lecture 5 Flashcards
why do we affectively misforcast?
- immune neglect
- focus problem
- adaptation/hedonic treadmill
what is adaptation/hedonic treadmill?
- we become accustomed to good and bad events in our lives
- the adjustment period wears off and well being/happiness returns to baseline
difference in positive/negative events for adjustment period of hedonic treadmill/adaptation
- for positive events, the threshold is raised and we want more, better, different
- for negative events, we cope and change
why can adaptation not be the same for all people?
- differences in coping abilities
- differences in savoring and gratitude
some life events leave long term changes to one’s set point, such as:
- divorce
- widowhood
- unemployement
how can we make better forecasts of feelings and behaviors?
- predict how someone else would feel/would do rather than trying to predict how you would feel or what you would do
- put feeling or behavior in perspective (e.g. the context of the environment)
- look to past behaviors/feelings for clues
how can we be more accurate when predicting feelings and behaviors?
when causes are prominent and/or it fits our reasoning
self-perception theory
when a feeling or thought (e.g. attitude) is ambiguous, we infer it by observing our behavior in the situation which it occurs
what are the ways for inferring our motivation for behavior?
intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation
intrinsic motivation
desire to engage in activity because it is enjoyed (activity and its end are the same)
extrinsic motivation
desire to engage in activity for rewards or pressures
activity is a means to an end
overjustification effect
when there are compelling extrinsic reasons for a behavior, people underestimate intrinsic reasons
social comparison theory
we learn about our abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to others
when do we compare ourselves to others?
- when there is no objective standard
- when experience some uncertainty about self
to whom do we compare ourselves?
- to anyone who is around: automatic
- if we want accuracy we choose a similar other
upward social comparison
compare ourselves to people who are on a particular trait and ability (if we want to be better)
downward social comparison
comparing ourselves to people who are worse than we are on a particular trait and ability (if we want to feel better), can be past self
self-discrepancy theory
- self concept (who you are right now)
- self guides
self-guides
- own/ideal
- own/ought
- other/ideal
- other/ought
actual (self-concept) and ideal
dejection related emotions
actual (self-concept) and ought
anxiety related emotions
example of:
self-concept and ought/own
guilt
example of:
self-concept and ideal/other
lack of pride
example of:
self concept and ought/other
shame
example of:
self concept and ideal/own
disappointment
maintaining a positive view=
self control
self-control techniques
- self-efficacy
- locus of control
- learned helplessness
self-efficacy
the sense that one is competent
locus of control
the sense that outcomes are controlled by your own actions vs. by change or external forces
learned helplessness
repeated uncontrollable negative events leads to resignation and hopelessness
sum of our positive and negative evaluations of ourselves=
our overall feeling of self-worth
self esteem is a:
state of mind that can fluctuate with life experiences
those with high self-esteem tend to be:
happy, healthy, successful, sleep better, and are less susceptible to peer pressure
those with low self esteem tend to be:
more depressed, pessimistic, prone to failure, and less able to ward off disease
how to measure self esteem?
Rosenberg SElf Esteem Scale
Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG)
to raise self-esteem we often “bask in reflected glory” by associating with others who are successful
Cut off Reflected Failure (CORF)
to protect our self-esteem, we will “cut off reflected failure” by distancing ourselves from other who fail or are of low status
