Social Psychology
Outline
I. Spotlights and illusions. a. Spotlight effect –It is the belief that others are paying more attention to our appearance and behavior than they actually are. b. Illusion of transparency- illusion that our concealed emotions leak out and can be easily read by others. c. Social surroundings affect our self- awareness. Ex- Being around people that look different than you make you notice how different you are and how different people perceive us. d. Self-interest colors our social judgment. Ex- When things go good at home, we see ourselves as more responsible. e. Self-concern motivated our social behavior – Ex – making a positive impression we worry about our appearance. f. Social relationships help define our sense of self. Ex- the way you act with certain people. Around mom. Friends. Boyfriends etc. g. Our ideas about ourselves affect how we respond to others and others help shape our sense of self. II. Who Am I? h. Self-concept – what we know and believe about ourselves. i. “Medial prefrontal cortex – located on the cleft between your brain hemispheres that stich together your sense of self. i. Self-schemas – beliefs about self that organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information. Example – if your friend’s birthday is close to yours, you will most likely remember it. ii. Possible outcomes- images of what we dream or dread becoming in the future. III. Development of the Social Self j. The roles we play k. The social identities we form l. The comparisons we make with others iii. Evaluating ones abilities and opinions by comparing oneself with others. m. How other people judge us iv. Looking glass self- Charles h.cooley described our use of how we think others perceive us a mirror of perceiving ourselves. n. The surrounding culture v. Individualism – concept of giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal