Social Ch 3

Self-Esteem

Overall positive or negative evaluation people have of themselves.

Contingencies of Self-Worth

Thesis that people's self-esteem is contingent on their successes and failures in domains they deem important to their self-worth.

Sociometer Hypothesis

Idea that self-esteem is an internal, subjective index or marker of the extent to which a person is included or looked on favorably by others.

Reflected Self-Appraisal

A belief about what others think of one's self.

Working Self-Concept

A subset of self-knowledge that is brought to mind in a particular context.

Social Comparison Theory

Idea that people compare themselves to other people to obtain an accurate assessment of their own opinions, abilities, and internal states.

Social Identities

Parts of a person's sense of self that are derived from group memberships.

Self-Stereotyping

Phenomenon whereby people come to define themselves in terms of traits, norms, and values that they associate with a social group when their identity as a member of that group is salient.

Self-Schema

A cognitive structure, derived from past experience, that represents a person's beliefs and feelings about the self, in both general and specific situations.

Social Self

The concept introduced by William James referring to what we know about ourselves through social relationships.

Self-Knowledge

Knowledge about oneself acquired through construal processes and experiences.

Socialization Agents

Family, peers, and teachers who influence an individual's attitudes and behaviors.

Looking-Glass Self

Cooley's concept that emphasizes self-knowledge derived from how we perceive others’ reactions.

Working Self-Concept

A subset of self-knowledge activated depending on social context, influencing immediate self-identity perception.

Independent Self-Construal

A self-view focused on autonomy and distinct traits, more typical in Western cultures.

Interdependent Self-Construal

A self-view focused on relational roles and community, common in collectivist cultures.