Chapter 4: The Self

Question 1

Lake Wobegon effect

Answer 1

our tendency to self-enhance, for example rate ourselves as above average

Question 2

The 2 concepts of the self:

Answer 2

self-concept (What we know about ourselves)
self-esteem (How we feel about ourselves)

Question 3

self-concept

Answer 3

all an individuals beliefs about their personal qualities

Question 4

self-perception theory

Answer 4

We can learn things about ourselves by observing our own behavior

Question 5

social comparison theory

Answer 5

the theory that people learn about and evaluate their personal qualities by comparing themselves to others

Question 6

contrast effect

Answer 6

an effect of a comparison standard that makes the perceivers judgement more different from the standard

Question 7

assimilation effect

Answer 7

an effect of a comparison standard that makes the perceivers judgement more similar to the standard

Question 8

actor-observer effect

Answer 8

the idea that we attribute our own behaviors to situational causes while seeing others’ acts as due to their inner characteristics

Question 9

Why does the actor-observer effect occur?

Answer 9

• when we witness another persons behavior, that person is salient
• when asked why something occurred people consider alternative causes, but they consider different ones for the self and others

Question 10

self-aspects

Answer 10

Summaries of a person’s beliefs about the self in specific domains, roles, or activities

Question 11

self-schema

Answer 11

core characteristics that a person believes characterize him or her across situations

Question 12

self-esteem

Answer 12

an individual’s positive or negative evaluation of himself or herself

Question 13

self-enhancing bias

Answer 13

any tendency to gather or interpret information concerning the self in a way that leads to overly positive evaluations

Question 14

self-complexity

Answer 14

the extent to which a person possesses many and diverse self- aspects

Question 15

self-evaluation maintenance

Answer 15

a theory outlining the conditions under which people’s self-esteem will be maintained or will suffer based on social comparisons to close or distant others

Question 16

2 tactics to avoid comparisons that make us look bad:

Answer 16

• establishing distance between ourselves and those who are successful
• comparing ourselves with those who are less fortunate or succesful

Question 17

Why are we prone to biases that create and maintain positively biased views of ourself?

Answer 17

• some of the ways people strive for high self-esteem really amount to efforts at self-improvement
• self-esteem has value above and beyond its usefulness as an indicator of our level of success in our commerce with the world.

Question 18

self-regulation

Answer 18

efforts to control one’s behavior in line with internal standards or external standards

Question 19

appraisal

Answer 19

an individual’s interpretation of a self-relevant event or situation that directs emotional responses and behavior

Question 20

self-expression

Answer 20

a motive for choosing behaviors that are intended to reflect and express the self-concept

Question 21

self-presentation

Answer 21

a motive for choosing behaviors intended to create in observers a desired impression of the self

Question 22

self-monitoring

Answer 22

the degree to which people are sensitive to the demands of social situations and shape their behaviors accordingly

Question 23

ideal self

Answer 23

a person’s sense of what he or she would ideally like to be

Question 24

ought self

Answer 24

a person’s sense of what he or she is obligated to be, or should be

Question 25

regulatory focus theory

Answer 25

a theory that people typically have either a promotion or prevention focus, shaping the ways they self- regulate to attain positive outcomes versus avoiding negative outcomes

Question 26

self-affirmation

Answer 26

any action or event that enhances or highlights one’s own sense of personal integrity, such as affirming one’s most important values

Question 27

self-awareness

Answer 27

a state of heightened awareness of the self, including our internal standards and whether we measure up to them

Question 28

The type A pattern

Answer 28

includes ambitiousness, competitiveness, rapid speech style, hostility, and anger. (Associated with risks of heart disease)

Question 29

emotion-focused coping

Answer 29

dealing with the negative emotions aroused by threats or stressors, often by suppressing emotions or distraction

Question 30

'tend and befriend'

Answer 30

to cope emotionally with stress by nurturing one’s self, one’s kin, and other people, and by creating and maintaining social networks of close others.

Question 31

problem-focused coping

Answer 31

dealing with threats or stressors directly, often by reappraising the situation or by directly removing the threat

Question 32

self-handicapping

Answer 32

seeking to avoid blame for an expected poor performance, either by claiming an excuse in advance or by actively sabotaging one’s own performance

Question 33

Why is self-knowledge richer than the knowledge of others?

Answer 33

- people can observe themselves in more situations - people have better access to private thoughts and feelings

Question 34

How do we attain coherence in the self-concept?

Answer 34

- focus on a few central traits that characterize you - making accessible only limited parts of the self by selectively remembering past acts

Question 35

terror management theory

Answer 35

a theory stating that reminders of one’s own mortality lead individuals to reaffirm basic cultural worldviews, which can have both positive and negative effects

Question 36

The 2 coping strategies:

Answer 36

- problem-focused coping - emotion-focused coping

Question 37

ego theory

Answer 37

The idea that there’s some essence beyond out conscious experiences we are more than just the bundle of our stream of conscious experience and this something is self

Question 38

Bundle theory

Answer 38

The idea that what we are is simply the totality of our conscious experiences, with no essential self lying beyond this stream of consciousness.

Question 39

the looking glass self

Answer 39

Our sense of self is shaped by our social interactions.

Question 40

cognitive evaluation theory

Answer 40

Providing tangible and expected rewards could undermine a sense of control and internal motivation. You attribute your efforts to the reward instead of to drive

Question 41

How do we maintain a positive self-image?

Answer 41

- selective accessibility - reasoning away inconsistencies

Question 42

maintaining face

Answer 42

the amount of social value that others attribute to you IF you meet the standard that is part of your social position

Question 43

Regulatory focus

Answer 43

Promotion focus = maximize positive outcomes Prevention focus = minimize negative outcomes

Question 44

regulatory fit

Answer 44

More motivation/persuasion in case of a match between focus & message

Question 45

independent self-construal

Answer 45

an important goal is to distinguish the self from others (consistent with promotion focus)

Question 46

interdependent self-construal

Answer 46

it is important to maintain harmony with others in social circumstances. (consistent with prevention focus)