Question 1

The general process by which we control others' beliefs about us is called

Accepted Answer

The general process by which we control others' beliefs about us is called impression management. Self-handicapping refers to creating excuses for potential failure, self-monitoring is the act of monitoring and adjusting one's behavior to fit the situation, and private self-consciousness is the tendency to introspect about one's inner thoughts and feelings.

Question 2

Recall that Berglas and Jones (1978)led male participants to believe that they either were going to succeed or were going to have difficulty on an upcoming test.Next, participants were given the chance to ingest either a performance-enhancing drug or a performance-inhibiting drug.What did the results of this study show?

Accepted Answer

The results of the study showed that participants who believed they would have difficulty on the test preferred the performance-inhibiting drug. This suggests that individuals may use drugs to cope with anxiety or the perceived pressure of a challenging situation, rather than to enhance their performance.

Question 3

Reflected self-appraisals come from our perceptions of what other people think of us.

Accepted Answer

Reflected self-appraisals are based on our perceptions of how others view us and their reactions to us, which we then use to evaluate ourselves.

Question 4

Off-record communication is ____________, and it entails tactics such as ____________.

Accepted Answer

Off-record communication is indirect, meaning it is not explicitly stated. It is often communicated through metaphorical statements or implied meanings. Option A and C both include direct communication, which is not characteristic of off-record communication. Option D includes rhetorical statements, which may or may not be off-record depending on the context, but it is not a defining characteristic of off-record communication.

Question 5

Experimental evidence on self-discrepancy theory shows that

Accepted Answer

Self-discrepancy theory suggests that focusing on aligning with one's ideal self can enhance sensitivity to positive experiences, as it involves aspirations and goals that are personally rewarding.

Question 6

Ryan begins his twenty-page sociology paper at about 5 p.m.on the night before the paper is due.At around 6 p.m., Gary requests a favor that would take several hours.Ryan grants the favor and ends up leaving himself just a few hours to complete the paper.Later, when friends ask Ryan about his paper grade, he says, "I got a D because I was helping Gary all night instead of writing." This scenario exemplifies a self-presentation process called

Accepted Answer

This scenario exemplifies self-handicapping, which is a self-presentation strategy where individuals intentionally create obstacles or excuses for themselves in order to protect their self-esteem. In this case, Ryan is using his favor for Gary as an excuse for his poor grade rather than taking responsibility for his poor time management.

Question 7

Goffman's idea of face refers to

Accepted Answer

Goffman's idea of face refers to the social value or representation that a person ascribes to themselves, and it is essentially the persona we present to others. This involves how we want others to perceive us, and this includes both our positive qualities and our personal values. Therefore, the best answer is D, as it explicitly describes Goffman's idea of face.

Question 8

Self-destructive behaviors can provide an explanation for possible failures and thereby facilitate impression management.

Accepted Answer

Self-destructive behaviors can be used as an excuse for failures, which can be an attempt to manage impressions and avoid accountability.

Question 9

Looking ten years ahead, Lola imagines herself to be a celebrated writer and a wonderful mother.According to self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987), Lola is reflecting on her

Accepted Answer

Lola is reflecting on her ideal self, which is the version of herself that she wishes to become or wants to be in the future. The ideal self is a component of the self-discrepancy theory, which suggests that people have multiple selves and the differences between these selves can cause psychological distress. In Lola's case, her ideal self is a successful writer and a wonderful mother, which is her desired future self.

Question 10

The concept of trait self-esteem refers to changeable self-evaluations that are experienced as momentary feelings about the self.

Accepted Answer

Trait self-esteem refers to stable, long-term evaluations of oneself as a person, rather than momentary feelings. These evaluations can be positive, negative, or neutral and tend to remain relatively stable over time.

Question 11

The concept of ____________ refers to our awareness of what other people think about us.

Accepted Answer

Public self-consciousness refers to an individual's awareness of the way they present themselves to others and how that presentation might be interpreted by others. Private self-consciousness, on the other hand, refers to an individual's awareness of their own inner thoughts and feelings. Strategic self-presentation and self-monitoring are related concepts, but they are not the same as public self-consciousness.

Question 12

We engage in upward self-comparisons when we want to make ourselves feel better by thinking about those worse off than us.

Accepted Answer

Upward self-comparisons involve comparing ourselves to those who are better off, often to motivate self-improvement, while downward comparisons are used to feel better by considering those worse off.

Question 13

People who define themselves in terms of multiple domains would be said to have low self-complexity.

Accepted Answer

Self-complexity refers to the number of different aspects or domains in which a person defines themselves. High self-complexity means having multiple domains, while low self-complexity means fewer domains.

Question 14

Jim tends to act in accordance with his internal inclinations, impulses, and dispositions.Also, he is not very attuned to the social context in which he finds himself.Thus, Jim would score ____________ on a measure of ____________.

Accepted Answer

Based on the description provided, Jim seems to be low in self-monitoring, which refers to the ability to adjust one's behavior to fit the social situation or expectations of others. Jim is described as following his own internal inclinations and not being attuned to the social context, which suggests that he is not highly skilled in adapting his behavior in response to social cues. The other options (A, B, and C) are less applicable to the description provided.

Question 15

The sociometer hypothesis states that our self-esteem reflects the extent to which other people think well of us.

Accepted Answer

The sociometer hypothesis suggests that our self-esteem is related to how much others value us, and that it evolved as an adaptation to help us monitor our social status and regulate our behavior in order to maintain positive relationships with others.

Question 16

Interdependent self-construals are prevalent in many Asian cultures.

Accepted Answer

Interdependent self-construals, which emphasize interconnectedness and interdependence with others, are commonly found in many Asian cultures such as Japan, China, and Korea.

Question 17

Self-verification theory predicts that people strive for unrealistically positive views of the self.

Accepted Answer

Self-verification theory suggests that people strive for consistency and confirmation of their existing self-concepts, whether positive or negative, rather than unrealistically positive views.

Question 18

Most people tend to hold very accurate views of themselves and their abilities.

Accepted Answer

In reality, many people have a tendency to overestimate their abilities and view themselves more positively than objectively accurate. This is known as the "illusory superiority" effect or the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Question 19

Social comparison theory holds that people tend to compare themselves with others when there is no objective standard in the domain of interest.

Accepted Answer

Social comparison theory asserts that people seek out other people to compare themselves to when objective standards are not available in the domain of interest.

Question 20

Recall Tory Higgins's argument that people compare their "actual selves" with other "selves" and that these comparisons have important motivational implications.Which of the following is/are NOT among the "selves" to which Higgins refers?

Accepted Answer

Higgins's theory includes the "ideal" self and the "ought" self, but not the "optimal" self.

Quiz 3: The Social Self