February 4, 2000

The Self (Part II)

(from last time)

1. Self-Knowledge (self-concept)

• from behaviors—self perception
• multiple selves
• self complexity

2. Self-Esteem

How you feel about yourself?

• vs. what you know about yourself?

• positive or negative evaluation of the self
• attitude toward yourself

Self-Guides

· actual, ideal, and ought selves

· discrepancies btw. actual and ideal/ought selves è â self-esteem

3. Factors involved in Self-Esteem

a. Physical Appearance (attractiveness)

• correlations with SE are low

b. Ability—“self efficacy”

c. Power (dominance)

• physical aggression:
• actor è á SE, victim è â SE

• winning è á SE; losing è â SE;

• leadership = á SE

• ability to coerce another è á SE

d. Relationship Rewards

• love from family, friends
• romantic relationships
• praise, admiration respect

e. Vicarious sources

• BIRGing and CORFing

f. Possessions

g. Morality

• helping behaviors

h. Standards and goals—Social Comparison

• similarity
• upward/downward comparisons

4. Positivity Bias

• self-enhancement
• cultural differences

• Self-esteem = feeling good or bad about oneself

what about just feeling good or bad?

5. Emotion

• core (fundamental) emotions

what is an emotional experience?

• James (early 1900’s)—physiological feeling
• Schachter (1960’s)—physiological feeling + idea about the cause

• Current view:

appraisal of the event è action tendency

Events that facilitate goals è positive emotion

Events that hinder goals è negative emotion

• act as motivators for goal related behavior

• achieving ideal self as a goal è self-esteem

Remember, James claimed that emotion have a physiological basis…

• facial feedback