III. Social Psychology Chapter 3: The Self

Vocabulary terms for chapter 3 of social psychology textbook Social Psychology and Human Nature by Bushman & Baumeister, 6th ed.

agent self

the part of the self involved in control, including both control over other people and self-control

appraisal motive (as an explanation for wanting self-knowledge)

the simple desire to learn the truth about oneself, whatever it is

automatic egotism (in terms of self-esteem & self-deception)

response by the automatic system that “everything good is me, and everything bad is not me”

consistency motive (as an explanation for wanting self-knowledge)

a desire to get feedback that confirms what the person already believes about themselves

downward social comparisons (in terms of self-esteem & self-deception)

comparing yourself to people worse off than you; general feels good & raises self-esteem

endowment effect

the finding that items gain value to the person who owns them

extrinsic motivation

performing an activity because of something that results from it

“generalized other” (in terms of self-concept)

a combination of other people’s views that tells you who and what you are

independent self-construal (in terms of self-concept)

a self-concept that emphasizes what makes the self different and sets in apart from others

interdependent self-construal (in terms of self-concept)

a self-concept that emphasizes what connects the self to other people and groups

interpersonal self (in terms of self-presentation)

the image of the self that is conveyed to others

intrinsic motivation

wanting to perform an activity for its own sake

introspection

a way of forming self-concept; the process by which a person examines the contents of their mind and mental states

looking-glass self (in terms of self-concept)

the idea that people learn about themselves by imagining how they appear to others

narcissism

excessive self-love and selfish orientation; correlated with high self-esteem but not always present

overjustification effect (in terms of motivation)

the tendency for intrinsic motivation to diminish for activities that have become associated with rewards

phenomenal self (in terms of self-concept)

the image of self or portion of self-knowledge that is currently active in the person’s thoughts

private self-awareness (in terms of self-concept)

looking inward on the private aspects of the self, including emotions, thoughts, desires, and traits; a way of knowing oneself

private self-consciousness (in terms of self-concept)

the tendency to think about one’s inner thoughts and feelings; a way of evaluating oneself

public self-awareness (in terms of self-concept)

looking outward on the public aspects of the self that others can observe and evaluate; a way of knowing oneself

public self-consciousness (in terms of self-concept)

the tendency to think about how others perceive you; a way of evaluating oneself

self-awareness

attention directed at the self

self-deception strategies

mental tricks people use to help them believe things that are false (about themselves)

self-enhancement motive (as an explanation for wanting self-knowledge)

the desire to learn favorable or flattering things about the self

self-esteem

how favorably someone evaluates themselves

self-handicapping

putting obstacles in the way of one’s own performance so that anticipated or possible failure can be blamed on the obstacle instead of on lack of ability

self-knowledge

a set of beliefs about oneself

self-perception theory (for how we understand ourselves)

the theory that people observe their own behavior to infer what they are thinking and how they are feeling, the same way they learn about others

self-presentation

any behavior that seeks to convey some image of self or some information about the self to other people

self-protection (in terms of self-esteem & self-deception)

trying to avoid loss of esteem

self-reference effect

the finding that information bearing on the self is processed more thoroughly and more deeply, and hence remembered better, than other information

self-regulation

the process people use to control and change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

self-serving bias (in terms of self-esteem & self-deception)

a pattern in which people claim credit for success but deny blame for failure

social comparison (in terms of self-concept)

examining the difference between oneself and another person; a way of evaluating the self relatively to form conclusions about self-concept

social roles

the different roles a person plays (everyday, in society, long-term, privately); akin to a role in a play or a move

sociometer

a measure of how desirable one would be to other people

sociometer theory (why self-esteem matters)

the theory of self-esteem being linked to social acceptance; i.e. social acceptance raises self-esteem, whereas rejection can threaten or lower it

terror management theory (why self-esteem matters)

the theory that the fear of death is at the root of all human striving; having high self-esteem helps shield people from fear of death, so people seek out self-esteem as a way of avoiding recognition that they are going to die

standards

ideas (concepts) of how things might possibly be; can root from society & personal values & dictate who we strive to be

upward social comparisons (in terms of self-esteem and self-deception)

comparing yourself to people better than you; can feel good or bad & raise or lower self-esteem