The Ego Lens Flashcards
What’s the ego lens about?
Ensuring the perceiver maintains their self perception.
Neutralise any threats to their self perception.
What strategies come into play with people
Who's better? Who's group is better? Are we in the same group? Your good traits aren't a threat to me. You are a threat to a person's ego.
What is self esteem?
The sum of your positive and negative evaluations about yourself
It’s idiosyncratic (what affects one person’s ego is not universal)
What is illusionary optimism?
That good stuff is more likely to happen to us then bad stuff.
That we are a little bit better than our peers.
What affects a person’s threat level to us?
Their closeness (do we come into contact regualrly) and relevance (are we doing similar things. Will their success come at my expense)
What four strategies can we use if we see someone as a threat?
My group is still better than your group
Both of us actually belong to the same group (BIRG bask in reflected glory)
Person got good qualities that aren’t a threat to mine
Avoid or sabtage
What is downward social comparison?
Compare ourselves to someone with less ability than ourselves (instant ego boost)
What happens when our ego is threatened?
We are more likely to engage in negative sterotypes
What can we do to manage the egoless?
Figure out closeness and relevance
Be modest
Be affirming - people desire self verification (desire to be seen as one see’s ourself)
