I like myself but I don't know why: enhancing implicit self-esteem by subliminal evaluative conditioning

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Implicit self-esteem is conceptualized as an implicit attitude toward the self.
• Understanding mechanisms to enhance implicit self-esteem is crucial for psychological well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether subliminal evaluative conditioning can enhance implicit self-esteem.
• To examine the generalizability and moderators of this enhancement effect.
• To assess the impact of enhanced implicit self-esteem on responses to negative feedback.

Main Methods:

• Five experiments were conducted using subliminal evaluative conditioning.
• Participants were repeatedly exposed to trials pairing the word "I" with positive trait terms.
• Implicit self-esteem was measured using three different assessment tools.

Main Results:

• Subliminal evaluative conditioning significantly enhanced implicit self-esteem compared to control conditions.
• The positive effects on implicit self-esteem generalized across different measurement methods.
• Enhancement occurred in individuals with both low and high temporal implicit self-esteem.
• Conditioned participants showed reduced sensitivity to negative intelligence feedback.

Conclusions:

• Subliminal evaluative conditioning is a viable method for increasing implicit self-esteem.
• Enhanced implicit self-esteem can buffer individuals against negative self-relevant information.
• These findings have implications for therapeutic interventions aimed at improving self-esteem.