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Reflection of the Self |
Kymberleigh Huff |
Social Psychology/400 |
March 18, 2013 |
Les Binnix |
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Reflection of the Self
Self is a multifaceted structure that is developed from past experience and is concerned with one’s personality traits, abilities, physical features, values, goals, and social role. Beliefs about the self influence current and future behavior. Some people perceive themselves the way they would like to see themselves. Others experience a gap between what they would like to see and what they actually see.
The Self in the Social World
Our social surroundings affect our awareness about ourselves (Myers, 2010). When we are the only individual in a group that is different from the other members, we notice how different we are and the reaction of others around us. Our self-interest paints our social judgement. When a problem arises in a close relationship, we attribute more responsibility to our partner, when all is well we see ourselves as ore responsible. Self-concern motivates our social behavior as well (Myers, 2010). We are forever agonizing over our appearance during first impressions. “People compare themselves to others to determine how attractive they are, how they did on an exam, how their social skills stack up and so forth (Lloyd & Weiten, 2006, p. 143).” Social relationships help define our self. An individual’s behavior with mom is different than with friends.
Self-Concept
A question repeated over and over again throughout one’s life is to ask who I am. One might say organized, energetic, intelligent, helpful, or hard working and maybe even list student, wife, mother, daughter, and friend. Self-concept is the organized collection of beliefs about the self. But are these characteristics to define who one is or are they roles one plays? The author has pondered such a question and come to realize that we aren’t just playing a role, we become the role. We are born sons and daughters...