Lecture 05 The Self Flashcards
Spotlight Effect
The belief that others are paying more attention to our appearance and behavior than they really
are
Illusion of Transparency
The illusion that our concealed emotions leak out and can be easily read by others
Self-concept
- The overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes
- What we know and believe about ourselves
Two Elements of Self-concept
- Self-schemas
- Possible selves
Self-schema
- Beliefs about self that organize and GUIDE the processing of self-relevant information
- The elements of your self-concept, the specific beliefs by which you DEFINE yourself
Cultural Influences on the Self-Concept
- Independent View of the Self
- Interdependent View of the Self
Independent View of the Self
- Defines self through own INTERNAL thoughts, feelings, and actions and not other people’s
- Independent self: Construing one’s identity as an AUTONOMOUS self
Interdependent View of the Self
- Defines self through RELATIONSHIPS to other people
- Recognizes that OTHERS’ thoughts, feelings, and actions affect one’s behavior
- CONNECTEDNESS and interdependence valued
Individualism
- Priority: one’s own goals over group goals
- Identity: personal attributes rather than group identifications
Collectivism
- Priority: the goals of one’s group
- Identity: one’s group
- More self-critical and focus less on positive self-views
Planning fallacy
The tendency to underestimate how long it will take to complete a task
Impact Bias
Overestimating the enduring impact of emotion-causing events.
Functions of the Self
- Self-knowledge
- Self Control
- Impression management
- Self-esteem
Self-knowledge
The way we understand who we are and organize this information
Self Control
The way we make plans and execute decisions
Impression Management
The way we present ourselves to others and get them to see us as we want to be seen
Self-esteem
The way we maintain positive views of ourselves
Introspection
The process whereby people look inward and examine their own thoughts, feelings, and motives
Self-Awareness Theory
- Focus their attention on themselves
- Evaluate and compare their behavior to their INTERNAL STANDARD and values
Destructive Ways to Escape the self
- Alcohol abuse
- Binge eating
- Sexual masochism
Constructive Ways to Escape the self
– Religious expression
– Spirituality
Self-Perception Theory
- When our attitudes and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous
- We infer these states by OBSERVING our behavior and the situation in which it occurs
- Judge whether their behavior really reflects how we FEEL or the SITUATION that made us act that way
Intrinsic Motivation
Engage in an activity because of ENJOYMENT and interest
Extrinsic Motivation
Engage in an activity because of external reasons
Over-justification Effect
Extrinsic > Intrinsic
How to Make Temporary Changes
External justification
- Large reward
- Sever punishment
(No choice)
How to Make Lasting Changes
Internal justification
- Small reward
- Mild punishment
(It’s a right thing to do)
How to Preserve Intrinsic Interest
- Task-contingent rewards
- Performance-contingent rewards
- Avoiding over-justification when using rewards
Task-contingent Rewards
– Rewards that are given for (JUST) 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
Which reward type is less damaging to intrinsic interest?
Performance-contingent Rewards
Fixed Mindset
The idea that we have a set amount of an ability that cannot change
- More likely to give up and do poorly on subsequent
tasks after failure
Growth Mindset
The idea that our abilities are malleable qualities that we can cultivate and grow
The Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
- Experience physiological arousal
- Seek an appropriate explanation for it
How does context/environment affect different emotions?
Attribution of emotion based on injection or the activity
Misattribution of Arousal
Making mistaken inferences about what is causing them to feel the way they do
Social Comparison
Evaluating one’s opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others or one’s self in the past
When do people engage in social comparison?
– No objective standard exists to measure against
– When we experience UNCERTAINTY
With whom do people choose to compare yourself?
– Initial impulse: anyone who is around (occurs quickly and automatically)
– The ones who have similar background.
Upward Social Comparison
Goal: know the furthest level to which we can aspire
- Comparing to people who are better on a particular ability
- Benchmarking with higher in rank or career
Downward Social Comparison
Goal: feel better about yourself
- Comparing to people who are worse on a particular trait or ability
- Compare ourself/performance to past performance
Looking glass self
- An individual’s sense of self is shaped by their perceptions of how others view them
- Adopting other’s views when we want to get along with them
Social Tuning
The process whereby people adopt another person’s
attitudes
- Adopt the views of people they like
- Reject the views of people they do not
Self-Control
Making choices about present and plans for the future
Thought suppression
Attempt to avoid thinking about something we would prefer to forget
– Not that efficient!!
Explain why thought suppression doesn’t work
The more we try not to think about something, such as an ex-boyfriend or the chips on the buffet table, the more those very thoughts keep coming to mind
How can self-control be improved?
Believing willpower is an unlimited resource
Self-presentation
EXPRESSING oneself and behaving in ways designed to create a FAVORABLE impression or an impression that corresponds to one’s ideals
Self-monitoring
Being ATTUNED to the way one presents oneself in social situations and ADJUSTING one’s performance to create the desired impression
Ingratiation
Flattering, praising, and generally trying to make ourselves likable to another person, often of higher status
Self-handicapping
- Creating obstacles and excuses for ourselves
- If we do poorly on a task, we can avoid blaming ourselves
Behavioral self-handicapping
REDUCE the likelihood of success so that if they fail, they can blame it on obstacles rather than ability
- Example: pulling an all-nighter before a test
Reported self-handicapping
Devise ready-made EXCUSES in case they fail
- Example: complaining about not feeling well when you take a test
Culturally Universal Impression Management
Desire to manage image we present
Culturally different Impression Management
Kinds of images we want to present
- E.g., “Saving face” is important in Asian cultures
Self-Esteem
- Overall EVALUATION (positive or negative) that people have of themselves
- A person’s overall self evaluation or sense of SELF-WORTH
How do people with high self-esteem react to threats?
- Compensating for it
- Blaming someone else
- Trying harder next time
These reactions help them preserve their positive feelings about themselves.
How do people with low self-esteem react to threats?
- Blame themselves
- Give up
Benefits of high self-esteem
Buffers against thoughts of own mortality
Terror management theory
- Self-protective emotional and cognitive responses
- Adhering more strongly to their cultural worldviews and prejudices
- When confronted with reminders of their mortality
Narcissism
- An inflated sense of self
- Combination of excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others
- Has increased in college students since the 1980s
Explain why didn’t some self-esteem studies find significant results?
Maybe it’s because there is an interaction effect of self-esteem and narcissism
Self-efficacy
A sense that one is competent and effective, distinguished from self-esteem, which is one’s sense of self-worth
- A sharpshooter in the military might feel high self-efficacy and low self-esteem
Self-serving Bias
The tendency to perceive oneself favorably
Self-serving Attributions
- A form of self-serving bias
- The tendency to attribute positive outcomes to oneself and negative outcomes to other factors
Problems with Self-serving Bias
- Failure to account for luck or external factors
- Comparing oneself favorably to others
- Unrealistic optimism
- False consensus and uniqueness
- The actual problem will no be solved
