Lerning goals 3: The social self Flashcards
What is the self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentation and what are their main/defining differences?
Self-consept: The total sum of an individuals belief about his or her own personal attributes. Its made up of self-schemas which is beliefs about oneself that guide the processing of self-relevant information.
- It a cognitive component of the self-
Self-esteem: self-esteem refers to a persons positive and negative evaluations of the self.
- It’s a evaluative component of the self.
Self-representation: strategies people are using to shape what others think of them.
What is the difference between introspection and self-perception theory?
Introspection can be defined as looking inward at ones own thoughts and feelings. We use introspection to learn something about ourselves. However how valuable/ correct it is depends on many factors.
Self-perception theory is the theory that when internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain self insight by observing other peoples behaviour.
The main difference between the two theories is that introspection uses internal cues to make sence of how we act and behavie. But the self-perception theory uses external cues to make sence of our own attetudes and behaviour.
In what ways can we use social comparison to learn something about ourself?
Social comparison is how other people can influences what we learn about ourselves.
We can use social comparison to learn something about ourself by looking at distinctiveness; how are we different from others. But also as a benchmark (what we want to achieve), by comparing us to relevant others we can gain insight into areas where we might want to improve. It can therefore be a good tool for personal learning and development.
What are potential problems with autobiographic memory as a source to understand the self?
Autobiografical memory is memories that define oneself. Its an important tool for the self-consept. However when we recall autobiographical memories we tend to recall more from the recent past than from the distant past. Also AM is maybe not so reliable as we might think, and we have a tendency to remember more positive events than negative. The memory is selective in what it recalls. The AM also has an self-enhancing effect, making s think more highly of ourself than what might be true.
How may culture influence the developing self?
Culture is highly important in developing the self. Which culture we define us with can determine how we look at the self. If the culture is independent or interdependent has a major effect on the self.
- Independent: f. eks many western countries has amore individualistic approach to society. This effect how we perceive ourself.
- Interdependent: ex. Many eastern countries has a more socialistic wiev of society. Where the the self is part of a much grater network.
These cultural differences influence the way we perceive, feel about ans present ourselves in relation to others.
High self-esteem correlates with many positive outcomes – what is the problem with the correlation?
Positive Self-esteem has ben associated with more happiness, health, productivity, confidence, taking on challenges, more persistence.
While negative self esteem can be associated with more depressed, pessimistic, lack of confidence, etc.
However the problem these correlations is that the casual direction is unclear. What is causing what. To study good or bad self-esteem is difficult and therefore it might be better to investigate stable and unstable self-esteem.
Explain the three “selfs” in Higgins (1987, 1989) self-discrepancy theory?
Self-esteem can be defined by the mach between how we see ourselves and how we want to see ourselves. Large self discerpancies are associated with negative emotional states.
The three selfs in Higgins Self-Discrepeancy theory is:
- Actual self: how you believe you are.
- Ideal self: How you wish you where.
- Ought self: How you belive you should be.
Discrepancy between the actual self and the ought self can lead to guilt and shame. Low discrepancies on the other hand can cause relief.
Discrepancies between the actual self and ideal self can lead to frustraition and sad emotions, but if not discrepancies then a happy emotion.
How does self-discrepancy theory explain the activation of specific emotions?
Discrepancy between the actual self and the ought self can lead to guilt and shame. Low discrepancies on the other hand can cause relief.
Discrepancies between the actual self and ideal self can lead to frustration and sad emotions, but if not discrepancies then a happy emotion.
What is the “self-awareness trap” and how does it relate to comparison discrepancies?
The self-awareness trap is when heightened self-focus makes us aware of our discrepancies, flaws and mistakes.
This can cause a temporary reduction in self-esteem. To cope we either adjust our behaviour to meet our standards or withdraw from the self-focusing situation. This can be compared to compariesons of discrepancies because it can create a difference in how we behave/ are and how we want to be or think of our self.
What is the relation between self-awareness and (normative) behavior?
????
What is self-regulation and when do we need it?
Self-regulation can be defined as the process by which people control their thoughts, feelings, or behavior in order to achieve a certain goal. Can be useful when trying to change negative behavior.
Name and explain at least two mechanisms of self-enhancement.
Self-enhancement is the fact that most people think highly of themselves. Different mechanisms we use to sustain this feeling is:
- Self-serving beliefs:
Different processes (e.g., memory biases) support positive beliefs about ourselves.
Self-handicapping:
- Behaviors designed to sabotage one’s own performance in order to provide a subsequent excuse for failure.
- Can take many forms (taking drugs, neglecting to practice, report stress and other physical symptoms, setting goals too high)
Basking in reflected glory
- To increase self-esteem by associating with others who are successful.
Downward social comparison
- Strategical use of with whom we compare ourselves.
Why might positive illusions be adaptive (i.e., having an advantage)?
Positive illusions might be adaptive because it can contribute to greater psychological resilience, motivation, and general mental health. Mildly depressed people often has a more realistic view of themselves. A more positive illusion might therefore promote happiness, desire to care for others, ability to engage in productive work, which are all signs of good mental health. However complete ignorance of negative feedback is not a good sign.
Differentiate strategic self-presentation, self-verification and self-monitoring.
Strategic self-presentation:
o Trying to present in a way that helps you get along with others and that make you look good
Self-verification:
o That others perceive you the way you perceive yourself.
Self-monitoring:
o Adjusting to the situation.
o The tendency to change behavior in response to the self-presentation concerns of the situation.
