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Self Concept - Social Psychology - WSU

Terms in this set (36)

Self-Concept
a schema about the self. Multifaceted, contains all self-knowledge.
Ego
the "I" - the aspect of the self that directs one's thoughts and actions
External Influence on the Self
Group memberships exercise their influence on the self by way of our social identities

Groups also provide important physical resources for the self (e.g., food, shelter, belonging, protection)
Social Identity
that aspect of one's personal identity that is based on group memberships
Gender identity
based on the social roles males and females are expected to occupy
Working self-concept
portion of the self-concept currently activated; influence thoughts, feelings, actions
Self-Concept
some traits are stable across situations, while others are situation specific (e.g., solo status)
Knowing the self - Introspection
Self-knowledge through looking inward at one's own thoughts and feelings
problematic due to limitations, biases towards flattery, can't see into non-conscious self
problematic due to ignorance about how phenomena work (e.g., affective forecasting)
Knowing the self - Symbolic Interactionism
we come to know ourselves by looking at how important people view us
Knowing the self - Looking glass self
significant people reflect back to us who we are by how they behave towards us
Reflected Appraisals
-Schemas representing 'significant others' can get activated and can influence judgments and behaviors

-A non-specific generalized other ('an audience') exists in our minds which can also affect judgments
Social Comparison Theory
people come to know themselves partly by comparisons with similar others
Social Comparison yield insights (i.e., knowledge) that may not always be accurate or useful
Upward Social Comparisons
comparing with superior others on some dimension
Downward Social Comparisons
comparing with inferior others on some dimension
Better Than Average Effect
tendency to rank oneself higher than most people on positive traits
Self-Perception Theory
People learn about themselves by watching their own behavior
Facial Feedback hypothesis
changes in facial expression elicit emotions consistent with expressions
Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
emotions are product of arousal + interpretation of that arousal
Misattribution of Arousal
ascribing arousal results from one source to a different source
Excitation Transfer
left over arousal caused by initial event can intensify response to a 2nd event
Self-Regulation
Defined as the process of guiding ones' responses to reach some desired goals; made possible by (1) self-awareness, (2) ability to think about goals, (3) ability to think about past, present, and future.
-provides flexibility and choice, freedom to respond.
Self-Awareness Theory
- aspects of the self will be more likely to affect behavior when attention is on self

- consequences of falling short - escape self-awareness (e.g., avoidance)

- consequences of falling short - alcohol, drug abuse, eating disorders
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Describes how people compare different facets of themselves (e.g., actual, ought, ideal), and consequences
Self-Discrepancy Theory - Guilt
- occurs when there's a discrepancy between actual and ought self
- suggests failings attributed to bad behavior - action is needed to fix
Self-Discrepancy Theory - Sadness
- occurs when there's a discrepancy between actual and ideal self
- suggests failings attributed to being a bad person- no action can fix
Self-Regulation: Goals and Motivation
2 components are necessary: 1) choosing goals, 2) determining the amount of energy
Expectancy-Value Theory
effort is based on desirability of a goal * by likelihood of attainment
Auto-Motive Theory
subtle exposure to goal stimuli can activate goals and guide behaviors
Construal Level Theory
focus on concrete details for near future events, but abstract for more distant
Affective Forecasting
predicting one's emotional reactions to potential future events
Self-Regulatory Challenges
inhibition - attempting to suppress can be difficult
Ironic Processing
the more we try not to think about something, the more we think about it
- 2 steps: 1) monitoring - on guard for unwanted thoughts, 2) operator - the mental process that actively pushes unwanted thoughts out of consciousness
Ego Depletion
- idea that ego strength becomes depleted after extended bouts of self-control
- physical strength and mental action stem from a common energy source
Cognitive Reappraisal
cognitive reframing of a situation to minimize one's emotional reaction to it
Implementation Intentions
mental rules that link particular situational cues to goal directed behaviors
Self-Regulatory Perseveration Theory of Depression
one-way people can become depressed is by persistent self-focus on unattainable goals (i.e., wanting what you can't have)
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