to their ideal self by comparing piles of the two. The q-sort"s goal is to examine the pattern of various characteristics within each person.
