Very similar processes as when we build impressions of others (integration of cues)

We are what we do (Self perception theory, Bem, 1967) {We make inferences based on what we do (especially true when self is forming, and for ambiguous situations)}

We make inferences we behaviors are freely chosen (Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1971) l Do it for ourselves vs. other ends

Thinking about a behavior increases the accessibility of certain traits

How we feel tells us more about ourselves than our behavior – What you feel deep inside is more indicative of who you are

Charles H. Cooley (1902): The lookingglass self contains other people’s reactions to us.

Miller, Brickman, & Bolen (1975): l Labeling kids as tidy actually makes them act in a tidy way. (Self-fulfilling prophecy!) l For adults, self views do not depend as much on other people’s opinions, ... l ... but on their beliefs about other people’s opinions and their perception of other people’s reactions

1. There exists, in the human organism, a drive to evaluate his (or her) opinions and his (or her) abilities. 2. To the extent that objective, non-social means are not available, people evaluate their opinions and abilities by comparison respectively with the opinions and abilities of others. 3. The tendency to compare oneself with some other specific person decreases as the difference between his (or her) opinion or ability and one’s own increases. 4. There is a unidirectional drive upward in the case of abilities, which is largely absent in opinions. 5. There are non-social restraints, which make it difficult or even impossible to change one’s ability. These non-social restraints are largely absent for opinions.

For instance, asking people to think of their good behaviors can increase their likelihood of seeing themselves as more moral

People have selective memory, so that they forget inconsistent information about the self and easily retrieve consistent information. If some information needs to be reconstructed to be consistent, people will do this very easily.

1) Our goal: Feel good about ourselves! 2) Self-enhancing bias: l Any tendency to gather or interpret information concerning the self in a way that leads to overly positive evaluations (p. 109). 3) Try to accumulate more positive than negative experiences (and remember the positive > negative) 4) Adjust our contribution based on the outcomes (if the group presentation was great, I did a lot! Vs. if it is bad, I did little) 5) Social comparisons: Upward vs. downward comparison

Depends on self monitoring( how we make other sees us ideally)

+and – emotions tell us that something + or – about the self has happened.

Emotions and affective states can be interpreted differently Sometimes, we are not aware of how emotions shape our behavior