1st Edition
Emerging Perspectives on Self and Identity
The broad concept of the self is fundamental to psychology, serving as an anchor by which we perceive and make sense of the world as well as how we relate to and think about others. This book develops creative points of view of the self which have not previously been reviewed, creating a web of interconnected concepts under the umbrella of the self.
The various contributions to this book discuss these concepts, such as self-regulation, self-concept, self-esteem, self-awareness, social comparison, and self-reference. All of them are related to the self, and all would justify a review of their own, yet none of them have up to this point. As a whole, the book develops these new, creative points of view of the self—the integral (primary) component of our experience as social beings.
Offering numerous perspectives on various aspects of the self which can foster new thinking and research, this timely and important book makes suggestions for future research that will spur additional lines of work by readers. This book was originally published as a special issue of Self and Identity.
Introduction – The self as a central tenet of our psychology: New perspectives on the self 1. A review of the experience and consequences of self-aspect activation, number, and distinctiveness 2. On using what we know about ourselves in thinking about others: Not so fast 3. Investigating how ostracizing others affects one’s self-concept 4. Show me what threatens you, and I can tell who you are: Perception of threat and the self 5. Universal stories: How narratives satisfy core motives 6. Why are they being so nice to us? Social identity threat and the suspicion of Whites’ motives 7. The multiplicity of belonging: Pushing identity research beyond binary thinking 8. Gender is what you look like: Emerging gender identities in young children and preoccupation with appearance 9. Aspects of identity: From the inner-outer metaphor to a tetrapartite model of the self
Biography
Michael J. Bernstein is an Associate Professor of Social Psychology in the Psychological and Social Sciences interdisciplinary program at Penn State University Abington, USA. His primary area of research focuses on social belonging and the myriad cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses that follow if that sense of belonging is threatened.
Elizabeth L. Haines is a Full Professor of Social Psychology in the Psychology Department at William Paterson University, USA. Her primary area of research is on social and self-perception in social categorization; and the implicit biases we hold for groups, self, and other.
