Introduction to Social Psychology
The Power of Positive thinking
Fall 2021
Turana A. Aliyeva, MA,
MSW, PhD
Conflict
When most people see themselves as
more moral and deserving than others,
conflict among people and nations is a
natural result.
Self-efficacy
• Self-efficacy concept – a scholarly
version of the wisdom behind the
power of positive thinking (Albert
Bandura, 1986).
• Self-efficacy – an optimistic belief in
our own competence and
effectiveness
Self-efficacy (cont.)
• Self-efficacy is how competent one feels
to do something.
• Self-efficacy and the control over the
outcomes are linked to each other
• One may, feel like an effective driver (high
self-efficacy), yet feel endangered by
drunken drivers (low control).
Self-esteem & self control
• Depression and perception of reality
• Non-depressed people and positive
illusions about things such as control in
life.
Low self-esteem
• People with low self-esteem want pretty much the things
people with high self-esteem want:
– Their desires are the same.
– They want to be loved.
– They want to succeed. But they don’t expect it as much.
• People with high self-esteem kind of assume it will
happen, they’re kind of shocked when it doesn’t.
• People with low self-esteem don’t really think it’s going to
happen, to be loved to be successful, and when it does
they’re sometimes a little skeptical, like this might be too
good to be true
Low self-esteem
• Low self-esteem people tend to be more
focused on avoiding disaster than on
achieving success
The dark-side of selfesteem
• People with low self-esteem often have problems in
life—they make less money, sometimes abuse
drugs, and are more likely to be depressed
• Low self-esteem is seemingly caused by tough
childhoods.
• High self-esteem does have some benefits—it
fosters initiative, resilience, and pleasant feelings
Narcissism & self-esteem
• An inflated sense of self
• High self-esteem and value given to
both individual achievement and
relationships with others
• Narcissism and caring for others
Locus of control
• What do you think about your own life?
• Are you more often in charge of your
destiny, or a victim of circumstance?
Locus of control (cont.)
• a. In the long run, people get the
respect they deserve in this world.
• b. Unfortunately, people’s worth
passes unrecognized no matter how
hard they try.
Locus of control (cont.)
• a. What happens to me is my own
doing.
• b. Sometimes I feel that I don’t have
enough control over the direction my
life is taking.
Locus of control (cont.)
• Internal locus of control
• External locus of control
Learned helplessness
versus self-determination
• When people believe their efforts have
no effect they are more likely to
become passive
Uncontrollable
bad events
Perceived
lack of
control
Learned
helplessness
Locus of control
• Promotion of personal control will
indeed promote health and happiness
The cost of excess choice
• individualistic modern cultures have
“an excess of freedom,” causing
decreased life satisfaction and
increased rates of clinical depression
(Barry Schwartz, 2000, 2004) .
Self-control
• Childhood self-control predicts all manner of
successes in adulthood
• People with good self-control do actually get
better grades
• They are more successful in their work after they
leave school, they earn higher salaries
Self-control
• Lower self-control makes you more vulnerable to being
unemployed
• People with good self-control are more popular, they
have more stable, lasting friendships
• They’re actually happier, partly because they have less
stress in life.
Self-control & health
• People with high self-control are better
adjusted, mentally and physically
•
• The ultimate outcome is living longer
• Self-control and living longer
Self-control & longevity
• Intelligence
• People with good self-control do indeed live
significantly longer than people with poor selfcontrol.
Self-control & longevity
People with high self-control:
• Smoke less
• Drink less
• Behave better
• People with high self-control do better, enjoy life more
and actually live longer.
Activity
What are the benefits of having high self control
compared to having low self control?
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Better grades
Better fashion sense
Higher intelligence
Longer lasting relationships
More stable friendships
Happier
Live longer
What is high self-control?
There are three basic components of it:
• Standards (ideas of how you should be, they are goals,
moral principles, ideals, norms, other people’s
expectations)
• Monitoring (keeping track of the behavior)
• The capacity to change, willpower is the popular term
for it.
Any of these three components go wrong, it can undermine
your ability to control yourself effectively
Achieve your goals!
Think of a goal that you are working towards.
Using the three components of self control, break
down the elements to clarify your strategy on
attaining your goal.
• Standards - What are they? Are they realistic?
• Monitoring - How are you monitoring your
progress/behaviour? Are you regularly tracking
your behaviour?
• Willpower - What can you do to keep your
willpower high?
REFERENCES
Myers, D.G. (2011). Exploring Social Psychology. (6th ed). McGraw-Hill
Higher Education. (Module 5).
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS,
QUESTIONS