Communication and the Self

Prof. Tamara Arrington

COM 252

University of Kentucky

Your Professor’s Self-Concept

• http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=white+and+nerdy&aq=0&oq=white+and

Our Self-Concept

• Begins to develop at about 6 or 7 months

• Almost totally a product of social interaction – through reflected appraisal and social comparison

Elements of the Self-Concept

Social Roles Physical Characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics

Attitudes

Social Characteristics

Personality Characteristics

Material Charactersitics

Values

Skills and Accomplishments

Emotional States Talents Beliefs

Likes/Dislikes Health Friendships Mating Relationship(s)

2 Theories

• Reflected Appraisal – perceptions of the judgements of those around us

• Judgements of significant others are especially salient.

• Social Comparison – evaluating ourselves in terms of how we compare to others

• We use reference groups as a basis of comparison.

The Looking-Glass Self

• Charles Horton Cooley (1912)

• Labeled this “reflected appraisal”

“Each to each a looking glass, reflects the other that doth pass.”

What Makes An Appraisal Important?

• Someone we see as competent offers it

• The appraisal is seen as highly personal

• It is reasonable in light of what we believe about ourselves

• The appraisals are consistent and numerous

Cooley’s 3 Elements of the Self-Concept

• How we think we appear to the other person

• How we think that person judges our appearance

• How we feel about ourselves in reaction to the other’s perception of us.

• Each individual develops a self-concept that matches the way they believe others see them.

Characteristics of the Self-Concept

• It is subjective (based on perception)

• A healthy self-concept is flexible

• The self-concept resists change (believed to be set well by age 30)

Changing Your Self-Concept

• Have a realistic perception of yourself

• Have the will to change

• Have the skill to change

• Recognize the power of self-fulfilling prophecies

Self-Esteem

• Is the part of the self-concept that evaluates self-worth

• Is how you feel about those qualities in your self-concept

• Is relatively stable across the lifespan

Persons With High (+) Self-EsteemHamachek (1982)

Are likely to think well of others

Expect to be accepted by others

Evaluate their own performance more favorably

Perform well while being watched – do not fear other’s reactions

Work harder for people who demand high standards of performance

Feel comfortable with others whom they view as superior

Are able to defend themselves against negative comments

Persons With Low (-) Self-EsteemHamachek (1982)

Are likely to disapprove of others

Expect to be rejected by others

Evaluate their own performance less favorably

Perform poorly while being watched

Work harder for undemanding, less critical people

Feel threatened by people they view as superior in some way

Sensitive to possible negative reactions

Have difficulty defending themselves

Are more easily influenced

William James (1890)

• The Empirical Self– The material self

– The social self

– The spiritual self

George Herbert Mead1863-1931

• “Mind, Self, & Society” (1934)

• The self emerges from social interactions. In this process, the individual takes on the role of the “other” and internalizes the attitudes s/he perceives in both real and imagined others.

George Herbert Mead1863-1931

• Components of the Self:– The I

– The Me

– The Generalized Other

Erving M. Goffman(1922-1982)

• Identity management• Public & private selves• The perceived self and the

presenting self• Face - the socially

approved identity• Facework – the ways in

which we act to maintain “face”

• We maintain “front” and “back regions”.

“The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” (1967)

Characteristics of Identity Management

• We strive to construct multiple identities

• Identity management is collaborative (with an “audience”)

• Can be deliberate or unconscious

• People differ in their degree of identity management

How Do We Manage Impressions?

• In face-to-face interactions

• In mediated communication – Emoticons, avatars

I’m So Much Cooler Online

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GcVnhNjWV0