4 ), 348 – 3 58 W r i t i n g

Social psychologists contend that a human can organize his or her understanding of the self in multiple ways, including formation of the self-concept, use of self-schemas, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.

Such self distinctions are supported through research depicting three main self functions, including reflexive consciousness, or the ability to look upon oneself; interpersonal engagement, or the awareness of oneself as interacting with others; and executive function, or the self’s role in taking control of daily functioning. Finally, there are at least three key motives for why the self functions as it does, including the need to learn more about oneself, the need to believe positively about oneself, and the need for consistency in self-knowledge.

Write a brief description of the recent event you selected. Then, describe one of the three main functions of the self (ability to engage in reflexive consciousness, ability to interact with others, or ability to control daily functioning) that were evident in the event you selected and explain why. Finally, explain which of the three motives for self-functioning (need to learn, need to believe positively about yourself, or need for consistency of self-knowledge) may have motivated your actions in the event you selected and why. Use the Learning Resources and the current literature to support your response.

Resources:

Readings

• Article: Bandura, A. (2004). Health- promotion by social cognitive means. Health Education & Behavior, 31(2), 143–164. Retireved from the Walden Library using the ERIC database.
• Book Excerpt: Baumeister, R. F. (1998). The self . In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 680–740). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  Handbook of Social Psychology by Gilbert, T. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press via the Copyright Clearance Center.
• Article: Burke, P. J., & Harrod, M. M. (2005). Too much of a good thing? Social Psychology Quarterly 68(4), 359-374. Retireved from the Walden Library using the SAGE Premier 2010 database.
• Article: Erikson, M. G. (2007). The meaning of the future: Toward a more specific definition of possible selves. Review of General Psychology, 11(4), 348–3 58. Retireved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.
• Article: Markus, H. R. (1977). Self-schemata and processing information about the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(2), 63–78. Retireved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.
• Article: Markus, H. R., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969. Retireved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.

Websites

• Social Psychology Network. (2011). Retrieved from http:// Resources
  • Article: Carroll, P. J., Shepperd, J. A., & Arkin, R. M. (2009). Downward self-revision: Erasing possible selves. Social Cognition, 27(4), 550-578.
  • Article: Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.
  • Article: Markus, H. R., Smith, J., & Moreland, R. L. (1985). Role of the self-concept in the perception of others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(6), 1494–1512.
  • Article: Montepare, J. M., & Clements, A. E. (2001). Age schemas: Guides to processing information about the self. Journal of Adult Development, 8(2), 99–108.