Module 02 · The Self-Concept
When Does the Self-Concept Not Matter?自我概念作用的局限
Overview 概述
We’ve spent a lot of time in this module talking about how the self-concept can influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, it’s important to note that the self-concept is just one of a large number of factors that can affect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This page will talk about some of the factors that can make the self less important in determining behavior than external influences, such as social pressure.
我们在这个模块中花费了大量时间讨论自我概念如何影响你的思想、情感和行为。然而，重要的是要注意，自我概念只是众多可能影响思想、情感和行为的因素之一。本页将讨论一些因素，这些因素可能会使自我在决定行为方面的重要性低于外部影响，如社会压力。
Objective Self-Awareness 目标自我意识
Often, when we’re trying to decide how to act, we compare our behavior to the part of the self that holds our beliefs and values (our standards) to decide what the right thing to do is. After checking our standards, we act in a way that’s consistent with them. For example, if we find a wallet on the ground, our values might make us look for the owner of the wallet with the hope of being able to return it. If we act inconsistently with our standards and try to keep the wallet, we would likely feel negative emotions like guilt and shame. Essentially, we’re monitoring our own behavior to see if it lives up to our standards.
我们经常在试图决定如何行动时，将我们的行为与持有我们信念和价值观的自我部分（我们的标准）进行比较，以决定正确的事情是什么。在检查我们的标准之后，我们会以与之一致的方式行动。例如，如果我们在地上找到钱包，我们的价值观可能会让我们寻找钱包的主人，希望能归还它。如果我们与我们的标准不一致并试图保留钱包，我们可能会感到负面的情绪，如内疚和羞愧。本质上，我们正在监控自己的行为，看看它是否达到了我们的标准。
However, we don’t always monitor our behavior in this way. Duval and Wicklund (1972) suggested that when we are in a state of high objective self-awareness, we carefully monitor our behavior and compare it to our standards, increasing the likelihood that we will act consistently with them. However, at other times, when we’re experiencing low objective self-awareness (such as when we’re in particularly distracting environments), we’re less likely to consult our standards when deciding how to act in a situation. In these cases, we are more likely to act differently than our standards would suggest and not experience negative emotions when we violate the standards. Essentially, we’re acting as if no one is watching us (not even ourselves).
然而，我们并不总是以这种方式监控我们的行为。Duval 和 Wicklund（1972 年）提出，当我们处于高度客观自我意识的状态时，我们会仔细监控我们的行为，并将其与我们的标准进行比较，从而增加我们按照这些标准行动的可能性。然而，在其他时候，当我们处于低客观自我意识状态（例如，当我们处于特别容易分心的环境中时），我们在决定如何行动时，不太可能参考我们的标准。在这些情况下，我们更有可能采取与我们的标准不一致的行为，并且在违反标准时不会体验到负面情绪。本质上，我们就像没有人（甚至我们自己）在看着我们一样行动。
Many of the studies that support this idea—that self-awareness increases the likelihood that our behavior lives up to our standards—have used a mirror to ensure participants are in a state of high self-awareness. When people are acting normally, the logic goes, they’re often focused on the actions they’re doing rather than the fact that they’re actually doing the actions. Put another way, they’re not watching themselves do the actions, so they’re not evaluating their behavior.
许多支持这一观点——自我意识增加我们的行为符合标准可能性——的研究都使用镜子来确保参与者处于高度自我意识的状态。按照这种逻辑，当人们正常行动时，他们通常专注于他们正在做的事情，而不是他们实际上正在做的事情。换句话说，他们没有观察自己做事，因此他们没有评估自己的行为。
To illustrate the importance of being aware that you yourself are actually performing a behavior, researchers have set up situations where people must choose to perform either a moral behavior or an immoral behavior. Some people have been given this choice without any external manipulations, while others have been given this choice while looking at themselves in a mirror, forcing them into a state of high self-awareness. To see what happens, let’s take a look at an example study (Diener & Wallbom, 1976). Researchers brought participants into their lab one at a time and told each participant to take an intelligence test. Half of the participants were put into an empty room with the test and an answer key to the test. They were told not to use the answer key and to complete the test to the best of their ability. The other half were put in the same room, but, this time, a mirror was placed in front of them, so they had to watch themselves take the test, inducing a state of high self-awareness. Researchers subtly monitored whether participants cheated on the test (by using the answer key to get the right answers) or not. Their results showed that, in the high self-awareness condition, fewer than 10% of people cheated, whereas, in the control condition, over 70% of people cheated. They concluded that putting people in a state of high objective self-awareness made them act consistently with their values. In other words, people act consistently with their self-concepts when they’re in a state of high self-awareness, but their self-concepts seem to matter less when they’re in a state of low self-awareness.
为了说明意识到自己正在执行行为的重要性，研究人员设置了人们必须选择执行道德行为或不道德行为的情境。有些人是在没有任何外部操纵的情况下做出这种选择的，而另一些人则是在照镜子时做出这种选择的，这迫使他们进入高度自我意识的状态。为了看看会发生什么，让我们看看一个例子研究（Diener & Wallbom，1976）。研究人员一次将参与者带入实验室，并告诉每个参与者参加一个智力测试。一半的参与者被放入一个空房间，里面有测试和测试答案。他们被告知不要使用答案，尽自己最大的努力完成测试。另一半人被放入同一个房间，但这次，在他们面前放了一个镜子，所以他们必须看着自己参加测试，诱导出高度自我意识的状态。研究人员微妙地监控了参与者是否在测试中作弊（通过使用答案来得到正确答案）或没有作弊。 他们的结果显示，在高自我意识条件下，不到 10%的人作弊，而在控制条件下，超过 70%的人作弊。他们得出结论，将人们置于高度客观自我意识的状态会使他们的行为与他们的价值观保持一致。换句话说，当人们处于高度自我意识的状态时，他们的行为与自我概念保持一致，但当他们在低自我意识状态下时，他们的自我概念似乎不那么重要。
Self-Monitoring 自我监控
Snyder and his colleagues (e.g., Snyder, 1974; Snyder & Gangestad, 1986) have suggested that some people are more likely to act based on their internal beliefs and values than others. They coined the term self-monitoring to describe people’s tendency to look to the environment to determine what behaviors are appropriate to perform and which ones should be avoided. Specifically, they argued that some people, called high self-monitors, carefully check their behavior to make sure that it is appropriate for the situation they’re in. Put another way, they base their behaviors more on the dictates of the situation than on their own internal beliefs and values. On the other hand, low self-monitors are less likely to monitor their behavior for situational appropriateness and base their behaviors more on these internal standards. That is, they act more consistently with their self-concepts.
斯奈德及其同事（例如，斯奈德，1974；斯奈德和冈斯特拉德，1986）提出，有些人更可能基于他们的内部信念和价值观行事，而不是其他人。他们创造了“自我监控”这个术语来描述人们倾向于观察环境以确定哪些行为是适当的，哪些应该避免。具体来说，他们认为有些人，被称为高自我监控者，会仔细检查自己的行为，以确保它们适合他们所处的情境。换句话说，他们的行为更多地基于情境的指示，而不是他们自己的内部信念和价值观。另一方面，低自我监控者不太可能监控自己的行为以适应情境的适当性，他们的行为更多地基于这些内部标准。也就是说，他们更一致地符合自己的自我概念。
Before we discuss the concept of self-monitoring further, the following activity, The Self-Monitoring Scale, will let you see where on this variable you fall. Before taking the survey, consider whether you think you will end up being labeled a high self-monitor or a low self-monitor.
在我们进一步讨论自我监控的概念之前，以下活动《自我监控量表》将让您了解自己在这一变量上的位置。在填写调查问卷之前，考虑一下您认为自己会被标记为高自我监控者还是低自我监控者。
The Self-Monitoring Scale 自我监控量表
This is an activity that will enhance your understanding of the information presented in this module. If you've subscribed to the specialization, open your workbook and listen to the audio file for instructions for how to complete the activity. If you haven't subscribed to the specialization, listen to the audio file to have an alternate version of the activity described to you. When you're finished, continue with the course.
这是一个将增强您对本模块所呈现信息理解的活动。如果您已订阅该专业，请打开您的作业簿并收听音频文件，以获取完成活动的说明。如果您尚未订阅该专业，请收听音频文件，以获得活动的替代版本描述。完成之后，继续课程。
Now that you have a score on the Self-Monitoring Scale, let’s talk about what the score means. If your score was 9 or below on the scale, you are considered a low self-monitor. This means that your actions tend to be based on the internal standards contained within your self-concept more so than on the dictates of the situation. This could lead to your acting more consistently from situation to situation and implies that you might be less likely to go along with a group’s behavior if you believe the group is doing something inconsistent with your values. On the other hand, if your score was 10 or above, you are considered a high self-monitor. This means your actions tend to be based on the dictates of the situation more so than on your own self-concept. You’re more likely to change your behavior to fit in with a group, and you may act differently in different situations.
现在您已经在自我监控量表上得到了分数，让我们来谈谈这个分数的含义。如果您的分数在 9 分或以下，您被认为是一个低自我监控者。这意味着您的行为更倾向于基于自我概念中的内部标准，而不是基于情境的指示。这可能导致您在不同情境中表现出更一致的行为，并暗示您可能不太可能随从一个与您价值观不一致的群体的行为。另一方面，如果您的分数在 10 分或以上，您被认为是一个高自我监控者。这意味着您的行为更倾向于基于情境的指示，而不是基于您自己的自我概念。您更有可能改变行为以适应群体，并且您可能在不同的情境中表现出不同的行为。
Note two things. First, it’s neither good nor bad to be one type of self-monitor or the other because each can be framed in positive or negative terms. On the positive side, you can think of low self-monitors as consistent and high self-monitors as being able to fit in in many situations. On the negative side, you can think of low self-monitors as inflexible and high self-monitors as superficial or fake. It’s best to think of these simply as different ways of interacting with the world and not worry about which one is better than the other.
注意两点。首先，无论是哪种自我监控类型，都既不好也不坏，因为每种都可以用积极或消极的术语来描述。从积极方面来看，你可以认为低自我监控者是一致的，而高自我监控者能够适应许多情况。从消极方面来看，你可以认为低自我监控者是僵化的，而高自我监控者是肤浅的或虚假的。最好将这些简单地视为与世界互动的不同方式，不要担心哪一种比另一种更好。
Second, there are many powerful situations in the world that override self-monitoring. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a high or low self-monitor if you are in a situation that strongly pressures you to act in a specific way. For example, if you’re in a military training boot camp and your instructor tells you to do something, you’re very likely to go along with that social pressure regardless of whether you’re a high self-monitor who tends to match their behavior to the situation or a low self-monitor who wants to resist authority. Put another way, differences between high and low self-monitors are more noticeable in situations where there is only a moderate level of social pressure.
其次，世界上存在许多强大的情境，可以超越自我监控。无论你是高自我监控者还是低自我监控者，如果你处于一个强烈要求你以特定方式行动的情境中，那就没关系。例如，如果你在军事训练营中，你的教官告诉你做某事，你很可能就会顺从这种社会压力，无论你是倾向于将行为与情境相匹配的高自我监控者，还是一个想要反抗权威的低自我监控者。换句话说，高自我监控者和低自我监控者之间的差异在只有适度社会压力的情境中更为明显。
Summing up, people’s self-concepts are an important determinant of behavior, but, in certain situations and for certain people, the self-concept is less important than other factors.
总结来说，人们的自我概念是行为的重要决定因素，但在某些情况和某些人身上，自我概念的重要性不如其他因素。