Unit 3: Chapter 3-The Social Self Flashcards
(31 cards)
What are the three components of the self?
Self concept, self esteem & self presentation
When does self-recognition begin to occur in humans?
between 18-24 months
What role does self-recognition play in the development of self-concept? What role do other people play?
The ability to see yourself as a distinct entity in the world may be a necessary first step in the evolution and development of a self-concept. The second step involves social factors.
Define self-concept.
The sum total of an individual’s beliefs about his or her own personal attributes
Describe the self-perception theory as proposed by Daryl Bem (1972).
The theory that when internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain self-insight by observing their own behavior
How can the self-perception theory be used to understand emotion, behaviour, and motivation? (Bem)
By understanding that both our external behaviour and the relfections/evaluations of others contribute to self knowledge.
Distinguish between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
People are said to be extrinsically motivated when they engage in an activity as a means to an end, for tangible benefit. It might be to acquire money, grades, or some other kind of recognition; to fulfill an obligation; or to avoid a penalty or punishment. Where intrinsic is about the enjoyment of the activity itself.
Identify the factors that can influence the effect of extrinsic factors on intrinsic motivation.
Expected reward for something intrinsicly motivated shuts it down.
Describe the social comparison theory as proposed by Leon Festinger (1954).
The understanding of the self is both realtive (to those around us) and malleabel (to those around us). We tend to describe ourselves in a way that creates distinction from others in our group but we also try to fit in,
When do people engage in social comparison, and with whom do they compare themselves? (Festinger)
When there are less objective measures for comparison available
We usually compare ourselves to people like us or who we want to be (on occasion).
Describe the two-factor theory of emotion as proposed by Stanley Schachter (1959).
The theory that the experience of emotion is based on two factors: physiological arousal and a cognitive interpretation of that arousal.
Under what conditions does the social context not influence one’s interpretation of unclear emotional states?
What experiences do we tend to remember about ourselves? How are these autobiographical memories related to our sense of self?
Positive ones
They help protect us from
Distinguish between two cultural orientations: individualism and collectivism.
I: Culture that values independence and individuality in terms of self worth
C: The oppoiste
In what ways can individualistic and collectivistic cultural orientation influence one’s self-concept?
It frames ones self worth dep
Define self-esteem. Is one’s self-esteem stable or unstable throughout life?
An affective component of the self, consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations (p. 71)
Relatively stable overtime, but with fluctuations over the life span showing a decrease in adolecence and old age.
Distinguish between the actual self, the ought self, and the ideal self.
Actual: traits that describe the kind of person you think you actually
Ought: characteristics that would enable you to meet your sense of duty, obligation, and responsibility.
Ideal: Whoyou want to be (wishes hopes etc.)
How are the concepts of actual self, ought self and ideal self used in the self-discrepancy theory to account for one’s self-esteem level?
A large discrepency between ought self and actual self relates to feelings og guilt shame and resentment
If it is between your ideal self and actual self you will feel dissapointed, sad and unfulfilled.
Briefly describe the self-awareness theory.
The theory that self-focused attention leads people to notice self-discrepancies, thereby motivating either an escape from self-awareness or a change in behavior.
What situations tend to evoke self-awareness? How do people cope when they are aware of self-discrepancies?
Being in a sate that is socially conspicuous(in front of a camera, spotlight, mirror etc)
They either strive to bridge the gap or they distract themselves.
Distinguish between private self-consciousness and public self-consciousness.
Private: A personality characteristic of individuals who are introspective, often attending to their own inner states
Public: A personality characteristic of individuals who focus on themselves as social objects, as seen by others.
What are the limits to trying to control or change one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours through self-regulation?
There is the Ironic mental process where trying to not think about something prompts the thinking of something
There is alos a theory of willpower reserve where it is a muscle that exhausts itself until needing to be replenished.
Identify four ways in which people enhance their self-esteem (that is, self-enhancement).
self-serving beliefs,
self-handicapping, “my dog ate my homework” & creating excuses for failure
basking in reflected glory-assossiate with wins that are not necessarily relevant to you (sports teams)
downward social comparisons. (compare yourself to lesser people Canada vs USA)
What is the relationship between self-enhancement, mental health, and perception of reality?
It is unclear whether or not knowing the truth about yourself or believing an inflated lie about yourself is better but ultimately we seem biased to believe more of ourselves.
