reflected self-appraisals
beliefs about what others think of us
situationism
the notion that our social self changes across different contexts
working self-concept
a subset of self-knowledge that is brought to mind in a particular context
independent self-construal
common in individualistic western cultures, idea that the self is an autonomous entity.
interdependent self-construal
self is fundamentally connected and reliant on other people
self-esteem
overall positive or negative evaluations people have of themselves
trait self-esteem
a person's enduring level of self-regard
state self-esteem
dynamic, changeable self-evaluations a person experiences as momentary feelings about the self
contingencies of self-worth
a perspective maintaining that self-esteem is contingent on successes and failures in domains on which a person has based his or her self-worth
sociometer hypothesis
Mark Leary's idea that self-esteem is an internal, subjective index or marker of the extent to which a person is included or looked on favorably by others
self-enhancement
the desire to maintain, increase, or protect one's positive self-views
Better-than-average effect
the finding that a majority of people think they are above average in certain categories, which is mathematically impossible
self-affirmation theory
the idea that people can maintain an overall sense of self-worth following psychologically threatening information by affirming a valued aspect of themselves unrelated to the threat
self-serving attributional bias
taking credit for success, but blaming outside factors for failure
self-evaluation maintenance (SEM) model
idea that people are motivated to view themselves favorably, and that they do so through two processes: reflection and social comparison
reflection
flattering ourselves with the mere association with the accomplishments of others
self-verification theory
people strive for stable, subjectively accurate beliefs about the self because such self-views give a sense of coherence
self-regulation
processes by which people initiate, alter, and control their behavior in the pursuit of goal, including resisting short-term rewards to attain long-term ones
self-discrepancy theory
people hold beliefs about not only what they are actually like, but also what they ideally could be like
actual self
person you believe you really are
ideal self
idea of self that embodies wishes and aspirations
ought self
idea of self concerned with our duties and commitments
promotion focus
self-reg of behavior with focus on attaining positive outcomes
ego depletion
due to lack of self-control, idea people lack energy or resources to engage in acts of self-control
self-presentation
presenting the person we want others to think we are
face
public image of ourselves we want others to believe
self-monitoring
monitoring one's behavior to fit the current situation
self-handicapping
the tendency to engage in self-defeating behavior in order to have an excuse ready should one reform poorly or fail
social comparison theory
hypothesis that people compare themselves to other people i order to obtain an accurate assessment of their own opinions, abilities, and internal states.