Axel believes he is attractive because he perceives everyone else around him to be ugly. Which of the following theories of self-knowledge is most relevant to explaining Axel’s self-beliefs?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the scenario: Axel judges his own attractiveness based on his perception of others’ ugliness. This points to a process where self-evaluation is driven by comparing oneself to others.
Option 1: Self-Discrepancy Theory focuses on gaps between actual, ideal, and ought selves, predicting distress when discrepancies exist. While it explains internal conflicts about who we want to be versus who we think we are, it doesn’t specifically center on social comparisons to others’ attributes.
Option 2: Looking-Glass Self posits that our self-views are shaped by how we think others perceive us, effectively reflecting others’ opinions back to us. This emphasizes external feedback about us rather than a comparative evaluation of our attributes against others’ qualities. It’s close but not the core mechanism in Axel’s case, which is the act of judging oneself relative to others’ appearances.
Option 3: Self-Perception Theory suggests people infer their attitudes by observing their own behavior and the context, rather than introspecting internal states. It’s more about inferring preferences or attitudes from actions, not about evaluating one’s own attractiveness through social comparisons.
Option 4: Social Comparison Theory explains that people determine their own social and personal worth by comparing themselves to others. In Axel’s situation, he derives his sense of being attractive by deeming others ugly, which is a clear instance of horizontal social comparison influencing self-knowledge. This aligns directly with the theory’s core idea.
Thus, evaluating each option, the most fitting explanation for Axel’s self-beliefs is anchored in how individuals judge themselves through comparisons with peers, making Social Comparison Theory the most relevant choice among the presented options.
Note the subtle distinctions: while the Looking-Glass Self involves others’ perceptions, Axel’s judgment hinges on a relative comparison rather than a reflection of others’ opinions about him personally. Similarly, Self-Discrepancy and Self-Perception theories address different mechanisms (internal ideals or inferred attitudes) that don’t capture the exact comparative process at work here.

Axel believes he is attractive because he perceives everyone else around him to be ugly. Which of the following theories of self-knowledge is most relevant to explaining Axel’s self-beliefs?

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Axel believes he is attractive because he perceives everyone else around him to be ugly. Which of the following theories of self-knowledge is most relevant to explaining Axel’s self-beliefs?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

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