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On confidence and consequence: the certainty and importance of self-knowledge
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1563.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|April 1, 1991
Summary
Belief certainty and importance are distinct self-concept investments. Certainty links to rational factors, while importance links to emotional ones, affecting self-view stability differently.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Self-Concept Research
Background:
- Belief certainty and importance are key components of self-concept investment.
- These two aspects of belief investment are considered relatively independent.
- Understanding their distinct roles is crucial for self-concept theory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors associated with belief certainty and importance.
- To examine the differential impact of certainty and importance on self-view stability.
- To explore the implications for self-concept structure and measurement.
Main Methods:
- Four studies were conducted to explore belief investment.
- Study 1-3 examined factors associated with certainty (epistemic) and importance (emotive).
- Study 4 analyzed the temporal stability of self-views based on certainty and importance.
Main Results:
- Belief certainty is linked to epistemic (rational, informational) factors.
- Belief importance is associated with emotive (emotional, motivational) factors.
- Belief certainty stabilizes both positive and negative self-views; importance stabilizes only positive views.
Conclusions:
- Certainty and importance represent distinct dimensions of self-belief investment.
- These dimensions have differential effects on the temporal stability of self-views.
- Findings contribute to understanding the self-concept, verification-enhancement debate, and measurement.