How do people learn about themselves? Discuss the different sources of self-knowledge that people have, and how each functions. Are there limits, or weaknesses to these sources of self-knowledge?
What will be an ideal response?
a . Private self-awareness, and introspection
i. Attending to emotions and other inner states
ii. Assessing the contents of one's mind
iii. Social comparisons
iv. Comparing oneself to standards
v. Weaknesses: With introspection, people may well understand what they think and feel, but are much less often able to recognize why. With social comparisons and standards, the self-knowledge that is gleaned is highly dependent upon the comparison target or standard.
b. The looking-glass self, and the generalized other
i. Weaknesses: People's perceptions of how others regard them tend to be off the mark. This is perhaps because people pick and choose their social environments, and pick and choose the feedback that they attend to and take to heart. Additionally, others are often reticent to give us negative feedback about ourselves.
c. Feedback from the social environment through social comparison and self-perception processes.
i. Weaknesses: Again, people may not receive accurate information because they often select social environments that will reflect well on themselves and because other people tend not to give negative feedback.
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