PSYCH253 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Impact Bias, Collectivism, Social Comparison Theory
Document Summary
Where does the self-concept come from: harter (1983): we extrapolate our behaviours and memories form concrete situations into abstract self-schemas. Eg. i am good at math -> i am smart -> i think scienti cally -> i am an intellectual: markus & wort (1987): self-concepts represent the most practiced, automatic behaviours and associations. We evaluate our sense of self through our social relationships. No, because you can look up to someone and aspire to be like them. If we have the con dence in our capabilities, looking up to someone may not always be a negative state. Hypothesis: happiness reduces impact of social comparisons. Iv: upward vs downward social comparison: confederate completed anagrams in the same room (unscramble words, people either complete faster os slower than you. Iv: upward vs downward social comparison: contrasted with no comparison control groups, dv: change in mood. Western culture: individualistic, emphasizes uniqueness and consistency, self-achievement is de ned by individual accomplishments.