Chapter 5 Understanding Ourself Flashcards
Self-concept
The overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes
Self-schema
An organized body of knowledge about the self, attitudes, preference, traits, that influence what people notice, think, and remember about themselves
Independent view of the self
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
Interdependent view of the self
Defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to other people; recognizing that one’s behaviour is often determined by the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others.
Introspection
The process whereby people look inward and examine their own thoughts, feelings and motives
Self-awareness theory
The idea that when people focus their attention on themselves, they evaluate and compare their behaviour with their internal standard and values
Casual theories
Theories about the causes of one’s own feelings and behaviour; typically, we learn such theories from our culture
Self perception theory
Theory that when our attitudes and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by observing our behaviour and the situation in which it occurs
Intrinsic motivation
The desire to engage in an activity because we enjoy it or find it interesting, not because of external rewards or pressure
Extrinsic Motivation
The desire to engage in an activity because of external rewards or pressures, not because we enjoy the task or find it interesting.
Overjustification effect
The case whereby people view their behaviour as caused by compelling extrinsic reasons, making them underestimate the extent to which their behaviour was actually caused by intrinsic reasons
Task-contingent Rewards
Rewards that are given for performing a task, regardless of how well the task is done.
Performance-contingent Rewards
Rewards that are based on how well we perform a task
Looking glass self
The idea that we see ourselves through the eyes of other people and incorporate their views into our self concept
Social comparison theory
The idea that we learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves with other people.
Self-control
The ability to subdue immediate desires to achieve long-term goals
Implementation intentions
People’s specific plans about where, when, and how they will fulfill a goal and avoid temptation.
Downward social comparison
The process whereby we compare ourselves with people who are worse than we are k a particular trait or ability
Upward social comparison
The process whereby we compare ourselves with other people who are better than we are in a particular trait or ability
Socialmeter Theory
The theory that self-esteem is a gauge that monitors the extent to which we are accepted or rejected by others
Self-enhancement
An unrealistic positive view of oneself
Self-verification theory
A theory suggesting that people have a need to seek confirmation of their self concept, wether the self-concept is positive or negative; in some circumstances, this tendency can conflict with the desire to uphold a favourable view of oneself
