1. Chapter 3 - The Self What is the Self? Where Self-Knowledge Comes From Self and Information Processing Self Esteem, Self-Deception, and Positive Illusions Self-Presentation

2. What is the Self? Self Knowledge –Self Awareness Interpersonal Self –Public Self Agent Self –Executive Function

4. True Self – Two Approaches Self as impulse –Inner thoughts or feelings Self as institution –Public behaviors, especially official roles

5. Cultural Differences of Selfhood Independent self-construal –What makes the self different Interdependent self-construal –What connects the self to the group

6. Purpose of the Self Gain social acceptance Play social roles –Society creates and defines roles –Individual seeks and adopts them

7. Self-Awareness Attention directed at the self –Private self-awareness –Public self-awareness Usually involves evaluative comparison

9. Self Compared to Standards Concepts of how things might possibly be –Ideals, norms, expectations, moral principles, laws, past experiences Around age 2, begin use of standards –Beginning of self-awareness

10. Self-Awareness and Behavior Self-awareness –improves behavior –enables people to be more socially desirable When self-awareness feels bad – seek to escape it –By drinking alcohol – removing inhibitions –Through suicide – extreme escape

11. Purpose of Self-Awareness Self-regulation Adopt the perspective of other people Manage behavior in pursuit of goals

12. Food for Thought - Eating Binges and Escaping the Self Importance of self-awareness –Eating allows escape from negative thoughts about self –Eating can serve as a distraction from negative thoughts about self

13. Food for Thought - Eating Binges and Escaping the Self Dieters are high in public self-consciousness –Low in private self-awareness Includes ignoring hunger Losing awareness of “fullness”

14. Where Self Knowledge Comes From

15. Looking Outside Looking-Glass Self (Cooley, 1902) –You imagine how you appear to others –You imagine how others will judge you –You develop an emotional response as a result of imagining how others will judge you Generalized Other (Mead, 1934) –Feedback from others tell us who and what we are

16. Evaluating Looking-Glass Self People do respond to feedback from others May not know how people regard them –People are reluctant to give negative comments –People may not be receptive to negative comments

17. Looking Inside Introspection –Privileged Access Limitations of Introspection –Development – Children under 11 –Nisbett and Wilson attack on privileged access (1977) –We may know what we think and feel, but not why

18. Looking At Others Social Comparison –Upward social comparisons –Downward social comparisons

19. Self-Perception and Overjustification Effect Self-Perception Theory (Bem, 1965) –Intrinsic motivation –Extrinsic motivation Overjustification Effect –Intrinsic motivation diminishes for activities associated with expected rewards

21. Fluctuating Image(s) of Self Phenomenal Self (Working Self-Concept) –Unusual aspects about you become prominent –Being lone member of some category Heightens self-awareness Can impair performance

22. Why People Seek Self-Knowledge Appraisal Motive –Looking for the truth about oneself Self-Enhancement Motive –Looking for flattering things about self Consistency Motive –Looking for confirmation about current belief about self

23. When Motives Compete Appraisal Motive –Weakest motive Self-Enhancement Motive –Strongest motive (emotional appeal) Consistency Motive –Second preference (cognitive appeal)

24. Tradeoffs - Self-Handicapping Self-Handicapping –Failure can be blamed on obstacle –Success assumes higher competence Berglas & Jones (1978) experiment –Noncontingent choose obstacle to maximum performance on second IQ test

26. Self-Knowledge and the Duplex Mind Automatic Egotism –Automatic, self-enhancing Modesty –Conscious, deliberate control

27. Self and Information Processing

28. Self-Reference Effect –Information bearing on self is processed more deeply and remembered better Endowment Effect –Items gain in value to person who owns them

30. Can Self-Concept Change? Self-Concept is consistent with public self –People expect you to stay the same –Changing social environment may change inner self –Convince others that you have changed –Allow others to see your changed behavior Memory Shifts to Fit New Self-Concept

31. Self-Esteem, Self-Deception, and Positive Illusions

32. Self-Esteem High Self-Esteem –Positive views Low Self-Esteem –Absence of strong positive views

33. Is Bad Stronger Than Good? Basking and Blasting Group membership may enhance positive feelings about self (Cialdini et.al, 1976) –Basking - Linking oneself to winners –Blasting - Criticizing a rival group People show a stronger tendency to blast (negative) than bask (positive)

34. Is Bad Stronger Than Good? Basking and Blasting Loyal fans experience changes in their own confidence level based on the success or failure of their team –Losing had a stronger effect than winning

35. Low Self-Esteem Research on Low Self-Esteem –Do not want to fail –Self-concept confusion –Focus on self-protection –More prone to emotional highs and lows Myth of Low-Self Esteem in United States

36. Feel Good About Failure? PLAY VIDEO

37. Distorted Perceptions of Nondepressed Positive Illusions –Overestimate good qualities –Underestimate faults –Overestimate control over events –Unrealistically optimistic

38. Self-Deception Strategies Self Serving Bias More skeptical of bad feedback Junk Mail Theory of Self-Deception Comparisons with those slightly worse Skew impressions of others to highlight own good traits as unusual

39. The Social Side of Sex Self-Esteem and Saying No to Sex Evidence does not show that high-esteem is associated with youngsters saying no to sex Link between self-esteem and virginity in men (age 20) but not women Women with high self-esteem ignore pregnancy risk and underestimate dangers of sex

40. Benefits of High Self-Esteem Initiative –Confidence you can do the right thing –More adventurous in activities Feels Good –Helps one to overcome bad feelings –If they fail, more likely to try again

41. Why Do We Care About Self-Esteem? Sociometer Theory –Self-esteem is a measure of social acceptability Self-esteem feels good –Theory of terror management

42. Negative Aspects of High Self-Esteem Narcissism –Subset of high self-esteem –Tend to be more aggressive and violent Higher Prejudice –Tend to think their group is better

43. Pursuit of Self-Esteem May have harmful consequences –Can compromise pursuit of competence –Impairs autonomy –Pressure to meet expectations of others –Weakens individual intrinsic motivation –Impairs learning –Can damage relationships –Can be harmful to health

44. Self-Presentation Behaviors that convey an image to others Public Esteem –More important than private self-esteem Public Behavior –Acting for the audience

45. Functions of Self-Presentation Social Acceptance –Increase chance of acceptance and maintain place within the group Claiming Identity –Social validation of claims to identity

46. Good Self-Presentation Demonstrate Positive Traits Behave with Consideration of Audience Tradeoff –Tendency toward favorable presentation Modesty –More prevalent in long-term relationships Risky Behaviors

47. What Makes Us Human? What makes us special? –Self-Awareness –Self-Concept Self is a human tool for –Gaining social acceptance –Participating in culture