Considerable debate exists in the self-perception literature over the

Question

Considerable debate exists in the self-perception literature over the impact of positively biased self-perceptions on social and psychological functioning. Positively based self-perceptions are those in which an individual has a more positive opinion of himself than objective indicators warrant. One view suggests that positive perceptual biases are characteristic of normal human thought across a variety of domains and correlate positively with good mental and psychological health. Certain researchers and clinicians have even proposed that by boosting self-concepts, symptoms of depression and levels of aggression may be reduced.

Investigators on the other side of the debate maintain that when most positive self-perceptions are compared to an objective criterion, they appear neither positively biased nor adaptive. In fact, Baumeister, Smart, and Boden suggest that positively biased self-concepts may have a ‘dark side’. They proposed that it is persons with very positive self-views who are prone to be aggressive. As a result, building up individuals' self-perceptions may serve only to increase levels of aggression rather than curb them.

According to Baumeister et al., not all individuals with positive self-perceptions are going to be interpersonally aggressive. Rather, individuals who are extremely positive in their perceptions of themselves and their functioning are proposed to be the most likely to become angry and potentially violent. The mechanism that triggers aggressive behavior by these individuals has been suggested to be negative social feedback that challenges their positive self-views. Such threats to positive self-esteem give rise to anger and hostility.

If negative social information is encountered that challenges established positive self-perceptions, Baumeister et al. propose that individuals must choose to either accept the feedback and lower their self-perceptions or reject the feedback to maintain their positive self-views. The chosen reaction then influences their subsequent affective states and behavioral expressions. By accepting the external appraisals and adjusting self-perceptions downward, dysphoric feelings and social withdrawal may result. Conversely, the rejection of the validity of the unfavorable feedback results in feelings of anger and resentment toward the source of the threat. Dodge and colleagues demonstrated that children who interpret social cues as threatening direct their anger and aggression at the peers who gave the negative evaluations. Anger stemming from the receipt of social criticism is a way to deny the legitimacy of the negative information. By directing hostile reactions toward the source of the negative feedback, the influx of disconfirming information may end. Unless individuals react against the self-esteem threat, they may be compelled to revise their self-concepts negatively, in line with the information provided. By discounting the negative social feedback, individuals can protect themselves from dysphoric feelings and maintain their positively biased self-perceptions, but they may be setting themselves up to become interpersonally aggressive.

Although positively biased self-perceptions may place individuals at risk for negative social feedback and subsequent increases in aggressive behavior, not all positive self-concepts are suggested to be harmful. The relationship between positive self-perceptions and aggression may depend on the degree of perceptual distortion (i.e., moderate vs. extreme distortion). Baumeister (1989) and Baumeister et al. (1996) proposed that an optimal range of moderate bias might exist within which mental health is encouraged. Maladjustment in psychological and social functioning is suggested to occur when the degree of bias of self-perceptions shifts from moderate to extreme levels. Extremely negative and positive perceptual bias would be related to different but equally harmful difficulties.    1 
 1. The primary purpose of this passage is to

A. Present two explanations of a phenomenon and reconcile the differences between them
B. Discuss a plan for investigation of a phenomenon that is not yet fully understood
C. Challenge the validity of a theory by presenting evidence that the opposite is true in some cases
D. Summarize two theories and suggest a third theory that overcomes the problems encountered in the first two
E. Present evidence that resolves a contradiction

2 
 2. According to the passage, which of the following is mentioned as a factor in determining whether an individual with positively biased self-perception would actually be likely to perform an act of violence?

A. The gap between what the individual thinks about himself and how good he really is
B. The gender of the individual
C. The anger level of the individual’s peers
D. The individual’s ability to ignore dysphoric feelings
E. The validity of the unfavorable feedback

3 
 3. The passage discusses the likelihood of violence stemming from which of the following types of individuals?

A. An individual with a moderately positive self-perception who receives negative feedback from his peers
B. An individual with a highly positive self-perception who receives negative feedback from his peers
C. An individual with a highly negative self-perception who receives positive feedback from his peers
D. An individual with a highly negative self-perception who receives negative feedback from his peers
E. An individual with a dark side who receives negative feedback from his peers

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 24 Date: 14-Jan-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Source: GMAT 4 Full tests

vasutandon · Answer

can someone explain why question 1 would be c?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Welcome to GMAT Club!

Explanation

1. The primary purpose of this passage is to

Explanation

A. Present two explanations of a phenomenon and reconcile the differences between them

This is incorrect! Two explanations and reconciliation make this option wrong.

B. Discuss a plan for investigation of a phenomenon that is not yet fully understood

No plan is discussed in the passage. This is out.

C. Challenge the validity of a theory by presenting evidence that the opposite is true in some cases

This is correct! The passage challenges the validity of the theory that positively biased self-perception is closely correlated with normal human thought and good mental health by showing how a very high self-perception may lead to violent behavior.

D. Summarize two theories and suggest a third theory that overcomes the problems encountered in the first two

The author hasn't summarized any theory in the passage. This is incorrect.

E. Present evidence that resolves a contradiction

Although this option may seem lucrative but this partially correct and option C is better than this option.

The best answer is C.

Nishuchoudhary12 · Answer

Please explain q no. 2 why not b ????

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. According to the passage, which of the following is mentioned as a factor in determining whether an individual with positively biased self-perception would actually be likely to perform an act of violence?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

Keep in mind; we need to find a factor determining whether an individual with positively biased self-perception would actually be likely to perform an act of violence? This is a specific portion question, and one needs to know what portion they might have needed to read again. The following is the text from which the answer is built.

“The mechanism that triggers aggressive behavior by these individuals has been suggested to be negative social feedback that challenges their positive self-views.”

“The relationship between positive self-perceptions and aggression may depend on the  degree of perceptual distortion  (i.e., moderate vs. extreme distortion).”

Read the answer choices one by one and eliminate them until we find the correct answer.

A. The gap between what the individual thinks about himself and how good he really is

This could be the answer as it is in line with the quoted text from the passage. Keep it until we find something better than this option.

B. The gender of the individual

This is not a factor that determines what the question is saying.

C. The anger level of the individual’s peers

This is also not in line with the passage.

D. The individual’s ability to ignore dysphoric feelings

This is a distortion.

E. The validity of the unfavorable feedback

This is just a trap and looks second good option but again, not better than A.

Answer: A

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Considerable debate exists in the self-perception literature over the

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