Chapter . Critical Learning Exercises - The Nature, Origins, and Functions of the Self

Answers will vary depending on whether the student believes they would be the same or have the same sense of self and self-concept if they grew up in a different place, or whether they would be quite different. If students believe they would be quite different, they may use information regarding how our culture, social environment, and experiences relate to where we grow up or live, which will in turn affect our self-concept. This would support social identity theory, that we define ourselves largely in terms of the social groups with which we identify, which can vary based on geographical location. However, if students believe they would be similar, they may think the family environment would be similar, thus leading to a similar self-concept regardless of the geographical location, or believe that self-concept is fairly stable and doesn’t change much from one occasion to another.

Students’ choice of trait will vary but they should clearly identify a trait, describe when they started to identify with that trait and what information they got from others about their trait, and apply the three major routes of self-knowledge (appraisals people get from others, their social comparisons, and their self-perceptions) to how they figured out who they are. Students should also include any other routes to self-knowledge they think social psychologists may have overlooked by considering how else they came to know about their trait.

Students’ reasons for why Quinn can’t get his act together will vary but should focus on his lack of progress in self-regulating toward goals, which means the possible answers may include the following: impulse control in focusing on his phone in class; reduced willpower as a result of the temptation of his phone; inability to delay gratification; his hot system of being on his phone is dominating his cool system to do well in the class; he may rate low in consideration of future consequences; ego depletion may have occurred if he has been utilizing self-control all day in other classes; and so on. Based on the three reasons the student provides, one should be selected as the focus of an intervention that will help Quinn get on track. Techniques from the chapter that may be used in this intervention include the following: strengthening willpower (reversing ego depletion); minimizing ironic processing; reappraising difficult situations (cognitive reappraisal); forming “if-then” rules to reprogram himself to situational cues with specific goal-directed behaviors and monitoring goal progress as he goes along (implementation intentions); relying on relationship partners for resources; maintaining a balance between self-focused pursuit of some goals and letting go of goals beyond his reach (self-regulatory perseveration theory); and so on.

Student’s responses for how the lack of a meaningful goal may pose a challenge to self-regulation will vary. Possible lines of discussion include the following: reduced cool processes due to lack of a long-term goal will be dominated by hot processes, reducing willpower for self-regulation; or constantly using self-control may deplete our ego strength, resulting in ego depletion and making it harder to regulate our behavior or be interested in our goals or options. Students should recommend ideas for how social psychologists might study this topic or boredom and how it relates to self-regulation.