ABSTRACT
The self forms the transition between the intrapersonal processes of social perception, social cognition, and attitude organization and the volitional ac tivity initiated by the person toward the social world. Social psychological study of the self illuminates a conflict between forces toward accuracy-in self-perception, self-evaluation, and self-disclosure-and forces toward dis tortion in the same areas. Individuals possess multiple constructions of a social self, derived in part from the opinions and expectations of other people. This idea is represented both in the notion of the looking-glass self and in the concept of role conflict. The process of self-evaluation involves reference groups, social comparisons with other individuals, the notion of oneself as distinctive. Labels provided by the surrounding environment can affect the subjective experience of emotion, the persistence of atti tudes, and the degree of motivation to succeed at various tasks. The devel opment of self-esteem involves comparisons between a person’s real self and ideal self, and this comparison can also be influenced by personal and situational factors beyond the individual’s immediate control (such as so cialization, race, gender, and attractiveness). Finally, the interchange be tween the forces toward accuracy and the forces toward distortion can be seen in the public behavior of the self, both in everyday self-presenta tion and in the unusual circumstances of objective self-awareness and deindividuation.
