Self-Discrepancy Theory

Running Head: SELF-DISCREPANCY THEORY 1 SELF-DISCREPANCY THEORY 8 Analysing Self-Esteem through Self-Discrepancy Theory Social psychology aims to explore the psychological processes that underlie the way in which individuals perceive themselves in relation to others. Self-discrepancy theory is an important concept that explains how perceptions of the self by an individual lead to assessments against others, and influence self-esteem. In this essay, two separate instances of personal observation are analysed through self-discrepancy theory in order to identify the causes for the behaviour and to analyse the responses of the individuals and others involved in the situation. Insights from the theory and research are applied to the two observations and the results are used to assess the utility of self-discrepancy theory to analyse such situations. Description of Experiences The first experience that I observed related to a student whom I saw on campus. As he was sitting with his friend and I was within hearing range, I was able to hear in on their conversation. He was talking about some problems in his family, mainly…

This theory posits that different types of comparisons (i.e., comparing the self to some “idealized” form of the self or comparing the self to some “ought-to-be” form of the self) lead to different emotional outcomes (Higgins, 1987). These emotional outcomes include two separate classes of emotion: agitation-based and dejection-based feelings (Higgins, 1987). Each class of emotion requires different organizational or managerial reactions in order to dissipate (discussed in detail later; Higgins,…

Higgins et al (1986) study demonstrates the effects of this discrepancy in individuals. Researchers investigated this discrepancy among different aspects of anxiety and depression. They studied a group of students in order to discover if the discrepancy between actual and ideal/ought selves is low or high. They measured dejection and agitation before and after priming one of these 'selves' with the use of several questionnaires and scales. Results showed that when one tries to prime the ideal…

88). Allowing employees to have a degree of freedom and discretion can lead to greater job satisfaction. Pink (2009) states “Motivation 2.0 goal was to seek compliance, Motivation 3.0 seeks engagement and only engagement can produce mastery”. Whereas autonomy is of the greatest importance, mastery is equally significant. Mastery Autonomy and mastery are essential to Type I behavior. According to self-determination theory (SDT) research, “… people oriented towards autonomy and intrinsic…

Human potential was and still is studied by many theorists. Maslow and Roger both believe that people have the opportunity under the right circumstances to become the best person they can possibly be. The Self Determination Theory uses and organismic metatheory, and assumes that people want to move forward and be better within their life and discusses the different types of motivations(Guay 2013). This process then promotes full functioning which is when people use everything they can for their…

Self-Determination Theory "Self-Determination theory (SDT) is an approach to human motivation and personality that uses traditional empirical methods while employing an organismic metatheory that highlights the importance of humans’ evolved inner resources for personality development and behavioral self-regulation"(Ryan & Deci, 2000, p. 68). Within this paper onee will discuss the correlation between SDT and motivation in relations to personal individual growth, and professional development. …

Within self-determination theory it can be differentiated between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation. Students with autonomous motivation engage in learning from their own desire and interest without external force or pressure. In contrast, students with controlled motivation engage in learning because of external force or pressure. Cheon and Reeve (as cited in Leon et al., 2015) states that while not all students engage in learning and achievement out of intrinsic motivation,…

the theory chosen to counsel them may be their level of intelligence, ability to identify their thoughts or feelings, the length of time the client has for counseling, and more. Person-centered counseling was originally created by Carl Rogers in 1942. This type of counseling has since then evolved but research still proves this method of psychotherapy to be effective for certain types of people. Tommy Callahan from the movie Tommy Boy, which debuted in 1995, is…

Identity develops throughout our lifetime and continually changes as we go through different experiences. A lot of our identity in our youth is shaped by those around us; they define certain identities for us and teach us how to interpret our experiences. Sometimes, people who influence us go the extent of telling us what our identity should be, even if we don’t necessarily agree. As we age, we learn different perspectives from others and go through experiences that begin to shape our own ideas…

Facilitating Identity Achievement in Students Who am I? Where do I fit in? These are the questions that spur an individual to begin on their journey to develop their sense of self, a process known as identity formation. Although issues with one’s sense of identity could arise at any point in life, clinical psychologist Erik Erikson theorized that identity formation was most prominent in, and was the most critical developmental task of, adolescence. Ideally, in identity formation, an individual…