Nature, Origin, and Function of the Self

• Substantive and thoughtful; that is, discussion posts must refer to a topic from the week's readings.  All discussion posts must be supported by current journal article(s) found in SFC Online Library Database system.  Discussion posts should draw from the information found in this week’s course materials, from personal experience, and from credible sources (peer-reviewed journal articles and sites provided by your professor).  


• All information gained, read, or acquired from any source that is not your personal information must be cited throughout the document otherwise it is plagiarism.  All information must be cited in the body of the document AND full-reference text at the end of the document using APA style & format criteria.  


• APA style & format criteria:  


• Peer-reviewed journal articles from SFC Online Library Database System  


• Current: January 2015 – Current month 2020  


• PDF available  


• Times New Roman font  


• 12-point font  


• Black ink  


• Single spaced work for DISC and RESP assignments only (to save space)  


• In-text citations appear throughout work  


• Full-text references appear at bottom of work  


• The discussion post should be three (3) well-developed paragraphs in length (about 7-9 fully developed sentences each; adhere to APA style & format including in-text and full-text reference citations).    


• If your professor and/or fellow classmate(s) asked you a question, to follow up, or further explain a point, you are required to do so in addition to your two main responses.  Failure to timely respond by Sunday of each week (to follow up questions) will result in reduction of points; 1 point for each entry not addressed.    

The main discussion post is due by Day 3 (Wednesday of each week).  Please click on “REPLY” from the main discussion post instructions to submit your assignment.  

Credible sources relevant to this course are (this is only a PARTIAL list): 

Santa Fe College Library Database system (https://sfcollege.libguides.com/az.php (Links to an external site.)) 

American Psychological Association (www.apa.org (Links to an external site.)) 

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (https://www.apa.org/about/division/div8 (Links to an external site.)) 

American Psychiatric Association (www.psychiatry.org (Links to an external site.) or www.psychiatryonline.org (Links to an external site.)) 

National Institutes of Health (www.nih.org (Links to an external site.)) 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.org (Links to an external site.)) 

World Health Organization: WHO (www.who.int (Links to an external site.)) 

REMEMBER: YouTube, Social Media, Wikipedia, etc. are NOT credible sources. 

Examples of topics to write about

(Choose only one topic from the examples below OR choose a topic of your interest that pertains to this week's material): 

Working Self-Concept 

Describe what working self-concept is according to literature.  How we identify ourselves can change from situation to situation. The aspects of the self that are currently activated can influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; this is our working self-concept. Discuss how people tend to shift the focus of the self in different situations. For example, while you are at school your student-self is activated, but while you are with your friends, your friend-self is activated. You are likely to behave differently while at school than while with your friends, your family, or coworkers. In addition, you might act differently with certain friends than you do with others. This can happen when someone has different circles of friends (e.g., friends they do sports with, friends they go to the theater with, friends from work, etc.). 

Construal Level 

Discuss how different people can view the same behavior at different levels of abstraction. For example, asking someone in class why they are here might elicit a variety of responses (e.g., watching the lecture, learning about social psychology, getting a degree, or preparing for a career). The different levels represent different places in the goal hierarchy, with the concrete level focusing more on how an action is accomplished and the more abstract level focusing on why the action is performed. Considering actions in concrete terms can help identify problems, but abstract goals help us to make sense of our experiences. Individuals are also capable of changing the level at which they view their actions, which could potentially be beneficial if someone wants to identify problems (focus on the concrete) or make sense of an experience (focus on the abstract). 

Different Cultures 

Individuals tend to differ in their self-concept based on individualistic and collectivist ideals of the culture. Examine whether this would mean that individuals would be different had they been born in a different culture. We tend to see ourselves as agents of our own concept; however, how much of our notion of the “self” comes from the culture around us? Determine how the “I” may depend on those around us. 

Make sure you find credible journal articles in our SFC Online Library Database system to support your work, regardless of what you decide to write about.