More Social Self

1
More (Social) Self

• June 11th

2
Todays Agenda

• Go over test, sort out lingering confusion
• Someone will sell us their study
• More self stuff
• Video?

3
Self-discrepancy theory

• Appropriate behavior is motivated by cultural
  moral standards regarding the ideal self ought
  self. Violations of these standards produce
  emotions like guilt and shame. These emotions
  motivate morally appropriate behavior.
• There are multiple selves, which we sometimes
  compare to who we really are

4
Self-discrepancy theory
E. Tory Higgins

• Actual self who we believe ourselves to be
• Ideal self who we (and others) want us to
  become
• Ought self the self that is concerned with
  duties obligations

If only my ideal self could have gone shopping
for eyeglasses instead of my actual self!
5
Self-discrepancy theory

• Promotion focus- Focus on positive outcomes,
  positive affect, approach motivation. Results
  from focus on ideal self.
• Prevention focus- Focus on preventing negative
  outcomes, desire to live up to our ought self
• Regulatory fit and pep talks

6
Self-Evaluation

• Self-esteem - positive or negative overall
  evaluations you have of yourself

7
Breaking it down

• trait self-esteem - enduring level of confidence
  and affection that people have for their defining
  abilities and characteristics across time
• state self-esteem - dynamic, changeable
  self-evaluations that are experienced as
  momentary feelings about the self

8
Good or Accurate?

• self-evaluation maintenance model - states that
  we are motivated to view ourselves in a favorable
  light, and that we do so through two processes
• Reflection- Basking in reflected glory
• Social Comparison (downward)- Being better than
  someone

9
Fig. 5.5
10
Good or Accurate?

• self-verification theory - states that we strive
  for stable, accurate beliefs about the self
  because such beliefs give us a sense of coherence

11
Good and Accurate?

• Both the self-evaluation maintenance model
  self-verification theory have evidence for them
• Each serves a need feeling good knowing what
  youre good at

12
Cross-Cultural S. Esteem

• Different cultures encourage different levels of
  self-esteem

13
Is Self-Esteem Desirable?

• Self-esteem has benefits
• Initiative speaking up in groups, act on best
  judgment, resist influence
• Feels good, can buffer against depression
  hopelessness when bad things happen

14
Is Self-Esteem Desirable?

• Is low self-esteem the cause of teen pregnancy,
  drug use, gang violence?
• People w/ low self-esteem more vulnerable to
  social influence
• Low S.E. Girls pressured into having sex early?
• Paul et al study
• 1000 children, S.E. _at_ age 11
• 10 years later follow-up, gtsex lt15
• High self-esteem leads to a sense that it
  cant/wont happen to me.

15
Self-Presentation

• self-presentation - presenting who we actually
  are, or who we would like others to believe we
  are
• impression management - attempting to control the
  beliefs other people have of us

16
Self-Presentation

• public self-consciousness - our awareness of what
  other people think about us.
• private self-consciousness - our awareness of our
  interior lives - our private thoughts, feelings,
  and sensations
• self-monitoring - tendency for people to monitor
  their behavior in such a way that it fits the
  demands of the current situation

17
Saving Face

• self-handicapping - engaging in self-defeating
  behaviors in order to prevent others from drawing
  unwanted attributions about the self as a result
  of poor performance