Situationism and the Self Flashcards
What is crucial in shaping our identity?
Aspects of self may change depending on situation, environment is crucial
What is the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale?
A scale where an individual indicates their level of agreement with statements about yourself to determine level of self esteem
How do people with high self esteem feel about themself?
Feel good
How do people with low self esteem feel about themself?
Feel ambivalent
What is the contingency of self worth theory?
The thesis that people’s self esteem is contingent on their success and failures in domain they deem important to their self worth (academic achievement, physical appearance, competence in specific skills or talents)
What is the sociometer hypothesis?
the idea that self-esteem is an internal, subjective index of the extent to which a person is included /looked favourably by others
How do we asses social situations?
we assess that quickly
What is the relationship between things we admire about ourselves and how we accept others?
The things that make us feel good about ourselves are the characteristics that make us accept others
How does self esteem change in Asians?
Self esteem in Asians increase as they are exposed to North American culture
What are the dangers of high self esteem?
inflated self esteem can be counter productive, and people with high self esteem can be more sensitive to threats, insults and challenges
Who has high self esteem?
Many psychopaths, murder, rapists have high self esteem
How does high self esteem affect someone with poor life outcomes?
High self esteem may allow individuals to be satisified with life despite poor outcomes
Why is realistic self apprasial beneficial?
Stronger relationships, effective leadership and greater capacity for learning
What is the social comparison theory?
The theory that we evaluate ourselves through comparison to others
How does downward social comparison influence our self esteem?
Can boost self esteem by making us feel better about the self
How does upward comparison influence our self esteem?
Can motivate self improvement
What is self enhancement?
a psychological tendency to promote one’s positive qualities and view oneself favorably
How do Westerners view themselves?
most have a positive view of self
How do we view ourselves on most traits?
Tend to rate the self as better than average on most traits
What is self-affirmation?
Maintaining high self esteem despite negative feedback
What did Taylor and Brown’s 1988 study find?
Individuals who hold slightly positive beliefs about themselves and the world tend to be happier, more productive and better at coping with stress
How do positive illusions contribute to happiness?
Those positive illusions maintain mental health by enhancing self esteem, more resilient in the face of adversity
What is self-regulation?
How we initiate and control behaviours to attain goals
