The social self Flashcards
What is the self? (3)
- The self is a property of a conscious, self-reflective organism.
- Includes knowledge about our traits and behaviour.
- People have selves; most animals do not.
What are self schemas?
Beliefs we hold about ourselves that help us process self-relevant information.
What are some example dimensions of self schemas?
- Masculine vs. feminine.
- Independent vs. dependent.
Describe being schematic vs. aschematic.
Schematic – schema that is salient to themselves.
Aschematic – not having a schema for a particular dimension.
How does being schematic or aschematic affect reaction time to traits.
Participants who are schematic responded more quickly to traits that fitted their schemas compared to participants who were aschematic that responded to both types of traits at about the same speed.
Describe social comparison theory.
When people compare themselves to others to obtain an accurate assessment of their own beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.
What is downward vs. upward social comparison?
Downward social comparison – comparing self to people worse off than us. Can increase subjective well-being through comparison with a less fortunate other.
Upward social comparison – comparing self to people better than us. Comparison with better off others can be discouraging and costly to self-evaluations.
What is the difference between trait and state self esteem.
Trait self esteem is a person’s subjective appraisal of the self as intrinsically positive or negative. This tends to be stable over time.
State self esteem is changeable across situations.
What is the sociometer theory of self esteem?
That self-esteem is a “sociometer”. e.g. an internal monitor of the degree to which a person is valued or devalued by others.
What are the stages in the sociometer theory?
- Signs of social exclusion.
- Reduced self esteem.
- Aversive emotions.
- Modify behaviour and seek re-inclusion.
What are three motives for strategic self presentation?
- Self-promotion.
- Intimidation.
- Integration.
What is the terror management theory of self esteem?
Humans cope with the fear of their own death by constructing worldviews that help to preserve their self-esteem. We aim to meet standards of worldviews which allows people to symbolically transcend death.
What is impression management?
Impression management is people’s use of various strategies to get other people to view them in a positive light.
What is self monitoring?
- Self-monitoring is where people monitor their presentation of self to varying degrees.
- A high self monitor will act in accordance with the demands of their social setting.
- A low self monitor will act in a manner that is consistent with their internal traits.
