Psych Notes: Exploring the Self

Research on the self has  along history because the self organizes thinking, feelings, and actions and is a critical part of out personality.

1. Research focuses on the different selves we possess. Some we dream and others we dread. 
2. Research studies how we overestimate our concern that others evaluate our appearance, performance, and blunders (spotlight effect). 

Benefits of Self-Esteem
Maslow and Rogers argued that a successful life results from a healthy self-image. The following are two reasons why low self-esteem results in personal problems.

1. When self-esteem is deflated, we view ourselves and others critically. 
2. Low self-esteem reflects reality, our failure in meeting challenges, or surmounting difficulties.

Culture & Self-Esteem
People maintain their self-esteem even with a low status by valuing things they achieve and comparing themselves to people with similar positions.

Self-Serving Bias

We accept responsibility for good deeds and successes more than for bad deeds and failures. Defensive self-esteem is fragile and egotistic whereas secure self-esteem is less fragile and less dependent on external evaluation.