Social Psychology: Chapter 3

The Role of the Self (Private, “inner” self)

Capacity for self-reflection is necessary for self-understanding

The Role of the “Self” (Public, “outer” self)

Self is heavily influenced by social factors

What are the ABCs of the Self?

Affect

Behavior

Cognition

The ABCs of the Self: Affect

How do we evaluate ourselves, enhance our self-images, and defend against threats to our self-esteem

The ABCs of the Self (Behavior)

How do we regulate our actions and present ourselves according to interpersonal demands

The ABCs of the Self: Cognition

How do we come to know ourselves, develop a self-concept, and maintain a stable sense of identity

Self-Concept Definiton

The sum total of beliefs that people have about themselves

(Self is an important object of our attention)

What is Self-concept made up of?

Self-Schema

Self-Schema Definition

Beliefs about oneself that guide processing of self-relevant information

What is an important first step in the development of a self-concept

Self-recognition

Except for human beings, only what animal seem to be capable of self-recognition

Great Apes

What is the beginning to explore the brain in relation to self?

Social neuroscience

What social factors influence development of a self-concept?

“looking-glass self”

Self as relational

Cocktail Party Effect

Ability to focus one’s attention a particular stimulus

Where Does Our Self-Concept Come From?

• Introspection

• Perceptions of our own behavior

• Influences of other people

• Autobiographical Memories

• Cultural Influences on the Self-Concept

Introspection (Source 1)

Self-knowledge through looking inward at one’s own thoughts and feelings

Sometimes can impair self-knowledge

Problems with Introspection

Affective Forecasting

We tend to overestimate the strength and duration of our emotional reactions

• For negative events, we do not fully appreciate our psychological coping mechanisms

• We only focus on the emotional impact of a single event, overlooking the effects of other life experiences we occurred

Affective Forecasting Defintion

Difficulty predicting responses to future emotional events

Perceptions of our own Behavior (Source 2)

Self-Perception theory

• Only in absence of compelling situational pressures

Daryl Bem Theory

• His theory might also extend to observing behavior of trusted others

What did Daryl Bem mention about Self-Perception?

People can learn simply by watching their own behavior

Influences of Other People (Source 3)

People tend to describe themselves in ways that set them apart from others in their immediate vicinity

• The self is “relative”

  • We define ourselves in part by using others as a benchmark

What is Social Comparison Theory? Who made it up?

When uncertain about our abilities or opinions, we evaluate self through comparisons with similar others

Festinger

Social Comparison Theory: Key Questions

When do we turn to others for comparative information?

With whom do we choose to compare ourselves?

Autobiographical Memories

• Essential for a coherent self-concept

• Typically reports more events from the recent than the distant past

Autobiographical Memories: Exceptions to this recency rule

Reminiscence peak

Tendency to remember transitional “firsts”

What serves as a prominent landmarks in our Autobiographies?

Flashbulb memories

What is a vital part, and can shape our identites?

Autobiographical memory,

Autobiographical Memory can often motivated to?

Distort the past in ways that are self-inflated

(Source 5) Self-concept is also influenced by?

Cultural factors

What are the Cultural Orientations on Self?

• Individualistic culture

• Collectivistic culture

• Dialecticism

What is Individualism?

One’s culture values the virtues of independence, autonomy, and self-reliance

What is Collectivism?

One’s culture values the virtues of interdependence, cooperation, and social harmony

What is Individualistic Cultures?

People strive for personal achievement

What is Collectivistic Cultures?

People derive more satisfaction from the status of the valued group

What is Dialecticism?

The eastern system of though that accepts the coexistence of contradictory characteristics within a single person

Self-esteem defintion

Affective component of self, consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations

Why Do We Have a Need for Self-Esteem?

People are inherently social animals (Leary & Baumeister)

• Need for self-esteem is driven by primitive need to connect with others and gain their approval

The Need for Self-Esteem

Satisfying this need is critical to our entire outlook on life

• Those with positive self-image tend to be happy, healthy, productive, and successful

• Those with negative self-image tend to be more depressed, pessimistic about the future, and prone to failure

Self-Discrepancy Theory

Self-esteem is defined by the match or mismatch between how we seen ourselves and how we want to see ourselves

One’s self-esteem and emotional well-being can be predicted by examining the discrepancy between one’s “actual self” and one’s “self-guides”

What the number of factors that Self-esteem depend on?

Amount of discrepancy between actual self-guide

The importance of the discrepancy to the self

The extent to which one focuses on one’s self-discrepancies

Which can make us more or less focus on our personal shortcomings

Self-Awareness Theory

We are not usually self-focused; however certain situations may cause us to become objects of our own attention

When we become, self-aware, we naturally begin to compare behavior with some standard (results in negative discrepancy and temporary reduction in self-esteem)

Two Types Of Coping with Discomfort

Shape up

Ship out

Shape up

Behaving in ways that reduce self-discrepancies

Ship out

Withdrawing from self-awareness

Self-Focusing Persons Defintion

Certain Individuals are characteristically more self-focused than others

What Are the Two types of Self-Focusing Persons?

Private Self-consciousness

Public Self-consciousness

What is Private Self-Consciousness?

Tendency to introspect about inner thoughts and feelings

What is Public Self-Consciousness?

Tendency to focus on outer public image

Self Regulation Definition + Question

The process by which we seek to control or alter our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and urges.

Is self-control a limited resource that can be temporarily depleted by use?

Who worked with the term Ironic Processes?

Wegner

Ironic Processes Definiton

Sometimes the harder we try to inhibit a thought, feeling, or behavior, the less likely we are to succeed

Observed in a wide range of behaviors

Ironic Processes Example

For the next 30 seconds, think about ANYTHING, but DO NOT think about a white bear. → You are going to think about a white bear

Mechanisms of Self-Enhancement Question

How does the average person cope with his or her faults, inadequacies, and uncertain future?

Answer: We often exhibit implicit egotism, a tendency to hold ourselves in high regard

What methods do we use to rationalize or otherwise enhance our self-esteem? Mechanisms of Self-Enhancement

Self-serving Cognitions

Self-handicapping

Basking in the Glory of Others

Downward Social Comparison

Method 1: Self-Serving Cognitions (Mechanisms of Self-Enhancement)

People tend to take credit for success and distance themselves from failure

• Most people are unrealistically optimistic

  • Bolster a rosy outlook by linking personal attributes to desirable outcomes

Method 2: Self-Handicapping (Mechanisms of Self-Enhancement)

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

Why do we make excuses? (Self-handicapping)

Ways of protecting self from seeing failure as due to a lack of ability

Why Self-Handicap?

• An ingenious strategy

  • Insulates the self from failure and enhances the self by success

• Self-handicapping does have its cost

Method 3: Basking in the Glory of Others (Mechanisms of Self-Enhancement)

To raise our self-esteem we often bask in reflected glory by associating with others who are successful

To protect our self-esteem, we will “cut off reflect failure” by distancing ourselves from others who fail or are of low status

Method 4: Downward Social Comparison (Mechanisms of Self-Enhancement)

When self-esteem is at stake, we tend to make comparisons with others who are worse off

If experiencing a tragic life event, we tend to: (Downward Social Comparison)

• Affiliate with others in the same predicament who are adjusting well (possible role models)

• Comparing ourselves with others who are worse off

Positive Illusions Definiton

Health-perspective psychological resources that help people cope with adversity

Positive Illusions can to what?

Chronic patterns of self-defeating behaviors

People with the most realistic view of themselves are those who are?

Depressed or low in self-esteem

Self-Presentation Definiton

The process by which we try to shape what others think of us and what we think of ourselves

What are the two types of Self-Presentation?

Strategic

Self-Verification

Strategic Self-Presentation Defintion

Efforts to shape others impression in specific ways to gain influence, power, sympathy, or approval

What are the Common Strategic Self-Presentation Goals?

Ingratiation

Self-promotion

Ingratiation Definiton

Desire to “get along” with others and be liked

Ingratiation Example

Complementing Someone

Self-Promotion Definition

Desire to “get ahead” and gain respect for one’s competence

Self-Verification Definition

Desire to have others perceive us as we truly perceive ourselves

Do we self-verify negative self-concepts?

Desire for self-verification will sometimes overwhelm the need for self-enhancement

Individuals Difference in Self-Monitoring Definition

Tendency to regulate one’s own behavior to meet the demands of the situation

What are the Two Individual Differences in Self-Monitoring?

High Self-Monitoring

Low Self-Monitoring

High Self-Monitors

Sensitive to strategtic self-presentation concerns

Low Self-Monitors

More concerned with self-verifications

Who is More concerned self-verification?

Low Self-Monitors

Who is Sensitive to Strategic Self-Presentation

High Self-Monitor