Week 6: Self Esteem

Sociometer hypothesis

1. Estimate of whether or not we are esteem-able in the eyes of others. 2. Self esteem is a "gauge" in which we compare and measure how esteem-able we are. 3. Evolutionary speaking, we need to be liked by our group so that we are more likely to survive. Therefore, if we have low esteem, we engage in behaviors that will help increase it.

What does self esteem do for us?

1. Mark Leary's sociometer hypotheses & 2. Coping (helps us cope w/ difficult experiences)

Cognitive mechanisms

1. Our friends and family never really give us negative feedback. For example, as children our parents never tell us that we are "bad artists" when we are drawing a picture. Instead, they say "good job" even if we just make scribbles. Also, our friends never tell us if we are bad friends; instead, they just stop hanging out w/ us. This leads to us having high SE. If we did receive negative feedback, our views about ourselves would be closer to average. 2. You have more insights to your own attempts of being a good friend. That is, you mostly remember the instances of when you are a good friend. Also, you take a biased sample.

Motivational Mechanisms

1. We have "unconscious self-protective mechanisms" 2. Have unreasonably high self-esteem 3. We choose how to define comparison dimensions

High SE after failure

After failure, more positive self-thoughts are salient More persistent in face of failure, More motivated to restore mood, More willing to help

Self Verification

Blah

Self Enhancement

Blah2

Mechanisms used for giving biased answers (reasons why we favor ourselves)

Cognitive mechanisms & Motivational Mechanisms

Does having High SE lead to helping or hurting others?

DEPENDS. It depends on which opportunities to raise their self-esteem are available. HSE folks will help, hurt, or just watch a comedy - whatever is available to help restore their mood

Dodgson and Wood: Circulatory

Having a mind that focuses on the strengths is what makes you have a high self esteem in the first place (circular process)

Gambling After Failure: Baumeister, Heatherton & Tice (1993)

In this experiment, give subjects a set amount of money; allowed to keep money. When people were not threatened, they left with the same amount of money regardless of whether they had high or low SE. ( This is because they didn't fail and didn't get negative feedback) BUT if they did have a threat people w/ high SE ended up making bigger risks and reckless decisions so end up leaving w/ less money.

David Dunning's Change of Standards/Construal

In this experiment, subjects answered the question, "What makes a good friend?" Researchers then gave the subjects negative feedback and made them believe that they lacked these qualities (answers they had previously given as to what makes a good friend). Result: The subjects who were told that they lacked these traits shifted their believes and no longer valued these traits as being necessary on a good friend.

Self-serving Biases: Ross & Sicoly (1979)

Married couples were asked how many household tasks their spouse took responsibility for (out of 20) Each partner said they were responsible for handling 16 of the 20. Why? (Cognitively) You remember all the instances in which you take responsibility, but you hardly see /remember your partner doing the tasks. e.g., you're never there when your partner takes out trash, so you don't notice it as much.

Shelley Taylor's "self-serving biases" (Positive Illusions)

People think that they are 70% better in any dimension than everybody else. This is statistically impossible because everyone can't be 70% better than everyone else.

Why do High Self Esteem individuals feel better than Low Self Esteem individuals after failure?

People w/ high self esteem respond to threats to their ego differently. They respond in a way that lets them feel better more quickly.

Helping after failure: Brown & Smart (1991)

People with high Self Esteem are also more likely to help other people after failing (maybe by helping others you might feel better).

Gas tank vs. Gas gage

Should we try to increase self esteem? Because gage and the car moving are correlated we might believe gage causes movement (rather than gas in tank) Moving needle by hand to make car moveable is maladaptive In other words, giving people false feedback doesn't help them, it only creates bigger divide between how they see themselves and how they actually are. Instead, you want to give them more opportunities to improve how they see themselves.

Self-esteem: Brown & Dutton (1995)

Subject either received positive or negative feedback. Researchers observed their happiness as a function of whether they had low self esteem or high self esteem in general. Results: Those that received positive feedback, regardless of self esteem, felt happier. BUT those that had low self esteem and received negative feedback reported feeling much worse than those who received negative feedback and had high self esteem.

Self esteem

The extent to which we regard ourselves with respect. How we feel about ourselves. We are motivated to have it.

Accessibility to Positive & Negative Conditions After Failure: Dodgson & Wood (1998)

This experiment required subjects to hit button as fast as they could when they could identify with presented words that were strengths or weaknesses. Results: People w/ generally low self esteem showed no significant difference in strengths as a function of whether they failed the task or not. However, weaknesses become more accessible after failure (as is expected b/c failing should prime weaknesses). On the other hand, people of high self esteem do the opposite and are likely to focus on their strengths. Also, having high self esteem speeds up recovery and prevents rumination.

Self-serving bias: Epley & Whitchurch (2008)

This is the study about the faces (unattractive vs. attractive). Subject's face is morphed with unattractive and attractive faces. Subject is supposed to choose which face is actually hers. People tend to choose the face that is 20% more attractive than they actually are.

Watching comedy after failure: Heimpel, Wood, Marshall & Brown (2002)

Took individuals w/ general high Self Esteem and either failed or succeeded at a task. Those that failed were given choice between watching Natl geographic documentary or comedy w/ robin Williams. People w/ high SE are more likely to cheer themselves up by choosing comedy w/ robin Williams.

Threatened Ego & Aggression: Bushman & Baumeister (1998)

When people with high self esteem are threatened, they give others the loudest and most intense noise blast. When they're praised, no significant difference. only when threatened because they think that they will feel better if they make you feel bad. "Misery loves company."