1. Chapter 14 Self-Concept and Self-Esteem
Human Motivation
Chapter 14
Self-Concept and Self-Esteem

2. Self-Concept
Sum of the attributes, abilities, attitudes, and values that an individual believes describes who he or she is; self-knowledge.
Ultimately determines the goals we set, how we evaluate progress of goals, and the impact of success/failure on goal-directed behavior.
Incorporates ideas of capacity to learn, capacity to work hard, and capacity to find the right path.
Plays organizational role (personal narrative); goal-setting role; motivational role.
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3. Self-Esteem
Aspect of the self-concept that is involved in making judgments about one’s own worth.
Effects how we react to such things as success and failure
Roots in the evolution of self-conscious emotions (Example: pride and shame); make it possible to experience high/low self-esteem.

4. Self-Concept The Biological Component:
Levels of consciousness- various qualities that reflect the dynamic quality of how we think and react to the world.
Consciousness has its roots in wakefulness and the ability to generate images of objects.
Higher levels of consciousness require lasting images (long-term memory) that we can retrieve any time; allows humans to use past to guide actions/make decisions.
Prefrontal cortex involved in creation of goals, planning route to goal, evaluating feedback, making adjustments; also involved in inhibition of responses.

5. Self-Concept The Learned and Cognitive Components:
The emergence of self takes place over time- learning and cognitive processes working together.
The self is both learned and constructed:
Learned by internalizing beliefs and attitudes of those around us; stems from need for relatedness.
Constructed by developing new beliefs as a result of our interactions; actively integrating information.

6. Possible Selves
Created selectively based on our experience in a given domain of expertise; result from combining, recombining elements of self.
Selectively become aware of abilities/talents, develop enduring sensitivity to tasks in which those abilities or talents might be relevant.
Links self-concept to goals; represent the future-oriented component of self-concept from the ideal self to the self we are afraid of.
Without possible selves, there is little to motivate goal-directed behaviors; starting points for change.

7. The Self
Self-Discrepancy Theory: discrepancy between the actual self (which represents the attributes we think we possess), and the ideal self (which represents our hopes, wishes, and aspirations; self-guide).
The Characteristics of Well-Defined Self-Concept:
Highly differentiated self-concept
A positive self-concept.
A self-concept linked to perceptions of competencies.

8. Implicit Theories Implicit Theories about the World:
Prototype 1: The world as threatening or malevolent.
Prototype 2: The world as benevolent.
Prototype 3: the world as benign.
The more people believe the world is benevolent or even benign, the more likely they are to construct broad and well-defined possible selves and to set difficult goals.

9. Implicit Theories Implicit Theories of Competence:
To understand the self, we must understand how people cope with, adapt to, shape, or embrace the external world.
The mastery strategy: involves three interrelated beliefs- we can acquire skills to survive, control the environment through skills, and have the capacity to create happiness and health.
The performance strategy: involves three interrelated beliefs- we can achieve what we want by learning rules of winning, winning is acceptable way to get ahead, happiness is result of winning.
Mastery oriented people are more likely to set difficult goals.

10. Self-Esteem and the Self-Conscious Emotions
When people have a good opinion about themselves and their ability to deal with important things in their lies (good self-esteem), they are inclined to take charge of their lives, set set difficult goals for themselves, and to aspire to do things that no other person has done before; central to developing competence.

11. High Self-Esteem
High self-esteem: pride in oneself in which one becomes aware and accepting of one’s imperfections while cherishing one’s inherent strengths and positive qualities.
We feel pride when we can take responsibility for producing a socially valued outcome or for being a socially valued person; pride can help sustain goal-directed behavior.
People with mastery orientation tend to be relatively high in self-esteem.

12. Low Self-Esteem
Low self-esteem: the shame that comes from appraising ourselves as lacking skills and abilities important to valued others.
People with low self-esteem engage in behaviors that perpetuate low self-esteem; do not accept positive feedback but do accept negative feedback; set low goals.
Need for predictability; need for self-verification; need to avoid shame.
People with performance orientation tend to be relatively low in self-esteem.

13. Terror Management Theory
People have developed self-esteem to shield them against a deeply rooted fear of death.
Self-esteem buffers anxiety associated with mortality.
Self-esteem reduces the effects of mortality salience.
Mortality salience increases self-esteem strivings.

14. Self-Esteem Sources of Self-Esteem Feelings:
Self-evaluation of success and failure.
Successes in valued domains.
Societal values.
There is a small, but significant difference favoring males.
Achieving self-esteem is important for living happy, productive, and healthy lives.
Strongly related to beliefs that people hold about themselves.

15. Costs of Pursuing Self-Esteem
Pursuit of self-esteem: what people do to achieve boots of self-esteem and avoid drops in self-esteem; self-esteem produces strong reactions which may serve as motivator.
Costs to autonomy: students who seek to protect, maintain, and enhance their self-esteem lose their ability to act autonomously.
Costs to learning and competence: often leads to shift in attention from a mastery and learning orientation to a performance orientation.

16. Costs of Pursuing Self-Esteem
Costs to relationships: self may become focus at expense of others.
Costs to self-regulation: self-regulation (controlling impulses) becomes difficult.
Costs to physical health: high anxiety and unhealthy coping.
Costs to mental health: often result in depressives symptoms.

17. Healthy Self-Esteem Self-esteem may promote well-being if:
Pursued through the development of competencies and positive relationships with others consistent with the surrounding values.
Strategies in dealing with mistakes, criticisms, and shortcomings correct their behavior rather than deny or distract from the problem.
Focus on the task, not the person.
In children, praise success and effort.
Parents who create atmosphere of acceptance and freedom from anxiety tend to promote the development of high self-esteem.