5.2 the Self

Question 1

Self-esteem

Answer 1

How positively or negatively you evaluate yourself

Question 2

Popular Conceptions of Self-esteem - 4

Answer 2

• People understand their own self-esteem levels
• Rejection gives people low self-esteem
• LSEs insecure about relationships
• LSEs prefer to feel that way

Question 3

How self-esteem is measured

Answer 3

Rosenberg Trait Self-Esteem Scale
its more how + or - that a person views themselves
Not high associations between self esteem scores and IQ or sucess

–On the whole I am satisfied with myself.
–At times I think that I am no good at all.

Question 4

Conception #1

People understand their own self-esteem levels

Answer 4

Standard Distribution of Self Esteem Scores
-Scores in non clinical populations tend to we well beyond the midpoint of the scale (mean is 6.6) very few student poulations have means lower then midpoint. really low score are more clinical pops with depression. when we talk about ‘LSE’ they’re sitting more around the midpoint of the scale. HSE is 1SD above mean and LSE is 1 SD below the mean.

Question 5

Conception #2

Rejection gives people low self-esteem

Answer 5

• evolutionary seem as a way to see where we stood in grp. Acts as a gage. If you think you have LSE it should be a motivation cue to tell you to fix your social standing
• Study: told theyd work in group or alone, told that the grouping was either from people prefrences or randonly (they either chose/rejected you or it was random)
• Measured state SE, those rejected had lower state SE
• People with LSE are especially stung by rejection so trait would likley show higher
• If people have consistint rejection over time someones trait SE may go down

Question 6

Conception #3

LSEs insecure about relationships

Answer 6

• HSE are secure in their relationships, LSE doubt their partners love. Both rateings show HSE/LSE are loved just as much
• Study: brought in participants measured SE, then then either had threat to relationship or not. Have both partners come in face away onr has booklet to write things bad about partner other write about food. Then completed DV about their feelings.
• When threatneded HSE reported more + appraisals (they overcomensate, see partner in especially positive light). LSE report more negative approasals (have hard time with relationship conflict, they try t distance themselves in a self protective way)

Question 7

Conception #4

LSEs prefer to feel that way

Answer 7

people perfer feedback that confirms their view of themselves even if its negative

Question 8

Self-verification theory

Answer 8

Proposes that people prefer feedback that confirms their view of themselves even if they think of themselves negatively

Question 9

Study:
Fill out survey about their beliefs
–Told survey shown to another participant who will be their partner in an activity
–Shown partner’s responses: answers indicate the partner sees them as likable or disagreeable
–DV: Time spent reading partner’s views of them

Answer 9

If person sees themselves as likable they read favourable comments more then the disfavourable
If persob thinks themselves disfavourable they spend more time looking at the unfavourab;e feedback

Question 10

Why do people perfer feedback that confirms their view of themselves even if its negative

Answer 10

–Don’t want people to expect too much from us – imagine if I thought you were more capable than you are
–Challenges your worldview and ability to diagnose yourself
–May not really care if we’re good at some things (e.g., music, sports)

Question 11

Study: Deliver a speach and got either -/+ feedback. Participants rated how accurate the feedback was and asked how it made them feel.

Answer 11

• When self view + and get fav feed, they think its super accurate, negative not as accurate. People view feedback as more accurate when there’s a match
• How do they feel? You feel more + when getting favourabe with a positive self view, you also feel better with + feedback even if you have - self view (but not as good, ‘oh thats really nice but not accurate)

Question 12

Pros of high self-esteem:

Answer 12

–Leads to happiness
–Protects from depression & eating disorders
–Allows risk-taking, initiative & persistence
–Leads to better health

Question 13

Cons of High Self Esteem:

Answer 13

–Does not lead to better performance at school or at work
–Does not prevent or decrease smoking, alcohol or drug use
–Does not prevent early sexual behaviour or teenage pregnancy
–Dictators think very highly of themselves
–High self-esteem more violent in response to threats

Question 14

Raising Self-Esteem
Study:
Students who received a C, D or F on the first test were randomly assigned to receive a weekly email from the prof with:
–A review question
–A review question and a message aimed at increasing their sense of control and responsibility for their own performance
–A review question and a message aimed at increasing their self-esteem

Answer 14

• C students showed no effect of manipulation
• D and F students performed worse if given self-esteem boosting information
• Attempts to raise their self-esteem hurt their grades

Question 15

success and LSE

Answer 15

•Recent evidence suggests that success doesn’t help LSEs feel better
•LSEs feel anxious after success
•LSEs worry that their friends and family don’t care about them as much after success
–They worry about meeting others’ expectations

Question 16

Marigold Manipulation

Answer 16

• Compliments…when framed properly…can help LSEs feel good
• think of a compliment that someone close to you said that you really liked and explain what it meant for you and the significance of your relationship. This is a very abstract way. non concret. That leads to increase in happiness and SE

Question 17

Self-help books

Answer 17

•“I’m good enough, I’m strong enough, and dog gone it, people like me”
•Do self-statements work for people with low-self esteem?
They found that it does not. These actually backfire for people with LSE, can be harmful

Question 18

Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) Model

Answer 18

• People are motivated to maintain a + view of themselves.
• Can be threatened by superior close other in self-relevant domaon
• Closeness. (the closer the person is to you the worse it feels when they out perform you)
• Self reference (how importaint is the domain to you? The more important the domain is to you, the worse you feel

Question 19

When poeple are threatened they activly try to reduce the threat by:

Answer 19

• reducing the closeness of the person to them
• Reduce how important the self domain is to you ‘oh dance isn’t that imporant to you’
• reduce the resoning for why you didn’t win “oh they only won becuase the judge knew them or though they were cute”

Question 20

Study:
Male Ps come into lab in friend pairs, participated with another pair of friends
•Verbal skills task: intelligence test or just a game
•Shown the scores: told he ranked third, was outperformed by friend and one of the strangers
• Told next would provide clues to help the other participants with the next task
•Clues varied in how helpful they were
•DV: Who did they give more helpful clues to: friend or stranger?

Answer 20

• When a game, help your friend, don’t help the stranger (no threat to Self Esteem)
• When intelligence test, don’t help your friend, help the stranger (because your self esteem is on the line)
• Then in follow up condition, Manipulated need for self esteem by having participants engage in self-affirmation. Then they helped out friend.
• Therefore they only origianlly helped the strager because they felt a need to boost their SE.

Question 21

Study:
Ps 1st or 4th year
–Read a superstar graduating student in the same program or did not
–Ps then rated themselves on adjectives related to career success

Answer 21

Amoung 1st years, their self evaluations were higher (felt it insiring to read about the superstar)
4th self evaluations were lowest in posiviity (the felt threatened in their SE becuase they wern’t doing all that good stuff)

Question 22

Perceived regard explains self-esteem differences in expressivity.

Answer 22

HSE indivuduals are much more emotionairly expressive, especially of negative emotions. Peole with LSE tend to supress negative emotionality.

Saw this lack of expressivity across dif targets: parents, lovers, freiends.

Question 23

When social networking is not working: Individuals with low self-esteem recognize but do not reap the benefits of self-disclosing on Facebook.

Answer 23

When LSE feel safe to express themselves what comes out is a lot of negative emotion.
LSE expressed much more negativity in their status updates than HSE (from their last 10 status updates). It appears that people with LSE recognize the benefits of expressing on facebook and how they’ll get support but their status are so negative that other people view them less + and they don’t reep the benifits of self exposing

Question 24

Sex, “lies,” and videotape: Self-esteem and successful presentation of gender roles.

Answer 24

LSE women said they were warm and freindly but their non-verbals gave the opposite message [shrunk away from camera etc.]. HSE males were really good at protaying confidence and comfort [took up space, etc]. Male LSE did not come across non verbally as confident.