Self-Esteem Response Paper
Read:
-Chapter
5 in your textbook.
-Baumeister (1999)
-Crocker & Knight (2005)
Please type (double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt font or equivalent) responses to each of the below questions. I anticipate your responses, in total, will take approximately 4-5 pages. You should number your responses -- no need to weave your question answers into a "paper." Please note that I will be looking for explicit references to the concepts and studies contained in the textbook and the articles you read, in addition to your own thoughtful critique.
Practice citing your sources properly. In addition to any paragraph breaks you put within your answers, you should consider each new question a new paragraph and cite sources accordingly. Include a references page. Submit your paper via the assignment pages listed under "Course Documents" in Blackboard. Instructions on how to do this can be found posted on Blackboard.
Your work will be graded on the following criteria: form (following instructions, grammar, etc.), appropriate detail, quality of opinions and claims, use of accurate and appropriate evidence.
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How does Baumeister define "low" self-esteem?
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Answer
question 1 at the end of the Baumeister article (labeled page 24).
- Answer
question 4 at the end of the Baumeister article.
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Baumeister argues that, because people who are unlikable, unattractive and incompetent have low self-esteem, one purpose of self-esteem must be to alert us to these maladaptive characteristics and motivate us to improve upon these qualities. Using your textbook, briefly define the sociometer hypothesis and discuss the link between Baumeister's assertion and this concept.
- Define a "contingency of worth." The sociometer hypothesis, and Baumeister's article both suggest that humans are highly motivated to maintain high self-esteem. According to Crocker & Knight, what costs do people face when seeking self-esteem? Discuss at least 2 examples of costs and try to relate them directly to the sociometer hypothesis.