Self Motives

Question 1

self motives

Answer 1

• people are motivated to secure self-knowledge
• people have preferences about what they’d like to know about themself
  -3 motives to influence self- construction:
• self assessment
• self verification
  -self-enhancement

Question 2

self-assessment motive

Answer 2

-valid info about self
-strive to find truth about self

Question 3

self-verification motive

Answer 3

• consistent with own self-image
• confirming what they already know about self

Question 4

self-enhancement motive

Answer 4

• makes us look good
  -learn favourable things about self

Question 5

self affirmation theory

Answer 5

-Sherman + Cohen
- strive publicly to affirm pos aspects of self through boasting or dropping hints
- urge to self-affirm strongest when self-esteem damaged
- need to maintain global image of self as good, competent + coherent

Question 6

self-reflection task of motives

Answer 6

-Sedikides
-self-assessment: greater reflection on peripheral traits (desirable or not attributes)
- self-verification: reflection on central traits (pos or neg attribute)
-self-enhancement: reflection on pos aspect of self
-self-enhancement was strongest

Question 7

self-enhancement in young drivers

Answer 7

• Hare et al
• compared driving attributes to peers
  -self- enhancement bias in all items
• most rated self as above average on skill + safety
  -men gave higher rating for skill, women for safety
• Drivers have an optimistic view of self

Question 8

threats to self-concept damage health

Answer 8

-3 main sources of threat: failures, inconsistencies + stressors
- can affect immune response. nervous system + blood pressure
- strawman, Lemieuz + coe-> when reminded of seIf -discrepancies natural killer cell level activity decreases (defend against cancer + virus)
-ways to cope with self-conceptual threats: escape denial, downplay, attack

Question 9

self-esteem + social identity

Answer 9

• members of stigmatised social groups generally extremely reactive in avoiding consequences of membership (Crocker + Major)
  -ethnicity is sig source of self-esteem mediated by social identity
  -ethnic minorities report lower self-esteem when making inter-ethnic comparisons

Question 10

self-esteem + indiv differences

Answer 10

-low self-esteem responsible for social + personal problems: crime, abuse, underachieve
-low esteem may be product of stressful + alienating modern SOC
-Kernis + Barclay -> high self-esteem can be non-hostile or arrogant + assertive

Question 11

self-esteem as a sociometer

Answer 11

-Leary et al
- internal monitor of acceptance + belonging
- self esteem strongly correlated with reduced anxiety over rejection + exclusion
-driven by need for relationships + belonging
-high self-esteem conquers threat of loneliness + rejection