What is a self-schema?
knowledge about the self (e.g., attitudes, preferences, traits) that influences what we notice, think about,
and remember about ourselves. (not always representative!)
What is one of the main conflicts we encounter in social psychology?
The need to seek for truth and our need to protect our own self-esteem.
What is introspection?
Introspection is the process whereby people look inward and
examine their own thoughts, feelings, and motives.
Is introspection used often? Why?
Not used often – and even when people do engage in introspection, the reasons for their feelings and behaviours can be hidden from conscious awareness (not automatic, not done often, smt involuntary that triggers introspection)
Describe what an environmental trigger can be.
seeing yourself in the
mirror) can cause you to look inward
Define self-awareness theory.
Proposes that when people focus their attention on themselves, they evaluate and compare their behaviour to their internal standards and values.
Why can self-awareness be bad?
- Self-awareness can be uncomfortable when you are confronted
with disagreeable feedback about yourself. - In such circumstances, people can resort to various strategies,
both positive and negative, to escape self-awareness.
What are the cultural differences in self-awareness?
- Those in collectivist cultures are more likely to have an outsider perspective of the self, i.e., viewing themselves through the eyes of other people.
- People in individualistic cultures are more likely to have an insider perspective of the self, i.e., focusing on private
experiences without considering how others see them.
Describe the American and Japanese mirror study.
Mirror vs. no mirror.
Japanese close answers for both, Americans big change.
Even if we introspect, is it still hard to know why we are feeling the way we do?
YES
Define the self-perception theory.
When we are unsure about our attitudes or feelings toward
something, we look to our relevant behaviour for answers.
In the self-determination theory, what are the two motivations we have?
Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Define intrinsic motivation.
The desire to engage in an activity because we enjoy it, or
find it interesting. (own internal drive)
Define extrinsic motivation.
The desire to engage in an activity because of external
rewards or pressures. (things around us)
What is the overjustification effect?
Replacing intrinsic motivation with extrinsic motivation makes
people lose interest in the activity they initially enjoyed.
– This is called the overjustification effect, the case whereby
people view their behaviour as caused by extrinsic reasons.
How do we perceive intrinsic interest?
Rewarding for performing well on a task (performance-
contingent rewards) is less likely to decrease intrinsic interest
than is rewarding for simply performing a task (task-
contingent rewards).
How do we learn about our own abilities and attitudes?
By comparing ourselves to other people.
Define the social comparison theory.
We compare ourselves to
similar others when we experience some uncertainty about ourselves in a particular area (e.g., academic ability).
Define the upward social comparison.
– The process whereby we compare ourselves to people who
are better than we are in a particular trait or ability.
– It is usually threatening to our self-esteem.
– Can be a source of inspiration if we feel we can imagine
achieving the same.
Define downward social comparison.
– The process whereby we compare ourselves to people who
are worse than we are in a particular trait or ability.
– Also includes comparing current performance to past
performance.
– A self-protective, self-enhancing strategy.
– Positive effect occurs only if we don’t feel vulnerable to the
other’s negative outcome.
What is the difference in social comparison in cultures?
- Lockwood et al. (2005) found that European-Canadians were
more motivated by positive (successful) role models; whereas Asian-Canadians were more motivated by negative (unsuccessful) role models. - It is hypothesized that people from collectivist cultures are driven by avoiding failure, and those in individualistic cultures are driven by achieving success.
What is a sociometer?
- Our self-esteem is tied to the quality of relationships we share
with others. - A sociometer monitors the environment for cues about the extent to which we are accepted or rejected by others.
- High self-esteem individuals are more likely to seek out social
connection than those low in self-esteem.
