Social Psychology - The Self Lecture Notes.docx

Social Psychology  The Self-Lecture Notes  Slides 10-58 **1. Self-Concept Material** **Key Points** - William James\' theory of self includes material self, social self, and spiritual self. - Self-discrepancy theory involves the ideal self and the ought self. **Explanation ** The ins...

Social Psychology  The Self-Lecture Notes  Slides 10-58 **1. Self-Concept Material** **Key Points** - William James\' theory of self includes material self, social self, and spiritual self. - Self-discrepancy theory involves the ideal self and the ought self. **Explanation ** The instructor explained William James\' theory, which categorizes self into material, social, and spiritual aspects. The self-discrepancy theory was also discussed, highlighting the gap between the actual self and the ideal or ought self. - The instructor used the example of how we present ourselves through what we drive, the house we live in, and the clothes we wear.  1. Material self is about external presentation. 2. It includes items like cars, houses, and clothing. 3. These items convey messages to others about who we are. - The instructor shared a personal story about wanting to run a red light but deciding not to due to their spiritual self.  1. Spiritual self is more intrinsic and involves internal values. 2. The instructor\'s decision not to run the red light was guided by their moral values. 3. This example illustrates how the spiritual self influences behavior. - The instructor used a diagram to explain the gap between the actual self and the ideal or ought self.  1. The ideal self is what we want for ourselves. 2. The ought self is what others expect us to be. 3. A larger gap between the actual self and these guides can lead to cognitive dissonance and unhappiness. **2. Self-Esteem** **Key Points** Self-Esteem: Self-esteem is the perception of one\'s own worth and is often developed through comparison with others. - Self-esteem is a human motive to feel good about oneself. - Self-serving bias helps bolster self-esteem. - Healthy self-esteem is beneficial, but excessive self-esteem can lead to narcissism and mental health issues. **Explanation ** Self-esteem is developed through comparison with others. A healthy level of self-esteem is beneficial, but too much can lead to narcissism and mental health issues. The concept is illustrated through Greek mythology, specifically the story of Narcissus. - Narcissus was a figure in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection in the water, leading to his demise.  1. Narcissus had excessive self-esteem, which led him to fall in love with his own reflection. 2. This story is the origin of the term \'narcissistic personality disorder\'. - A study compared the frequency of self-referential words in song lyrics from 1980 to 2008 with people\'s scores on the narcissistic personality scale.  1. The study found a positive correlation between the use of self-referential words in song lyrics and increased narcissism. 2. This suggests a trend of increasing narcissism over time. **3. Self-Awareness** **Key Points** Self-Awareness: Self-awareness is the ability to recognize one\'s own behaviors and whether they align with one\'s inner values. - Self-awareness involves recognizing one\'s own behaviors. - It helps align outward behaviors with inward values. - Too much self-awareness can lead to discomfort and a desire to escape. **Explanation ** Self-awareness is crucial for aligning behaviors with inner values. However, excessive self-awareness can lead to discomfort and a desire to escape. This concept is illustrated through various studies and examples. - A study placed a mirror behind a candy bowl and observed children\'s behavior when told to take only one piece of candy.  1. Children who saw themselves in the mirror were more likely to take only one piece of candy. 2. This increased self-awareness helped align their behavior with the instruction. - Sitting in front of a mirror while eating can increase self-awareness and help align eating behavior with weight loss goals.  1. The mirror increases self-awareness, reminding individuals of their inner values and goals. **4. Introspection** **Key Points** Introspection: Introspection is the process of examining one\'s own thoughts and feelings. - Introspection involves intentionally thinking about one\'s own experiences and emotions. - It can be done through activities like meditation. - Despite its benefits, introspection may not always lead to accurate self-understanding. **Explanation ** Introspection allows individuals to examine their own thoughts and feelings. It can be beneficial for self-understanding, but it may not always lead to accurate insights. This concept is illustrated through various studies and examples. - Participants rated their preference for identical stockings and provided reasons for their choices.  1. Participants gave various reasons for their preferences, but the real reason was the primacy effect. 2. Even when informed about the primacy effect, participants insisted on their initial explanations. **5. Cognitive Dissonance** **Key Points** Cognitive Dissonance: Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort experienced when one\'s behavior does not align with one\'s values. - Cognitive dissonance occurs when there is a discrepancy between behavior and values. - It leads to discomfort and a desire to resolve the inconsistency. **Explanation ** Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort experienced when one\'s behavior does not align with one\'s values. This concept is illustrated through examples and interactive questions. - Participants were asked about their views on animal welfare and their meat consumption habits.  1. Most participants valued animal welfare but also consumed meat, leading to cognitive dissonance. 2. This discrepancy between values and behavior illustrates cognitive dissonance. **6. Self-Perception** **Key Points** Self-Perception: Self-perception is the process of understanding oneself by observing one\'s own behavior. - Self-perception involves observing one\'s own behavior to understand oneself. - It helps determine whether behavior aligns with inner values. **Explanation ** Self-perception is the process of understanding oneself by observing one\'s own behavior. It helps determine whether behavior aligns with inner values. This concept is illustrated through examples and studies. - If someone laughs at a joke, they may conclude that they find the joke funny.  1. Observing one\'s own behavior (laughing) helps determine one\'s inner feelings (finding the joke funny). 2. Shoe Collection  3. Observing a large collection of shoes may lead someone to conclude that they enjoy shopping for shoes.  4. Observing one\'s own behavior (collecting shoes) helps determine one\'s interests (enjoying shoe shopping). **7. Motivation** **Key Points** Motivation: Motivation is revisited from site 101, focusing on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. - Intrinsic motivation: Doing something because you want to, aligning with your ideal self. - Extrinsic motivation: Doing something because someone else thinks you should. **Explanation ** Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations help determine our future actions. Intrinsic motivation leads to greater happiness and fulfillment. - Taking site 101 because it was required (extrinsic motivation) versus choosing a class you enjoy (intrinsic motivation).  1. Extrinsic motivation: Required to take site 101. 2. Intrinsic motivation: Choosing a class based on personal interest and passion. **8. Self-Determination Theory** **Key Points** Self-Determination Theory: Self-determination theory suggests that we are happiest when we act autonomously, with personal agency over our decisions. - Autonomy: Acting from a place of your own choosing. - Three key components: Autonomy, Belonging, Confidence (ABCs). **Explanation ** Acting autonomously leads to greater satisfaction. The theory emphasizes the importance of autonomy, belonging, and confidence for happiness. - Children rewarded after free play showed less interest in playing compared to when they played for enjoyment.  1. Children played less when given extrinsic rewards. 2. Intrinsic enjoyment led to more engagement in play. **9. Relatedness** **Key Points** Relatedness: Relatedness is feeling cared for and connected to others, enhancing a sense of belonging. - Feeling cared for and connected. - Enhanced by both receiving and giving care. **Explanation ** Relatedness involves mutual care and connection, contributing to a sense of belonging and mattering to others. **10. Self-Referencing Effect** **Key Points** Self-Referencing Effect: The self-referencing effect suggests that information related to ourselves is easier to recall. - Information related to oneself is more memorable. - Using personal examples helps in recalling information. **Explanation ** Personal relevance enhances memory recall. Using personal examples in notes can aid in remembering concepts. - People are more likely to remember words or names that have similar letters to their own names.  1. Similarity to one\'s own name makes information more memorable. **11. Two-Factor Theory of Emotion** **Key Points** Two-Factor Theory of Emotion: The two-factor theory of emotion involves noticing a physical reaction and then attributing it to an environmental cause. - Step 1: Notice physical reaction. - Step 2: Attribute reaction to environmental cause. **Explanation ** Physical reactions are interpreted based on environmental cues, which can lead to misattributions of emotions. - Drinking too much coffee can lead to irritability, which might be misattributed to interactions with others.  1. Excess caffeine causes irritability. 2. Irritability might be wrongly attributed to a person in the environment. - Feeling good after exercise might be misattributed to liking a person you meet afterward.  1. Physical arousal from exercise leads to positive feelings. 2. Positive feelings might be wrongly attributed to a person. - Men interviewed on a scary bridge attributed their arousal to the female interviewer, leading to higher likelihood of calling her.  1. Men felt aroused due to the scary bridge. 2. Arousal was misattributed to attraction to the interviewer. **12. Social Comparisons** **Key Points** Social Comparisons: Social comparisons involve comparing ourselves to others to gauge our own performance and behavior. - Upward comparison: Comparing to someone better. - Downward comparison: Comparing to someone worse. **Explanation ** We use social comparisons to evaluate ourselves. Upward comparisons can be motivating but may also lead to negative feelings. Downward comparisons can boost self-esteem. - Participants compared themselves to either a well-dressed (Mr. Clean) or poorly dressed (Mr. Dirty) confederate before an interview.  1. Participants felt better about themselves when compared to Mr. Dirty. 2. Participants felt worse about themselves when compared to Mr. Clean.