Chapter 5 - The Self

Question 1

Self-concept

Answer 1

the overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes

Question 2

Independent view of the self

Answer 2

a way of defining oneself in terms of one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions and not in terms of the thoughts, feelings, and actions of other people

Question 3

Interdependent view of the self

Answer 3

a way of defining oneself in terms of one’s relationship to other people, recognizing that one’s behavior is often determined by the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others

Question 4

Functions of the self

Answer 4

• self knowledge
• self-control
• self-esteem
• impression management

Question 5

Introspection

Answer 5

the process of looking inwards and examining your own thoughts, feelings, and motives

Question 6

Causal theories

Answer 6

theories about the causes of one’s own feelings and behaviors

Question 7

Self-perception theory

Answer 7

argues that when our attitudes and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by observing our behavior and the situation in which it occurs

Question 8

Two-factor theory of emotion

Answer 8

the idea that emotional experience is the results of a two-step self-perception process in which people first experience physiological arousal and then seek an appropriate explanation for it

Question 9

Misattribution of arousal

Answer 9

the process in which people make mistake inferences about what is causes them to feel the way they do

Question 10

Overjustification effect

Answer 10

the tendency for people to view their behavior as caused by extrinsic reasons, making them underestimate the extent to which their behavior was caused by intrinsic reasons

Question 11

Fixed mindset

Answer 11

the idea that we have a set amount of abilities that cannot change

Question 12

Growth mindset

Answer 12

the idea that achievement is the result of hard work, trying new strategies, and seeking input from others

Question 13

Social comparison theory

Answer 13

the idea that we learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to other people

Question 14

Upward social comparison

Answer 14

comparing yourself to people who are better than you

Question 15

Downward social comparison

Answer 15

comparing yourself to poeple who are worse than you

Question 16

The looking glass self

Answer 16

we see ourselves and the social world through the eyes of other people and often adopt their views

Question 17

Social tuning

Answer 17

the process by which people adopt another person’s attitudes

Question 18

Self-control

Answer 18

the ability to subdue immediate desires to achieve long-term goals

Question 19

Impression management

Answer 19

the attempt by people to get others to see them as they want to be seen

Question 20

Ingratiation

Answer 20

the process in which people flatter, praise, and generally try to make themselves likeable to another person, often of higher status

Question 21

Self-handicapping

Answer 21

people create obstacles and excuses for themselves so that if they do poorly on a task, they can avoid blaming themselves

Question 22

Behavioral self-handicapping

Answer 22

people act in ways that will reduce the likelihood that they will succeed on a task so that if they fail, they can blame it on the obstaceles they created

Question 23

Reported self-handicapping

Answer 23

providing an excuse prior to a task in anticipation of a failure