THE SELF-KNOWLEDGE PROCESS

People come to know themselves in large part by observing others’ reactions to them when engaged in face-to-face social interaction. The popularity of and reliance on social media (e.g., Facebook) for social connection interferes with the self-knowledge process. This interference is compounded, further, by the tendency for people to pose as who they wish to be but are not (Wright, White, & Obst, 2018). Others’ reactions to them as a source of self-knowledge is based, then, on an idealized presentation, and social feedback on this idealized presentation can have little self-knowledge value.

Reference:

Wright, E. J., White, K. M., & Obst, P. L. (2018). Facebook false self-presentation behaviors and negative mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(1), 40–50.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY RESOURCES

TO PREPARE

• Review the Learning Resources for this week and consider how people present themselves on social media and the influence this may have on how people use introspection, self-observation, and other people’s reactions to know themselves.
• Also, consider how reliance on social media for meaningful connection affects a person’s confidence when meeting new people.
• When relying on social media for social connection, think about the unavailability of others’ perception of you and why that information might be relevant to building self-confidence.

ASSIGNMENT:

Submit 3–5 pages, excluding title page and reference page:

• What implications does the pressure of presenting an ideal self on social media have in terms of how people use introspection, self-observation, and other people’s reactions to know themselves?
• If relying on social media for social connection fails to provide useful information for developing an authentic self, then how confident might a person be when meeting new people face-to-face?
• What information about how others perceive you might you need but do not get when relying on social media for social connection?
• Your arguments and conclusions must be supported by social psychology theory and research.

In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or Internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Resources

• Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
  
  • Chapter 5, “The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context” 
• Note: Viewing media and interactives embedded in the electronic version of this course text is not required for this course.
• Fein, S., & Spencer, S. J. (1997). Prejudice as self-image maintenance: Affirming the self through derogating others. Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyLinks to an external site., 73(1), 31–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.31
• Fein, S., & Spencer, S. J. (1997). Prejudice as self-image maintenance: Affirming the self through derogating others. Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyLinks to an external site., 73(1), 31–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.31
• Riyanto, Y. E., & Zhang, J. (2016). Putting a price tag on others’ perceptions of us. Experimental EconomicsLinks to an external site., 19(2), 480–499. doi:10.1007/s10683-015-9450-3
• Fein, S., & Spencer, S. J. (1997). Prejudice as self-image maintenance: Affirming the self through derogating others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 31–44. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.31