PSY 005 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Tender Mercies, Positive Illusions
23 Dec 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Are positive illusions adaptive? individuals who are depressed or low in self-esteem actually have more realistic views of themselves than do most others who are better adjusted. Research involving people under stress such as men infected with hiv shows that perceived control, optimism, and other positive illusions are health-protective psychological resources that help people cope with adversity. As a result, people with high self-esteem appear better adjusted in personality tests and in interviews. But these same individuals may pay a price in other ways as in their relations with others. Most people are acutely concerned about the image they present to others. People are so self-conscious in public settings that they are often subject to the spotlight effect, a tendency to believe that the social spotlight shines more brightly on them than it really does. Inspired by goffman"s theory, social psychologists study self-presentation: strategies people use to shape what others think of them.
