Chapter 2: The Self in a Social World

Question 1

Spotlight Effect

Answer 1

Putting ourselves in the spotlight, assuming others are paying attention to us

Question 2

Illusion of Transparency

Answer 2

Our awareness of our feelings causes us to assume others will notice them

Question 3

How our Social Surroundings Affect Our Awareness

Answer 3

We are keenly aware of differences between us and others

Question 4

Self Interest & Social Judgement

Answer 4

We attribute negative events to others’ actions and positive events to our own

Question 5

Self Concern and Social Behavior

Answer 5

We attempt to maintain a good image and adjust our behavior to match others’

Question 6

Social Relationships and the Self

Answer 6

Since our actions depend partially on who we’re with, who we’re with affects our self-image
- Self and society is a 2-way street

Question 7

Self-Schemas

Answer 7

Mental templates for organizing ourselves

Question 8

Social Comparison

Answer 8

We base our self-image on our comparison to those around us

Question 9

Charles Cooley’s Looking Glass Self

Answer 9

We reflect what we think other people think of us
- How do I appear
- What do others think of me
- Revise how we think about ourselves
- Can be based on correct or incorrect perceptions

Question 10

Individualism

Answer 10

A way of seeing oneself apart from those around you - popular in Western cultures

Question 11

Individualism: The Independent Self

Answer 11

The extent to which we see ourselves as independent from others

Question 12

Individualism: Social Comparisons

Answer 12

People often compare upwards: they want to move up toward those that have more than them

Question 13

Collectivism

Answer 13

Looking at oneself as part of a larger group

Question 14

Collectivism: Interdependent Self

Answer 14

The extent to which we see ourselves as connected to those around us

Question 15

Collectivism: Social Comparisons

Answer 15

People compare downwards: want to bring others up to their level

Question 16

Individualism: Self & Culture

Answer 16

More individualistic words are being used worldwide

Question 17

Self-Knowledge: Planning Fallacy

Answer 17

We tend to underestimate how long it will take us to do something

Question 18

Self-Knowledge: Affective Forecasting

Answer 18

We are bad at predicting how we will feel

Question 19

Self-Knowledge: Impact Bias

Answer 19

Overestimating how long we will feel a certain way

Question 20

Self-Knowledge: Immune Neglect

Answer 20

The tendency to underestimate the speed of our “psychological immune system”

Question 21

Self-Knowledge: Dual Attitude System

Answer 21

• IMPLICIT ATTITUDES: Change slowly with practices that form new habits
• EXPLICIT ATTITUDES: Can be changed with persuasion

Question 22

Self-Knowledge: Practical Implications

Answer 22

• Self-reports are often untrustworthy
• Sincerity does not guarantee validity

Question 23

Self-Esteem

Answer 23

• How one evaluates themselves or their worth

Question 24

When is Self Esteem Motivating vs Harmful

Answer 24

• Comparing ourselves to others can harm our self-esteem
• The context dictates how our self-esteem is impacted (2nd vs 3rd place)
• We measure our self-esteem with the traits that we think matter to others

Question 25

Self-Esteem: Setting Goals

Answer 25

- Pursuing self-esteem can lead to us having a bloated view of ourselves, less empathy, and pressure to succeed rather than enjoy - Setting compassionate goals helps us to reframe where we get our self-esteem from

Question 26

Terror Management Theory

Answer 26

- We have an innate fear of death which motivates our self-esteem - This creates a desire for recognition, which can be social or personal goals

Question 27

Trade Off: Low vs High Self-Esteem

Answer 27

- Low: anxiety, loneliness, negativity, leads to depression - High: More initiative, doesn't lead to higher achievement, less empathy and open mindedness

Question 28

Narcissism

Answer 28

High self esteem with low empathy - care more about themselves than others - Dangerous when challenged socially - Children who get special treatment are more likely - Product of extreme individualism

Question 29

Personal Pros of High Self-Esteem

Answer 29

Value individual achievement and relationships, think they are worthy and good

Question 30

Self-Efficacy

Answer 30

How competent we feel at a task

Question 31

Benefits of Self-Efficacy

Answer 31

More persistent, healthy, successful, goal-oriented, less anxious and depressed

Question 32

Efficacy vs Esteem

Answer 32

- Efficacy is based in competence beliefs - Esteem is based in beliefs about worth

Question 33

Self-Serving Bias

Answer 33

We are all biased to maintain our ego wherever that is

Question 34

Self-Serving Attributions

Answer 34

We attribute success to us, and failure to external forces

Question 35

Explanatory Style

Answer 35

A person's habitual way of explaining life events. Can be depressive or optimistic

Question 36

Can We All be Better Than Average?

Answer 36

No, but most people rate themselves higher than others on many scales, especially subjective behaviors

Question 37

Unrealistic Optimism

Answer 37

- We are predisposed to be optimistic about future events (especially compared to others) - This optimism increases vulnerability - It also increases feelings of efficacy

Question 38

Defensive Pessimism

Answer 38

The adaptive value of anticipating problems and harnessing one's anxiety to motivate effective action

Question 39

False Consensus Effect

Answer 39

The tendency to overestimate how much people agree with you, especially when considering bad behaviors

Question 40

False Uniqueness Effect

Answer 40

The tendency to underestimate how common your abilities and successes are

Question 41

Temporal Comparisons

Answer 41

People tend to think they're better than they used to be

Question 42

Self-Presentation: Handicapping

Answer 42

- Using excuses and behaviors to account for potential failures - Attributing failure to external forces

Question 43

Handicapping Behaviors

Answer 43

- Reduced preparedness - Giving opponents an advantage - Poor initial performance - Decreased Effort

Question 44

Impression Management: Self-Presentation

Answer 44

We express ourselves the way we want to be perceived

Question 45

Impression Management: Self-Monitoring

Answer 45

How we monitor our behavior and adjust according to the image we want

Question 46

Self-Presentation Theory

Answer 46

- We want to present the "good side" of ourselves - We have anxiety when we are motivated to impress others - Anxiety leads to "overpersonalizing" situations - We use things that reduce anxieties

Question 47

Perceived Self Control: Learned Helplessness

Answer 47

- Occurs when you feel that you have no control over repeated negative events - Leads to passivity

Question 48

Perceived Self Control: Too Much Choice

Answer 48

Too much self-determination can make us feel bad when we realise we have less choice than we thought