Self-Concept and Social Comparison Quiz

Self-Competence and Attribution

• Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s own competence.
• The fundamental attribution error describes the tendency to attribute personal failure to external forces while crediting personal success to internal forces.

Defensive Behaviors and Self-Image

• Self-handicapping involves protecting one’s self-image by creating excuses for potential future failures.
• The 'looking-glass self' concept refers to the perception of oneself based on how others view and evaluate us.

Self-Reflection and Helplessness

• Introspection is the process of looking inward to examine one’s thoughts, feelings, and motives.
• Learned helplessness occurs when individuals experience uncontrollable negative events and develop feelings of helplessness and resignation.

Self-Concept and Cultural Orientation

• Self-schemas are beliefs about oneself that help organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information.
• Individualistic cultural orientation emphasizes independence and autonomy.

Self-Esteem and Attitude Types

• Private self refers to a stable self-concept and levels of personal self-esteem.
• Explicit attitudes are consciously controlled and can change through education and persuasion.

Emotional Impact and Effect Biases

• The impact bias describes the tendency to overestimate the lasting effects of emotional events.
• The theory of self-esteem instability suggests that high but unstable self-esteem is linked to aggressive behaviors and bullying.

Helplessness and Health

• Learned helplessness refers to the condition where individuals fail to act to change unfavorable situations despite having the power to do so.
• Chronic stress has been shown to reduce the body's resistance to diseases by compromising immune system function.

Competence and Well-Being

• A sense of self-efficacy contributes positively to better health and happiness by fostering beliefs in personal competence.
• The sociometer hypothesis serves as a buffer against feelings of social exclusion and informs self-esteem based on perceived social acceptance.

Planning and Self-Relevant Information

• Effective planning and strategy enactment can be enhanced by self-reflection and mindfulness.
• Self-concepts, which organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information, shape how individuals navigate social interactions.

Cultural Self-Esteem

• In collectivistic cultures, personal self-esteem is less emphasized compared to relational self-esteem.
• Implicit attitudes are automatic, change slowly, and are often formed through repeated practice leading to habit formation.

Social Perception and Self-Presentation

• The spotlight effect describes the tendency to perceive oneself as being on 'center stage,' overestimating how much others notice and evaluate our personal traits.
• Impression management involves controlling how one is perceived by others in social situations.

Monitoring and Emotional Biases

• Self-monitoring is characterized by the ability to observe and adjust behavior based on social cues.
• The optimistic bias illustrates a tendency where individuals believe they are less likely to experience negative events compared to others.

Self-Enhancement and Personal Evaluation

• The self-enhancement motive refers to the drive to view oneself in an overly positive light, often leading to biased self-evaluations.
• Personal self-evaluations are often positively biased when reflected in the context of an inflated sense of self-worth.

Summary of Broader Concepts

• Chronic exposure to uncontrollable negative events can lead to feelings of learned helplessness, fundamentally impacting mental health and resilience.
• Understanding these concepts can improve strategies for personal development and enhance navigational skills within social frameworks.

Test your knowledge about self-concept, self-esteem, self-knowledge, social self, self-schema, and social comparisons. Explore the beliefs about the self that guide the processing of self-relevant information, as well as the impact of social comparison in online and offline settings.