1. Chapter 3: The Self and Self Presentation

2. The Self http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGv1Nay2z-U What is the Self?
The Self
What is the Self?

3. Who Am I? Our answers reflect: Self-schema Self-concept
Thoughts about ourselves

4. The Nature & Origin of Self
Symbolic Interaction Theory
Self is active
Self is passive
William I. James & George H. Mead:
Active aspect of the self is the I.
Object of self-action is the me.

5. Steps in the Origin of Self
Self-Differentiation
2. Role Taking

6. Self-Differentiation
Distinguish our faces and bodies from others
Not born with this ability
Acquire very quickly
18 to 24 months
Baby in bath

7. Role Taking Imagine self from position of another person
View self and situation from that person’s perspective

8. The Looking Glass Self Significant others Charles Horton Cooley
As child interacts with others, the number of significant others increases

9. Stages in the Development of Self
Mead (1934) identified two sequential stages
Play Stage
Game Stage

10. Stages in Developing the Self
#1 Play Stage-
Young children imitate other people
Father
Mail carrier
Doctor…

11. #1 Play Stage

12. Stages in Developing the Self
#2 Game Stage–
Complex activities
Playing house or school
Team sports
Imagine viewpoints of several others at the same time

13. #2 Game Stage

14. The Game Stage: Baseball

15. The Generalized Other
View of attitudes & expectations held by members of organized groups
We imagine what a group expects of us
Taking role of generalized other

16. The Self We Know 1. Specific identities 2. Reactions of others
3. Varies with situation
Example:
Communicate over internet
Create identity
May have multiple identities

17. Identities Meanings attached to self Linked to social roles
Membership in groups

18. Role Identities
Self in specific roles
Develop a different view of who we are
an identity

19. Adoption of a Social Identity
Involves socialization into the group of which the role is a part
Agents of socialization
Anticipatory socialization

20. Social Identities in Groups

21. Situated Self Self-concepts distinctive to the setting and
Relevant to activities

22. Situated Self

23. Identities: The Self We Enact
Enact behaviors that
Evoke responses to
Confirm particular identities

24. Hierarchy of Identities
Importance of an identity varies from situation to situation
Organize identities into a hierarchy
According to their salience
Importance of identity (salience)
More situations as opportunities to enact identity

25. Effects of Self-awareness
Focusing on our own:
Appearance
Actions
Thoughts

26. Effects of Self-awareness
Things that increase self-awareness
Mirrors
Pictures
Voice recording
Video clip

27. Assessing Self-Esteem
Overall self-esteem
All identities
Role Specific self-esteem
Individual identities

28. Self-esteem

29. Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale
Have student assess their own self esteem using Rosenberg’s scale

30. Sources of Self-Esteem
Three sources:
Family Experiences:
Acceptance
Discipline
Performance Feedback:
Effectiveness of our actions
Social Comparison:
Successes and failures with those of others

31. Self Presentation Varies situation to situation: (Examples)
To parents, as good son or daughter
To friends, as “cool“ and “with it”
At a bar, as old enough to be served drinks

32. Sharing our identity (s) with another
Self-Disclosure
Sharing our identity (s) with another
Usually bilateral or reciprocal
The “norm of reciprocity”
Sharing too much intimate information often weakens the relationship
May lead to disliking

33. Tactical Impression Management
Conscious, goal-directed activity to control information
To influence impressions
Expression of emotions may be appropriate or inappropriate.
For example:
Service workers must conceal anger or fear
Surgeon expressing fear before operating on your child

34. Managing Appearances
Impression an individual makes depends not only on clothes, makeup, and grooming
But also on props in the environment

35. Managing Appearances Irving Goffman draws parallel between
theater’s front and back stages & the
regions we use in managing appearances.
Front Region –
Accessible to outsiders
Normative expectations
Back Region –
Settings inaccessible to outsiders where
one violates front region performances.

36. Ineffective Self-Presentations & Spoiled Identities
Some recover when their identity is challenged
Others have a permanently spoiled identity
Ex President Richard Nixon
Designer Martha Stewart

37. Cooling-Out and Saving Face
Gently persuading a person whose performance is unsuitable to accept a less desirable, though still reasonable, alternative identity.
Example: Switching from pre-med to psychology
Often causes identity degradation
Offender becomes a non-person;
One who can not be trusted to perform in the original role