1. The Person in the Situation: Self-Concept, Gender, and Dispositions
Chapter Five
The Person in the Situation:
Self-Concept, Gender, and Dispositions

2. Dispositions and Self-Esteem
Dispositions are consistencies across time and settings
like traits, they are enduring individual differences
Self-esteem is a kind of disposition
people’s judgments of their own worthiness

3. Self-Concept and Identity
Who am I? Who am I?!
self-concept is the information about ourselves that resides in memory
identity is the collection of important concepts that define an individual
Self-concept is formed through social comparison and self-perception

4. Figure 5.1 Percent of schoolchildren who mentioned their sex in spontaneous self-description.

5. Priming and Situational Distinctiveness
Spontaneous self-concept is the collection of aspects of identity that are available to awareness at any time
priming those aspects of identity brings them to the forefront of consciousness
the distinctiveness of an identity trait in a given situation makes that aspect of identity salient

6. Me v. We
Identity is also shaped by social and cultural factors
social identity theory addresses our identification with a group and the benefits we derive from it
the minimal intergroup situation demonstrates that we favor members of our ingroup, to the detriment of members of an outgroup

7. Optimal Distinctiveness Theory
Sure, we identify with an ingroup
but we also want to be seen as distinctive individuals
Optimal distinctiveness theory examines how we strike a balance between similarity (with an ingroup) and distinctiveness (as an individual)

8. Cultural Differences in Identity
Independent versus interdependent selves
our membership in an individualist versus collectivist culture can shape our identity
identity may be a matter of “me” in an individualist culture, and “we” in a collectivist culture
nonetheless, members of a collectivist culture can appreciate their personal distinctiveness

9. Self-Esteem: Liking for the Self
Most, but certainly not all, people have positive self-esteem
Self-esteem derives from personal experience, reflected appraisals by others, relationships, social comparison, group comparisons

10. High Self-Esteem: Yippee!
People with high self-esteem typically have more certain self-views
People with high self-esteem engage in self-serving judgments
People with high self-esteem are happier than those with low self-esteem
People with high self-esteem have greater satisfaction with their personal relationships

11. High Self-Esteem: Eh?
Narcissism represents an exaggerated love of the self
threatened egotism predicts the sometimes hostile reaction by narcissists to challenges to their self-views
People with secure high self-esteem confidently hold positive self-views
People with defensive high self-esteem hold positive self-views that are fragile and vulnerable to threat

12. Concept Review

13. Gender and Social Behavior
Gender stereotypes are expectations about how women and men should behave
Women and men don’t differ on most dispositions
however, men are higher in homicidal aggression than are women
women and men differ in aspects of mate selection and romantic attraction
women and men differ in helping styles

14. Causes of Gender Differences
Biological explanations
hormonal differences, evolutionary basis of parental investment
Social and cultural explanations
socialization, cultural constraints
A little of both?
evolutionary and social factors interact to predict gender differences in behavior

15. Interactions Between Persons & Situations
Self-monitoring: individual differences in relying on external or internal cues to guide behavior
Need for cognition: individual differences in liking to think
Achievement motivation: individual differences in performance goals
Uncertainty orientation: individual differences in learning new things about oneself

16. Dispositions and Health
Dispositional optimism is associated with lower distress in several areas
Intelligence is positively correlated with health and longevity
Type-A coronary-prone behavior is associated with stress-related illness