The Self Flashcards
Introspection
self-knowledge through looking inward at one’s own thoughts and feelings
Self-Awareness Theory
- focus on self (think about and reflect)
- compare self to internal standard
- discrepancy may be positive or negative
Two kinds of Self-Awareness
1) Trait self-awareness
2) State self-awareness
Trait self-awareness
Two kinds:
1) private self-consciousness - tendency to introspect, ruminate about self
2) public self-consciousness - attend to others’ perception of self
State self-awareness
- increases inhibitions
- increases honest behavior (decreases stealing, cheating)
- increases correspondence between attitude and behavior (makes attitudes salient)
- can perpetuate depression
Affective Forecasting
the prediction of one’s affect in the future
- “how long will you feel this way?”
- our introspections and predictions about how we’ll feel aren’t always accurate
Self-perception theory
when internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain insight by observing their own behavior
Two kinds of motivation
1) Extrinsic: external motivator of behavior - demand, obligation, or reward that directs action toward a particular goal
2) Intrinsic: internal motivator of behavior - action is directed toward a goal for personal satisfaction or accomplishment
Social Comparison Theory
we can come to know ourselves by comparing ourselves to other people
- we compare ourselves to others when we are unsure about our opinions/abilities
Social comparison
- engage in social comparison when more objective means of evaluation are not available
- we generally look to compare ourselves to other who are similar in relevant ways
Downward social comparison
- comparing your situation to those that are below you in that category
- means of increasing self-esteem
self-esteem
a person’s positive and negative evaluation of the self
- people are more motivated to see themselves in a positive light
Who do we compare ourselves with?
Depends on goal:
1) self-evaluation –> similar others
2) self-improvement –> upward/better off
3) self-enhancement –> downward/worse
When does comparison threaten self-esteem?
a) Performance - relative to other
b) Closeness - linkage between you and other
c) Relevance - important to self-concept
Two ways to be a self
1) Independent: individual, unique, influencing, free, equal (yet great)
2) Interdependent: relational, similar, adjusting, rooted, ranked
