ATS1262 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ingratiation, Narcissism, Positive Illusions
Week 3 ATS1262
Self Esteem & Self Presentation
What is ‘self-esteem’?
Self-Esteem: An affective component of the self, consisting of a person’s positive
and negative self-evaluations. i.e. How favorably someone evaluates herself or
himself.
- People with High SE hold very favorable views: i.e. usually means they consider
themselves to be competent, likable, attractive and morally good.
What about people with low self-esteem?
- Very few people hold extremely negative views about themselves
- Most common form of low self-esteem is simply the absence of strong
positive views about the self
Main conclusion about people with low SE
1. They do not want to fail (contrary to early theories)
2. Their ideas about themselves are conflicted and uncertain: ‘self-concept
confusion’
3. Focus on self-protection rather than self-enhancement
4. More prone to emotional highs and low
Secure Vs defensive high self-esteem
- Secure high esteem: possess positive self views that are confidently held;
these individuals feel good about themselves and do not need constant
reassurance from others to maintain their high self-esteem
- Defensive self-esteem: possess positive self-views that are fragile and
vulnerable to threat, these individuals harbor subconscious self-doubts
and insecurities, and require repeated positive feedback from others
The need for self-esteem
Sociometer theory: View that self-esteem is linked to social acceptance.
Sociometer is a measure of how desirable one would be to other people.
Terror management theory: The theory that humans cope with the fear or their
own death by constructing worldviews that help to preserve their self-esteem
Simple theory is that it feels good
Gender, ethnicity and self-esteem
-Are there gender differences?
Girls lower than males
Body image = self-esteem for women
-How do different ethic groups compare?
Based on Work associations
Culture understanding on self-esteem
Self-discrepancy theory
-Actual self vs ideal vs ought selves
-Discrepancy between actual and ought selves: feel guilty, ashamed, resentful
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Self-esteem: an affective component of the self, consisting of a person"s positive and negative self-evaluations. i. e. how favorably someone evaluates herself or himself. People with high se hold very favorable views: i. e. usually means they consider themselves to be competent, likable, attractive and morally good. Very few people hold extremely negative views about themselves. Most common form of low self-esteem is simply the absence of strong positive views about the self. Secure high esteem: possess positive self views that are confidently held; these individuals feel good about themselves and do not need constant reassurance from others to maintain their high self-esteem. Defensive self-esteem: possess positive self-views that are fragile and vulnerable to threat, these individuals harbor subconscious self-doubts and insecurities, and require repeated positive feedback from others. Sociometer theory: view that self-esteem is linked to social acceptance. Sociometer is a measure of how desirable one would be to other people.
