Constructing The Self-concept Flashcards
What is the self-perception theory
People learn about their own attitudes by observing their own behaviours
How can thoughts and feelings be reflective of who we are
- gaps between our feelings and behaviour show that you may feel a certain way about someone but not act in that way
- who we are is also a result of the interpretation of our own thoughts and feelings
Sources of the self-concept
Looking glass effect
Miller, Brickman & Bowen 1975 study on self-fulfilling prophecy
Self-fulfilling prophecy = an observer’s reactions that influence someone else’s behaviour and self-concept
Found: those who were told they were tidy were more likely to keep their stuff tidy as being labelled this influenced self-concept and subsequent behaviour
What is the social comparison theory
Theory that people about and evaluate their personal qualities by comparing themselves to others
Festinger 1954
Actor- observer bias
Judge others for their failure, make excuses for our own
What is fundamental attribution error
People tend to overemphasise personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others behaviours
How do we construct a coherent self-concept
- Self knowledge is assembled from diverse info
- We develop self-schema
- Once we develop schema we look for info that confirms our view
- Our sense of who we are can also be created and maintained through selective memory
Cultural differences in the self-concept : independent and interdependent cultures
- Independent cultures: gain coherence through seeing self as independent
- Interdependent: coherence through social connections with others
What is self-esteem
A person’s +ve or -ve evaluation of themselves
What are self-enhancing biases
Any tendency to gather or interpret info concerning the self in a way that leads to overly +ve evaluations
How can we increase our self-esteem
By making comparisons with others
What is self-knowledge
A framework for perceiving others and influences what types of social info we will look for
What is self-regulation
Once self concept is formed we become less open to new info and interpretation new info about the self in bias ways to maintain a stable sense of identity
How can we regulate emotions and behaviour
We communicate who we believe we are by:
Self-expression and self-presentation
What is self-expression
Actions/motives that publicly demonstrate our self-concept
What is self-presentation
Trying to shape other’s impressions of us in a +ve way in order to gain approval
What is self-monitoring
Self reflection/behaviour management so that we can control the image we present to others
What are low self-monitors
Behave in ways that express internal attitudes and act more consistently across situations
What are high self monitors
Shape behaviours to project what they think their current audience or situation demands
How do we defend the self
Coping strategies
What are coping strategies
Efforts undertaken to reduce -ve consequences of self-threatening events
What are emotion focused coping strategies
Try to deal with emotional response to threat not the threat itself, escape from the threatening situation, distraction, downplay importance of threat by affirming positives
What are problem focused coping strategies
Addresses the source of the stress, change the event or reinterpret it as non-threatening, take control over situation
What is self-awareness
A state of heightened awareness of the self including internal standards and whether we measure up to them
What is appraisal
One’s interpretation of a self-relevant event or situation that directs emotional responses and behaviour
What is priming
Exposure to stimuli that activate a mental representation of a particular concept or goal
What is the self-discrepancy theory
Focuses on peoples perspectives of the discrepancies between their actual selves and their perceived and ought selves
What are the 3 aspects of the self-concept
- Actual self: how one sees self at that moment
- Ideal self: how one would like to see the self
- Ought self: how a person thinks they should be
What is the regulatory focus theory
Says people have 2 distinct self-regulatory systems which are:
1. Promotion: makes people more approachable orientated in constructing the self
2. Prevention: makes people more cautious and avoidant of constructing the self
How can upward social comparison impact self-esteem
-ve impact on self esteem, however envy and admiration of those above them can motivate people to improve themselves
How can downward social comparison impact self-esteem
Positive effects on self-esteem and self-concept
What is the self-evaluation maintenance model
- explains how people are able to maintain their self-esteem in situations where they engage in upward social comparisons
- people adopt specific strategies to deal with situations so that they can maintain a +ve sense of self which are: exaggerate the ability of the better person, engage in downward social comparison, avoid the comparison person, devalue the dimension on which the other person is better
How can a child’s self esteem be as an impact from a parent’s discipline
- authoritarian: parents too strict so child has lower self esteem as they feel less confident in their abilities
- permissive: parents re demanding and more responsive so children have lower levels of self-esteem
- authoritative: right balance between strictness and punishment when a child does something wrong so these children have high esteem
What is the sociometer theory
Argues people are motivated to maintaining high levels of self-esteem and do this by ensuring they are socially included
What are the motives that drive self-presentation
- To be seen as competent in the eyes of others
- In attempt to be liked by others
- To make people believe we are dangerous in order to keep them away
- To be seen as morally respectable
- To be seen as helpless in order to gain sympathy from others
What are the 4 motivations that influence social cognition
- To find out more about a topic to increase our ability to understand, predict and control the world we live in
- To protect and enhance our self-esteem
- To ensure cognitive consistency
- To feel that we are in control of the world we live in
What is self enhancement
The motivation that allows us to seek out info that allows to see one’s self as +ve
What is self-serving attribution bias
Where people make internal attributions for +ve aspects of the self but external attributions -ve parts of the self
What is the looking glass effect
People base their sense of self on how they believe others view them
