Problem 2 The self Flashcards
Real self
The real self describes our actual self
Ideal self
The self we would like to be
ought self
The self that we should be
Symbolic interaction
Theory about how self emerges from social interaction that involves people people trading symbols (through gesture/language) which are often similar to our’s and represent more abstract properties than concrete objects
Self-enhancing trait
overestimate their good characteristics and their control over events (unrealistic optimistic)
Self-perception theory
Bem’s idea that we only gain self-knowledge through self-attributions (internal attributions)
Attribution
The process of assigning a cause to our own behaviour and that of other
Social comparison
comparing behaviour and opinions with others to find the social approved way of thinking and behaving
Self-assessment
The motivation to gain new knowledge about ourselves to find out what sort of person we really are
Self-verification
Seeking out information that confirms and verifies what we know about ourselves
Self-enhancement
The motivation to develop and promote a favourable image of ourselves
Self-affirmation theory
The theory that people try to reduce the threat on their self by focusing on positive characteristics or affirming their competence in some area
Collective self
Based on group memberships
- Collective phenomena could not be explained in terms of individual psychology
- Grounded in group life
Individual-self
based on private thoughts and behaviour
Relational-self
based on connections and role relationships with others
Independent-self
revealed trough inner thoughts and feelings (Autonomous)(western countries)
Interdependent-self
grounded in one’s connection to and relationship with other people (Asian countries)
Self-reference effect
When we get information that is related to our self-schemas we process and remember it better
Social-identity
defines self in terms of group membership
Personal identity
defines self in terms of of idiosyncratic traits and close personal relationships
Self-esteem
Feelings about and evaluations of oneself
Race and ethnicity can influence your self-esteem
only varies between moderate and high, when its low you are depressed
Self-concept confusion
people with high self-esteem tend to have more consistent and stable stock of self-knowledge
Motivational orientation
People with high self-esteem have a self-enhancing orientation in which they capitalise on their positive features and pursue success, whereas low self-esteem people have self-protective orientation in which they try to remedy their shortcomings and avoid failure and setbacks
self-handicapping
Publicly making in advance external factors responsible for our expected failure or poor performance. (going out the day before exams and than blaming the hangover to ruin your results)
Why do we have self-esteem?
•To protect ourselves
•Helps us identifying with a group, that group’s prestige and status in society attaches to one’s self-concept
•Helps us to escape from the thought of the inevitability of our own death (terror management theory)
→makes us feel immortal, positive and excited about our life
•Reliable index of social acceptance and belonging (sociometer)
• Helps us to conquer the threat of loneliness and social rejection.
Psychodynamic self
unsocialised and selfish libidinal impulses are repressed, kept in check by internalised societal norms but from time to time they surface
Objective self-awareness
make comparison between how you would like to be and how you actually are
Private self-awareness
try to match our standard
Public self-awareness
Being aware of how we should behave in public (oriented towards presenting yourself to others in a positive light)
Reduced self-awareness can lead to
antisocial/impulsive behaviour
Self regulation
strategies that we use to match or behaviour to an ideal ought or standard
Promotion system
regulatory focus theory
concerned with the attainment of ones hopes and aspirations ones ideals. Creates sensitivity to the presence or absence of positive events (seeking challenges)→ strengthens more positive emotion related bias and behavioural tendencies towards the ingroup
Prevention system
regulatory focus theory
concerned with fulfilment of ones duties and obligations- ones ought. Creates sensitivity to the presence or absence of negative events (avoiding challenges) →strengthens more negative emotion-related bias and behavioural tendencies against the outgroup
Overjustification theory
when no obvious external determinants we assume that we do something because we enjoy it (leads to increased motivation for the task)
Self-evaluation maintenance model
People who are constrained to make self-esteem damaging upward comparisons can underplay or deny similarity to the target, or they can withdraw from their relationship with the target
(states that a person will try to maintain or increase their own self-evaluation, and self-evaluation is influenced by relationships with others.) People are more threatened by close persons
Terror management theory
The notion that the most important human motivation is to reduce terror of the inevitability of death
→fear of dying is the most powerful motivating factor
→humility can buffer the fear of death
-might be unfalsifiable
-overcome uncertainty existential or who we are rather than the fear of death
Impression management
People use various strategies to let them be seen in a positive light by others
Self-monitoring (low and high)
carefully controlling how we present ourselves. (situational and individual differences in self-monitoring)
→high self-monitoring shape their behaviour to the demands of the audience
→low self-monitoring adopt expressive self-presentation strategies because they are less likely to respond to changing contextual demands
Self-promotion
Strategic self-presentation
trying to persuade others that you are competent
Ingratiation
Strategic self-presentation
trying to get others to like you
Intimidation
Strategic self-presentation
Trying to get other to think that you are dangerous
Exemplification
Strategic self-presentation
trying to regard you as a morally respectable individual
Supplication
trying to get others to take pity on you as helpless and needy
Self-presentation
try to act in ways that create a mostly favourable impression of ourselves
social validation
Identity or self-concept is worthless unless it is recognised by others
