The Self

Question 1

Our cognitive representations of ourselves are generally referred to as our:

Answer 1

Self-schemas

Question 2

The “self” is only made up of one defining trait (e.g. teacher). True or false?

Answer 2

False - the “self” is made up of multiple aspects

Question 3

The way we think about ourselves actively at any given time is known as:

Answer 3

Working self-concept

Question 4

The actual self (who you really are), the ought self (who you should be) and the ideal self (who you could be) are all aspects of which theory of self-organisation?

Answer 4

Self-discrepancy theory

Question 5

The self & emotion are intimately related. True or false?

Answer 5

True

Question 6

The self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1989) suggests that people are motivated to reach a state where their _____ self matches their ______ & ______ selves:

Answer 6

Actual; ought & ideal

Question 7

Actual-ought discrepancies produce ____ arousal:

Answer 7

High

Question 8

Actual-ideal discrepancies produce _____ arousal:

Answer 8

Low

Question 9

Linville’s (1985) self-complexity theory suggests that people have multiple selves that differ in complexity. If Amy thinks of herself as a mother (nurturing, instinctive), a nurse (caring, knowledgable, friendly) & a musician (talented, confident), is Amy’s self-esteem likely to be higher or lower?

Answer 9

Higher - complexity buffers against threats to self esteem.

Question 10

If Lucy perceives herself to be a better swimmer than Jack, she may be engaging in:

Answer 10

Downward social comparison

Question 11

If Ryan gets a C- in his essay and his classmate gets an A, he is likely to engage in:

Answer 11

Upward social comparison

Question 12

Alice does poorly at her maths test compared to her classmates, but does not mind because she knows she will not enter a career that involves maths. This is an example of which theory?

Answer 12

Self-evaluation maintenance theory (Tesser, 1988)

Question 13

Self-evaluation (Tesser, 1988) is based on:

Answer 13

Relative performance, closeness & importance of a domain

Question 14

Laura is about to compete in a sprint. She is extremely nervous, and tells her friends she is okay if she comes last because her fellow competitors are more experienced than her. This is an example of:

Answer 14

Self-handicapping - preparing for poor performance in advance