An Experiment Involving Self-Concept: A Proposal

THREATS TO SELF-CONCEPT: A RESEARCH DESIGN

Within the context of social identity theory, self-concept reflects "a collection of self-images which vary in terms of the length of their establishment, complexity and richness of content" (Abrams & Hogg, 1994, p. 3). As self-concept is closely associated with the theory of social identity, a question arises as to the potential for self-awareness to affect social identity (Abrams, 1994). Self-awareness theory is concerned with the ways through which individuals control and direct their behavior. Within a sociological context, the relationship between self-awareness and social identity is perceived as a realization by an individual of variations between their own self-image and the ideal self-image associated with a salient reference group, and a response by an individual to such a realization (Abrams, 1994). Within the context of cognitive psychology, the self-awareness/social identity relationship is described in "terms of control theory, in which negative feedback loops operate to enable individuals to match their behaviour to particular standards" (Abrams, 1994, pp. 90-91). In essence, these two perceptions are virtually identical, with differences between the two couched within the semantics of opposing academic disciplines.

An individual's self-concept may be affected by socioeconomic status, depending upon the psychological strength and maturity of the individual. Ethnicity most certainly affects self-co

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ccupies a middle ground on this continuum with a recognition of both biological and social factors as causes of emotions, and an assumption that the biological and social factors interact with one another. Research Design A research experiment will be conducted to test the contention that negative information that challenges a subject's self-concept will disturb that subject's affective state. The hypothesis that will be tested is that the degree of effect of negative information on a subject's affective state will vary inversely with the strength of the subject's self-concept. Operationally, the dependent variable, a subject's affect state, will be defined as the score received on the administration of an instrument that measures mood. Operationally, the independent variable, the strength of a subject's self-concept, will be defined as the score received on the administration of an instrument that measures self-concept. Method Method is discussed within several contexts. These contexts are (1) sample and subjects, (2) procedure and data collection, and (3) data analysis and hypothesis testing. Sample and Subjects The population from which the sample for the proposed experiment will be drawn is comprised of sophomore col

Category: Psychology - A