Psychology in social areas explores how individuals interact, communicate, and influence one another.

Psychology in social areas explores how individuals interact, communicate, and influence one another. It examines behaviors, group dynamics, social norms, relationships, and how environment and perception shape social experiences.

1. Self-Concept
A major aspect of our self is our self-schema or self-concept, which is the organized
structure of cognitions or thoughts we have about ourselves.
The self-schema comprises our perceptions of our social identities and personal
qualities, and our generalizations about the self based on experiences in the social
world.
Self-concepts can be studied by asking people to answer "Who am I?" or by using
adjective checklists, having people describe times they felt in touch with their "true
self," or by asking people to identify how much or how little they possess certain
identities. Timing measures can also be used to assess how related prompts feel to
"who they are."
Nature of Self
The self encompasses all the characteristics that make up a person, including
thoughts, feelings, identities, and a sense of control and purpose that we believe make
us "who we are." This is related to but distinct from personality, which refers to
enduring traits and motives.
The self is viewed as both the source and the object of reflexive behavior.
We can engage in self-perception, self-evaluation, self-communication, self-
motivation, and self-control.
The self is considered an ongoing process, a continuous loop between the "I" (the
active, spontaneous impulse to act) and the "me" (the object of self-reflection using
internalized standards from others). These "I" and "me" phases alternate as every new
action becomes an object of self-scrutiny.
This internal dialogue, guided by the "I-me" capacity, allows humans to modify their
responses to stimuli, unlike a simple stimulus-response pattern.
Successfully engaging in action requires the development of three capacities: (1) the
ability to differentiate themselves from other persons, (2) learning to see
themselves and their own actions as if through others’ eyes (role-taking), and (3)
learning to use a symbol system or language for inner thought.
A mature sense of self involves recognizing that our thoughts and feelings are our
private possessions, a distinction that sharpens with social experience and cognitive
growth.
Reflexive Behaviors
Reflexive behavior is the type of behavior in which the individual who acts and the
individual toward whom the action is directed are the same.
The self is defined as the individual viewed as both the source and the object of
reflexive behavior.
Examples of reflexive behavior include self-control (pushing oneself to work) and
self-motivation (making promises to oneself). These are more likely if an individual
sees themselves in a particular way (e.g., "a good student").
Having a self means having the capacity to engage in reflexive actions – to plan,
observe, guide, and respond to our own behavior.

2. Definition of Self-Differentiation
Self-differentiation is the development of the recognition that one is physically and
mentally distinct from others.
Young children often confuse their own mental processes with external events, but
the distinction between self and nonself becomes clearer with social experience and
cognitive growth, leading to the realization that their private awareness is not directly
accessible to others. By about age 4, children understand that their thinking goes on
inside their heads.
Role-Taking
Role-taking is the process of imaginatively occupying the position of another person
and viewing the self and the situation from that person’s perspective. It is a core part
of the "me".
Role-taking serves two main purposes:
oIt makes cooperative action possible by allowing us to anticipate how others
might react in a given situation.
oIt is crucial for acquiring self-meanings by imagining how we appear to
others. For example, a teenager might see themselves as lazy if they imagine
their mother's view after choosing video games over homework.
Social Origins of Self
The self is also a social object whose meaning is developed and negotiated in
interaction.
We try to imagine how others see us to understand not only their view but also how
we should see ourselves (looking-glass self).
Our identities are constructed based on how we imagine we appear to others.
Significant others are people whose opinions and standards we care about most.
They typically control important rewards or occupy central positions in groups we
belong to and have a greater influence on our behavior and self-concept due to the
high value placed on their positive opinions. The widening circle of relationships
throughout life, including online interactions (digital self), provides more significant
others whose feedback can change or reinforce our self-images.
The digital self, constructed through online interaction, has four characteristics: (1)
inwardly oriented, (2) a narrative or story expected to be coherent and consistent, (3)
retractable, and (4) multiplied (one can have several diverse selves).
Identities
Identities are the meanings attached to the self by oneself and others. They represent
various plans of action we expect to carry out tied to social roles and group
memberships.
Role identities are constructed by observing our own behavior and the responses of
others to us as we enact different social roles (e.g., student, friend, son/daughter).
These depend on the social positions available in society and link the self to society
through the roles we play, reflecting the structure of our society. Our performance of
role identities is influenced by conventional role expectations and our personal
characteristics and competencies.

3. Social identities are a second source of identities, based on membership in social
categories or groups such as gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, or political affiliation.
A social identity is a definition of the self in terms of the defining characteristics of a
social group. The characteristics associated with these groups become standards for
our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and their importance is confirmed through
interactions. Social identities highlight the impact of social structure on the self
through consensually defined social groupings and are often defined in relation to
other groups, potentially leading to an accentuation effect and negative stereotypes of
out-groups.
Personal identities include qualities that people feel define core aspects of their self
as an individual, such as morality, intelligence, and friendliness. They form additional
standards for determining if we are acting in line with who we "really" are and are
especially important in Western cultures.
Self-schemas are formed partly by adopting role and social identities, which are
influenced by culture (individualist vs. collectivist). Individualist cultures emphasize
individual achievement and associated identities, while collectivist cultures
emphasize group welfare and associated identities.
The situated self is the subset of self-concepts (identities, qualities, and self-
evaluations) chosen from our repertoire that constitutes the self we know in a
particular situation. The aspects of self that enter our awareness depend on the
situation and are often those distinctive to the setting and relevant to ongoing
activities.