perceiving oneself Flashcards
What is the “actor” in the context of personality construction?
The actor refers to the individual with characteristics residing in them, and this is the domain of personality psychology. It includes single trait theories, multiple trait theories, and hereditary/environmental influences.
What is the “observer” in the context of personality construction?
The observer is how a person is perceived and judged by others, which is the domain of social psychology. It involves person perception, attribution theories, and impression formation.
What is the “self-observer” in the context of personality construction?
The self-observer refers to an individual’s beliefs about their own characteristics, and it is a domain of both social and clinical psychology. It includes self-perception, self-concept, identity, and self-evaluation.
What is the concept of “self-concept” or “identity”?
The self-concept or identity is the collection of beliefs and perceptions that an individual has about themselves, including their personality traits, values, and roles.
What are the three main perspectives on personality discussed by Sarah Hampson?
- The Actor: Personality traits within the individual, focusing on how traits are defined and expressed (e.g., personality psychology).
- The Observer: How others perceive and judge an individual (e.g., social psychology, person perception).
- The Self-Observer: One’s beliefs about their own traits and identity (e.g., self-perception, self-concept).
What is self-perception theory?
Self-perception theory (Bem, 1972) suggests that individuals come to know their internal states (e.g., emotions, attitudes) by observing their own behavior and the context in which it occurs.
What factors strengthen the effects of self-perception on self-concept?
Effects are stronger when the behavior is seen as freely chosen, when prior self-concept is weak, when behavior is observed by an audience, or when one expects to meet the audience again.
What is “embodied social cognition”?
It refers to how physical actions (like facial expressions or body posture) can influence emotions and social perceptions, often operating automatically or implicitl
How accurate are people in evaluating their own abilities?
People tend to be moderately inaccurate in self-evaluations. Self-assessments correlate only weakly with actual performance (r = .29) and show a low correlation with objective measures.
What is mnemic neglect?
Mnemic neglect refers to the tendency for people to forget negative self-relevant information, particularly when it threatens their self-concept, as part of an avoidance strategy.
What is the self-serving bias?
The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute successes to internal factors (e.g., ability) and failures to external factors (e.g., situational constraints).
What is “basking in reflected glory”?
This refers to the tendency to associate with successful groups or individuals to enhance one’s self-image, such as students wearing school apparel after a sports win (Cialdini et al., 1976).
What does social comparison theory suggest?
According to Festinger’s social comparison theory (1954), people evaluate their abilities and opinions by comparing themselves to others, especially when objective standards are absent.
What is the “better-than-average effect”?
The better-than-average effect is the tendency for individuals to rate themselves as above average in various traits, like driving safety or interpersonal abilities, even when statistically impossible.
What are self-enhancement strategies?
Self-enhancement strategies are tactics people use to maintain or improve their self-esteem, such as self-promotion (highlighting strengths) or self-protection (avoiding threats to self-esteem).
