MODULE 2: THE SOCIAL SELF

SELF ESTEEM

Overall sense of self-worth we use to appraise our traits and abilities.

SELF ESTEEM

Our self-concepts are determined by multiple influences, including the roles we play, the comparisons we make, our social identities, how we perceive others appraising us, and our experiences of success and failure.

SELF ESTEEM

_____ motivation influences how people think and interpret situations.

SELF ESTEEM

Although high _____ is generally beneficial, research shows that individuals high in both _____ and narcissism are more likely to be aggressive.

SELF ESTEEM

People with large egos may react aggressively when they feel threatened or rejected.

SELF ESTEEM

Alerts us when we are at risk of social rejection. This alert motivates us to become more sensitive to others’ expectations

SELF EFFICACY

Belief that one is effective and competent and can do something. It follows the notion that “if you believe you can do it, you will be able to”

SELF EFFICACY

People often go out of their way to avoid rejection from others. Research shows that social rejection lowers self-esteem.

SELF ESTEEM

People who constantly pursue _____ (e.g., through beauty, wealth, or popularity) may lose sight of what truly makes them feel good.

SELF ESTEEM

Research shows that social rejection lowers _____.

SELF ESTEEM

Lower _____ makes people more eager for approval.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Tendency to perceive oneself favorably.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

They attribute the success to their own ability and effort, but they attribute failure to external factors, such as bad luck or the task being impossible to do.

SELF-SERVING ATTRIBUTIONS

(Attributing positive outcomes to oneself and negative outcomes to something else) is one of the most potent of human biases.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Blaming external causes is less damaging than seeing oneself as undeserving or incapable.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Many people separate their past failures from their current identity by viewing them as belonging to their “Former self” and “New and improved” present self

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Subjective qualities give individuals flexibility in defining success.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Subjective qualities give individuals flexibility in defining success.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Traits that are harder to measure objectively include:

• Leadership ability

• Ability to get along with others

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Traits that are easier to measure objectively include:

• Athletic ability

• Intellectual capacity

SELF-SERVING BIAS

By defining ambiguous criteria in ways that suit them, individuals can:

• Compare themselves favorably to others

• Maintain a sense of personal success

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Attributing one’s success to ability and effort, failure to luck and things external

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Comparing oneself favorably to others

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Unrealistic optimism

SELF-SERVING BIAS

False consensus and uniqueness

“BIAS BLIND SPOT”

Can have serious consequences during conflicts.

SELF-HANDICAPPING

The act of protecting one’s self-image with behaviors that create a handy excuse for later failure.

SELF-HANDICAPPING

People strongly protect their self-image by blaming failures on external factors.

SELF-HANDICAPPING

To avoid blaming themselves, individuals may engage in _____ behaviors.

SELF-HANDICAPPING

Because of this, many people develop a fear of failure.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

If we fail while handicapped in some way, we can cling to a sense of competence; if we succeed under such conditions, it can only boost our self image.

SELF-SERVING BIAS

Handicaps protect both self-esteem and public image by allowing us to attribute failures to something temporary or external.

SELF PRESENTATION

Wanting to present a desired image both to an external audience (other people) and to an internal audience (ourselves).

SELF-PRESENTATION AND MOOD

Self-presentation can improve mood

SELF-PRESENTATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Described as “impression management on steroids”

BALANCING IMPRESSIONS

Modesty creates a good impression and boasting often creates a bad impression

FALSE MODESTY

Displaying lower self-esteem than one actually feels.

SPOTLIGHT EFFECT

Belief that others are paying more attention to our appearance and behavior than they really are

SPOTLIGHT EFFECT

Humans naturally care about their self-image.

EMOTIONS AND THE SPOTLIGHT EFFECT

The effect applies not only to appearance but also to emotions

ILLUSION OF TRANSPARENCY

Being very aware of our own emotions leads to the _____.

ILLUSION OF TRANSPARENCY

We mistakenly believe our inner feelings are obvious to others.