Theories of Self-Concept Maintenance

Researchers have examined several ways in which individuals actively maintain their sense of self in what can collectively be termed "self-concept maintenance" (Crisp and Turner, 2010, p. 10). Theories pertinent to self-concept maintenance include the control theory of self-regulation, self-discrepancy theory, social comparison theory, self-evaluation maintenance, social identity theory, and self-categorization theory.

These theories share the assumption that individuals learn about themselves and their environment through self-comparison. People need to compare themselves with others in order to both know and evaluate their self and understand that these comparisons have a significant impact on individual behavior.

For this Assignment, review this week's media program, The Virtual Office,and evaluate the behavior of the women in the animation to determine which women exhibit narcissistic personality style and which women exhibit positive self-esteem.

The Assignment (3-5 pages)

• Select and describe one of the women in the media program exhibiting either positive self-esteem or narcissism.

• Compare the similarities and the differences of three theories of self-concept maintenance.

• Explain how each theory explains the behavior of the woman in the media program.

• Explain any insights you had or conclusions you drew based on your comparison.

• Be specific and use the Learning Resources and the current literature to support your response.

(Interior of Boss's office. Split-screen with Kathy on the left half and Jeanette on the right half.) Transcript

BOSS: Thanks for coming in today. I know it's busy out in the trenches, but this is an important step that we need to take every year to keep a pulse on your professional development and see what we can do to make your time with the company more productive, and even more importantly, fulfilling. As you know, I've gone through and scored your performance in a variety of categories. I'd like to share these scores with you now and give you a chance to respond.
First up is organizational agility. This, of course, refers to your ability to learn from experience and institutional history-- that is knowing who to work with in the company to achieve specific objectives and building those relationships for greater collaboration and success.

In the category, I gave you a three out of a possible five.

You seem genuinely adept at working with others, and I've not heard any negative reports about any of your working relationships, but you also seem to be a bit siloed into your role. I understand that a large portion of your work can be done without external assistance, but I think if you really try to stretch beyond your immediate working group, you'll be able to build on the knowledge you can gain from other departments and apply that to make your own duties much more applicable to the company as a whole.

KATHY: Thank you. I understand I've been pretty hunkered down lately. That new packaging system really got me into a zone where it became easy to ignore everything else going on around me. But now that it's fully in place and settled, I'll definitely start branching out and looking for feedback and ideas on how I can work more closely with other departments. I have no doubt that I can do better on this a year from now.

JEANETTE: OK, let me just say that it's been really, really, really busy this past year, and I just haven't had time to work a lot with other departments. They don't make it easy though. Everyone seems to be just as busy as I am and not interested in what I'm doing. The difference is that I'm definitely more of a silent observer. You probably already know this, but I'm always paying attention to what other groups and departments are doing and making lots of mental notes. You could easily say that I'm an expert in the company in what everyone is doing.

BOSS: Right. Next up is communication. On this category, I also gave you a three. For the most part, you're very good at exchanging information with the team in a timely manner and doing so with adjusted style and method to meet the needs of the receiver. There have been though a few instances where shipment changes were not communicated fast enough to the packing crew, or you've relied on word of mouth to get the message to the right people without success.

KATHY: Yes, that shipping error back in August was definitely on my shoulders, and I felt terrible about it. As a solution though, I created a new grid to help me decide who to contact and how for every likely scenario, so I have an easy reference to ensure that kind of mistake doesn't happen again. I'd be more than happy to share it with you and the rest of the team if you're interested. It has certainly come in handy for me.

JEANETTE: The packaging error was definitely not my fault. I passed the message on to Ken, and he promised me that he would make sure it was taken care of. I know I should have done it myself to get it done right, but I'm just a trusting person, you know. Now I know better, but I keep my promises all the time.

BOSS: OK, the third category is planning and prioritizing. On this category, I gave you a perfect five. You constantly prove yourself as being prepared and ready for each assignment and task as they come, and I am very grateful for that.

KATHY: Why, thank you. It means a lot to hear that. I love being able to plan ahead, and I'm so happy to hear that it seems to pay off.
JEANETTE: So it sounds like you're saying I'm the queen of planning and prioritizing. Every morning when I wake up, I start thinking about everything that I'm going to do that day and what order it needs to be in. My whole world revolves around planning-- seriously, and I love it. And not just because I'm great at it, but because it helps you and the company.

BOSS: And that brings us to the overall rating, which I'm going to award a 3.5 for this year. Your planning ability is an amazing asset to our company. And I know with small improvements in communication and teamwork, you'll be one of our finest employees.

KATHY: Again, I have to say thank you. I'm going to take your advice to heart and really focus on the aspects that need improvement. My goal for next year is to walk out of here with at least a four, but know that I'll be gunning for a five.

JEANETTE: Oh, a 3.5? Don't two threes and a really outstanding five come to at least a four? I work so much harder than almost everyone out there. I stay late almost every night. I even do work at home. I thought I had at least a 4.5 coming my way, but it's fine. I guess everyone else probably got lower scores.