SOCPSY 1Z03

Introduction to
Social Psychology
Self and Identity

Dr. Paul Glavin

September 28th 2016

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 Outline
The self
Social origins of the self
Identities
Self-presentation

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The Self
Self-concept / Self-schema
our thoughts about who we are, and our
perceptions of our social identities and
personal qualities
Self-awareness
Self-esteem
Self-knowledge

Early development of self-awareness

Mirror test
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 The Nature & Genesis of Self
Our understanding of the self is drawn from Symbolic
Interaction Theory
The self is the individual viewed as both the source and the
object of reflexive behavior.
The self is both active (the source that initiates reflexive
behavior) and passive (the object toward whom reflexive
behavior is directed).

According to George H. Mead:

The active aspect of the self is labeled the I.
The object of self-action is labeled the me.
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 Charles Horton Cooley:
The Looking Glass Self (1902)

People shape themselves based on what

other people perceive, and confirm other
people's opinion of themselves.

I am, who I think you think, that I am

Three components:
1. We imagine how we must appear to others.
2. We imagine the judgment of that appearance.
3. We develop our self through the judgments of others.
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Cooley: The Looking Glass Self

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_looking_glass_self.png#globalusage
Stages in the Development of Self
Mead:
Role taking: The process of imaginatively occupying the
position of another person and viewing the self and the
situation from that persons perspective.

Mead (1934) identified two sequential stages leading to

the emergence of the self in children.
1. The Play Stage
2. The Game Stage

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Meads Stages in Developing the Self

#1 Play -
Young children imitate the activities of people
around them.
Role taking involves imitating the mail carrier, the
doctor, the father, etc.
#2 Game
This stage occurs when children enter organized
activities such as complex games of house, school,
and team sports.
Now, role taking requires children to imagine the
viewpoints of several others at the same time.
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The Generalized Other
The Generalized Other:
- a conception of the attitudes and expectations held in
common by the members of the organized groups with
whom they interact.

When we imagine what the group expects of us, we are

taking the role of the generalized other.

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 Identities
Identities: the meanings attached to the self by ones self
and others.
Personal Identities
Individual traits (e.g. extroverted, moody)

Role Identities

Social Identities

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 Role Identities
Role Identities: concepts of self in specific roles.
parent, student etc.

For each role we enact, we develop a somewhat different

view of who we are; i.e. an identity.

The role identities we develop depend on the social

positions available to us in society.

Role identities involve role expectations. 13

 Social Identities

Social Identities: a definition of the self in terms of the

defining characteristics of a social group (Tajfel and Turner
(1979)
nationality, political affiliation etc.

Each of us associates certain characteristics with

members of specific groups.

If you define yourself as a member of the group, these

characteristics become standards for your thoughts,
feelings, and actions.
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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Premise: behavior is a product of our attempts to
control perceptions of situations in ways that
confirm the meanings associated with our
identities
Components:
1. Identity standard
2. Input
3. Comparator
4. Output 15
Control System

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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Phase 1
Identity standard
Defines the meanings attached to a
particular identity in a situation
e.g. supervisor identity
People should listen to me and do
what I say (power)

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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Phase 1
Begin at meanings in the situation.
Supervisor orders subordinate to do something (invoking
power component of supervisor identity standard).

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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Phase 2
Perceptions/Input
Subordinate responds to criticism by glaring at
supervisor
This behaviour serves as input to the supervisor

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Control System

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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Phase 3
Comparator
Through reflected appraisals from phase 2, the
supervisor perceives that their power is being
undermined, creating a discrepancy between their
identity standard and perception/input
Producing emotional reaction

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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Phase 4
Outputs
Supervisor attempts to reestablish power component of their
identity standard, and reduce discrepancy to zero
e.g. tells subordinate to sit down, waves finger at subordinate etc.

Goal: establish consensus regarding the appropriate meanings

in the situation for both individuals
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Control System

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 Identity Control Theory
(Burke)
Loop continues
Phase 1
Input
Subordinate reacts appropriately (or not),
producing new inputs that may or may not
reduce discrepancy with identity standard to
zero

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Identities as Sources of Consistency

Although the self includes multiple identities, people

usually experience themselves as a unified entity.
Why is this?
Because we use strategies that verify our
perceptions of ourselves.

Salience Hierarchy: Our most salient identities provide

consistent styles of behavior and priorities that lend
continuity and unity to our behavior.

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 Salience Hierarchy
The salience hierarchy influences consistency by:
1. Providing a basis to choose which situations we enter and
which we avoid.
2. Influencing the consistency of behavior across different
situations.
3. Influencing consistency in behavior across time.

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 Self-Presentation
The processes by which individuals attempt to
control the impressions that others form of them in
social interaction.

Authentic self-presentations
Ideal self-presentations
Tactical self-presentations

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 Tactical Impression
Management
The use of conscious, goal-directed activity of controlling
information to influence impressions.
The expression of emotions may be appropriate or
inappropriate.
Service workers must conceal anger or fear.

Successful impression management involves shared

definition of the particular situation
Frames
rules and conventions pertaining to a social situation
in which roles are to be enacted
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lecture is a frame
 Impression Management Online
Computer-mediated communication and development of self
self is heavily influenced by feedback from others
lack of nonverbal cues (facial expressions, body language) are
less available online, which makes assessing feedback harder

The digital self (Zhao 2005)

Inwardly oriented
Narrative, coherent
Retractable
Multipliable

Authenticity of the digital self?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVZYiJKl1Y 29
Erving Goffman (1922-1982)
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959)

Dramaturgical analysis

Managing Appearances

Front Stage / Back Stage

Unsuccessful impression
management: embarrassment

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On being sane in insane places article
(Rosenhan 1973)
Research Question:
Can we distinguish the sane from the insane in
psychiatric hospitals?
Psychiatric patient as a social role
Method: Natural Experiment
8 healthy pseudo-patients admitted to mental
institutions across the USA
After admission, pseudo-patients acted healthy
Staff interpreted much of the pseudo-patients
behaviours in terms of mental illness
Took between 19-52 days to be discharged
All were discharged with a diagnosis of schizophrenia "in
remission" 31
 Summary
Self and Identity
Genesis & Social Origins of self
Cooley, Mead: social theory, philosophy
Role/Social Identities
Tajfel, Burke, Stryker: experimental,
surveys
Presentation of Self
Goffman: ethnographic

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