The Social Self Flashcards
self-concept
the sum total of an individual’s beliefs about his or her own personal attributes
self-schema
a belief people hold about themselves that guides the the processing of self-relevant information
affective forecasting
the process of predicting how one would feel in response to future emotional events
self-perception theory
the theory that when internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain self-insight by observing their own behavior
facial feedback hypothesis
the hypothesis that changes in facial expression can lead to corresponding changes in emotion
overjustification effect
the tendency for intrinsic motivation to diminish for activities that have become associated with reward or other extrinsic factors
social comparison theory
the theory that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves to others
two factor theory of emotion
the theory that the experience of emotion is based on two factors; physiological arousal and a cognitive interpretation of that arousal
dialectism
an Eastern system of thought that accepts the coexistence of contradictory characteristics within a single person
self-esteem
an affective component of the self, consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations
Sociometer Theory
the theory that self-esteem is a gauge that monitors our social interactions and sends us signals as to whether our behavior is acceptable to others
Terror Management Theory
the theory that humans cope with the fear of their own death by constructing worldviews that help to preserve their self-esteem
self-awareness theory
the theory that self-focuses attention leads people to notice self-discrepancies, thereby motivating either an escape from self-awareness or a change in behavior
private self-consciousness
a personality characteristic of individuals who are introspective, often attending to their own inner states
public self-consciousness
a personality characteristic of individuals who focus on themselves as social objects, as seen by others
self-regulation
the process by which people control their thoughts, feelings, or behavior in order to achieve a personal or social goal
implicit egotism
a non-conscious form of self-enhancement
self-handicapping
behaviors designed to sabotage one’s own performance in order to provide subsequent excuse for failure
bask in reflected in glory (BIRG)
to increase self-esteem by associating with others who are sucessful
downward social comparison
the defensive tendency to compare ourselves with others who are worse off than we are
self-presentation
strategies people use to shape what others think of them
self-monitoring
the tendency to change behavior in response to the self-presentation concerns of the situation
