Chapter 3: Social Self

Part 2: Feb. 2, 2012

Self-esteem• Positive and negative evaluations of ourselves

– What purposes are served by SE?• 1.

• 2.

• Correlations w/self-esteem:

Contributors to Self-Esteem• Self-discrepancy theory – – What is compared?

• We differ in degree of self-awareness:

– How does it affect our behaviors?» Halloween study – kids and free candy! Results?

Self-regulation• Baumeister’s research on limits of self-control– It requires lots of cognitive resources

• Self-control is a limited resource– Link to glucose?

• What are Baumeister’s research results?

• How to re-energize our self-control?– 1.

– 2.

Boosting self-concepts• Our tendency to overestimate our abilities

may serve a purpose related to self-concept

– “implicit egotism” –

– Self-serving cognitions – • 1. Take credit for successes:

• Self-serving cognitions (cont.):– 2. Self-handicapping:

» What is its purpose?

– 3. Identifying with groups and BIRGing:» ‘we won’ versus ‘they lost’

– 4. Downward social comparisons» How do these work and why?

– Example: sibling rivalry

Self-presentation

• We may overestimate extent to which others are focus on us– ‘spotlight effect’

• 2 motives of self-presentation:– Strategic self-presentation and self-verification

Strategic self-presentation

• Strategies?

– Possible link with unsafe behaviors?

Self-verification

• Attempt to increase overlap between self-perceptions & how others see us

• Negative traits?

• Swann’s research – with whom do we associate?– How does this work in romantic relationships?

Self-monitoring

• Individual difference in how well we can regulate our own behavior in response to others’ reactions– How do high vs. low self-monitors behave?

– Links between self-monitoring and age?