A newer look: Motivated social cognition and the schematic representation of social concepts

In this article, I argue that the basic building blocks of social cognition , the schemata people possess of social traits and concepts, are shaped by motivations to retain flattering images of the self As such, motivational i nfluences on social cognition are more subtle and pervasive than usually ac knowledged in the social cognitive literature. I review research showing th at people possess self-flattering schemata of social concepts. I describe e xperimental work demonstrating that it is, indeed, the motivation to mainta in self-worth prompting the self-serving nature of these schemata, detailin g how these studies withstand the usual cognitive reinterpretations offered for motivational findings. Finally, I suggest that the field of social cog nition reconsider the issues and insights of the New Look tradition, which concerned itself first and foremost with how people reconciled incoming soc ial information with the perceiver's goals, wishes, fears, and desires.