Question 1

Which of the following situations is at odds with the self-esteem approach to understanding human behavior?

Accepted Answer

The self-esteem approach emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive evaluation of oneself. Jorge's situation is at odds with this approach because he hates the camp he is attending and likely does not have a positive evaluation of himself while participating in the silly activities. The other situations all demonstrate individuals who maintain a positive self-evaluation despite challenges or differing opinions from others.

Question 2

Jacob was pouring gravy when he dropped the ladle and splattered gravy all over the tablecloth.In order to maintain his self-esteem, Jacob decided that

Accepted Answer

By attributing the mistake to the slipperiness of the ladle, Jacob is not putting the blame on himself but rather on external circumstances. This helps him maintain his self-esteem and avoid feeling incompetent.

Question 3

Josh and his friends have just started up a new fraternity on campus, and want to recruit men who will be loyal and love it.Based on the self-esteem approach, which initiation strategy would you recommend to Josh?

Accepted Answer

According to the self-esteem approach, making initiates undergo some form of hardship or challenge (in this case, "make them suffer a little") can increase their loyalty and love for the group. This is because individuals tend to value membership more highly in groups that are harder to join, due to the effort justification bias.

Question 4

Which of the following is not a likely consequence of the human tendency to prefer self-justifying information to accurate information?

Accepted Answer

The tendency to prefer self-justifying information can lead to maintaining self-esteem, making faulty decisions, and becoming less likely to learn from experiences. However, it is unlikely to result in gaining feedback that makes for better decisions as self-justifying information may not always be accurate.

Question 5

Garry is a physician and is convinced that his patient, Mr.Mraz, has cancer.However, after several diagnostic tests and a biopsy that came back negative, Garry rethinks his original diagnosis.He admits that he was wrong and does more research to find the correct diagnosis.In this case, which basic motive did Garry give in to?

Accepted Answer

By admitting he was wrong and doing more research, Garry is exhibiting the basic motive of the need for accuracy, which is the desire to have correct information and make accurate judgments.

Question 6

People often construe the world as they do in order to maintain a favorable image of themselves.This assumption underlies the ________ approach.

Accepted Answer

The self-esteem approach suggests that people have a fundamental need to maintain and enhance their positive self-image, and they may construe the world in ways that protect and boost their self-esteem. Therefore, this assumption underlies the self-esteem approach. The public image approach is focused on how people present themselves to others, the accuracy motive is concerned with the desire to have accurate beliefs about the world, and the self-perception approach proposes that people infer their attitudes and beliefs based on their behaviors and the context in which they occur. None of these approaches specifically addresses the idea that people may construe the world in ways that support their positive self-image.

Question 7

Many fraternities, sororities, and sports teams have initiation rituals.For example, at one school, all the members of the soccer team must wear unusual clothing everywhere on campus for an entire day and then have embarrassing haircuts.These rituals try to capitalize on the role of ________ in increasing commitment via self-justification.

Accepted Answer

These rituals involve a form of suffering or discomfort, which participants are likely to justify by increasing their commitment to the group, aligning with the concept of self-justification.

Question 8

When asked why she is always losing things, Veronique replies, "I'm not careless.It's just that I have more important things to think about." This response would be predicted by a social psychologist who understands Veronique's ________ motive.

Accepted Answer

Veronique's response reflects a self-esteem motive, as she justifies her behavior by attributing it to focusing on more important things, rather than admitting to carelessness. This is a way to protect her self-esteem.

Question 9

Melissa, Sally, Kathleen, and Lynne went mountain climbing.According to the self-justification approach, which one of the women would most appreciate the view from the top of the mountain?

Accepted Answer

Sally would most appreciate the view because, according to the self-justification approach, the effort and pain (pulling a muscle and getting scratched by thorns) she endured would make her value the achievement more.

Question 10

Social psychological research has convincingly demonstrated that the ________ the initiation to join a group, the ________ the initiates like the group.

Accepted Answer

Research in social psychology has shown that the more severe the initiation to join a group, the more the initiates tend to like the group. This phenomenon is explained by the effort justification aspect of cognitive dissonance theory, where individuals rationalize the effort they put into joining a group by increasing their liking for the group.

Question 11

What is one likely, undesirable consequence of foregoing accuracy in favor of justifying our past behaviors? Justifying past behavior can

Accepted Answer

If we prioritize justifying our past behavior instead of accuracy, we may overlook our mistakes and not learn from them. This can lead to repeated negative patterns of behavior in the future.

Question 12

One potential problem of justifying past behavior in order to protect our self-esteem is that

Accepted Answer

The answer of One potential problem of justifying past behavior...

Question 13

According to the authors of your text, people's evaluations of how good, competent, and decent they are is the definition of

Accepted Answer

The authors of the text define people's evaluations of how good, competent, and decent they are as self-esteem.

Question 14

Jordan's lover of four years just left him.He is hurt, angry, and confused, and says to himself, "He never did understand my need for independence." This explanation for the break-up best reflects which human motive?

Accepted Answer

Jordan is protecting his self-esteem by attributing the break-up to his partner's inability to understand his need for independence.

Question 15

According to the authors of your text, why do people sometimes construe information to feel good about themselves?

Accepted Answer

People have a basic need to maintain their self-esteem, which can result in construing information in a way that makes them feel good about themselves. This is a common psychological phenomenon and is not limited to narcissists. It is not necessarily a result of committing the fundamental attribution error, which relates specifically to attributing behavior to dispositional factors rather than situational factors. Additionally, accuracy in perception of reality is not always the top priority for individuals when it comes to maintaining their self-esteem.

Question 16

Rashim is viewed by most people he knows as rude, brusque, and completely unconcerned with other people's feelings.He, in contrast, describes himself as efficient and task-oriented.Rahim's self-description best reflects the motive to

Accepted Answer

Rahim's self-description as efficient and task-oriented, despite being viewed as rude and unconcerned with others' feelings by most people, reflects his motive to justify his past behavior. This justification helps him maintain a positive self-image despite negative perceptions from others.

Question 17

You might have heard the old Groucho Marx quip, "I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me for a member." From a self-esteem perspective in social psychology, what would be a more accurate-if less humorous-statement?

Accepted Answer

People tend to value memberships more when they have to put in effort or endure hardship to gain entry, a concept known as effort justification in social psychology.

Question 18

George just finished a poem, and is very proud of his work.He knows he should ask his instructor for some constructive feedback to improve it, but chooses not to because he is afraid of losing his sense of accomplishment.In this case, which basic motive did George give in to?

Accepted Answer

George's motivation stems from the need to feel good about oneself, which is related to self-esteem and self-worth. He doesn't want to risk losing the sense of pride and accomplishment he currently feels about his work by hearing criticism and suggestions for improvement from his instructor.

Question 19

Tom saw a weight-loss program advertised on late-night television.The ad claimed that deep breathing exercises would speed up metabolism, causing people to lose weight.He mailed a check for $99.95.When the plan arrived, Tom rearranged his day so that he could complete the breathing exercises as scheduled.They made him nauseated and dizzy, and before long, Tom's friends began to think that he was going overboard with the program, and they began to avoid him.After the end of the ten-week program, Tom got on the scale and saw that he hadn't lost an ounce! Still, he remained enthusiastic and thought, "I may not have lost any weight, but I feel so much healthier!" This situation is best explained by

Accepted Answer

Tom's belief that he was becoming healthier justifies the suffering he experienced from the program, even though it did not produce the desired weight loss results. This is an example of the justification of suffering.

Question 20

Given the choice between distorting the world in order to enhance their self-esteem or viewing the world accurately, people often

Accepted Answer

People often engage in self-enhancement strategies that allow them to maintain positive self-views while still acknowledging some reality. This can involve putting a slightly more positive or optimistic spin on things, rather than completely distorting reality, or accepting unflattering information with some degree of skepticism. This approach allows people to protect their self-esteem while still being able to function effectively in the world.

Quiz 1: Introducing Social Psychology