lecture 4 + 5 Flashcards
what are some evolutionary evidence of the need to belong?
pair bonding + attachment between parents will provide more protection + resources to offspring
universally of relationships + family structures across cultures
it feels like a need which that need feels satisfied when one is in a healthy relationship
harry harlow monkey
what is more important
comfort/touch
or
food
all monkeys chose the cloth-expressive monkey mother over the wire mother with food. they would only go to the wire monkey mom for food then go back to the warmer cloth monkey mom
what is social isolation
not having your need to belong met = social, mental, physical suffering
T/F mortality is higher in married individuals
false: at least for men. mortality is higher in unmarried/widowed men. due to our need to have healthy relationships
T/F people with a higher need to belong are more drawn to social networking sites
true
how do we know if we’re belonging?
self esteem (the overall +ve/-ve evaluation that an individual has of their self)
what are the 2 forms that self esteem can exist in?
1.) trait
what is your general level of self-esteem all of time time
2.) state
what is your level of self-esteem right now in this particular situation
what makes our self esteem rise and fall
contingencies of self worth
[our self-esteem fluctuates based on our performance in areas that are relevant to our “self” – self-schemas]
what is the sociometer hypothesis
self esteem works as a barometer for our standing with others
if we are not well regarded by others, our self-esteem falls
if we do not feel like we belong socially, our self-esteem falls
evolutionary wise, why is belonging important?
food sharing
mating
protection
survival
what is high self-esteem associated with?
- life satisfaction
- problem solving
- staying out of trouble
- happier marriages
- better health
self-esteem based on accomplishments =
positive outcomes
falsely inflated self-esteem =
no positive outcomes, some bad outcomes
praise without cause =
inflated self-esteem and increased egotism
what is the missing piece in the high self-esteem = positive life outcomes theory
= accomplishment
accomplish goals -> high self esteem -> positive life outcomes
people with inflated self-esteem tend to
react negatively to threats on their self-esteem, sometimes violently
sense of superiority
desire to dominate those who challenge them
narcissism
what other motives are there for evaluating the self beyond knowing if we are fitting in?
self enhancement and self verification
what is self enhancement
desire to maintain, increase, or protect one’s positive self views]
failures relevant to our self-schemas will lower our self esteem. when this happens we are motivated to restore our self esteem through self enhancement. how do we do this
self serving construals and affirmation theory
what are distinctiveness threats
threats to what makes our identity distinct from others (ex. calling a police officer a mall cop)
when is the better than average effect most likely to occur?
when people assess their abilites on ambiguous traits that can be construed in different ways
pros and cons of positive illusions
pros of positive illusions:
people with more positive illusions show lower stress responses
positive illusions are associated with short term self-esteem gains
cons of positive illusions:
greater positive illusions can lead to others to view you as narcissistic
people with accurate self views are more liked by others. being liked = good for social belonging = good for actual self esteem
T/F positive illusions are more common in eastern/interdependent cultures
false: they’re less common. well-being in eastern/interdependent cultures is associated with fulfilling social roles and obligations, not positive illusions about the self
what is self-verification theory
people strive for stable, subjectively accurate beliefs about self in order to have a sense of coherence and continuity
we are motivated to confirm that what we already believe about ourselves
seeking stable understandings of ourselves is called
coherence
how do we verify the information we already believe about ourselves?
by selectively attending to and recalling information that confirms our beliefs
if you have a NEGATIVE self view
- pay extra attention to criticism and negative feedback
- you’ll remember it more easily
- you’ll be likely to seek social interactions that confirm your negative self-view
study about emotional vs cognitive needs
participants with negative or positive beliefs about themselves were give either negative or positive feedback
participants rated the accuracy of the feedback
- self verification theory prevailed. the feedback that matched their self view was rated as being more accurate. even when the feedback was negative
- but everyone said the positive feedback made them feel good, even if it didn’t match their beliefs
as our needs change (emotional or cognitive) we
switch between self-enhancement and self verification
people strive for stable and accurate beliefs about the self. this motivation is emphasized by
self verification
what is self identity theory
our personal identity and sense of self-esteem and accomplishment comes in part from our group memberships
“our social identities are who we are”
the importance of group identity provides motivation for
- in group favouristim
- out group bias
what is the paradox of social exclusion
the more socially included we feel, the more likely we are to exclude others
what is basking in reflected glory
we are motivated to make our positive group memberships known to others
we take pride in the accomplishments of other people in our groups (ex. RedBull fans lol)
but we are less likely to associate ourselves with our group identities when our group reflects poorly on us, therefore our group identities provide another source of self esteem
what are self serving construals?
looking at ourselves through ‘rose-tinted’ glasses
applying positive filters to our own conception of self
ex.) “better than average effect” thinking we are better than the average – 93% of us think we are above average drivers – mostly for abstract concepts vs more concrete ones
what is self-affirmation theory
maintaining our self-worth by relying on positive affirmations
it’s self-deceptive but it has positive benefits
threats to the self can cause negative behaviours towards out group members
affirmations before the “threat” can prevent those negative behaviours
ex.) I did bad on this midterm but at least i did good on the other one
