Question 1

When Carol was worried that her boyfriend had lost interest in her, her views about social issues became more extreme. McGregor at al. would say that Carol's behaviour is an example of _____________________
A) opinionated reasoning.
B) self-enhancement.
C) self-verification.
D) compensatory conviction.

Accepted Answer

McGregor et al. suggest that when people feel uncertain or threatened, they may adopt more extreme views as a way to compensate for their insecurity, a concept known as compensatory conviction.

Question 2

_______________ is a form of repression that serves the defensive function of keeping unwanted thoughts about the self out of conscious awareness.
A) compensatory conviction
B) self-enhancement
C) self-verification
D) self-complexity

Accepted Answer

Self-verification is a form of repression that serves the defensive function of keeping unwanted thoughts about the self out of conscious awareness.

Question 3

According to Linville, _____________ is an important buffer against stress, in that it reduces vulnerability to maladjustment.
A) compensatory conviction.
B) self-complexity.
C) social comparison.
D) self reference.

Accepted Answer

Linville's theory suggests that self-complexity, which involves having a multifaceted self-concept, helps buffer against stress by reducing vulnerability to negative outcomes when faced with stressors.

Question 4

Vincent's self-concept is relatively straightforward. He thinks of himself as a stockbroker, son, and collector of comic books. His friend Jim's self-concept is more complex. Although Jim's job as a lawyer is important to him, Jim has many other interests and responsibilities. Jim's self concept encompasses but is not limited to his work as a lawyer, being a parent to his two children, being part of a closely-knit network of friends, his volunteer work in a neighbourhood association, his role as treasurer of a radio-controlled airplane club, and so forth. Coincidentally, Vincent and Jim lose their jobs at the same time. According to Linville, we would expect that:
A) Jim will be more distressed by his job loss than Vincent, because losing his job also interferes with Jim's ability to fulfill the role of being a provider for his children.
B) Jim will be more distressed by his job loss than Vincent, because Jim's self-concept requires him to fulfill many roles, and Vincent's self-concept does not.
C) Vincent is likely to be more distressed than Jim, because Vincent's self-concept is more heavily invested in work than is the case for Jim.
D) We have no way of predicting who will be more distressed by the loss of a job.

Accepted Answer

Vincent is likely to be more distressed than Jim because his self-concept is more narrowly focused on his job, whereas Jim has a more complex self-concept with multiple roles and interests, providing him with other sources of identity and fulfillment.

Question 5

The spontaneous self-concept:
A) is primarily concerned with self-esteem.
B) is assessed by a measure that has an individual indicate which of a long list of adjectives applies to him or herself.
C) is multifaceted, with at least seven components
D) is not useful in research about the self-concept because it is too subjective.

Accepted Answer

The spontaneous self-concept is multifaceted, with at least seven components, reflecting the complexity and diversity of how individuals perceive themselves in different contexts and situations.

Question 6

According to the distinctiveness hypothesis:
A) individuals are disproportionately more likely to spontaneously mention any unique factors they may possess when describing themselves.
B) people want to fit in, and will attempt to minimize characteristics that set them apart from others.
C) all people are unique in their own way.
D) people with distinctive characteristics have higher than average self-esteem.

Accepted Answer

The distinctiveness hypothesis suggests that individuals are more likely to mention unique or distinctive traits about themselves when describing their identity, as these traits stand out in their social context.

Question 7

Identify the statement about possible selves (Markus and Nurius) that is incorrect:
A) People who focus on their positive possible self become anxious that they will not be able to fulfill their own expectations.
B) People who are cognitively preoccupied with the feared possible self will be highly anxious.
C) People who are preoccupied with the negative possible self may be motivated to take steps to make sure that this possible self does not actually occur.
D) People with a desirable possible self will be motivated to perform behaviours and conduct themselves in ways that help them achieve this goal.

Accepted Answer

People who focus on their positive possible self are generally motivated and optimistic, rather than anxious, as they work towards fulfilling their expectations.

Question 8

E. Tory Higgin's work on self discrepancy theory considers:
A) the feared possible self and the desirable possible self.
B) the feared possible self, the desirable possible self, and the discrepancies between them.
C) the ideal self, the actual self, and the ought self.
D) the idealized and actual self

Accepted Answer

Tory Higgins' self-discrepancy theory focuses on the differences between the ideal self, the actual self, and the ought self, which are central to understanding emotional vulnerabilities and self-regulation.

Question 9

Courtney has a large discrepancy between her actual self and ought self. According to E. Tory Higgins, we would expect that Courtney would:
A) experience depression.
B) experience anxiety.
C) experience anxiety only if she developed health difficulties.
D) experience anxiety and depression.

Accepted Answer

According to E. Tory Higgins' self-discrepancy theory, a discrepancy between the actual self and the ought self is associated with feelings of anxiety.

Question 10

In a study comparing idiographic and nomothetic measures of appearance related discrepancies it was found that:
A) idiographic and nomothetic measures are equivalent.
B) idiographic measures are more accurate than nomothetic measures.
C) nomothetic measures are more accurate than idiographic measures.
D) nomothetic and idiographic measures can yield substantially different results.

Accepted Answer

Idiographic and nomothetic measures can yield substantially different results because idiographic approaches focus on individual cases and personal experiences, while nomothetic approaches focus on general laws and commonalities across groups.

Question 11

Findings on self-discrepancy theory indicate that:
A) self discrepancies are generally stable over time.
B) self ideal discrepancies are related to postpartum depression.
C) the magnitude of the perceived discrepancy between a person's actual and ideal appearance is a predictor of eating disorder symptoms.
D) all of the above.

Accepted Answer

Self-discrepancy theory suggests that discrepancies between a person's actual self, ideal self, and ought self can lead to negative psychological outcomes. Research has shown that self-ideal discrepancies are related to postpartum depression, and that the magnitude of the perceived discrepancy between a person's actual and ideal appearance is a predictor of eating disorder symptoms.

Question 12

One criticism of E. Tory Higgins's work on self-discrepancy theory (SDT) is that:
A) the theory is presented in such abstract terms that it cannot be tested.
B) the theory lacks applied value.
C) the empirical distinction between ought and ideal selves is quite blurry.
D) SDT pathologizes minority group members.

Accepted Answer

The criticism is that the empirical distinction between the "ought" self and the "ideal" self is not always clear, making it difficult to test and apply the theory effectively.

Question 13

Findings on self-esteem indicate that:
A) self-esteem rises in childhood and falls in adulthood.
B) self-esteem increases through adulthood and then drops in elderly participants.
C) self-esteem is highly variable, and no general trends were observed.
D) females have higher self-esteem than males.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that self-esteem tends to increase through adulthood and then declines in older age, often due to changes in life circumstances and health.

Question 14

In their work on the culture of self worth, Twenge and Campbell report that:
A) there has been a steady increase in overall levels of self-esteem across generations.
B) levels of depression have steadily declined in successive generations.
C) the culture of self-worth has paid off in societal improvements.
D) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

Twenge and Campbell's research indicates that there has been a steady increase in overall levels of self-esteem across generations, but they do not report a decline in depression or societal improvements as a result.

Question 15

Self competence:
A) is similar to Bandura's concept of self efficacy.
B) involves a perceived sense of social worth.
C) reflects positive or negative evaluations of the self and related feelings of self-worth that stem from internalized social standards of appropriateness.
D) is negatively correlated with self-worth.

Accepted Answer

Self competence is similar to Bandura's concept of self-efficacy, which involves an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

Question 16

Identify the case example that illustrates the concept of paradoxical self-esteem.
A) Anthony has high self-liking and high self-competence, despite very poor performance in school.
B) Marta, who is well-liked by her co-workers and successful in her job has high self-esteem.
C) Connie has been fired from several jobs and has few friends. She is low in self-liking and self-competence.
D) Caitlin has low self-liking, high self-competence, and is a highly successful orthopedic surgeon.

Accepted Answer

Paradoxical self-esteem occurs when there is a discrepancy between self-liking and self-competence. Caitlin's low self-liking but high self-competence, despite her success, illustrates this paradox.

Question 17

_________________ involves automatic evaluations and reactions to the self that occur outside of conscious awareness.
A) Explicit self-esteem
B) Self-endorsement
C) Implicit self-esteem
D) Self-verification

Accepted Answer

Implicit self-esteem refers to the automatic and unconscious evaluations and reactions to oneself, unlike explicit self-esteem, which involves conscious self-assessment.

Question 18

Recent evidence suggests_________________ correlations between implicit and explicit self-esteem.
A) small but significant positive
B) large positive
C) non-significant
D) large negative

Accepted Answer

Recent evidence suggests that there are small but significant positive correlations between implicit and explicit self-esteem, indicating that while they are related, they are not strongly aligned.

Question 19

Sean is high in defensive self-esteem. We can expect that:
A) Sean has high implicit self-esteem and low explicit self-esteem.
B) Sean has low implicit self-esteem and high explicit self-esteem.
C) Sean's self esteem is strongly tied in to his changing circumstances.
D) A and C above

Accepted Answer

Individuals with defensive self-esteem often have high explicit self-esteem (how they consciously view themselves) but low implicit self-esteem (their unconscious self-view), leading them to be more defensive when their self-esteem is threatened.

Question 20

_________________ is the self worth that a person derives from being a part of social organizations.
A) mattering
B) social self-esteem
C) collective self-esteem
D) group self-esteem

Accepted Answer

Collective self-esteem refers to the self-worth that individuals derive from their membership in social groups or organizations.

Quiz 11: Personality Theory and the Self-Concept

When Carol was worried that her boyfriend had lost interest in her, her views about social issues became more extreme. McGregor at al. would say that Carol's behaviour is an example of _____________________

_______________ is a form of repression that serves the defensive function of keeping unwanted thoughts about the self out of conscious awareness.

According to Linville, _____________ is an important buffer against stress, in that it reduces vulnerability to maladjustment.

The spontaneous self-concept:

According to the distinctiveness hypothesis:

Identify the statement about possible selves (Markus and Nurius) that is incorrect:

E. Tory Higgin's work on self discrepancy theory considers:

Courtney has a large discrepancy between her actual self and ought self. According to E. Tory Higgins, we would expect that Courtney would:

In a study comparing idiographic and nomothetic measures of appearance related discrepancies it was found that:

Findings on self-discrepancy theory indicate that:

One criticism of E. Tory Higgins's work on self-discrepancy theory (SDT) is that:

Findings on self-esteem indicate that:

In their work on the culture of self worth, Twenge and Campbell report that:

Self competence:

Identify the case example that illustrates the concept of paradoxical self-esteem.

_________________ involves automatic evaluations and reactions to the self that occur outside of conscious awareness.

Recent evidence suggests_________________ correlations between implicit and explicit self-esteem.

Sean is high in defensive self-esteem. We can expect that:

_________________ is the self worth that a person derives from being a part of social organizations.