PSYC*2310 Chapter 2: The Self Flashcards
Which term describes the relatively stable sense of who we are?
Identity
What are the three parts of self proposed by Baumeister and Bushman?
- Self-knowledge
- Public self
- Agent self
What are three sources of self-knowledge?
- Self comparison
- Feedback from others
- Introspection
What is upward social comparison?
Comparing ourselves to those who are better than us
What is downward social comparison?
Comparing ourselves to those who are less fortunate than us
T or F: The self-knowledge obtained from others is heavily filtered through biases.
True
What is introspection?
The process of thinking about one’s own thoughts or feelings
What are two limitations associated with introspection?
- We don’t engage in it often
- Some of our reasoning and attitudes are unconscious and thus cannot be reflected upon
According to William James, an individual’s sense of identity is created by combining what two aspects of self?
- Self-concept
- Self-awareness
What is the self-concept?
An individual’s overall beliefs about their own attributes
T or F: An adult’s self-concept tends to be more concrete and place more emphasis on physical characteristics than a child’s.
False. Adults have a more abstract self-concept which emphasizes psychological characteristics, whereas a child’s tend to be more concrete.
Which term describes the extent to which knowledge about the self is clearly and consistently defined?
Self-concept clarity
What is self-esteem?
An individual’s evaluation of their own worth
What does it mean to be self-aware?
To be in a state of awareness of oneself as an object of one’s thoughts
What does the self-awareness theory state?
When people are forced into self-awareness, and notice a discrepancy between their attitudes and behaviours, they become motivated to either change their behaviour or reduce self-awareness
What are the three functions of self?
- A regulatory system
- An interpersonal tool
- A regulatory system
T or F: Introspection is an effective way to gain insight into our true attitudes
False
What is affective forecasting?
The process of predicting the impact of both positive and negative events on mood
Are people generally accurate or inaccurate in their affective forecasting?
Inaccurate
What is the self-discrepancy theory?
The theory that our self-concept is influenced by the gap between how we actually see ourselves and how we want to see ourselves
Some researchers believe that the self-discrepancy theory is only relevant when a person has what?
Self-awareness
What is the self-perception theory?
The theory that individuals look at their own behaviour to determine their attitudes and beliefs
What is the facial feedback hypothesis?
The hypothesis that changes in facial expression can lead to changes in emotion
T or F: The motivation a person identifies as being the reason for their behaviour can influence how they view themselves.
True
What is intrinsic motivation?
Motivation by internal factors
What is extrinsic motivation?
Motivation by external factors
Which type of motivation is associated with greater task enjoyment?
Intrinsic motivation
What is the phenomenon in which receiving external rewards for a behaviour can undermine the intrinsic motivation for engaging in that behaviour?
Overjustification
What is the social comparison theory?
The theory that people evaluate their own abilities and attributes by comparing themselves to others
When is the tendency to use social comparison especially likely?
In situations of uncertainty
What does the local dominance theory describe?
The tendency for people to compare themselves to those who are more “local” (similar to them)
What are self-serving biases?
The tendency to misremember events in a self-serving way to feel good about themselves
What is the phenomenon of regression to the average?
A statistical phenomenon in which things that are initially at extreme points are likely to become less extreme over time
What is the false consensus effect?
The tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people share the same opinions, attitudes and behaviours as us
What is the false uniqueness effect?
The tendency to underestimate the extent to which other people are likely to share our positive attitudes and behaviours
What is self-serving attribution?
The tendency to view oneself in a positive light
What are the three “positive illusions” that are described as characteristics of healthy, normal people?
- Unrealistic optimism
- Exaggerating perception of self-control
- Illusory superiority/ overconfidence
What is unrealistic optimism?
A phenomenon in which people see themselves as more likely than others to experience good events and less likely than others to experience bad events
T or F: Individuals view their strengths as being persistent throughout their life, which they view their weaknesses as being more likely to adjust and improve in the future.
True
Which positive illusion is described as perceived control?
The tendency to see uncontrollable events as at least partially under our control
What is illusory superiority/overconfidence?
An unrealistically positive view of the self
What does it mean to “bask in reflected glory”?
To associate with successful others as a way of increasing one’s feelings of self-worth
What is self-handicapping?
A strategy in which people create obstacles to success, so potential future outcomes can be blames on those external factors rather than internal traits
What is self-promotion?
An impression management strategy that focuses on making other people think you are competent while pointing to your accomplishments
What is the opposite of self-promotion?
Modesty bias
T or F: Women who self-promote are seen as more likeable, but less competent.
False. They are seen as more competent, but less likeable.
What is ingratiation?
An impression management strategy in which people try to make themselves likeable to someone else through flattery and praise
What is the slime effect?
A phenomenon in which we quickly notice and especially dislike
What is the self-verification theory?
An impression management strategy in which we assume that other people’s perception of us is consistent with our own perception of ourselves
What is self-monitoring?
An impression management strategy in which people tend to monitor their attitudes and behaviour in response to the situation
How is maintaining a consistent self-presentation perceived in individualistic cultures?
Perceived as an indication of sincerity and integrity
How is maintaining a consistent self-presentation perceived in collectivistic cultures?
Perceived as an indication of stubbornness, immaturity, and a refusal to adjust to situations and relationships
What is the spotlight effect?
The tendency to overestimate the extent to which one’s own appearance and behaviour are obvious to others
What are the three aspects of self proposed by Harry Triandis?
- The private self
- The public self
- the collective self
In collectivistic cultures, which aspects of self are given greater emphasis?
The public self and collective self
In individualistic cultures, which aspect of self is given greater emphasis?
The private self
What is an independent self-construal?
A conception of the self as autonomous and independent from others, behaving primarily to express its own internal attributes
What is an interdependent self-construal?
A conception of the self as being connected to others, with its behaviour contingent on the values, thoughts, and preferences of others
What is considered an important predictor of well-being in individualistic cultures, but not collectivistic cultures?
Consistency among aspects of the self
Is overjustification more or less common in collectivistic than individualistic societies?
Less common
T or F: The commonly assumed belief that people need to have a positive self-regard seems to be unique to those in individualistic cultures.
True
What is the ecological fallacy?
The error of assuming that relationships between variables at the group level are the same as relationships at the individual level (there is more variation within a culture than between cultures)
