other people view us the same way as we view ourselves. This provides a second reason to selectively seek self-verifying feedback. These factors of self-verification theory create controversy when persons suffering from low-self-esteem are taken into consideration. People who hold negative self-views about themselves selectively seek negative feedback in order to verify their self-views. This is in stark contrast to self-enhancement motives that suggest people are driven by the desire to feel good about themselves. Sources There are three sources of information available to an individual through which to search for knowledge about the self: The physical world The social world The psychological world The physical world The physical world is generally a highly visible, and quite easily measurable source of information about one's self. Information one may be able to obtain from the physical world may include: Weight - by weighing oneself. Strength - by measuring how much one can lift. Height - by measuring oneself. Limitations Many attributes are not measurable in the physical world, such as kindness, cleverness and sincerity. Even when attributes can be assessed with reference to the physical world, the knowledge that we gain is not necessarily the knowledge we are seeking. Every measure is simply a relative measure to the level of that attribute in, say, the general population or another specific individual. This means that any measurement only merits meaning when it is expressed in respect to the measurements of others. Most of our personal identities are therefore sealed in comparative terms from the social world. The social world The comparative nature of self-views means that people rely heavily on the social world when seeking information about their selves. Two particular processes are important: Social Comparison Theory Reflected Appraisals Social comparison People compare attributes with others and draw inferences about what they themselves are like. However, the conclusions a person ultimately draws depend on whom in particular they compare themselves with. The need for accurate self-knowledge was originally thought to guide the social comparison process, and researchers assumed that comparing with others who are similar to us in the important ways is more informative. Complications of the social comparison theory People are also known to compare themselves with people who are slightly better off than they themselves are (known as an upward comparison); and with people who are slightly worse off or disadvantaged (known as a downward comparison). There is also substantial