Showing posts with label self-concept. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-concept. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Psychology of Regret

 



Regret is a common unpleasant emotional response to a person’s memory of their response to an event or situation, which they wish had been different. A previous response may have been active or passive. That is, the person may regret a decision or an action or the failure to act. Regret is a multidimensional concept including emotion, cognition, and behavior in a social context and sometimes associated with health conditions. At our core, regret may influence our self-esteem, self-concept, and self-identity.

Assessing Regret

The assessment may lead to understanding the impact of regret and how to benefit from a regretted decision. These components of regret are the familiar psychological dimensions of functioning summarized in the  SCOPES model  where the six letters are an acrostic for six dimensions as seen below albeit in a different order.

Cognition- Regret involves thinking about the regretted action or inaction. Examples include a failure to invest or sell an investment, an action resulting in the loss of an important relationship or a missed opportunity to develop a relationship. Excessive thinking about the regret or rumination can result in considerable distress. Denial can interfere with accepting regret and moving forward.

Ignorance in the form of avoiding information about an upcoming event is a common way of dealing with the potential pain of regret. This phenomenon is referred to as anticipatory regret (see Gigernzer & Garcia-Retamero, 2017).

Emotion- Regret is an emotion accompanied by sadness and sorrow. Some stress inducing regrets lead to feelings of anger and anxiety. Strong emotions can be a catalyst for action.

Observable behavior-Regret may lead to avoidance of a person or situation in the future that is connected to the regret. Regret may also lead to engagement in a situation or relationship in order to avoid a regretted past mistake. In some cases, people may act to undo the effects of their past regretted actions. And some people may act in ways to overcompensate for their regrets, which can lead to burnout. These examples illustrate the influence regret can have on current behavior.

Physical-When regret leads to stress then there may be associated biological responses associated with stress such as headache, muscle tension, fatigue, impaired sleep, and so forth.

Social- Regrets often take place in a social context such as the common regret linked to effects on close relationships such as with romantic partners, parent-child relationships, and friendships.

Self- Regrets may affect components of our core sense of self such as our self-esteem, self-concept, and self-identity.

Managing Regret

Acceptance of regret may lead to releasing the sorrow and ending the associated re-thinking in order to focus on present decisions.

Practicing self-compassion can relieve the feelings of distress associated with regretted decisions. Self-compassion may include taking actions that you enjoy such as a mini-break from work, sitting in a hot tub, exercise, thinking of personal accomplishments, and replacing negative self-talk with positive statements.

Begin the process of self-forgiveness. When a past action resulted in physical or psychological harm then self-forgiveness may be an appropriate way to let go of the past and move forward.

Consult a psychotherapist. Sometimes, we may benefit from talking with someone who can guide us through the process of letting go of regrets.

Regret Theories

Scientists have studied regret and developed theories to describe the relationship among the variables that cause regret.

The Temporal Theory of Regret refers to the tendency to regret actions taken in the short term but regret inaction in the long term.

Decision Justification Theory suggests people regret choices that appear to lead to worse than expected outcomes.

The Belonging Theory of Regret is based on the tendency of people to regret actions that threaten their sense of belonging.

In behavioral economics, Regret Theory models choices under conditions of uncertainty and anticipated regret.

 Cite this post

Sutton, G. W. (2024, January 2). Psychology of regret. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2024/01/psychology-of-regret.html

References

Gigerenzer, G., & Garcia-Retamero, R. (2017). Cassandra's regret: The psychology of not wanting to know. Psychological review124(2), 179–196. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000055

Loomes, G., & Sugden, R. (1982). Regret theory: An alternative theory of rational choice under uncertainty. Economic Journal, 92(368), 805-824.

Morrison, M., & Roese, N. J. (2011). Regrets of the typical American: Findings from a nationally representative sample. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2(6), 576-583.

Roese, N. J., & Summerville, A. (2005). What we regret most... and why. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(9), 1273-1285.

 Sutton, G. W. (2024, January 2). Psychology of regret. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2024/01/psychology-of-regret.html


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

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Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.


Saturday, October 7, 2023

Imposter syndrome- psychology



Imposter syndrome refers to a constellation of features experienced by competent people who doubt their skills and abilities. They feel insecure and work harder to overcome these feelings. They fear being embarrassed or exposed as fraudulent.


Read more

Langford, J., & Clance, P. R. (1993). The imposter phenomenon: Recent research findings regarding dynamics, personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. Psychotherapy: theory, research, practice, training, 30(3), 495. Link: Langford.pdf (paulineroseclance.com)


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.





Friday, July 7, 2023

Conscience in Psychology


 Conscience is a component of the self that appears to organize moral guidance, which can influence moral thinking, emotions, and behavior. Conscience appears to be a factor in self-regulation.

An excessively demanding conscience can lead to scrupulosity and a conscience with low demands can be associated with antisocial behavior.

In 2023, Schutt and Exline examined components of conscience and suggested a model.

In the SCOPES model, conscience is a construct within the self primarily linked to the dimensions of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior. Conscience both influences social functioning and is influenced by social interactions.

Reference

Schutt, W. A., & Exline, J. J. (2023, May 18). Do Adults Believe That God or the Devil Can Influence Their Conscience? Links Between Religion/Spirituality, Beliefs About the Conscience, and Attempts to Follow One’s Conscience. Spirituality in Clinical Practice. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000320


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.


Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Self-Psychology- Concepts and Principles

 


The psychological study of the self includes a wide range of concepts. This post lists the self-terms in alphabetical order.

I suggest starting with the SCOPES Model of Human Functioning in which the self is the central organizing concept.

Then, read about Self-Concept and Self-Identity

Click on the terms to see more information.

Note, in psychology, terms using the word self and another word are always hyphenated.

 

Self-acceptance

Self-awareness

Self-censorship

Self-deception strategies

Self-defeating prophecy

Self-determination theory

Self-efficacy

Self-enhancement motive

Self-esteem

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Self-handicapping

Self-knowledge

Self-monitoring

Self-perception theory

Self-presentation

Self-protection

Self-reference effect

Self-serving bias

 Related posts

Identity formation

 

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Find tests about the Self in this Psychology Test List.

 

 

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

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You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Self-reference effect

 Self-reference effect is a psychological research finding that people attend to and remember more information when the content is related to oneself.


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Friday, November 26, 2021

Self-presentation

 Self-presentation is an act or behavior pattern that attempts to guide others' opinions about oneself.


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You can read many published articles at no charge:

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Self-knowledge

 Self-knowledge is knowledge about oneself or a set of beliefs about oneself. See self concept


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Self-handicapping

 Self-handicapping is a condition resulting from actions likely to produce failure or poor performance thus allowing a person to blame external conditions on the obstacle instead of one's ability.

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You can read many published articles at no charge:

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Self-censorship

 Self-censorship is the result of withholding information or ideas that would likely contradict the opinion of others.


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You can read many published articles at no charge:

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Self-awareness



 Self-awareness is the condition that exists when attention is focused on oneself.


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Self-Enhancement Motive

 The Self-Enhancement Motive is the desire to learn favorable or flattering news about oneself.

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Thursday, November 25, 2021

Self-deception strategies



Self-deception strategies are those ways people use to strengthen false beliefs about themselves.

Examples

A person who frequently drinks too much alcohol and gets overly angry denies they have a problem.

A person encouraged to believe they are very brave or courageous tolerates more pain--even dangerous levels-- than they would without such self-beliefs.

Read More

Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Lying to yourself: The enigma of self-deception. In M. Lewis & C. Saarni (Eds.), Lying and deception in everyday life (pp. 166-183). New York: Guilford Press

Goleman, D. (1985). Vital lies, simple truths: The psychology of self-deception. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Self-acceptance

 Self-acceptance is the evaluation of yourself as good without making any changes. You are acceptable as you are right now.

Monday, November 23, 2020

Self-Esteem



Self-esteem is a dimension of self-concept. Self-esteem is the value people place on themselves. We learn our self-esteem in various social contexts. Self-esteem may also be called self-worth.

Self-esteem is generally viewed as a person’s evaluation of their overall self-worth or value, which may include some informal and idiosyncratic summing up of intelligence, skills, likeability, appearance, and other personal attributes considered important in their society. People with high self-esteem see themselves as valuable contributors to their group, culture, or more broadly, their nation. Although self-esteem is subjective, scores on measures of self-esteem provide a basis for identifying what constitutes the commonly used terms of high and low self-esteem. A general finding is that people are motivated to maintain high self-esteem and defend one’s self esteem against challenges. A large portion of the recent interest in self-esteem is related to the interest in terror management theory (TMT), which posits that self-esteem functions as a buffer against threats to one’s existence, anxiety, and meaninglessness. 


Recent theorizing suggests self-esteem develops in the interplay of children with early attachment figures. In this view, attachment theory and terror management theory converge as self-esteem develops in the context of close relationships and serves a protective function (See Pyszczynski et al., 2004 for a review). A widely used measure of self-esteem is the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965).


Related Posts

Lifespan Self-esteem Scale

Self-Concept

References

Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Arndt, J., & Schimel, J. (2004). Why Do People Need Self-Esteem? A Theoretical and Empirical Review. Psychological Bulletin130(3), 435–468. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.435

Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400876136










Thursday, November 19, 2020

Self-Concept and Self-Identity


 
Who Am I?

SELF-CONCEPT

The concept, self-concept, has been used by psychologists to refer to a mental construct known as the self. The self or self-concept is our view of who we are, which is based upon the content of our memories about ourselves. The self-concept is not a total perspective on ourselves but rather a view that depends on information in our awareness. Some of the information about ourselves consists of private knowledge and other views are based on feedback from others in numerous social contexts throughout the time of our life. Thus, self-concept is both a personal mental construct and a social construct.

Self-concept is both a personal and a social construct.

   Self-concept begins to develop before children have speech as evident from studies of children responding to themselves in mirrors. They retain an image of themselves. Our self-image is part of our self-concept.

   As in the SCOPES model where the first S represents the self, the self, or self-concept, is a mental construct that organizes information about ourselves and draws on information from the remaining four personal dimensions represented as COPE (Cognitions, Observable behavior patterns, Physiology, Emotions) all within a social context, the final S.

Self-concept, Sutton, G. W. 2023



SELF-IDENTITY

   Self-identity is like a role we enact as part of a social group. Self-identity is who we are (self-concept) in a social context. Our roles include such common identity-creating experiences as student, worker, lover, parent, child, and so forth. The social context where we live out these roles demands we act in certain ways. By way of these demands or expectations, social groups shape our identity within the group and thereby influence our self-concept. Thus, schools, religious and social organizations, businesses, political groups, friendship groups, couple dyads, and families influence our multiple identities. Note that some writers appear to use the terms self-concept and self-identity interchangeably. I take the view that self-identities are components of one's self-concept.


Self-identity, Sutton, G. W. 2023


   Self-identities exist in a network and vary in degree of saliency in response to a social context. A psychologist providing psychotherapy may get word that their child has been taken to a hospital. The startling event makes the parent role salient and temporarily sets aside the career identity.

Most people are religious or spiritual. For many, their spirituality is a highly important aspect of who they are. Thus, we see people clarifying their religious or spiritual identity on social media sites. They proclaim the beliefs and values of their religious group and sometimes challenge the beliefs and values of those who would discredit their faith. In the process, we learn the importance of their spiritual identity.

   Race and ethnic identities are also very important to functioning in many cultures. Skin color, clothing, physical appearance, language and accent are some of the ways society identifies people as part of a particular group labeled as a race or ethnicity. In some contexts, laws, policies, and finances are tied to being a member of an identified racial or ethnic group, which draws attention to those who are in one group and those who are not.

   Gender Identity is a recent topic with an expanding literature. The terminology has changed rapidly as scientists and clinicians listened to people's experiences about ways to understand gender identity and how people with different gender identities interact with others, which includes sexual orientation.

   Identity theory considers how groups and people interact in a dynamic way shaping the self and the group. An example of this interaction can be seen in the interaction of political and religious identities influencing morality (e.g., see Sutton et al., 2019).

SELF-EFFICACY

Self-efficacy is the perception that a person can act in a way to achieve a desired goal. In 1977, Albert Bandura of Stanford University wrote an extensive article on the theory of self-efficacy. He proposed that our perceptions of self-efficacy come from four sources: “performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states (191).” Click to read more on Self-Efficacy.

BOOKS BY ALBERT BANDURA ON SELF-EFFICACY & RELATED CONCEPTS


SELF-ESTEEM

Self-esteem is the value people place on themselves. We learn our value in various social contexts. We are better at somethings and not other things. Self-esteem appears to influence performance in various life tasks. There are several measures of self-esteem--see links below.

SELF-AWARENESS

Our awareness of various dimensions of ourselves. The focus of our awareness varies throughout a day. When focused on some activity, we ignore other aspects of our functioning. For example, some of us can ignore pain when we are busily engaged in the pursuit of some goal.

Notes

Note that psychological scientists have not been consistent in the way they use terms like self and self-concept. This lack of consistency is why I recommend thinking of the self and self-concept as equivalent. In addition, the terms self and self-concept have been criticized for being vague or as philosophers say, they are “fuzzy concepts.” Moreover, some clinicians see people as having multiple self-concepts, which may be akin to experiences of people presenting as if they have multiple personalities or, functioning in dissociative states. Regardless of the disagreements, there is a large body of research about self-concepts and related terms and some evidence indicates that aspects of our self-concepts influence behavior.

To learn more about self-concept and self-identity, see the review by Oyserman et al. (2012). Also, see many of the books and articles by Roy F. Baumeister and his colleagues.

References

Oyserman, D. & Elmore, K. & Smith, G. (2012) Self, self-concept, and

identity. J. Tangney and M. Leary (Eds). The Handbook of Self and Identity, 2nd

Edition, pp 69-104, New York, NY: Guilford Press.

 

Sutton, G. W., Kelly, H. L., & Huver, M. (2019). Political identities, religious identity, and the pattern of moral foundations among conservative Christians. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 48, pp. 169-187. Online October 16, 2019. Issue published September 1, 2020. ResearchGate Link     Academia Link

 

Related Concept Posts

 

Self-concept, Identity, and Politics

 

Self-Efficacy

 

SCOPES model

 

Related Scales and Questionnaires

 

Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire


Academic Self-Efficacy Scale for Students


Academic Self-Efficacy Scale


New General Self-Efficacy Scale


Gender-Identity-Dysphoria Questionnaire


Racism Scale


Ambivalent Sexism Inventory


Measuring Spiritual Beliefs


Measuring Spiritual Practices


Measuring Religious Fundamentalism

 

 

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