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Self-Knowledge and Emotion (Social-cognitive) - Coggle Diagram
Self-Knowledge and Emotion (Social-cognitive)
The Self: Anchor that people use to interpret the world
Self-schemata: Collection of cognitive representations about the self (interconnected network of self-representations)
Functions:
Repeatedly direct attention selectively to specific aspects of experience
Encourages individuals to articulate relevant life tasks (e.g. being a good student means that you should study hard instead of partying)
Individuals develop highly practiced procedural routines for doing self-relevant tasks
Being schematic makes one the expert in an aspect of the self
Can retrieve self-relevant information quickly, remember vast amounts of information about the self, process this information quickly
B data: Reaction time is faster for attributes that participants are schematic of
Information processing is faster for traits that one is schematic of
Chronic accessibility: Self-schemata that are salient and easily and frequently activated
Possible selves: Ideas people have about who they might become, who they hope to become, who they fear they will become
One aspect of self-concept that is important in regulating behaviour
Self-Discrepancy Theory
: There are 2 types of possible selves
Ideal self
: What an individual wants to be
Discrepancy between actual self and ideal self drives us towards achievement and goal accomplishment (Promotion focus)
Failure to attain the ideal self leads to disappointment and depression
Attainment of the ideal self leads to pride and pleasure
Ought self
: The person's understanding of what others want them to be; what the person should be
Discrepancy between ought self and ideal self drives us towards avoiding harm and punishment (Prevention focus)
Failure to attain the ought self leads to anxiety and guilt
Attainment of the ought self leads to relief
High N individuals have a heightened reactivity to stress and chronically focus attention on negative self-relevant information and tend to recall such information: Tend to perceive greater discrepancy between the ideal self and the actual self.
The
undesired self
: Attributes that a person does not want to possess
Predictive of both dejection-related and agitation-related emotions
Future work selves: Your hoped-for future work self
The more salient one's imaginary of the Future Work Self is, the more likely on is engaged in proactive career behaviour
Career planning
Proactive skill development
Career consultation
Network building
Acts as a motivational resource for individuals to shape current behaviour
Doctoral students were asked to imagine their future work selves and proactive career behaviour was measured at T1 and T2 (6 months later): Future work self salience at T1 predicted changes in proactive career behaviour over time
Relational schema: Cognitive structures representing interpersonal information
3 inter-related components:
Self
Interpersonal script
Others
Depending on who is the other, the relevant interpersonal script is activated: Accumulation of past learning experiences and the kinds of schemata a person typically uses to encode social information
Results in the appropriate behaviour
(e.g. High status other --> Submissive, Low status other --> Demanding)
If... then.... contingencies on interpersonal relations: Expectations about contingencies of interpersonal acceptance affects self-esteem
When primed with a context of failure, low self-esteem individuals are likely to recognise words related to rejection
When primed with success, low self-esteem individuals are likely to recognise words related to acceptance
Subliminal priming: The influence of one's schema outside of their own conscious awareness
Study 1: Graduate students who were primed with disapproving faces of their director rated their own research ideas lower than those who were primed with the director with an approving face
Study 2: Catholic undergraduate women were asked to read a sexually permissive passage. Those primed with the disapproving face of the pope reported lower self-esteem and higher anxiety than those primed with a disapproving face of the director
Self-esteem
: General evaluation of the self (good vs bad)
Varies across different domains due to different strengths and weaknesses
Gradually rises from adolescence to midlife
Explicit (what we say about ourselves) vs implicit (automatic responses) self-esteem
Narcissism associated with high explicit but low implicit self-esteem
Fragile concept and sensitivity to other's opinions associated with high explicit but low implicit self-esteem
Does self-esteem lead to good outcomes
Children's self-esteem and school performance
More evidence that school achievement predicted SE instead of the other way
Artificially boosting SE through unconditional praise lowered subsequent performance
Praise children when they put in effort or have mastered the skills necessary
SE and drug/alcohol abuse and sexual risk-taking
No relation between SE and smoking, drug use, excessive drinking
Little evidence that high SE prevents these behaviours
Evidence suggest that high SE in women are associated with reduced sexual inhibitions
SE and positive characteristics (e.g. being attractive, smart, etc.)
Positively correlated, especially with self-reports
But with more objective measures, correlations become trivial
Strong correlation between self-reported SE and attractiveness
No correlation between self-reported SE and
objectively rated
attractiveness
Benefits of high SE
Persist more in challenging tasks
Less likely to engaged in eating disorders
Less likely to be depressed
Confident socially and take initiative to make new friends
Often a
consequence
rather than a cause
NOT a cure-all
Pessimistic Explanatory Style: The kinds of attributions people make about the causes of events are important
Three types of attributions:
Internal vs external
Stable vs unstable
Global vs specific
Those who make internal, stable, and global attributions about the causes of negative events are likely to become depressed (pessimistic explanatory styles), especially when stressed
Hopelessness theory: Those who make stable, internal, and global attributions of negative life events would experience hopelessness, ultimately becoming depressed
Longitudinal studies shown that this cognitive style of processing increases hopelessness and depression symptoms over time
Students with more pessimistic interpretations of daily negative events had more depressive symptoms in subsequent days
Pessimistic life insurance agents sold less insurance one year later
Emotions
3 components:
Have distinct subjective feelings and affect
Accompanying physiological changes
Accompanied with action tendencies
Emotions as
states
: Circumplex models of emotions (affective circumplex)
Not useful in telling us distinctive features of each discrete emotion
Discrete emotions have different antecedents and functions
Emotions are triggered by typical stimulus, elicit typical responses, and serve adaptive functions
Anger:
Stimulus: perceive a threat to safety
Response: Threaten/retaliate against threat
Function: To protect territory, resources, family
Sadness:
Stimulus: Experience of loss
Response: Sad facial expression, crying
Function: Elicit emotional support from others
Emotions as
traits
Affect intensity: Emotional reactions can vary greatly in magnitude, ranging between weak-mild and strong-intense
Affect intensity as an individual differences variable
High affect intensity: React to and experience emotions strongly, alternate between the extremes frequently and rapidly
Often suffer from physical symptoms (e.g. headaches, fatigue, etc.) because of intense emotional activation
N and E very influential: Predicts positive and negative emotions, which in turn predicts individual subjective well-being
Two emotional traits: Negative and Positive Emotionality (measured by the PANAS
Strong genetic bases, stable across time, emotional processes as core defining features
High N: Heightened emotional reactivity to negative mood induction
High E: Heightened reactivity to positive mood induction
Gratitude: Feelings of thankfulness and appreciation that are directed at benefactors or circumstances
Motivates people to respond in prosocial manner; encourages mutually beneficial exchanges within community
Grateful individuals are happier, more satisfied with life, less distressed
Negatively associated with PTSD
Veterans with PTSD diagnosis reported less gratitude
Being thankful associated with less PTSD among college women with history of trauma and among survivors of 2009 Padang earthquake
Gratitude after 9/11 attacks instrumental in increasing people's resilience
