Unit 3 Flashcards
The Self in the social world
What can we call the answer to the question “I am..”?
our self-concept
-> what/who do you think you are?
What are Self-schemas?
elements of our self-concept
-> specific beliefs by which we define ourselves, organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information
-> organize our self-related experiences so we can respond quickly and effectively in social situations
What are Schemas?
mental templates to organize the world
What is an example for Self-schemas?
- being athletic = self-schema
-> noticing other’s skills and quickly recall sports-related experiences
What does the Self-concept and self-schema contribute to?
Our sense of control over our social world
What does the self-concept include?
who we might become:
- our visions of the self we dream of becoming
- images of what we dread of becoming
What does ‘The Self’ contain?
Self-concept - Who am I?
Self-esteem - My sense of Self-worth
Self-knowledge - How can I explain and predict myself?
Social self - My roles as students, family member, etc..
What is the Spotlight effect?
The tendency to see ourselves as center of the stage
- we think everyone pays more attention to us than they actually do
-> overestimating other’s attention
What is the illusion of transparency?
People don’t notice everything we think they do (emotions, thoughts, hair…)
What is the main message of illusion of transparency?
People notice less things than you think they do
What might be other interactions between the self and the social world?
- Social surroundings affect our self-awareness
- Self-interest colors our social judgment
- Self-concern motivates our social behavior
- Social relationships help define ourself
What is social comparison?
Who do you compare yourself with? How do you evaluate yourself?
- what social roles do you play?
- do you have a social identity? more than one? who are they?
- what are your good/bad traits?
- how likable are you?
What does the Social comparison theory state?
There are 2 types of comparison:
1. Upward
2. Downward
-> to obtain a yardstick to evaluate ourself, or asses if we are meeting norms
-> Depending on the motive of comparison: if we want to feel better about ourselves
What is an important factor nowadays regarding social comparison?
Social Media
What are some questions in Self-presentation?
What role do we play?
How do we present ourself?
Do we always present ourselves in the same way?
-> do we play different roles in different plays or are we always the same?
What is the Definition of Self-presentation?
The act of expressing oneself and behaving in ways designed to create a favorable impression or an impression that corresponds to one’s ideals
What is our goal in Self-presentation?
we want to present certain images of ourselves to both an external audience and an internal one (ourselves)
-> we make excuses, apologies or whatever is necessary to maintain that image (to others and ourselves)
What does the Self-other accuracy in predicting our behavior question?
if we chose how we present ourselves to others, which information we give and to whom, do we control how people perceive us? Can people know who we are better than ourselves?
What is Self-handicaping?
To protect one’s self-image with behaviors that create a handy excuse for later failure
-> we protect our self-image by attributing our failures to an external (real or not) cause
-> we all fear failure - threat to self-esteem, impacts how others see us
What are Self-presentation tactics?
Methods we use when we are trying to affect the impression that others from of us
What are the methods of self-presentation tactics?
- Self-promotion (claiming to be good at smth)
- Self-verification perspective (process to lead others to agree with our own self-views)
- Ingratiation tactics (convey our positive regard for others -> for favorable self-presentation)
- Self-deprecating (implying not to be as good as other person by communicating admiration or lowering expectation of our own)
Are Self-presentations always completely honest?
No, they are at times strategic and sometimes dishonest
What does the Social identity theory state?
We have 2 identities:
- personal identity
- social Identity
What is our personal identity?
what we think of ourselves as individuals
What is our social identity?
what we think of ourselves as members of specific social groups
What is the activation of our identity based on?
on the information that is ‘salient’ at the moment
-> corresponding identity activated
(activation related to particular needs of situation)
How does activating a particular part of our identity affect us?
changes how we think about ourselves and how we respond to the situation
What is Intragroup comparison (self-describe as an individual)?
- emphasizing differences with other individuals
- compare to people in the same groups
-> comparison results vary depending on the group we use for the comparison
What is Intergroup comparison (thinking of oneself as member of a certain group)?
- emphasizing similarities to other members
- saying how different one is from other group (contrast)
-> according to group we are with at the moment wie activate a “self”, a different version of ourselves
What happens if the different versions of our “self” form and sustain a coherent complete self-image?
all of the versions are valid
-> coherent image of ourselves by integrating both identities
How can we describe our experience in the personal-versus-social identity continuum for the personal identity?
- Nature of comparison made: Intragroup - Comparison
-> different from in-group members - Experience of the self: as an Individual
How can we describe our experience in the personal-versus-social identity continuum for the Social identity?
- Nature of comparison made: Intergroup Comparison
-> different from outgroup members - Experience of the self: as a member of a group
What is Self-esteem according to social psychologists?
- Branscombe and Baron: the overall attitude people hold toward themselves
- Myers: our overall self-evaluation, the sum of all our self-schemas and possible selves
Is Self-esteem a stable feature?
no - it is subjective to changes
What is Self-esteem related to?
social rejection: alerts us and gets decreased by it
-> some things suppose a threat to our self-esteem, even some individuals. I.e.: our older sibling performing better at something than us
How can a threat of our self-esteem (fear of social rejection) change our viewpoint?
can be seen as opportunity to demonstrate, or a challenge
What does low self-esteem affect and what is it linked to?
- affects what we remember (others worst behavior and words towards us)
-> skewing our perception and reducing the levels of satisfaction - linked to: clinical problems such as anxiety, depression, loneliness and eating disorders
What are 2 things that are important when it comes to the Self and culture?
2 different cultures:
Collectivism
Individualism
What is the difference between Collectivism and Individualism?
- Collectivism: prioritizing group cohesion over individual pursuits
-> preserving harmony and being dutiful to the in-group - Individualism: value or political view which focuses on human independence and freedom
-> uniqueness and autonomy
How does the Self and culture affects psychology?
Western Psychology gives more importance to personal control, individual performance etc.
What is activated in the collectivistic cultures?
the interdependent self
-> positive opinions of others have less impact on self-esteem
-> strongly formed identity to groups they belong to
-> sense of belonging is guiding social actions
What is Saliency and how does it affect self-esteem?
refers to how noticeable or prominent certain characteristics are in a given context
-> when certain traits (gender, ethnicity) become more salient: can affect self-esteem, especially after comparison on highlighted traits
How does migration affect self-esteem according to the concept of saliency?
migration can decrease self-esteem - especially when moving from a place where ethnicity was not salient to a place where their ethnicity is a minority
-> ethnicity more salient, and leads to shift in perception
How do different standards of comparison influence self-esteem?
Self-esteem is influenced by the standards (or “bars”) used to measure achievements and behavior, which vary for men and women.
-> self-esteem depends on who we choose to compare ourselves with, impacting our sense of progress and worth
What are factors that influence our self-esteem?
Where we live, sex/gender, if group is repressed or well-represented in media, how we fit in our group and if the “selves” are coherent
How do we manage our identity and self-presentation in relation to societal feedback?
At every moment, we maintain, monitor, evaluate, and rearrange our identity and presentation to the world and ourselves, processing constant information and society’s feedback, which impacts our self-esteem
