Chapter 2: The Self in a Social World Part 1: Aug. 29, 2012

Self-Concept Beliefs we have about ourselves Self-schemas are part of this: Recognize images of ourselves betw 18-24 mos. 5 main sources of forming the self-concept: Role playing, Social comparisons, Success/Failure, Other people, & Culture

Sources Role playing – Social comparisons - Bem’s self-perception theory: what is it? Social comparisons - Who is chosen as ‘comparison other’? Downward vs. upward social comparisons -

Motivations for future behavior 3. Success/Failure – Motivations for future behavior Other people – ‘Looking glass self’ – what is it? Perceptions vs. reality -

Culture & self-concept: Individualism (I) vs. collectivism (C) What is the focus of self-definitions in these cultures? I cultures = C cultures = Markus’ research on the self as part of a group:

Regional & time differences within cultures Markus’ research on the self as part of a group: What types of social comparisons are preferred? Links to self-esteem C = based on what? Link to persistence? I = based on what?

Self-Knowledge How good are we at explaining our own behavior or predicting how we’ll feel ? Harassment studies as example – Known as “Affective Forecasting” – Leads to “Impact Bias” = when is this worst?