The Self

Question 1

What is the self concept?

Answer 1

The object of knowledge (beliefs)

Question 2

What is self esteem?

Answer 2

The object of evaluation (feelings)

Question 3

What ist the function of a self concept?

Answer 3

to give coherence and meaning to one’s experience

Question 4

Name the four sources of the self-concept

Answer 4

1. Behavior
2. Remebering / Imagining own behavior
3. Introsepection, Thoughts and Feelings
4. Others

Question 5

What is the Self-Perception Theory (Bem, 1967)?

Answer 5

Question 6

Explain the fiagnostic value of self-observations

Answer 6

Question 7

What is the Actor/Observer Bias?

Answer 7

We tend to explain other people’s behavior with stable dispositional factors and to explain own behavior with unstable / situational factors

Question 8

Why does the Actor/Observer Bias exist?

Answer 8

Question 9

What is the problem for most people in regards to Introspection?

Answer 9

They often have no or inaccurate introspective access to what makes them think, feel, behave

Question 10

What is meant by the looking glass self (Cooley, 1902)?

Answer 10

Question 11

Explain the Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954)

Answer 11

Question 12

Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954)

What do we prefer?
distinguishing or non-distinctive information

Answer 12

distinguishing information

Question 13

What is meant by the Social Identity?

Answer 13

Question 14

Explain Multiple Selves (Markus & Wurf, 1987)

Answer 14

Question 15

What is meant by “Self = Construction (on the spot)”?

Answer 15

Question 16

Name important functions of the self

Answer 16

Question 17

What are self-reference effects?

Answer 17

Question 18

What have Humphreys & Sui found in 2016 regarding self-reference effects?

Answer 18

Activation of neural “self-attention network”

Question 19

What is meant by (In)dependence as self-schema (Markus, 1977)?

Answer 19

• advantage in response times for self-relevant traits memory for congruent behavior
• judgment of future behavior
• lower suggestibility for novel information

Question 20

What is meant by Self-assessment motive?

Answer 20

strive to reach an accurate and objective understanding of the self

Question 21

What is meant by Self-verification motive?

Answer 21

strive to reaffirm and reinforce self-concept (desire for stable & coherent self)

Question 22

When are Self-assessment and Self-verification motive especially high?

Answer 22

when self is insecure

Question 23

What is meant by self-expression?

Answer 23

Question 24

Explain the Symbolic Self Completion Theory (Gollwitzer & Wicklund, 1985)

Answer 24

Question 25

Explain the Sociometer Theory (Leary, 2012)

Answer 25

Question 26

Explain the Hierometer-Theory (e.g., Mahadevan, et al., 2016)

Answer 26

Question 27

What is meant by “better-than-average” effect or superiority bias?

Answer 27

Question 28

What is a Implicit Association Test (IAT)?

Answer 28

People tend to react fastet in the compatible block

Question 29

How to reach a positive picture of the self?

Answer 29

• Actor/Observer Bias
• Situation selection
• Self-serving information processing
  – Selectively searching for information that supports desired conclusions
  – re-asses self-threatening implications of feedback
  – Process positive info with higher weight when integrating info
• Biased Social Comparisons
  self-evaluation maintenance theory (Tesser, 1988)

Question 30

Explain the Biased Social Comparisons self-evaluation maintenance theory (Tesser, 1988)

Answer 30

Question 31

Name the Self-Monitoring Styles (Snyder, 1974)

Answer 31

Question 32

Explain the Self-Awareness Theory: (Duval & Wicklund, 1972)

Answer 32

Question 33

What is the Test-Operate-Test-Exit process loop (TOTE)

Answer 33

Question 34

Name the Self-Guides (Higgins, 1987)

Answer 34

Question 35

Self-Regulation Theory (Higgins, 1987)

Compare the Actual-Ideal with the Actual-Ought
Discrepancy

Answer 35