Chapter 3 – The self page 69
Contents
What is the self?....................................................................................................................................3
The self’s main jobs...........................................................................................................................3
Self-knowledge/ self-concept........................................................................................................3
Interpersonal self/ public self........................................................................................................3
Agent self/ executie self...............................................................................................................3
Who makes the self: the indiiidual or society?.................................................................................3
True or real self?............................................................................................................................4
Culture and interdependence........................................................................................................4
Social roles.....................................................................................................................................4
Self-awareness...................................................................................................................................5
Standards.......................................................................................................................................5
Self-awareness and behaiiour.......................................................................................................5
Escaping self-awareness................................................................................................................5
Where self-knowledge comes from.......................................................................................................7
Looking outside: the looking-glass self..............................................................................................7
Looking inside: introspecton.............................................................................................................7
Looking at others: social comparison.................................................................................................8
Self-percepton and the oierjusticaton e ect................................................................................8
Intrinsic and extrinsic motiaton...................................................................................................8
Oierjusticaton e ect..................................................................................................................8
The fuctuatng image(s) of self..........................................................................................................9
Why people seek self-knowledge......................................................................................................9
Beginnings of self-knowledge........................................................................................................9
Three reasons for wantng self-knowledge & when moties compete..........................................9
Self-knowledge and the duplex mind...........................................................................................10
Self and informaton processing..........................................................................................................11
Anything that touches the self…......................................................................................................11
Can the self-concept change?..........................................................................................................11
Reiising self-knowledge...............................................................................................................11
Changing the looking glass...........................................................................................................11
Promotng change........................................................................................................................11
New self, new story.....................................................................................................................12
Self-esteem, self-decepton, and positie illusions..............................................................................13
, Self-esteem......................................................................................................................................13
Reality and illusion...........................................................................................................................13
How people fool themselies...........................................................................................................14
Beneits of self-esteem....................................................................................................................14
Why do we care?.............................................................................................................................15
Is high self-esteem always good?.....................................................................................................15
Pursuing self-esteem.......................................................................................................................16
Self-presentaton.................................................................................................................................16
Who’s looking?................................................................................................................................16
Making an impression......................................................................................................................17
Claiming identty..........................................................................................................................17
Tradeo : faiourability iersus plausibility....................................................................................17
What about modesty?.................................................................................................................17
Self-presentaton and risky behaiiour.............................................................................................17
, In humans, the self is more developed than in any other animal. Self-representation is very
important for humans: initially to serve reproduction and survival, but due to culture, self-
representation also increased in importance for unnatural reasons.
What is the self?
The self’s main jobs
Like many other traits found in humans, the self serves interpersonal functions. Selves make the
balance between selfishness and social conscience.
Main parts of the self:
Self-knowledge/ self-concept
Definition: the sets of beliefs about oneself, including self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-
deception
- It enables people to store and reflect on information about themselves
Interpersonal self/ public self
Definition: the image of the self that is conveyed to others
- It helps people to gain social acceptance and maintain good interpersonal relationships
Agent self/ executive self
Definition: the part of the self involved in control, including both control over other people and
self-control
- It enables people to make choices and exert control, including controlling our own
behaviour while we don’t feel like it. Therefore, it helps getting things done.
Who makes the self: the individual or society?
The self is like an interface between the inner biological processes and the sociocultural
network. When there is no social contact (for example when you’re alone on a deserted island),
the self doesn’t really have a function, and therefore would probably not exist, or only very
basically.
Contents
What is the self?....................................................................................................................................3
The self’s main jobs...........................................................................................................................3
Self-knowledge/ self-concept........................................................................................................3
Interpersonal self/ public self........................................................................................................3
Agent self/ executie self...............................................................................................................3
Who makes the self: the indiiidual or society?.................................................................................3
True or real self?............................................................................................................................4
Culture and interdependence........................................................................................................4
Social roles.....................................................................................................................................4
Self-awareness...................................................................................................................................5
Standards.......................................................................................................................................5
Self-awareness and behaiiour.......................................................................................................5
Escaping self-awareness................................................................................................................5
Where self-knowledge comes from.......................................................................................................7
Looking outside: the looking-glass self..............................................................................................7
Looking inside: introspecton.............................................................................................................7
Looking at others: social comparison.................................................................................................8
Self-percepton and the oierjusticaton e ect................................................................................8
Intrinsic and extrinsic motiaton...................................................................................................8
Oierjusticaton e ect..................................................................................................................8
The fuctuatng image(s) of self..........................................................................................................9
Why people seek self-knowledge......................................................................................................9
Beginnings of self-knowledge........................................................................................................9
Three reasons for wantng self-knowledge & when moties compete..........................................9
Self-knowledge and the duplex mind...........................................................................................10
Self and informaton processing..........................................................................................................11
Anything that touches the self…......................................................................................................11
Can the self-concept change?..........................................................................................................11
Reiising self-knowledge...............................................................................................................11
Changing the looking glass...........................................................................................................11
Promotng change........................................................................................................................11
New self, new story.....................................................................................................................12
Self-esteem, self-decepton, and positie illusions..............................................................................13
, Self-esteem......................................................................................................................................13
Reality and illusion...........................................................................................................................13
How people fool themselies...........................................................................................................14
Beneits of self-esteem....................................................................................................................14
Why do we care?.............................................................................................................................15
Is high self-esteem always good?.....................................................................................................15
Pursuing self-esteem.......................................................................................................................16
Self-presentaton.................................................................................................................................16
Who’s looking?................................................................................................................................16
Making an impression......................................................................................................................17
Claiming identty..........................................................................................................................17
Tradeo : faiourability iersus plausibility....................................................................................17
What about modesty?.................................................................................................................17
Self-presentaton and risky behaiiour.............................................................................................17
, In humans, the self is more developed than in any other animal. Self-representation is very
important for humans: initially to serve reproduction and survival, but due to culture, self-
representation also increased in importance for unnatural reasons.
What is the self?
The self’s main jobs
Like many other traits found in humans, the self serves interpersonal functions. Selves make the
balance between selfishness and social conscience.
Main parts of the self:
Self-knowledge/ self-concept
Definition: the sets of beliefs about oneself, including self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-
deception
- It enables people to store and reflect on information about themselves
Interpersonal self/ public self
Definition: the image of the self that is conveyed to others
- It helps people to gain social acceptance and maintain good interpersonal relationships
Agent self/ executive self
Definition: the part of the self involved in control, including both control over other people and
self-control
- It enables people to make choices and exert control, including controlling our own
behaviour while we don’t feel like it. Therefore, it helps getting things done.
Who makes the self: the individual or society?
The self is like an interface between the inner biological processes and the sociocultural
network. When there is no social contact (for example when you’re alone on a deserted island),
the self doesn’t really have a function, and therefore would probably not exist, or only very
basically.
