How do Self-Schemas Develop and How are they Maintained?
Schemas are detailed cognitive networks stored in long term memory. They organise and relate information from past experiences to represent an individual’s construal of different objects and events (Eysenck & Keane, 2015). Similar cognitive networks about oneself are self-schemas. According to Markus (1977) these guide self-related actions and behaviour, and form self-concept. This knowledge is important for improving oneself, building self-esteem, and striving for success (Suls & Wheeler, 2011). The initial development of schemas and self-awareness is thought to occur in childhood; detailed in Piaget’s Stage Theory (Piaget, 1976). Rather than exploring child cognitive development, this essay will discuss some of the theories of individual self-schema development and some ways they are maintained under threat.
Self-Discrepancy Theory
The first approach to self-schema development we will evaluate is Self-Discrepancy Theory (SDT) (Higgins, 1987). In this theory self-schemas develop to drive the actual self (who somebody is now) towards the ideal self (who somebody wants to be) and the ought self (who somebody should be according to others). Reflected appraisals build a network of the actual self, and this knowledge is used to move towards the ideal and ought selves. Discrepancies between actual and ideal result in dejection, and discrepancies between actual and ought result in agitation (Higgins, Bond, Klein, &
Many individuals often aspire to pursue their own aspirations in hopes of achieving greater accomplishments while abandoning their past. However, despite their numerous achievements they may accomplish in the future, individuals are incapable of altering the initial perception others have already formed upon them despite the significant character changes they experience themselves. In the “Prodigal”, Bob Hicok suggests that when individuals aspire to pursue their own personal ambitions and motivations, they will experience an internal feeling of pride and self-satisfaction within themselves but people who thoroughly understand the individual from the past will still perceive him/her the same way as before. It is through the understanding or
Jean Piaget investigated how children think. According to Piaget, children’s thought processes change as they mature physically and interact with the world around them. Piaget believed children develop schema, or mental models, to represent the world. As children learn, they expand and modify their schema through the processes of assimilation and
Going off of confidence, Jessica wants to be blatantly honest and holds that in the ideal self, but usually a respect for other people and thinking before acting comes into play before anything gets said. The other type of self is the ought self, which describes a characteristic that humans aspire to be based off their current position. Being a drummer, Jessica feels that it is crucial to be on time. Weather she is actually playing the drums or just showing up to events at the specified time, this characteristic is vital to keeping life in order and keeps the music from falling apart. According to the self-discrepancy theory, differences between the actual self and the ideal self will shift into awareness and this will impact how the world is viewed by experiencing different emotions. Different people are comfortable with different levels of discrepancy, making tipping points for emotions diverse. When a discrepancy reaches unbearable levels, discomfort is felt which could lead to cognitive dissonance if the ideal and actual self are contradictory to each
Piaget was a Swiss Psychologist and is most famous for his work and research on cognitive development. He put forward the Theory of Cognitive Development and key elements in this theory include the formation of “Schemas” and “organisation”. A “schema” is an individuals thoughts and beliefs about an object or event and “organisation” refers to the ability of the child to put stages of each period (eg. Sensori-Motor Period) into a logical order (Miller,
A central concept in Piaget’s theory is that of the schema. It is defined as an internalized representation of the world or an ingrained and systematic pattern or thoughts, action, and problem solving. Our schemata are developed through social learning or direct learning. Both processes involve assimilation, which is
A subpart of this particular criterion is “markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self”.(2) Susanna self image is not only unstable, but also largely negative. She alternates from moments of self acceptance and goal orientation to times of a general depression and a pervading sense of confusion. When asked by her high school guidance councilor what she wishes to do with her life, Susanna replies with a high degree of certainty that she wishes to be a writer and not a housewife like her mother, yet at the same time she has no interest in college and has no actual plan for achieving her goal.
The schema model of the self-concept is a contemporary approach to the study of the self-developed within the field of cognitive social psychology that is based on the assumption that “behavioural responses to stimuli are mediated through an internal system of knowledge structures” (Stein, 1996, p. 100). Positive self-schemas are formed earlier in development; however, a stressful life event may trigger the onset of personality disturbance (1996). For instance, children who experience traumatic events damage their self-concept and assume chronic perceptions of helplessness, an overestimation of danger, and an underestimation self-efficacy and self-worth
Piaget argued that cognitive development is based on the development of schemas.
The idea of self is a significant part of every individual’s life. The way we visualise ourselves can be altered by feelings of self worth and self esteem and lead to a change or influence in the way we act. The evaluation of one’s attitude towards self can be seen to be improved by the individual believing they are worthy which could lead to a self fulfilling prophecy. The better-than-average effect can depict this theory by assessing individuals on their motivational bias and attributes (Brown, 2011). In this particular study, participants are given a questionnaire regarding ten traits, half of high importance and half of low importance. They were then told to rate these attributes on importance of possession. As predicted, the results show that the
The essay is going to introduce short overviews of Piaget (1926) and Vygotsky’s (1978) theories to indicate their different approaches when considering cognitive development. Piaget (1926) developed a constructivist theory which is the basis for the other cognitive development theories that followed. He proposed the definition of schema which refers to children’s construction of shaping their thought and actions through the set of cognitive processes as assimilation, disequilibriums and accommodation. When encountering new experiences, children try to interpret them in terms of known cognitive schemas. In case of failing, they need to adjust their interpretation to the reality (Schaffter & Kipp,8th ed). Based on his assumptions, Piaget (1926) proposed that child as a lone individual progress through four main stages of cognitive development. On the other hand, Vygotsky (1978) presented sociocultural theory. Vygotsky (1978) concentrated on the social interaction between child and adult considering
Have you ever thought about why we feel about ourselves the way we do? Do you hate yourself or are you confident about who you are? Either way you feel about yourself, this all comes from your self-concept. According to Steven McCornack’s Reflect and Relate “self-concept is your overall perception of who you are.” My self-concept is constantly changing due to confidence boosts or if I become depressed and sad; these factors also influence my self-esteem. My self-concept helps determine how well I am able to communicate with others. “Some psychologists and sociologist have advanced theories that suggest we learn who we are through four basic meaning: our communication with other individuals, our association with groups, roles we assume, and our self-labels” (Beebe 35).
The first developmental theory in Personal Development is the sense of self. This involves children drawing conclusions of who they are as a person, their perceptions, beliefs, judgements and feelings (Ormrod p. 60). Sense of self can be broken down into two different aspects, self-concept and self-esteem. Self-concept is how someone assess themselves through their own character, strengths and weaknesses. Self-esteem, on the other hand, are the judgements and feelings about
Several years ago, an insightful and profound man, Jean Piaget, established a theory of cognitive growth during childhood. This theory was viewed as a major model for understanding the intricate steps of mental development from the thinking to understanding for a child. This theory also gave rise to the mentality that cognitive processes during childhood are not minuscule versions of adults but rather an irrational yet unique process with its own rules. Even though Piaget’s theory seems quite reasonable and logical, under the light of recent speculation his theory has been widely challenged. However, Piaget’s theory holds great impact in today’s psychology.
First termed in 1987 by Higgins, the Self-Discrepancy Theory describes how different sorts of disparities between self-state representations can be connected to various emotional vulnerabilities. Higgins (1987) suggested that there were three domains of the self.
This video shows how as children develop an appreciation on their inner mental world, they think more about themselves. They mention concrete characteristics like, names, physical appearance, possetions and typical feelings and behaviors are emphasized in their self-descriptions when they are 5 to 7 years old. In the video a little girl said, “ I like to sing, ride my bike, go to swim in a swimming pool, my teacher’s name is Miss. Fargo, she is pretty nice to me, my favorite subject in school is math”. With age young people organized their concrete description into personality traces. Another example of a teenager who said, “I’m Lisa, I’m fifteen, I’m a freshmen, I have a brother, his name is Sean, and I have more sibling. I’m an athlete,