Understanding Self-Concept, Attitudes, and Group Dynamics

Self-Concept

The individual's knowledge about their own traits, characteristics, abilities, values, and roles. It's the answer to the question 'Who am I?' (Textbook)

Self-Complexity

The extent to which individuals have many different and relatively independent ways of thinking about themselves. (Textbook)

Self-Concept Clarity

The extent to which an individual's self-concept is clearly and consistently defined. (Textbook)

Self-Esteem

The feelings (positive or negative) that we have about ourselves. (Slides) Overall feelings of positive or negative evaluation about oneself. (Textbook)

Narcissism

A personality trait characterized by overly-high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-centeredness. (Textbook & Slides)

Social Self

The part of the self-concept derived from social interactions and relationships.

Self-Consciousness

When our self-concept becomes highly accessible because of concerns about being observed and potentially judged by others. (Textbook)

Deindividuation

The loss of individual self-awareness and individual accountability in groups. (Slides) A state of reduced self-awareness and personal responsibility in a group, often leading to atypical behavior. (Textbook)

Basking in reflected glory

When we use and advertise our ingroups' positive achievements to boost our self-esteem. (Slides)

Cognitive Self

How we process information related to ourselves.

Self-Reference Effect

The tendency to better remember information that is relevant to oneself. (Textbook & Slides)

Schemas

Mental structures that people use to organize their knowledge about themselves and that influence what they notice, think about, and remember about themselves. (Textbook)

Self-Presentation

The process of attempting to control how others perceive us. (Textbook) The tendency to present a positive self-image to others, with the goal of increasing our social status (Slides)

Self-Monitoring

The tendency to be motivated to regulate our behavior to meet the demands of social situations. (Slides) The tendency to regulate one's behavior to meet the demands of social situations. (Textbook)

Self-Discrepancy Theory

When we perceive a discrepancy between our actual and ideal selves, this is distressing to us. (Slides) The theory that individuals feel discomfort (anxiety, sadness) when they perceive a mismatch between their actual self, ideal self, and ought self.

Self-Affirmation Theory

When people try to reduce the threat to their self-concept posed by feelings of self-discrepancy by focusing on and affirming their worth in another domain, often unrelated to the issue at hand.

Self-Affirmation Theory

The theory that people can reduce the impact of threats to their self-concept by focusing on and affirming their worth in other, unrelated areas.

Attitudes

Our relatively enduring evaluation of something, where the something is called the attitude object.

Attitude Strength

The importance of an attitude, as assessed by how quickly it comes to mind.

Attitude Consistency

When the affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of attitudes are aligned.

Theory of Planned Behavior

Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control affect the attitude-behavior relationship.

Theory of Planned Behavior

A theory explaining how attitudes influence behavior, emphasizing the role of intentions, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control.

Persuasion

The process of changing attitudes.

Sleeper Effect

Attitudes change that occurs over time.

Sleeper Effect

The delayed impact of a persuasive message from a non-credible source.

Spontaneous Attitude Change

Attitude change that occurs as a direct or affective response to the message.

Thoughtful Attitude Change

Attitude change based on our cognitive elaboration of the message.

Forewarning

Giving people a chance to develop a resistance to persuasion by reminding them that they might someday receive a persuasive message, and allowing them to practice how they will respond to influence attempts.

Inoculation

Building up defenses against persuasion by mildly attacking the attitude position.

Compliance Techniques

Strategies used to get people to agree to a request.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

A persuasion attempt in which we first get the target to accept a minor request, and then we ask for a larger request.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Obtaining compliance with a small request before asking for a larger one.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A persuasion attempt in which we first make a large request that we know will be turned down, and then make the smaller request that we actually want to be granted.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Making a large request that is likely to be refused before making a smaller, more reasonable request.

Attitudes

Have affective, behavioral, and cognitive components.

Stronger attitudes

More likely to predict behavior.

Persuasion

Can occur through central (thoughtful) and peripheral (spontaneous) routes.

Situational factors

Influence the effectiveness of persuasion techniques.

Conformity

Changing one's beliefs or behaviors to match those of others.

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because we believe others have accurate information.

Private Acceptance

Genuine belief in what others are doing or saying.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to be accepted and liked by others.

Public Compliance

Conforming without necessarily believing in what others are doing or saying.

Obedience

Following orders from an authority figure.

Power

The ability of a person to create conformity and obedience in other people.

Leadership

Guiding group members to achieve common goals.

Effective leadership

Determined by the person, the situation, and the person-situation interaction.

Psychological Reactance

The motivational state that occurs when a person feels that their freedom of choice has been, or is being, threatened.

Social Groups

Collections of three or more people who interact and are interdependent.

Entitativity

The perception that a group is a coherent entity.

Social Identity

The part of our self-concept that comes from our membership in social groups.

Group Development

Stages: Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Social Facilitation

The tendency to perform tasks better or faster in the presence of others (for easy tasks).

Social Inhibition

The tendency to perform tasks more poorly or slower in the presence of others (for difficult tasks).

Dominant Response

The action that we are most likely to emit in any given situation.

Social Loafing

The tendency to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

Groupthink

A phenomenon where groups prioritize harmony over critical thinking, leading to poor decisions.