THE THEORY OF OBJECTIVE SELF-AWARENESS: A REFINEMENT AND EXTENSION OF ITS BASIC PROPOSITIONS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE PROCESS AND OUTCOME OF SELF-EVALUATION.
Item
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Title
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THE THEORY OF OBJECTIVE SELF-AWARENESS: A REFINEMENT AND EXTENSION OF ITS BASIC PROPOSITIONS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE PROCESS AND OUTCOME OF SELF-EVALUATION.
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Identifier
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AAI8319741
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identifier
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8319741
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Creator
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AXELROD, ANNE BARBARA.
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Contributor
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Glen Hass
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Date
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1983
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social
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Abstract
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The process of self-evaluation, of central importance to the theory of self-awareness, has been neglected in research which has tested implications of the theory. The present paper sought to examine this process, and in so doing, the theory has been elaborated and extended.;Based upon recent studies in this area (Buss, 1980; Froming and Walker, in press), it was suggested that different self-awareness manipulations focus attention upon different self-aspects. Specifically, mirrors direct attention to the private-self; TV cameras direct attention to the public-self. It was further proposed that the elements of the perceptual unit employed for the purpose of self-evaluation differ as a function of psychological perspective: private self-awareness promotes the salience of a perceptual unit comprised of one's real-self and a personal standard; public self-awareness promotes the salience of a perceptual unit comprised of one' real-self and a social standard.;In order to demonstrate that these perceptual units were actually being experienced in the different self-aware states a 2 x 2 x 2 between group factorial experiment was conducted in which subjects, exposed to a personal and social standard simultaneously, surpassed one but not the other standard, under conditions of high or low, public or private self-awareness. Change in self-esteem served as the major dependent variable. If attention was focused on the private-self one effect was predicted; if attention was directed toward the public-self the opposite effect was predicted across feedback conditions. In effect, we were working backward from the effect to determine the process, to determine the structure of the perceptual unit under examination.;The results supported the predictions derived from the theory's elaboration and extension. The different manipulations promoted the salience of different perceptual units, and self-evaluation was found to be a function of the perceptual unit made salient by the manipulation. It was further demonstrated that self-focused individuals do not necessarily compare to ideals. And, because ideals are not focused on, self-awareness cannot be thought of as most often leading to the perception of a negative discrepancy, or as typically engendering a state of discomfort.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
