CHAPTER 5: THE SELF
4 LEVELS OF THE EXTENDED SELF:
- Individual level - Family level - Community level - Group level
ideal of beauty
a particular model, or exemplar, of appearance.
ideal self
a person's conception of how he would like to be
identity marketing
a promotional strategy where consumers alter some aspects of their selves to advertise for a branded product
bromance
affection between straight male friends
sex-typed traits
characteristics we stereotypically associate with one gender or the other
extended self
external objects that we consider a part of us
communal goals
i.e. affiliation and the fostering of harmonious relations
Contemporary Young Mainstream Female Achievers (CYMFA)
identified different roles these women play in different contexts
virtual identities
identity in real-time, interactive virtual worlds
impression management
process where we work hard to "manage" what others think of us
body image
refers to a consumer's subjective evaluation of his physical self
body cathexis
refers to a person's feelings about this body
actual self
refers to our more realistic appraisal of the qualities we have and don't have
self-esteem
refers to the positivity of a person's self-concept
agentic goals
stress self-assertion and mastery
symbolic interactionism
stresses that relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self
masculinism
study of the male image and complex cultural meanings of masculinity
self-image congruence models
suggest that we choose products when their attributes match some aspect of the self
symbolic self-completion theory
suggests that people who have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity when they acquire and display symbols they associate with that role
self-concept
summarized the beliefs a person holds about his own attributes and how he evaluates the self on these qualities
übersexual
the best. attractive, confident, masculine, in all areas of life
androgyny
the possession of both masculine and feminine traits
looking-glass self
the process of imagining others' reactions "taking the role of the other"
computer-mediated environments (CMEs)
virtual worlds
avatars
visual identities online that range from realistic versions of themselves to tricked out versions with exaggerated physical characteristics or winged dragons or superheroes.
metrosexual
a straight, urban male who is keenly interested in fashion, home design, gourmet cooking, and personal care. (i.e. David Beckham)
gender-bending products
a traditionally sex-typed item adapted to the opposite gender