Self and identity

homework 1: self & identity

based on chapter 2: considering self

40 points possible

purpose:

— to apply important concepts from chapter 2 to your own experience

— to reflect on the ways in which your identity shapes, and is shaped by, your relationships

— to recognize the various influences on your sense of self, and your own influence

directions:

For this assignment you should reflect on how you think and feel about yourself, and all of the different issues, people, and situations in your life that have led to these thoughts and feelings. Try to think of both positive and negative influences, so that you have some rich examples to share. With these ideas in mind, answer questions 1 through 5 below.

important:

In your responses, make sure that you mention, by name, in bold, and in the correct context, relevant concepts. Your answers MUST INCLUDE the following five terms:

self-concept,

mask,

self-awareness,

face, and

self-esteem

1. You likely belong to many different cultural groups (e.g., not only based on your race or ethnicity, but also your sexual orientation, age group, religious affiliation or lack thereof, and so forth). Take a moment to think of all the cultural groups that make up your identity.

a. Which of these cultural groups are most central to your identity? Why?

b. How do these particularly central/important cultural identities impact your communication with other people?

2. Reflect on the positives and negatives of social comparison you’ve experienced. For this question, we’d like you to pick an overall viewpoint: do you believe social comparison is a positive or negative process? Provide examples that illustrate your claim.

3. Think of a time when you did or said something embarrassing (i.e., you “lost face”).

a. What was the situation?

b. What did you do to try to restore your loss of face?

c. If you could do it over, what would you do differently?

4. Reflect on your various methods of online self-presentation (for instance, facebook, twitter, email, blog posts, and so forth).

a. Give a specific example of something you consciously manipulate in order to maintain the “appropriate” identity online (i.e., to make sure that people see you the way you would like them to see you).

b. What are the benefits and drawbacks of presenting your self in this way?

5. Think of a specific interpersonal relationship and the Johari window. Explain how long you’ve known this person and what type of relationship you have.

a. What are some examples of information you would find in your public area?

b. What are some examples of information you would find in your hidden area?

c. Reflecting on the extent of information shared in your public and hidden areas, what do these two quadrants suggest about the intimacy in this relationship?