Case Study Summary
Susan is a single mother with one son whom she takes care of while attending online classes for her undergraduate studies at the university. However, her full-time job affects her responsibility as a mother. At the start of her online studies, Susan envisioned pursuing a career as an addiction therapist upon earning a master’s degree or Ph.D. in psychology. As a result, she was highly driven to aim at completing her undergraduate degree in psychology to improve her chances of landing a job and career advancement.
To realize her academic dream, Susan developed high standards for coursework, dedicated sufficient time to study, and increased her willingness to learn more about the profession of psychology at an advanced level. At the beginning of her education, she spent substantial time reading all coursework instructions, reviewing assignments, and remaining attentive to the instructor’s remarks. However, Susan began missing time with her friends and son as she enjoyed watching TV while relaxing.
Susan discovered her ability to answer many questions and write discussions and papers from her head, where she willingly took a slight hit on grades by excluding references and citations. She developed a mindset of just getting it done, which allowed her to finish her coursework in time and spend considerable time with her son and her personal life. Susan lost focus on becoming the most excellent therapist in the world as she thought her addiction client would not care about her GPA while in school. All she wanted was to obtain a degree in psychology to have a professional career, a better life, and earn more money.
Sources Supporting Self-Serving Bias Theory
Duval and Silvia (2002) provide evidence that self-serving bias is inconsistent, where they attribute success internally and failure externally. The author describes that internal success attributions were found constantly, and there were external and internal acknowledgments for failure. In the article by Duval and Silvia (2002), the authors explain success and failure by underscoring the intersection of two systems whereby they compare the self against a system of causal attribution and standards.
The article provides evidence that attributions of failure and success were moderated by self-awareness and the capability to improve. In the article, the authors describe that having high self-focus attributes internally success, and the potential for a person to improve results in internal attribution of failure. The article also describes the implications of the self-serving bias, including how attributions of success and failure affect the state of self-esteem. The authors demonstrate how self-awareness of the self-serving bias is essential in changing how one learns from their mistakes and its potential impact on decision-making processes.
The article by Sanjuán and Magallares (2014) also provides detailed information on a self-serving attributional bias relevant to the case study. The article defines self-serving attributional bias as the tendency to acknowledge favorable circumstances as internal and stable causes while adverse conditions as external, certain, and unstable causes. The article describes how the theory relates to well-being as it aims at protecting individuals’ self-esteem.
The authors also reveal the features of the self-serving bias concerning positive interrelation and how coping strategies help in mediation. Sanjuán and Magallares (2014) analyze subjective well-being, coping strategies, and self-serving bias. The article describes how self-serving attributional bias indirectly affects life satisfaction by causing emotional imbalance through problem-solving and positive coping plans.
Application of Self-Serving Bias Theory to the Case Study
Self-serving bias is a theory that leads persons to accept credit for their success but deny blame for their failures. The case study on Susan is a better example than describing self-serving bias and how individuals take credit for their achievements and reject blame for failures. The theory is created to uphold high self-esteem and connect one with happiness.
In the case study, Susan appreciates that she can accomplish numerous assignments and coursework using her brain and has more time for her children. The case study also focuses on self-control and the notion of self-centered thinking, such that Susan pursues interests selfishly, like taking a full-time job that is problematic at the expense of more essential needs. In addition, Susan pursues the interest of spending time with friends at the expense of her educational work.
Relationship Between Social Psychological Research Studies and Particular Social Psychological Theory
Social psychology research provides in-depth information on what causes people to engage in particular behaviors in their social situations. In this case study, the social psychological theory involved is self-serving bias. The social psychological research conducted by Duval and Silvia (2002) and Sanjuán and Magallares (2014) offers reliable knowledge to understand the concepts. Psychologists depend on numerous scientific methods to analytically study sociological behavior and research the specific social psychological theory. Using these methods, the researchers can test theories and hypotheses and observe associations among diverse variables.
Application of Ethical Reasoning Concept to the Case Study
In Susan’s case study, an applicable ethical reasoning concept is loss aversion, which refers to the observation that people experience losses proportionally more harshly than comparable gains. As a result, human beings are more likely to act unethically to avoid a loss than to secure gains. In the case study, Susan has grand ambitions for the future at the start of her educational study path. She aspires to become a professional addiction therapist and attain a master’s degree or Ph.D.; to achieve this, she dedicates most of her time to education and rarely attends to her son and friends.
However, after a while, she reconsiders her grand plans for the future, and with selfish thinking, she concludes that none of her clients will require her GPA when attending to them. Susan acts unethically for fear of losing her friends and wanting to spend more time with her son. Susan fails to appreciate that focusing on her study would have landed her a good job and made her the best therapist, which, in return, would have promoted her well-being and that of her family and friends.
Application of Critical Thinking Concept to the Case Study
In Susan’s case study, there is a clear demonstration of the concept of clarity. Susan clearly understands who she is and knows where she wants to be in life. She knows her strengths and what she needs to do to succeed in life, such as spending much of her time doing educational coursework and performing more research on her career advancement prerequisites.
Susan can also discover her ability to write papers and discussions faster off the top of her head and answer many questions using her fast brain. By understanding that she can get her coursework done fast and spend time with friends and children, Susan demonstrates the concept of clarity. In addition, in her journey of career progression through education, Susan realizes that she only requires a degree to have a professional career, earn lots of money, and live a better life.
References
Duval, T. S., & Silvia, P. J. (2002). Self-awareness, probability of improvement, and self-serving bias. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 49. Web.
Sanjuán, P., & Magallares, A. (2014). Coping strategies as mediating variables between self-serving attributional bias and subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(2), 443-453. Web.