The Social Self (CH3)

Affective forecasting

The process of predicting how one would feel in response to future emotional events.

bask in reflected glory (BIRG)

To increase self-esteem by associating with others who are successful.

dialecticism

An Eastern system of thought that accepts the coexistence of contradictory characteristics within a single person.

downward social comparisons

The defensive tendency to compare ourselves with others who are worse off than we are.

facial feedback hypothesis

The hypothesis that changes in facial expression can lead to corresponding changes in emotion.

implicit egotism

A nonconscious form of self-enhancement.

overjustification effect

The tendency for intrinsic motivation to diminish for activities that have become associated with reward or other extrinsic factors.

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-awareness theory

The theory that self-focused attention leads people to notice self-discrepancies, thereby motivating either an escape from self-awareness or a change in behavior.

self-concept

The sum total of an individual’s beliefs about his or her own personal attributes.

self-esteem

An affective component of the self, consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations.

self-handicapping

Behaviors designed to sabotage one’s own performance in order to provide a subsequent excuse for failure.

self-monitoring

The tendency to change behavior in response to the self-presentation concerns of the situation.

self-perception theory

The theory that when internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain self-insight by observing their own behavior.

self-presentation

Strategies people use to shape what others think of them.

self-regulation

The process by which people control their thoughts, feelings, or behavior in order to achieve a personal or social goal.

self-schemas

A belief people hold about themselves that guides the processing of self-relevant information.

social comparison theory

The theory that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves to others.

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.

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.