Class Notes: October 2nd (The Motivated Self)

Question 1

Characteristics of a mentally healthy person (Two).

Answer 1

· Close contact with reality

· Accurate perception of reality

Question 2

Shelly Tailor
Did an interview study with women with breast cancer.

How did they make sense of the experience?

Answer 2

What struck her, was women were often finding another person or a situation that is worse than ours.
Often doing social comparison but comparing women whose situation is worse than theirs.

Question 3

Illusions and Wellbeing (1988)

Answer 3

1. Self evaluations
2. Perceptions of control
3. Risk assessment

Question 4

Self serving bias for casual attributions

Answer 4

· oh wow, I guess I’m not so smart, or I didn’t study enough/ vs I got some really tough questions, I didn’t get sleep) -Make me feel better.
· Talents are unique, weaknesses are common.
· We have a more objectively positive view of ourselves

Question 5

Better then average effect

Answer 5

· Self ratings are greater than observer ratings of self traits.
· People tend to rate themselves above average- but everyone can’t be above average.

Question 6

How do we construe our sense of personal control?

Answer 6

· Integral to more theories of self esteem and well being

· But ideas of control may be an illusion

· If a dice Is in your hand, you are more sure you can win, then if someone else is rolling the dice.

· Same thing with lottery, more sure lottery ticket will win if you scratch it off as opposed to a machine.

Question 7

Risk Assessment (Optimistic Bias with future life events)

Answer 7

· People assume negative events will happen more to others.

· People assume more positive events will happen to them.

· What constitutes unrealistic optimism?

Question 8

How do we use these theories to improve happiness?

Answer 8

More you attribute wins to yourself and failures to external factors, the happier you are.

Question 9

How does the bias of attributing wins to you and losses to external factors help you?

Answer 9

This bias makes you happy, and happy people help others.

Question 10

How do we use emotions to create Productive work?

Answer 10

Positive emotions and views of the self correlates with intellectual functioning.

Question 11

Negative expectations and symptom onset
(HIV study)

Answer 11

Many people HIV positive

If they have expectations (negative – if they think they’ll have it)

Men who were bereaved (Partner passed) and had negative expectations about disease progression- Were more likely to show onset of symptoms.

Question 12

Realistic expectations and the course of AIDs study

Answer 12

Men who had more realistic expectations died on average 9 months earlier
· Ones with more hopelessly optimistic view “This isn’t happening to me” “I can’t die” died 9 months later.

Question 13

Illusions and Men at risk for aids

Answer 13

Aids specific optimism
-I feel safe because I have developed an immunity
-Think my immune system is more capable then other gay men.
This predicted their health in the following months

*Note:
Unrealistic optimism is NOT associated with risky behaviour (ex. Men wont go out and have risky sex thinking they’re fine)
· At least in this context
· Smokers think they wont get cancer/ and smoke anyway

Question 14

What is Self enhancement associated with?

Answer 14

· Less cardiovascular reactivity to the stress

Question 15

Chinese born Canadians and self enhancement!

Answer 15

Write in Chinese and in English about your traits.
· People used more positive self descriptions in English vs equal positive and negative in Chinese.

· Chinese: lower self esteem, more collective self descriptions.

Question 16

In Hong Kong and self enhancement!

Answer 16

· Writing in English: More desirable traits
· Better then average affect: Stronger in English
· However, even though its less, the effect is still there in Chinese.

Question 17

Self enhancement and cultural differences. (Compared to Siblings)

Answer 17

· Americans show self enhancement effect for siblings.
· Japanese people have no bias for them vs their siblings. Often also assume more negative future events will happen to them opposed to their siblings.

Question 18

What is Feeling Holier than Thou?

Answer 18

· We think we will give more to charity then we do.
· We expect to be more cooperative in the prisoner’s dilemma game.
· Base rate info
-Influence on self / prediction of others

Question 19

below average effect.

Answer 19

Better then average effect = Because its things we are able to do, and assume we are even better.

So he came up with an idea, what about things that are harder to do

Assume if we can do it, the task is easier.

Think the more difficult task is not as hard for anyone else, and you just don’t get it.

Question 20

In certain cultures, some traits may have more or less importance, why?

Answer 20

· Loyalty: more valued in collectivist societies.

· More important you consider the traits = bigger the self enhancement effect

Question 21

Are Illusions to some extent universal?

Answer 21

Yes! Culture amplifies the visible effects.

Question 22

How do Indigenous people in Northern Canada use traits?

Answer 22

· “We don’t compare”

· But when you ask someone there for something “Ask him, he’s the best” <- comparison

Question 23

What is Comparative ability Judgements?

Answer 23

· Egocentric process
· Above average if absolute skills high, but below average if requirements for success are low
· Below average if absolute skills are low

Question 24

What is the relationship between bias and accuracy?

Answer 24

Estimated vs actual contributions to the group (team success)
Marc: thinks hes responsible for 90% or group success

Pierre: thinks hes responsible for 70% or group success

Daniel: thinks hes responsible for 50% or group success

This totals to more then 100%

Other observers may say Marc did 60%, Pierre did 30% and Daniel did 10%

· Their relative position is spot on! Marc thinks he did the most and he did! Daniel thinks he did the least, and he did do the least!

Question 25

Good luck,

Answer 25

Thank you