Perception of Self

1. Perception of Self How You See You… and… How The Way You See You Affects Others Around You

2. At what age do you believe self-concept develops? What is the difference between self-concept and self-esteem? • Reflected Appraisal: How you perceive the way others judge you. How are labels a part of reflected appraisal? How is your self-concept affected by reflected appraisal? • Social comparison – Evaluating ourselves in terms of how we compare with others. How much does this happen? • If you compare yourself with an inappropriate reference group, you may feel ordinary or inferior. • Cognitive conservatism – Seeking information that conforms to an existing self-concept.

3. Characteristics of self-concept • Subjective. Wake up feeling one way; go to bed feeling another. • Humility. We are designed to downplay our accomplishments. • Flexibility. We rarely cut ourselves a break. • Resistant to change. After our late 20s, we’re resistant to change our self-concept. Why?

4. A Study of Self-Esteem • 350,000 participants • Late childhood: Inflated sense of self-approval • Adolescence: Deflated sense of self-approval • Self-regard rises again in adulthood. • Drops again in old age. • Factors are biological, social, and situational. • Pivotal life changes. • Women are more challenged with self-esteem: Adolescent girls’ drop in self-esteem is double that of boys. • Stabilization of job and family leads to higher self-esteem in adulthood.

5. Self-Monitoring What kind of monitor are you???? • High self-monitors: Adjust communication style to create a desired impression for others. Good actors. Handle social situations well and put others at ease. Chameleon-like. • Low self-monitors: Simple, focused ideas of who they are. Narrow repertoire of behaviors. Easier to read. “What you see is what you get!” Straight-forward communicators.

6. How much does our “baggage” reflect our self-esteem? How easy is it to change based on our past? • How does your self-concept affect your professional life? Our many “Selves” • The perceived self – Our reflection of self concept. Things we don’t want others to know. • The presenting self – The facework we put on. • The desired self – The things we wish others understood about us. The self-concept bag activity…

7. How Can We Work on Our Self-Concept? • Realistic expectations of ourselves. • Categorizing things that people say • Remembering that other people’s expectations have nothing to do with us! • Have the will to change. • Have the skill to change. • Using “impression management” • Trying to change other’s opinions. Will it work? • Mannerisms – Examining whether or not you “put something out there.” • Appearance – How you use your appearance to present yourself? • Setting – Car you drive; house you want; material possessions that reflect you.