Ch.2: Self-Concept, Identity, and Communication Presence

High and Low Power distance cultures. (2 things each)

- attitudes toward the self differ along the dimension of POWER DISTANCE (the extent to which individuals are willing to accept power differentials). 1. High power distance cultures: - ex. Saudia Arabia and India - perceive power as a fact of life. - ppl in low-power positions are apt to defer automatically to ppl in authority. 2. Low power distance cultures: - ex. USA - emphasize and value their independence even when superiors are present. - a general feeling of equality.

Why to be cautious of individuals w/ high self-esteem that's not r/t performance? Instead of self-esteem, what should we foster?

- can create a culture of bullying. - instead of fostering self-esteem, we should foster resilience. - learn to cope w/ personal setbacks.

Self through media and technology. (4 things about the media)

- media shapes our opinions about how our bodies should look, how men and women should interact, and the meaning of success. - media depicts violence against women as commonplace. - media depicts that minorities and women are less visible than men. - media messages distort how we see ourselves and influence our perception of what is normal and desirable.

Loneliness and Self-discontent across cultures.

- most young ppl across cultures share common perceptions regarding the self. - most are optimistic for the future. - btw 25-30% also describe themselves as lonely, overwhelmed, and freq. sad. - the fewer ppl they have to talk to, the lonelier. - elderly or challenged individuals have high isolation and negative attitudes about self.

What is self-fulfilling prophecy? What are 5 basic steps?

- occurs when we verbalize a prediction or internalize an expectation that comes true simply b/c we act as if it already were. - 5 Basic steps: 1. we form expectations of ourselves, others, or events. 2. we comm. the expectation by exhibiting various cues. 3. others respond to cues we send by adjusting their behavior to match our messages. 4. as a result, our initial expectation comes true. 5. our interpretation of the actions of others strengthens our original belief.

How people react to you: confirmation, rejection, and disconfirmation responses.

1. Confirmation: - others confirm our opinion of ourselves. - supports self-appraisal. 2. Rejection: - others reject our opinion of ourselves. 3. Disconfirmation: - others neither confirm nor reject; just don't care. - in another person's eyes, we do not exist or irrelevant.

What are some high self-esteem characteristics? (4 things)

1. Happier. 2. Less affected by peer pressure. 3. Not self-absorbed. 4. Grit: - passions and perseverance to achieve goals, resilient and tolerant of frustration.

High context cultures vs. Low context cultures. (3 things each)

1. High context: - cultures tend to very polite and indirect. - prefer to rely on nonverbal, contextual info. - value silence and reticence, believing that ppl of few words are thoughtful, trustworthy, and respectable. 2. Low context: - more direct communication style. - first time meeting someone, will ask direct questions in effort to gather background info and get to know the person. - priority is the discovery and expression of individual uniqueness.

High vs. Low Self-esteem

1. High: - think better of others. - expect others to be like them. - evaluate their own performance favorably. - perform well in front of others. - work hard for those who demand it. - feel comfortable interacting with superiors. - defend themselves against others' negative appraisals. 2. Low: - often disapprove of others. - expect others to not like them. - evaluate themselves unfavorably. - perform poorly in the presence of others. - feel threatened by superiors. - have a hard time defending against criticism.

Diversity and Culture in relationships. Individualistic cultures vs. Collectivistic cultures. (4 things each)

1. Individualistic: - individual identity is paramount. - value uniqueness and personal identity. - shun conformity. - think and behave in an IDIOCENTRIC ORIENTATION 2. Collectivistic: - group goals are given high priority. - Japanese refrain from excessive praise on their children. - gain a sense of identity through group memberships. - think and behave in an allocentric orientation.

4 ways to combat isolation when feeling lonely.

1. Join: - love reading? join a book club. 2. Accept: - accept opportunities for connection even if you don't want to go out. 3. Plan: - plan something and invite others. 4. Think positively: - feelings of loneliness or isolation can lead to our misinterpreting others' words and actions.

Definitions of Perceived selves, Ideal selves, Possible selves, Expected selves, and Impression management.

1. Perceived self: - reflection of self-concept. - the person you believe yourself to be. 2. Possible self: - the self you may become one day. 3. Expected self: - what others expect of you due to your past behaviors or their stereotypes. 4. Ideal self: - person you wish to be and admire in others. - if your ideal self is very diff. from you, life may be unsatisfactory. 5. Impression management: - control behavior to elicit the desired reaction.

How can we strengthen our self-concepts and communication presence? (4 things)

1. Picture infinite possibilities: - self is flexible and changeable and can adapt to changing circumstances and conditions. 2. Update your selfies: - keep your mental picture current. 3. Conduct an image review: - see yourself in action; reassess your roles. 4. Explore others' impressions of you: - be receptive to how others' see you.

Goffman techniques are used to encourage others to see us as we wish to be seen. What are 4 techniques?

1. Promotion: - elucidate our personal skills and accomplishments. 2. Ingratiation: - techniques of agreement to make us more attractive and likable to others. 3. Face-work: - take steps to protect our image by reducing the negative aspects of ourselves. 4. Exemplification: - serve as an example or role model to others.

What 2 theories explain how self-concept is shaped by others?

1. Reflected appraisal theory: - we build a self-concept that reflects how we think others see us. - "A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him and carry an image of him in their mind"-William James - largely based on the way others categorize us, the roles they expect us to play, and the behaviors or traits they expect us to exhibit. 2. Social comparison theory: - we assess how we measure up against others. - we decide whether we are similar or diff, better or worse, stronger or weaker, etc. - we're most comfortable interacting w/ others we perceive to be like us. - self-esteem suffers when we feel we fall short in relation to others. - accuracy depends on how well we process experiences and receive feedback.

Define self, self-concept, and self-concept accuracy.

1. Self: - very fluid and in a constant state of change. 2. Self-concept: - it is the perceived self. - highly structured and hard to change. - represents part of ourselves we invent. - does not include untapped potential. - has two key components: self-image (mental pic of you have of yourself) and self-esteem (your estimation of your self-worth). - in other words, self-concept is a "map" that we create to chart the "territory" that is the self. 3. Self-Concept Accuracy: - we acquire info that reaffirms what we believe is true. - we reject negative info and deny ourselves a chance for growth and self-renewal. - defending unrealistic positive or negative self-concept keeps us from changing ourselves.

Gender and Self-concept: What is the diff. between sex and gender? What is gender identity? What traits are males and females usually identified as having? Which sex typically feels better about themselves?

1. Sex vs. Gender: - sex = biological characteristics that define men and women. - gender = socially constructed roles and behaviors of a society for men and women. 2. Gender identity: an inner sense of being male or female. 3. Males and Females traits: - Males: initiative, control, ambition. - Females: considerate, sensitive, concerned for others. 4. society values male characteristics more highly than female characteristics, thus men typically feel better about themselves than women.

Technology's impact: how does tech/online affect our perceptions (4 things)? What is Turckle?

1. Tech/Online perceptions: - tech allows us to create and participate in new worlds and ways of finding out about ourselves. - virtual worlds where we assume diff personas and participate in simulations. - we present ourselves positively online. - the digital domain influences our thoughts about identity (youtube has a mostly positive effect). 2. Turckle: - self is externally manufactured instead of internally developed due to the opinions of others.

What is Goffman's Dramaturgical Approach to impression management? What are the dramatic elements to make the best impression in any given scene? (3 things)

1. explains the role that the skillful enacting of impression management plays in person-to-person interaction. 2. Dramatic elements that underlie your PERFORMANCE: - Framing: setting the scene that helps others interpret its meaning in the way we desire. - Engaging dialogue: story telling together w/ colorful and descriptive language and effective use of non-verb cues. - Scripting: standard small talk. As you chat, you are convincing your date to play their role too.

What is the Pygmalion Effect? What is positive and negative pygmalion?

1. psychologists Rosenthal and Jacobson demonstrated self-fulfilling prophecy btwn teachers and random students. - singled out students improved their IQs and performed at higher levels than would otherwise have been expected. 2. Positive: - an individual who positively influences one's perception of one's own abilities. - high expectations = increased performance. 3. Negative: - an individual who negatively influences one's perceptions of one's own abilities. - low expectations = decreased performance.

What are 4 things to consider if we are to reinvent ourselves?

1. work to overcome our natural resistance. 2. combat the tendency to cling to an erroneous self-concept by developing the willingness and skills to reinvent ourselves. 3. need to understand how we manage to maintain a self-image that others may regard as unrealistic. 4. we can be our own worst critics; view ourselves more harshly than others.