Chapter Introduction

CHAPTER 6

The Key Self-motives: Consistency, Esteem, Presentation, and Growth

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TOPIC OVERVIEW

  • The Motive to Maintain a Consistent Self

    Self-consistency at the Micro Level: Cognitive Dissonance Theory

  • SOCIAL PSYCH OUT IN THE WORLD
    Dissonance Can Make for Better Soldiers

    Dissonance Can Make for Better Soldiers

    Self-consistency at the Macro Level: Sustaining a Sense of the Self as a Unified Whole

  • The Self-esteem Motive: Establishing and Defending One’s Value

    What Is Self-esteem, and Where Does It Come From?

    Maintaining and Defending Self-esteem

    Why Do People Need Self-esteem?

    The Influence of Treatment by Others: Ostracism

    Protecting and Enhancing Self-esteem: Cultural Differences

    Types of Self-esteem

    Application: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Self-esteem

  • Self-presentation: The Show Must Go On

    The Dramaturgical Perspective

    Application: The Unforeseen Consequences of Self-presentation

    Individual Differences in Self-presentation

    Audience-monitoring Errors

    The Fundamental Motivations for Self-presentation

  • Motives for Growth and Self-expansion

    Self-determination Theory

    The Overjustification Effect: Undermining Intrinsic Motivation

    Application: How to Maximize Self-growth

  • SOCIAL PSYCH AT THE MOVIES
    Blue Jasmine

Your sense of self—who you are—is not something that exists solely in your own head. Instead, it is an active force that interacts with the social world to achieve certain goals. Put simply, the self wants certain things. Four self-motives have been particularly important to people across cultures and historical periods. People want to view themselves as a coherent whole; to see themselves in a positive light; to control how others perceive them; and to grow, learn, and improve.