Week 3 Part 3copy 2 PDF - Self-evaluation and Social Psychology

Part III: Self-Enhancement, Protection, and Verification HEARTS & MINDS Knowing Ourselves by Adopting Other People’s Views • Social contact is crucial to the development of a self-concept. “A self-idea of this sort seems to have three principal elements: The imagination of our appearance to the ot...

Part III: Self-Enhancement, Protection, and Verification HEARTS & MINDS Knowing Ourselves by Adopting Other People’s Views • Social contact is crucial to the development of a self-concept. “A self-idea of this sort seems to have three principal elements: The imagination of our appearance to the other person; the imagination of his judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification. The comparison with a looking-glass hardly suggests the second element, the imagined judgment, which is quite essential. The thing that moves us to pride or shame is not the mere mechanical reflection of ourselves, but an imputed sentiment, the imagined effect of this reflection upon another’s mind. This is evident from the fact that the character and weight of that other, in whose mind we see ourselves, makes all the differences with our feeling.”- Cooley, 1902 40 Knowing Ourselves by Comparison to Others • Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954) – The idea that we learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to other people. 1. When do you engage in social comparison?  No objective standard exists to measure against  When we experience uncertainty 2. With whom do you choose to compare yourself?  Initial impulse—anyone who is around - Occurs quickly and automatically • Downward social comparison: comparing ourselves with those less well off ― To feel better about self • Upward social comparison: comparing ourselves with those better off ― To improve self, achieve goals • Lateral social comparison: similar others ― Mixed reasons – accuracy and self-preservation Knowing Ourselves by Comparison to Others • Major and Colleagues: Women’s Paradoxical Contentment w/ Their Pay ― many studies have shown that women, although being paid less than men for the same job, are just as satisfied with their pay and job. Why is that? • Women and men work for 1 hour • DV: How much they should be paid. Knowing Ourselves by Comparison to Others Major and Colleagues: Women’s Paradoxical Contentment w/ Their Pay ― many studies have shown that women, although being paid less than men for the same job, are just as satisfied with their pay and job. Why is that? • • Women and men offered $4 for completing a task • Told to work as long as they thought was fair • DV: How long they worked Knowing Ourselves by Comparison to Others • Major and Colleagues: Women’s Paradoxical Contentment w/ Their Pay ― When asked why they differed in what pay they were entitled to for what amount of work  Preference for same-sex (lateral) comparisons 1. Verification study • Participants worked on a task and were told that after they finished, their performance would be graded and then they would be paid between $1.25 and $2.75 based on performance. (All got $2.35) • Then asked if they would prefer to see the avg. male pay, avg. female pay, or avg. combined male/female pay. • DV: Whose pay do they want to see? Knowing Ourselves by Comparison to Others • Major and Colleagues: Women’s Paradoxical Contentment w/ Their Pay ― DV: Whose pay do they want to see? Same Sex Other Sex Combined Average 65% 10.5% 24.5% Self-Control: The Executive Function • Making choices about present and plans for the future Self-Regulation ― Process by which we seek to control/alter our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, urges. ― Control Theory of Self-Regulation (TOTE)  Test, Operate, Test, Exit  Related to self-awareness? • Self-Regulatory Resource Model ― Views self-control as a limited resource  Like a muscle that gets tired with frequent use  Rebounds in strength with practice ― To increase self-control  Practice exerting self-control  Set behavioral intentions Ego Depletion • • Regulating behavior requires mental energy, but mental resources are limited Ego depletion ― State where previous acts of self-control drains ability to control future behavior  For instance, participants who controlled behavior by eating healthy radishes instead of delicious cookies gave up faster when they had to solve a puzzle later 48 Self-Esteem • • An evaluative component of the self – A sense of self-worth The Need for Self-esteem: ― Sociometer theory (Leary and Baumeister)  People are inherently social animals.  The desire for self-esteem is driven by a more primitive need to connect with others. ― Terror management theory (Greenberg, Solomon, and Pyszczynski)  Humans are biologically programmed for life and self-preservation.  We are conscious of—and terrified by—the inevitability of our own death. ― People with positive self-images tend to be happy, healthy, productive, and successful. ― Negative self-images tend to be more depressed, pessimistic about the future, and prone to failure. Self-Evaluation Maintenance • Self-concept threatened by another person’s behavior • Level of threat determined by: ― Closeness of other ― Relevance of behavior • • If not relevant and relationship close, then “bask in the reflected glory” (BIRGing) If relevant and relationship close, then feel bad and want to reduce self threat ― To protect our self-esteem, we will “cut off reflected failure” (“CORF”) by distancing ourselves from others who fail or are of low status. 50 Dangers of High Self-Esteem • People with high self-esteem may be more sensitive to threats, insults, and challenges • Inflated self-esteem can be counterproductive ― Many psychopaths, murderers, rapists, and violent gang member have very high self-esteems ― High self-esteem may allow individuals to be satisfied with the self despite poor life outcomes 51 Illusions about the Self • Positive illusions and mental health ― Research suggests that most well-adjusted people may have slightly unrealistic views about themselves • Benefits of positive illusions ― Elevate positive mood and reduce negative mood ― Foster social bonds by making people more outgoing ― Promote pursuit of and persistence at goals • Costs of positive illusions ― Positive illusions may be detrimental if overestimation of abilities leads to poor performance 52 Common Positive Illusions Unrealistically positive views of the self ― Believe positive traits are truer of the self than negative traits ― Believe positive traits are unique but negative traits are common • Exaggerated perceptions of control ― Believe we have more control over events than we do  Personally, we would rather throw dice to win a game and feel as if we can somehow throw it just right • Unrealistic optimism ― Believe positive events are more likely to happen to oneself than to other people – Role of Culture • 53 Enhancing & Protecting the self • Already covered: ― Social Comparisons (Downward) ― Self-serving attributions (last week) ― More to come… Enhancing & Protecting the self: All the World’s a Stage • Impression Management (Self-Presentation & Protection of Self-esteem) ― Strategies people use to shape what others to see them as they want to be seen.  Spotlight effect: A tendency to believe that the social spotlight shines more brightly on them than it really does. ― To obtain desired resources ― To create (protect) desired self-image ― To assist others in knowing how they expect to be treated Enhancing & Protecting the self: All the World’s a Stage • When Do People Self-Present? ― When we are in the public eye (the spotlight effect) ― When when we are high in public self-consciousness  the tendency to have a chronic awareness of oneself as being in the public eye ― When observers can influence whether we obtain our goals ― When these goals are important to us ― When we think observers have impressions of us that differ from the ones we want to project ― When we are high in self-monitoring  the tendency to be chronically concerned with one’s public image and adjust one’s actions to fit the needs of the situation Impression Management: All the World’s a Stage Impression Management: The attempt to get others to see us as we want to be seen. • Ingratiation ― Trying to make ourselves likable to another person, often of higher status Impression Management: Appearing Likable Not all smiles are the same. • Duchenne (when happy) characterized by both turning up the muscles at the corners of the mouth (called the zygomatic major) and “crinkling” of the muscles around eyes (called the obicularis oculi) • Although most people can consciously manipulate the zygomatic major, approximately 80% of us unable to contract the orbicularis oculi voluntarily. As a result, the area around the eyes can often reveal the false smile (right). Impression Management: Appearing Competent Self-Promotion  Self-handicapping: the behavior of withdrawing effort or creating obstacles to one’s future successes • Behavioural: Reduce likelihood of success so can blame potential failure on obstacles rather than ability • Reported: devise ready-made excuses in case they fail Impression Management: Appearing Competent Competence Motivation & Shyness ― Competence motivation: the desire to perform effectively  People may be high in competence motivation for intrinsic reasons: because gaining mastery is interesting and challenging (achievement motivation)  People may possess a strong competence motivation for extrinsic reasons: they desire to be seen as competent • • ― Shyness: the tendency to feel tense, worried, or awkward in novel social situations and with unfamiliar people  Shy people are less likely to promote their competence boldly  Shy people focus on preventing unfavorable public images rather than trying to acquire favorable public images; their self-presentations tend to be protective We are more concerned with whether we come across as competent in some settings than in others Socially confident people often take advantage of opportunities to promote their competence, especially after a public failure Impression Management: Convey Status & Power • • Threatened Images, New Resources ― People especially likely to display status and power when they perceive tangible threats to their images as powerful, high-status individuals ― People more likely when valuable resources become newly available Different Strategies for Different Audiences ― How and whether people attempt to create presentations of status and power depend partially on an interaction between the (binary) gender of the presenter and the gender of his or her audience Culture and Impression Management • Culturally Universal ― Desire to manage image we present • Cultural Differences ― Kinds of images we want to present  E.g., “Saving face” is important in many Eastern cultures Self-Evaluation (Hearts and MINDS) • Threats to Self-Esteem spur people to enhance and protect self-image • Self-esteem can be stable or fluctuate dramatically • Need for positive self-esteem varies in collectivistic and individualistic cultures • However, when we have a special desire to have control over our lives, or avoid making mistakes, we can put aside self-enhancing strategies to seek a more accurate understanding of ourselves and others. 63 Motives for Self-Evaluation • Self-verification theory ― Motivated to have views of the self that are accurate, consistent, and coherent ― Desire accurate views of abilities to ensure more success and less failure in social interactions • Verifying information ― May maintain consistent view of the self by selectively paying attention to information consistent with self-view ― May associate with people who provide preferred feedback about the self ― Use identity cues to display our self-view to others  For instance, how we dress may signal our attitudes and interests 64 Have a great week!