Category: Self

Value Priorities Definition Value priorities are principles that provide people with a way of knowing what they must do and what type of person they must be so that they can live the best way possible, taking into account their environment and personal attributes. Value priorities therefore provide people with a way of knowing what… Continue reading Value Priorities

Symbolic Self-Completion Definition Symbolic self-completion refers to having or seeking social symbols of achievement regarding a goal important to one’s self-identity. R. A. Wicklund and P. M. Gollwitzer’s symbolic self-completion theory was based on the pioneering work of Kurt Lewin and his collaborators. Wicklund and Gollwitzer posited that once an individual commits to a goal,… Continue reading Symbolic Self-Completion

Spotlight Effect Definition The spotlight effect is a very common psychological phenomenon that psychologists define as a person’s tendency to overestimate the extent to which others notice, judge, and remember his or her appearance and behavior. In other words, it represents a person’s conviction that the social spotlight shines more brightly on him or her… Continue reading Spotlight Effect

Social Comparison Definition Social comparison involves thinking about information about one or more other people in relation to the self. People may compare themselves with other people for a variety of reasons: to evaluate themselves (e.g., How good at math am I?), to learn from others (e.g., How much did that person study to ace… Continue reading Social Comparison

Self-Stereotyping Definition Self-stereotyping occurs when individuals’ beliefs about their own characteristics correspond to common beliefs about the characteristics of a group they belong to. This is generally measured in one of two ways. The first involves measuring the degree to which individuals describe themselves using characteristics that are commonly thought to describe members of their… Continue reading Self-Stereotyping