A.P. Psych-Unit 10-Mod. 59

Who first proposed the social-cognitive perspective, and how do social-cognitive theorists view personality development?

-Albert Bandura first proposed the social-cognitive perspective, which views personality as the product of the interaction between a person's traits (thinking too) and the situation-the social context -the behavioral approach contributes an understanding that our personality development is affected by learned responses -social cognitive researchers apply principles of learning, as well as cognitive and social behavior, to personality -reciprocal determinism is a term describing the interaction and mutual influence of behavior, internal personal factors, and environmental factors -research on how we interact with our environment evolved into research on the effects of optimism and pessimism, which led to a broader positive psychology

What evidence reveals self-serving bias, and how do defensive and secure self-esteem differ?

-self-serving bias is our tendency to perceive ourselves favorable as when viewing ourselves as better than average or when accepting credit for our successes but no blame for our failures -defensive self-esteem is fragile, focuses on sustaining itself, and views failure or criticism as a threat -secure self-esteem enables us to feel accepted for who we are

How do social-cognitive researchers explore behavior, and what criticism have they faced?

-social-cognitive researchers tend to believed that the best way to predict someone's behavior in a given situation is to observe that person's behavior in similar situations -they have been faulted for underemphasizing the importance of unconscious dynamics, emotions, and inner traits. Their response is that the social-cognitive perspective builds on psychology's well-established concepts on learning and cognition and reminds us of the power of situations

Why has psych. generated so much research on the self? How important is self-esteem to psych. and to the human well-being?

-the self is the center of personality, organizing our thoughts, feelings, and actions -considering possible selves helps motivate us toward positive development, but focusing too intensely on ourselves can lead to the spotlight effect -high self-esteem (our feeling of self-worth) is beneficial, but unrealistically high self-esteem is dangerous (aggressive behavior) and fragile -self-efficacy is our sense of competence

How do individualist and collectivist cultures influence people?

-within any culture, the degree of individualism or collectivism varies from person to person. Cultures based on self-reliant individualism, like those found in North America and W. Europe, tend to value personal independence and individual achievement. They define identity in terms of self-esteem, personal goals and attributes, and personal rights and liberties. Cultures based on socially connected collectivism, like those in many parts of Asia and Africa, tend to value interdependence, tradition, and harmony, and they define identity in terms of group goals, commitments, and belonging to one's group

self-serving bias

a readiness to perceive oneself favorably

narcissism

excessive self-love and self-absorption

individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

self

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thought, feelings, and actions

behavioral approach

in personality theory, this perspective focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

self-esteem

one's feelings of high or low self-esteem

self-efficacy

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

spotlight effect

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

social-cognitive perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context