Question

Rob is definitely not the most attractive guy in the dorms, but he is extremely confident about who he is and how he looks. He is convinced that most women find him to be very attractive, and he, in fact, usually gets dates with women who are much more attractive than he is. What is the best explanation of Rob's success?

a) Representativeness heuristic
b) Self-affirmation theory
c) Self-esteem maintenance theory
d) Self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 1

Rob's success in dating can be attributed to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where his confidence and self-esteem influence his behavior, leading to the expected successful outcomes in social situations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best explanation of Rob's success in getting dates with women who are considered more attractive than he is can be found in the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person's belief about a situation influences their behavior in such a way that the situation unfolds as they expected, regardless of their objective characteristics.

In this case, Rob's high self-esteem and confidence likely lead him to act in ways that are more attractive to others, thus he has success in dating.

Interestingly, this confidence aligns with the idea of self-efficacy, which is the belief in one's own ability to succeed in specific situations, but a self-fulfilling prophecy span further by potentially influencing the outcomes directly. This confidence and the resulting actions provide a better explanation than alternatives like the representativeness heuristic, which is about making judgments based on how closely an object or event resembles a typical case, or self-esteem maintenance theory, which focuses on protecting one's self-worth.