Psych 205 1st Edition Lecture 18 Outline of Last Lecture I. The Humanistic Approach: Theory, Application, and AssessmentOutline of Current Lecture II. The Humanistic Approach: Relevant ResearchIII. LonelinessIV. Self-esteemV. SolitudeCurrent LectureIn todays lecture we finished up talking about self-disclosure with friends and romantic partners and gender differences.. We were introduced to more topics relating to the humanistic approach: loneliness, and self-esteem and solitude. Self-Disclosure Among Friends and Romantic Partners-Doesn’t always apply to close friends-more likely to discuss intimate topics but don’t need the reciprocity piece-Willingness to self-disclose linked to how easily one makes friends-Also strong predictor of relationship satisfaction-not necessary to be a high discloser but rather than you chose your partner to disclose toGender differences-Women disclose more intimately and to more people-Men revealing personal information perceived by others as indicator of poorer adjustment-Men and women are more likely to be accepted when they disclose within the appropriate societal roles for their genderThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.-Men-more acceptable if discussing masculine topics-Women-more accepted when discussing relationshipsDisclosing traumatic experiences-Experiments involved writing either about a personal trauma (experimental group) or about trivial topics (control group)-Effects if writing about trauma-Short-term increase in stress and negative mood-Long-term improvements in physical health and psychological well-beingBenefits of Expressive Writing-Provides insight about our thoughts and feelings-Let us see our emotions-Results in higher sense of mastery personal growth and self-acceptance-Possibly limited to cultures here expressing emotions is thought to lead to insightLoneliness-Pertains to our perceptions of and satisfaction with our social interactions-Occurs when a person’s network of social relationships is smaller or less satisfying than the person desires-Causes and consequences of loneliness vary as a function of culture and ageLoneliness as a Trait-Individual’s vulnerability to loneliness becomes a relatively stable over time-High scores on loneliness scales are related to:-Higher levels of social anxiety and self-consciousness-Lower levels of self-esteem and assertiveness-Pessimism, negative mood, depression, anxietyPathways between loneliness and health-Health behaviors: lonely people have poorer health habits-Stress exposure: lonely people experience more chronic stressors-Coping styles: lonely people use less effective coping strategies when dealing with stress-Stress physiology: lonely people experience unhealthy changes in physiology-Recuperation: lonely people are less able to rely on natural restorative processes that improve healthCauses of loneliness-Negative expectations-Entering a social situation with the expectation that it will not go well-Interpret any small sign as rejection-Recalled negative feedback better than the non-lonely participants-These expectations are very likely to impact actual development of relationships-Poorly developed social skills-Show little interest in others, talk about themselves too much or not enough, and give too much advice-Leads to avoidance of interactions and little opportunity to develop skills further-Interventions have been effectiveSelf-esteem-Self-concept- what people see as their personal characteristics-Self-esteem: the evaluation of that self-concept-Relatively stable self-evaluations-People with low self-esteem lack a basic confidence in themselves or an appreciation for who they areSelf-esteem and reaction to failure-Low self-esteem people after a poor performance-Don’t try as hard on the next test and perform more poorly and tend to give up early-High self-esteem people after a poor performance-Work just as hard on the second test regardless of how they did on the initial testWhy?-We are more likely to accept feedback that fits with our self-concept-Easier for someone with low self-esteem to believe feedback confirming their negative self-imageSelf-esteem and reaction to failure-In contrast, those with high self-esteem:-Develop personal strategies for blunting the effects of negative feedback-Tendency to respond to failure by focusing attention on good qualities rather than bad-Maintain feelings of high self-worth even in the fact of negative feedbackContingencies of self-worth-Areas people use to evaluate themselves-Two-step process resulting in global self-esteem-People identify domains that they consider important to them-Then focus evaluations of themselves based on how they do in the selected areas (global self-esteem)Where do these contingencies come from?-We pick and choose those places where we excel-Family and friends influence us-Different cultures emphasize different attributesUsing contingencies of self-worth to determine self-esteem-Advantages:-People don’t have to be competent at everything to feel good about who they are-Helps in understanding why some people have relatively stable feeling of self-worth-Disadvantage:-People sometimes select contingencies that are difficult to achieveContingencies of self-worth-People who rely on uncontrollable self-esteem contingencies put their emotional well-being on the line-People who base their self-esteem on contingencies largely under their control are less prone to depression and anxietySelf-esteem and culture-People from different cultures have different ideas about self-satisfaction-Individualistic cultures-personal achievements and independence are valued-Collectivist cultures- people derive self-satisfaction from their perceived relationships with othersSolitude-Interpreted relationships are among most important sources of happiness-Key indicator in positive psychology-Maslow found his “psychologically healthy” people were all similar in that they spent lots of time by themselvesTime Alone-Experience Sampling Method-Procedure to determine how often people spend time by ourselves-Found that we spend lots of time alone-People’s reactions to time alone-Less pleasant than time spent with others-Complain of loneliness and boredom-Eagerly seek out social interactionsTime Alone continued..-Short periods- measured in minutes and referred to as self-restoration and emotional