PS375 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Self-Perception Theory
Document Summary
Identity assimilation is a process that individuals use to maintain a sense of self consistency even in the face of discrepant experiences or info about the self. People who predominantly use assimilative processes approach new exxperiences in a fixed and formulated way and seek out info consistent with their current identity schemata as loving, competent, and good. Recognizing unacceptable aspects of the self is painfu/produces negative affect. Robins and jogn"s egoist metaphor; an individual who seeks self enhancement and distorts info regarding the self bc experiences that reflect poorly on the self produce negative affect. The egoist and the narcissist are seen as similar because they share a graniose sense of self and high self esteem. The inflated sel esteem associated with identity assimilation is theorized to compensate for feelings of worthlessness and self doubt. Identity accomodation is a process of changing the self in response to experiences.
