Self
Self-schema



The elements of your self-concept.
Male, athletic, overweight, smart, nice, etc
It powerfully affect how we process social
information, such as how we perceive,
remember, and evaluate both other people
and ourselves.
Self-reference

The tendency to process efficiently and
remember well information related to oneself
Gender Schema Theory


An organizational effect on memory, such
that information consistent with the scheme
will be easier to remember than
counterstereotypic events.
Distortion effect, such that counterstereotypic
information will tend to be remembered as
much ore consistent with one’s gender
scheme than the information really is.
Ideal self


Images of what we dream of or dread
becoming in the future.
It motivate us with specific goals for a vision
of the life we long for.
Development of the social self







Genetic influences
The roles we play
The social identifies we form
The comparisons we make with others ( Big
pond small fish effect )
Our successes and failures
How other people judge us
The surrounding culture (Individualism vs
collectivism)
Voices of modern individualism







Do your own thing
Follow your bliss
If it feels good, do it
Be true to yourself
Shun conformity
Don’t force your values on others
Don’t constrain my rights to own guns, distribute
pornography, do unregulated business
Voices of modern individualism






Cut my taxes
Avoid losing yourself in a codependent
relationship
To love others first love yourself
Prefer solo spirituality to faith communities
Believe in yourself
Think differently
Self knowledge

How well do we actually know ourselves?

Explaining our behavior
Predicting our behavior
Predicting our feelings


Explaining our behavior
Explaining our behavior


Fake pill (Richard Nisbett and Stanley
Schachter 1996)
Moods recordings ( Stone 1985 )
Predicting our behavior





Will we study hard?
Will I be with him/her forever?
Will I follow doctor advises?
Will I stop playing computer game everyday?
Will you buy at least one daffodil for charity?
Predicting our behavior


Only one in seven occasional smokers
predict they will be smoking in five years.
Nearly all the prisoners predict that they
won’t do it again.
Predicting our behavior

Can we do better?

You should consider past behavior in similar
situations.
You should predict others’ actions rather than
your own.

Predicting our feelings

Which are good predictors of your future happiness?

Health
Religion
Job
Age
IQ
Marriage





Friends
Reputation
Money
personality
Predicting our feelings



How would you feel if asked sexually
harassing questions on a job interview?
( Woodzicka and LaFrance 2001)
When people tested for HIV predict how they
will feel five weeks after getting the result,
then….
Gilbert asked assistant professors to predict
their happiness a few years after achieving
tenure or not, then…
Self-efficacy






A sense that one is competent and effective.
More persistent
Less anxious
Less depressed
Healthier
Academically successful
Locus of control

The extent to which people perceive
outcomes as internally controllable by their
own efforts and actions or as externally
controlled by chance or outside forces.
Locus of control
In the long run, people
get the respect they
deserve in this world
Unfortunately, people’s
worth passes
unrecognized no matter
how hard they try.
The average person can
have influence in
government decisions.
This world is run by the
few people in power, and
there is not much the
little guy can do about it.
Self-esteem

Overall self-evaluation or sense of self-worth
Low self-esteem




Risk of depression
Drug abuse
Some forms of delinquency
(Baumeister 2003)
High self-esteem



Initiative
Resilience
Pleasant feelings
 Do
the people sometimes do bad
things conceal inner insecurity and
low self esteem?
Dark side of self esteem



Engage in sexual activity at an
“inappropriately young age”
Gang leaders
Terrorists