What words, descriptors, phrases, or traits would I use to define what makes me, well me?
One place to start is to think about the conception we have about ourselves (i.e., self-concept).
In social psychology, our self-concept is our cognitive representation of ourselves (Markus, 1977). Hazel Markus (1977) argues that a person's self-concept is made up of multiple patterns of organized thoughts and beliefs about ourselves that we have gained from experience called self-schemas. A person uses their self-schemas to process self-relevant information. Thus, my self-concept (of myself) is comprised of the self-schemas that I have about myself.
Moreover, schematics are the individual and specific self-schemas which are most central to my self-concept (Markus et al., 1987).
At the beginning of class we did a small exercise where we were asked to write down 5 traits which described us. Our professor said that arguably, the traits I wrote down are most likely my personal schematic traits (or self-schemas) because we tend to describe ourselves with traits that are central to our self-concept. Indeed, these traits were! The trait which most stood out to me (and the first one I wrote down) was fashionable.
Fashion has always been central in my life and is more to me than just a pieces of colored material on the pages of Vogue. For me, fashion is a wearable form of art and expressionism. In my previous blog post I mentioned that several of the activities that I engage in day-by-day are fashion related. Consequently, not only do I seek information about fashion but I am constantly engaging in fashion. Part of my self-concept is derived from a self-schema that how I appear and what I am wearing is important to my self-image.
It's very easy to trace back where my personal experiences may have started the importance I put on fashion. As a young child I was constantly teased and rejected by my peers because I was clumsy and un-athletic. Keen to the hierarchy of the 'cool' and 'popular' kids versus the 'not cool' and 'not popular' kids (a.k.a., myself) I tried to find a way to fit in. Thus, I started to pay attention to the clothing that these kids wore. In small town Texas wearing Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Nike was the epitome of 'cool'. As a result, I too started to beg my parents to buy me these name brand clothing.
Did it help me fit in?
No.
Nevertheless, I started to pay attention to clothing and entertain myself with brands and styles. Who wore what?
When I hit 5th grade my taste in music started to change drastically and by 6th grade I began to wear clothing that reflected my new grown teenage angst. Black on black on black with more black and a dash of black just to be safe. I wore pyramid belts, spiked bracelets, multiple necklaces, and black Chuck Taylors. Now, I wanted the 'popular' and 'cool' kids to know that I was different. I did not need to wear their Tommy Hilfiger and Nike shoes. Fashion had become the way that I stood out rather than tried to blend in.
Over the years my style has continued to fluctuate. From wanting everything possible in a shade of black, red, grey or white to donning the more colorful hues of Hollister, American Eagle, and Abercrombie & Fitch, I went through several phases of change in my self-presentation. My personal experience of clothing and appearance portraying a message to others about myself has become important to my self-concept. Fashion and how I dress continues to be one of several ways that I process self-relevant information, make quick judgements and recall events/memories that revolve around fashion. Some examples include:
- In my room I removed my closet doors so that all of my clothing, shoes, and accessories act as a focal and decorative part of my room.
- Friends have always 'visited' my closet when they would like advice on what to wear for a special occasion (e.g., interview, date).
- Over the summer I was a frequent contributor to an online female fashion board offering suggestions, tips, and advice on how to dress and buy clothing.
- A guy who doesn't dress to my fashion standards is a HUGE turn-off.
- I constantly observe what fashion trends people are wearing (good and bad) and profile people according to what he or she is wearing.
- New clothes or a meal? I will always choose a new outfit over a burger.
- I even change anywhere from 2 - 4 times a day because what I wore at 8 a.m. may not be reflective of my mood, I may not feel is the right outfit to interact with certain groups of people, or small changes in the weather (to me) require a new outfit that suits the weather.
For instance:
This morning I wore:
A black long floor length skirt with a black, dotted blazer over a simple white tank top. Easy outfit for my first class of the day.
Black jeans with a jean vest over (the same) white tank top. I put on combat boots because there was a chance of rain and I wanted to keep my feet dry.
I could go on and on about how fashion is part of my self-concept. However, I wanted to end this post by pointing out another comment I made in my previous blog post. I mentioned that being a 'gamer' use to be a large part of my identity. Nonetheless, I have felt that there is a large void in my identity now that I have quit gaming. It seems plausible that being a 'gamer' was a trait that was central to my self-concept. After years of identifying as a 'gamer' it still feels strange that 'gaming' is no longer central to my life.
n = 895
p.s., Here's one part of my closet: Accessory Station
References:
Markus, H., Hamill, R., & Sentis, K. P. (1987). Thinking fat: Self-schemas for body weight and the processing of weight-relevant information. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17(1), 50-71. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1987.tb00292.x
Markus, H. (1977). Self-schemata and processing information about the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(2), 63–78. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.35.2.63
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