CHAPTER 3 The Self © 2014 Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Chapter Topics  What is the Self?  Where Self-Knowledge Comes From  Self and Information Processing  Self Esteem, Self- Deception, and Positive Illusions  Self-Presentation

Debate: Post-Mortem Plastic Surgery  More and more people are requesting plastic surgery after death, to help them look their best for their funeral  What does this say about our cultural need to be accepted and admired?  How else do people try to control how others perceive them?

What is the Self?  Is the self an illusion?  Why are human selves put together the way they are?  What is the purpose of a self?  Who makes the self: the individual or society?  Do you have an inner “true” self, and if so, is it the “real” you?

Purpose of the Self  Gain social acceptance  Play social roles  Society creates and defines roles  The individual seeks and adopts them  How does your behavior differ when you’re interacting with a professor, coworker, parent, or friend?  How do these differences reflect varying social roles?

The ABCs of the Self  Affect: How do we evaluate ourselves, enhance our self-images, and defend against threats to our self- esteem?  Behavior: How do we regulate our actions and present ourselves according to interpersonal demands?  Cognition: How do we come to know ourselves, develop a self-concept, and maintain a stable sense of identity?

Cultural Differences of Selfhood  Independent self-construal  What makes the self different?  Interdependent self-construal  What connects the self to the group?

Self-Awareness  Private self-awareness  What are my inner thoughts, emotions, and desires? Public self-awareness  What do others think of me?  How do standards affect self-awareness?

Self Awareness Theory  Duval & Wicklund (1972)

Self-Awareness and Behavior  How does self-awareness shape behavior?  How does being in front of a mirror change our behavior?  How do people react when self-awareness makes them feel badly about themselves?  What types of behaviors do people engage in to avoid self-awareness?

Purposes of Self-Awareness  How does self-awareness lead to self-regulation?  How does self-awareness help us adopt the perspective of other people?  Why is it important to understand others’ perspectives?  How does self-awareness encourage people to manage their behavior in order to reach their goals?

Food for Thought  Why do people who diet binge eat?  How does the act of eating serve as an escape from problems?  Dieters are high in public self-consciousness, but low in private self-awareness  Eating provides a low-level distraction from thoughts about self  Dieters may lose an awareness of “fullness”

Self Knowledge comes from:  Looking outside  Looking inside  Looking at others

Self-Knowledge: Looking Outside  The looking-glass self (Cooley, 1902)  Imagine how you appear to others  Imagine how others will judge you  Develop an emotional response as a result of imagining how others will judge you  The generalized other (Mead, 1934)  Combination of others’ views informs us

Self-Knowledge: Looking Outside (cont’d.)  What happens when someone views you differently from how you view yourself?  People respond to feedback from others, but there are discrepancies between the view of self and others’ views  What happens when people are not completely honest to friends and acquaintances?  What happens when people are not receptive to negative feedback about themselves?  The classic: Does this make me look fat?”

Self-Knowledge: Looking Inside  Introspection: examining your thoughts and feelings  How do we have privileged access to our inner processes?  Limitations of introspection  Development & children’s views of themselves  People aren’t always privy to their true motivations (Nisbett & Wilson, 1977)

Self-Knowledge: Looking At Others  How can social comparison help people learn about themselves?  How can upward social comparisons inspire? How can they discourage?  What effect can downward social comparisons have on a person’s self-esteem?

Self-Perception  Self-perception theory (Bem, 1965)  People look at their behaviors and adjust their self- perception accordingly  Does this contradict the “privileged access” of introspection?  The overjustification effect  Does play become work when it is rewarded?  Consider the role of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation in your own life

Fluctuating Image(s) of Self  Phenomenal self (working self-concept)  The aspects of self that are currently “on display” What parts of you are you aware of right now?  Heightened awareness of aspects of yourself associated with differences in the group around you How does being the only member of a racial group on a committee affect a person? Why might this awareness impair performance?

Why People Seek Self-Knowledge  Appraisal motive  Looking for the truth about oneself  Self-enhancement motive  Looking for flattering aspects of oneself  Consistency motive  Looking for confirmation about current beliefs about oneself

Can Self-Concept Change?  When do people change so much that their self- concept changes?  How do social forces affect self-concept changes?  How does this relate to brain-washing?  How might promoting change bolster the success of recovering addicts?  How do people revise memories after their self- concept has changed?

SELF ESTEEM The affective component of the self consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations 23

Self-Esteem  What are the differences in the way people with high self-esteem versus low self-esteem view themselves?  How does low self-esteem affect people?  How do they view failure?  Why might they have self-concept confusion?  Why is self-protection important to them?

Self-Esteem Myths  Are the effects of low self-esteem in the United States a myth?

Reality and Illusion  How do positive illusions help stave off depression?  What types of positive illusions do “normal” people have?  Overestimating good qualities  Underestimating faults  Overestimating one’s control over events  Being unrealistically optimistic

How People Fool Themselves  How do people use self-deception strategies to maintain a positive outlook?  Using self-serving bias  Being more skeptical of bad feedback  Remembering good things more  Making comparisons with those slightly worse  Skewing impressions of others to highlight own good traits as unusual  Choosing definitions wisely

The Social Side of Sex: Self-Esteem and Saying No to Sex  Evidence does not show that high self-esteem is associated with youngsters who say no to sex  A link between low self-esteem and virginity in men (age 20) exists, but not in women  However, women with high self-esteem tend to ignore pregnancy risk and underestimate dangers of sex

Why Do We Care About Self- Esteem?  What are some benefits of self-esteem?  Does self-esteem predict success, and if so, in what situations?  Sociometer theory  How does self-esteem measure social acceptability?  Theory of terror management  How does self-esteem let us avoid our own mortality?

Is High Self-Esteem Always Good?  How is narcissism related to high self-esteem?  Is high self-esteem beneficial for both parties in a relationship?  Is having more initiative always a good thing?  Consider bullies vs. those who stand up to them

Pursuing Self-Esteem  How can pursuing self-esteem have harmful consequences?  Taking the easy road to ensure success  Impairing autonomy  Needing to meet expectations of others  Weakening individual intrinsic motivation  Impairing learning  Damaging relationships  Potentially harmful to health

Self-Presentation  Why is public esteem more important than private self-esteem to most people?  Self-presentation: behaviors that convey an image to others  How do users present themselves on Facebook? Are these self-presentations authentic?  How do public behaviors differ from private ones?

What Makes Us Human?  What makes us special?  What role does self-awareness play in society?  What is the motivation for self-knowledge?  How do differing roles and extrinsic motivation highlight what sets humans apart from other animals? 

Conclusion  Humans have self-concept that distinguishes them from others  Yet, humans also crave social acceptance  Self-esteem and self-presentation play an important role in establishing and preserving the self