PSC 161 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Executive Functions, Proprioception, 18 Months
Lecture 1 - The Psychology of the Self - Intro
● What is this course about?
○ Examine current research on the shelf from a social psychological perspective
○ Discuss how self knowledge is determined with an emphasis on social aspects of
the self
○ Focus on the self in social interaction (ex: social comparison, self - presentation)
○ Draws heavily on experimental research conducted within the fields of
personality & social psychology
● Why are psychologists interested in the self ?
○ How we behave & interact with others depends a lot on how we see ourselves
○ The self is a filter which affects all of our thoughts & behaviors. It’s critical to
understand the self in order to understand human psychology & behavior
○ Ex: self - esteem in romantic relationships
● self - esteem in romantic relationships
○ Doubts & moments of insecurity are normal in romantic relationships
○ How one deals with these moments appears to be critical for relationship
success
○ Sandra Murray et al (2002)
■ Experimentally induced perceived relationship threat in dating couples
■ Examined response as a function of self - esteem
■ Method
● 65 couples in dating relationships (averaging 17.8 months in
length)
● Asked to sit back to back, to not talk & to complete questionnaires
about themselves & their relationship
● Given a series of questionnaires (one at a time)
○ “Please list all the important aspects of your partner’s
character that you dislike. Do not list any more than 1 such
quality if that is all that easily comes to mind “
○ “Please list as many items in your dormitory room,
bedroom, or apartment as you can (be sure to list at least
25 items)”
■ Results
●
○ Listen to podcast for interpretation of chart
●
■ Take home point
● The self is a filter which affects all of our thoughts & behaviors. It’s
critical to understand the self in order to understand human
psychology & behavior
●
●
Lecture 2 - The Study of the Self
● What is the Self?
○ Question has occupied philosophers, theologians, & social scientists for
hundreds of years
○ Selfhood: “the thoughts, feelings, & behaviors that arise from the awareness of
self as object & agent” (Hoylet et al., 1999)
● Psychology of the self
○ Goals of modern psychological study of the self. To understand:
■ What it means to have a self
■ How the self operates
■ The purpose of the self
● Psychology of the self in context
○
● The bases of selfhood (Baumeister, 1998)
○ Reflexive consciousness - people are self - aware
○ Interpersonal being - self is a member of groups & relationships
○ Executive function - enables self to make choices, initiate action, & exert control
over self & world
● Reflexive consciousness
○ Nature & definition of the Self
○ Self - schemas & the Activation of Self Knowledge
○ Self - Structure & Affect
○ Self - Perception
● Interpersonal being
○ Social determinants of the Self
○ Relationships & groups
○ Social comparison
○ Self - evaluative motives
● Executive function
○ Self - esteem: defense & Maintenance
○ Self - presentation
○ Self - control & self - regulation
○ Goals & motivation
● Self vs. Personality Psychology
○ Distinct but related approaches
○ Subjective experiences vs. objective experiences
■ How people think about themselves vs. how they really are
○ Why the distinction is blurry:
■ What we really are influences how we think about ourselves
■ What we really are influences how we feel about ourselves
■ Self is one aspect of personality
■ Self - report is often used to measure personality
● Historical Study of the Self
○
● Plato (428/ 427 BC - 348/347 BC)
○ Soul = essence of person
○ When the body dies, the soul is reborn in subsequent bodies
○ Platonic soul:
■ The logos ( mind, nous, or reason)
■ The thymos ( emotion, or spiritedness)
■ The eros( appetitive, or desire)
● Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)
○ Defined the soul as the core essence of a being, but argued against its having a
separate existence
○ Potential for rational activity = essence of human soul
● Rene Descartes (1596 - 1950)
○ French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, & writer
○ “Father of Modern Philosophy” & the “Father of Modern Mathematics”
○ Mind - body dualism
■ “I recognized that I was a substance whose essence or nature is to be
conscious. Thus, this self, that is to say the soul, by which I am, is entirely
distinct from the body & is even more easily known”
● Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679)
○ Leviathan
○ Portrayed self in terms of sensory experience
○ Basic pursuit of self - interest
● John Locke (1632 - 1704)
○ Lockean self is a self - aware, self - reflective consciousness that is fixed in a
body
○ ‘As for our own existence, we perceive it so plainly & so certainly, that it neither
needs nor is capable of any proof. For nothing can be more evident to us than
our own existence. I think, I reason, I feel pleasure & pain: can any of these be
more evident to me than my own existence? “
○ Locke posits any “empty” mind - a tabula rasa- that is shaped by experience;
sensations & reflections being the 2 sources of all our ideas
● William James (1842 - 1910)
○ Distinguished between the “Me” (known) & the “I” (Knower); Self is malleable,
multifaceted, & conscious
○ The “Me”
■ Material self - individual’s body & possessions
■ Social self - image of self portrayed to others
■ Spiritual self - collection of stages of consciousness; “When we think of
ourselves as thinkers”; elicits emotions (pride) & goals (self -
preservation)
○ The “I”
■ The Thinker
■ But, what is the Thinker?
■ Permanent agent behind passing states of consciousness
Document Summary
Lecture 1 - the psychology of the self - intro. Examine current research on the shelf from a social psychological perspective. Discuss how self knowledge is determined with an emphasis on social aspects of the self. Focus on the self in social interaction (ex: social comparison, self - presentation) Draws heavily on experimental research conducted within the fields of personality & social psychology. How we behave & interact with others depends a lot on how we see ourselves. The self is a filter which affects all of our thoughts & behaviors. Ex: self - esteem in romantic relationships. Doubts & moments of insecurity are normal in romantic relationships. How one deals with these moments appears to be critical for relationship success. Experimentally induced perceived relationship threat in dating couples. Examined response as a function of self - esteem. 65 couples in dating relationships (averaging 17. 8 months in length)
