Self and Reactance Theories

Question 1

Lewin’s Theory

Answer 1

• dynamic forces
• potential need –> actual need –> tension
• tension continues until goal is acquired
• Zeigernik - tasks interrupted before completion are recalled better

Question 2

Symbolic Self Completion Theory

Answer 2

• commitment to self-defining goals (smart, kind etc)
• symbols of completeness
• indicates someone acquiring an aspired definition
• symbols that show they completed self-defining goal
• social reality - recognition of achievement

Question 3

Speech patterns and social class

Answer 3

upper class uses less complex language compared to middle class, because they’re already where they want to be

in academic web pages and email signatures

• use symbol of attainment (signature, professional titles at the end of an email) to define tendencies to communicate their accomplishments to others

Question 4

Academic Web pages and email signatures displaying symbolic self-completion theory

Answer 4

study 1

• academic departments with lower NRC rankings listed more professional titles on their web pages compared to departments with higher rankings

study 2,3

professors with lower citations/publications displayed more professional titles in email signatures compared to higher professors

results on completeness indicators

• low completeness highest in committed group to want to become successful on scale of desire to influence
• on symbol displays, highly committed but low completeness
• incomplete person’s self-descriptions may reflect efforts to gain completness

Question 5

Commitment to motherhood after seeing other mothers

Answer 5

picked females committed to goal of raising family

• they described the motherly abilities of others
• were asked to provide feedback using descriptions, one comments with self-descriptive answers, other without

shown ideal mother personality profile

• asked to complete questionnaire for self

subjects who received a measure of completeness (actual social reality) had less reason to self-symbolise than those others

• incompleteness led to propensity to characterise self as similar to expert

Question 6

self-schemas

Answer 6

• actual self
• ideal self
• ought self - obligations, responsibilities

Question 7

standpoints

Answer 7

• own
• significant other, spouse, parent, friend

Question 8

motivation assumptions

Answer 8

motivated to have actual self match relevant self-guides

• relations among different selves, cause diff emotions

Question 9

negative affect

Answer 9

actual vs self gone wrong

• dejection related: sad
• actual vs ought, presence of negative (agitation)

Question 10

two hypotheses for negative affect

Answer 10

hypothesis 1

• greater magnitude of a self-discrepancy, the greater the emotion

hypothesis 2

• greater accessibility of discrepancy, the more emotion associated

Question 11

self-evaluation maintenance - abraham tesser

Answer 11

one’s self concept can be threatened by the behaviour of another individual. but, this is determined by:

a) performance feedback

b) closeness of individual

c) relevance of behaviour

however, if it is not a self-relevant domain (something unimportant to you) then you can appreciate it in the other person

• if it is self relevant then you might feel threatened and:
• distance self from the other
• redefine task relevance (undermine its importance)

Question 12

psychological reactance theory

Answer 12

motivational state generated by threatened or actual blocking of specific expected free behaviour

• motivates one to restore freedom

Question 13

psychological reactance theory applied to interpersonal attraction

Answer 13

correlational

• reported parental interference with relationship correlated positively with romantic love
• for both married and unmarried

Question 14

Pennebaker et al. (psychological reactance applied to interpersonal attraction)

Answer 14

freedom to meet members of opposite sex would be threatened as closing got closer

• 3 bars
• rated attractiveness
• opposite attractiveness became more attractive as close time approached, while ratings of same sex did not change
• possibility of alcoholic intoxication for some participants, extraneous variable

Question 15

Wickland & Ogbulen

Answer 15

females expecting 5 men after reading questionnaires completed by them

• told they could choose or would be assigned man, rate man
• told that one would not show and one would be late, rate again

when expected choice was threatened, attraction was greater

Question 16

Variables that influence magnitude of reactance

Answer 16

1. strength of threat

• attractiveness of expected toy increased for those who were severely threatened, decreased for those mildly threatened

2. expectation of freedom

• some could choose albums, some couldn’t, then rated albums

when people expected choice, and freedom eliminated, ratings are more positive

3. importance of freedom

• more important freedom, greater reactance

4. number and proportion of freedoms threatened

• magnitude of reactance increases as proportion of threat increases