I DENTITY AND P ERSONALITY  The Self  Identity  Personality

S ELF -U NDERSTANDING Self — All characteristics of a person Self-understanding, self-esteem, self-concept Identity — who a person is, representing a synthesis of self- understanding Personality — enduring personal characteristics of individuals The Self

S ELF -U NDERSTANDING Cognitive representation of the self, substance of self conceptions Visual self-recognition tests infants Young children perceive self as external characteristics Older children recognize difference between inner and outer states The Self

S ELF -R ECOGNITION IN I NFANCY

E ARLY C HILDHOOD Self-understanding Confusion of self, mind, and body Self-descriptions are physical, concrete, active, and unrealistic positive overestimations Understanding others Individual differences in social understanding linked to caregivers The Self

M IDDLE AND L ATE C HILDHOOD Self-understanding: 5 key changes Internal characteristics emphasized More referencing in social descriptions More use of social comparisons Distinguish between real self and ideal self Realistic in self-evaluations Understanding others Increased perspective taking The Self

T HE R OLE OF P ERSPECTIVE -T AKING Perspective-taking — ability to assume another’s perspective and understand his or her thoughts and feelings Important in children developing prosocial and antisocial attitudes and behaviors Affects peer status and quality of friendships The Self

S ELF -U NDERSTANDING IN A DOLESCENCE Abstract and idealistic Self-conscious; preoccupied with self Contradictions within the self – multiple roles in different contexts realized Fluctuating self over time and situations Compare real and ideal selves Possible selves : what persons may be, would like to be, and are afraid of becoming Self-integration in sense of identity The Self

C HANGES IN S ELF -U NDERSTANDING IN A DULTHOOD Self-Awareness Awareness of strengths and weaknesses Improves in young and middle adulthood Possible Selves Get fewer and more concrete with age Some revise throughout adulthood Life Review Some in middle age, common in older adults Evaluations of successes and failures The Self

S ELF -E STEEM AND S ELF -C ONCEPT Self-esteem Global evaluative dimension of the self Same as self-worth or image Self-concept Domain-specific evaluations of the self Distinct - not really interchangeable The Self

I SSUES WITH S ELF -E STEEM Modest correlations link self-esteem and school performance; links vary between adult job performance and self-esteem Self-esteem related to perceived physical appearance across life-span Depression lowers high self-esteem The Self

I SSUES WITH S ELF -E STEEM Persons with high self-esteem Increased happiness Have greater initiative Prone to both prosocial and antisocial actions Undeserved high self-esteem Narcissism : self-centered, self-concerned Conceited Lack of awareness linked to adjustment problems The Self

S ELF -E STEEM IN C HILDHOOD AND A DOLESCENCE Accuracy of self-evaluations increases across the elementary school years Majority of adolescents have positive self-image cross-culturally Girls’ self-esteem is lower than boys’ by middle school years The Self

S ELF -E STEEM IN A DULTHOOD Some researchers find drops in self-esteem in late adulthood; others don’t Older adults with positive self-esteem May not see losses as negatively Decrease in knowledge-related goals Increase in emotion-related goals Compare themselves to other older adults The Self

S ELF -E STEEM A CROSS THE L IFESPAN Prenatal Development

I NCREASING S ELF -E STEEM Identify causes of low self-esteem Provide/seek emotional support and social approval Develop self-confidence and initiative Achieve Develop coping skills The Self

S ELF -R EGULATION Ability to control one’s behavior without having to rely on others for help Includes self-generation and cognitive monitoring of thoughts Self-regulation linked to higher achievement and satisfaction over the lifespan The Self

S ELF -R EGULATION IN I NFANCY AND E ARLY C HILDHOOD months 2-3 years Preschool Depend on caregivers for reminder signals about acceptable behaviors Begin to comply with the caregiver’s expectations in the absence of monitoring Learn to resist temptation and give themselves instructions that keep them focused The Self

S ELF -R EGULATION IN M IDDLE /L ATE C HILDHOOD AND A DOLESCENCE Self-regulation increases from about 5 or 6 years up to 7 or 8 years of age Across elementary school years, children increase beliefs that behavior is result of own effort and not luck From 8 to 14 years of age, children increase perception of self-responsibility for failure The Self

S ELECTIVE O PTIMIZATION WITH C OMPENSATION Successful self-regulation in aging linked to Selection: reduction in performance Optimization: continue practice, use of technology Compensation: concealment; offsetting or counterbalancing a deficiency The Self

P ERSONAL C ONTROL Primary control striving One’s efforts to change external world to fit needs and desires Attain personal goals, overcome obstacles Secondary control striving Targets one’s inner worlds: motivation, emotion, and mental representation The Self

C HANGES I N P RIMARY AND S ECONDARY C ONTROL S TRATEGIES A CROSS THE L IFE S PAN The Self

W HAT IS I DENTITY ? Self-portrait of many identities: Vocational/career Political Religious Relationship Achievement/intellectual Identity –Sexual –Cultural/ethnic –Interests –Personality –Physical

E RIKSON ’ S I DEAS ON I DENTITY Identity versus identity confusion Adolescents examine who they are, what they are about, and where they are going in life Psychosocial moratorium Gap between childhood security and adult autonomy, part of adolescent identity exploration Identity

I DENTITY S TATUSES According to Marcia: Individuals go through periods of Crisis : exploring alternatives during identity development Commitment : individuals show personal investment in what they are going to do Identity

M ARCIA ’ S I DENTITY S TATUSES

D EVELOPMENTAL C HANGES IN I DENTITY S TATUS Young adolescents primarily in statuses of diffusion, foreclosure, or moratorium Important for achieving positive identity Confidence in parental support Established sense of industry Able to adopt self-reflective stance of future Identity

E ARLY A DOLESCENCE TO A DULTHOOD Most important changes occur ages 18 to 25 “MAMA” cycle: pattern for positive identity moratorium achievement moratorium achievement Family influences on identity development Parenting style effects identity development Identity

E ARLY A DOLESCENCE TO A DULTHOOD Parenting styles Democratic foster identity achievement Autocratic foster identity foreclosure Permissive foster identity diffusion Search for balance is very important in adolescence Identity

F AMILY I NFLUENCES Identity Self-assertion Separateness Mutuality Permeability Ability to have and give point of view Openness to other’s views Individuality Use of communication patterns to express own individuality Connectedness Sensitivity to and respect for other views

E THNIC I DENTITY Erikson very sensitive to role of culture Ethnic minority groups struggle to blend into dominant culture and keep cultural identities Ethnic identity linked to HS achievement and lower aggression Higher self-esteem Predicting academic success Identity formation affected by college attendance Identity

T RAIT T HEORIES AND THE B IG F IVE F ACTORS OF P ERSONALITY Trait Theories Personality is broad dispositions or traits that tend to produce characteristic responses Big Five Factors of Personality theory Led to advancements in assessing personality Most believe personality is result of trait- situation interaction Personality

B IG F IVE F ACTORS OF P ERSONALITY Personality

V IEWS O N A DULT D EVELOPMENT Stage-Crisis View Levinson’s Seasons of a Man’s Life Stage and transitions occur in life span Tasks or crisis in each stage shape personality Levinson’s midlife crisis in 40s: try to cope with gap between past and future Vaillant’s Grant Study Personality

L EVINSON ’ S S EASONS OF L IFE Personality Era of late adulthood: 60 to ? Late Adult Transition: Age 60 to 65 Age 50 transition: 50 to 55 Culminating life structure for middle adulthood: 55 to 60 Entry life structure for middle adulthood: 45 to 50 Middle Adult Transition: Age 40 to 45 Early Adult Transition: Age 17 to 22 Age 30 transition: 28 to 33 Culminating life structure for early adulthood: 33 to 40 Entry life structure for early adulthood: 22 to 28

E MOTIONAL I NSTABILITY AND A GE Personality

A GE AND W ELL -B EING Personality

T HE L IFE -E VENTS A PPROACH Now contemporary life-events approach ; alternative to the stage approach How a life event influences individual’s development depends on: The life event Individual’s adaptation to the life event Life-stage context Sociohistorical context Personality

L IFE E VENTS F RAMEWORK Personality

G ENERATIVITY VERSUS S TAGNATION Seventh stage in Erikson’s life-span theory Generativity Encompasses adults’ desire to leave legacy to next generation Middle-aged adults develop in number of ways Stagnation Also self-absorption, develops when one senses s/he has done nothing for next generation Personality

C HANGES I N G ENERATIVIT Y FROM THE T HIRTIES TO THE F IFTIES Personality

S TABILITY AND C HANGE Many longitudinal studies have found evidence for both change and stability in personality in adulthood Smith College Study Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore Study Berkley Longitudinal Studies Helson’s Mills College Study Vaillant’s studies Personality

S TABILITY AND C HANGE Cumulative Personality Model With time and age, people become more adept at interacting with environment in ways that promote stability Overall, personality is affected by Social contexts New experiences Sociohistorical changes Personality

L INKS B ETWEEN C HARACTERISTIC S AT A GE 50 AND H EALTH AND H APPINESS AT A GES 75-80