What drives self-affirmation effects? On the importance of differentiating value affirmation and attribute
Diederik A Stapel1, Lonneke A J G van der Linde
1Tilburg Institutefor Behavioral Economics Research (TIBER), Social Psychology Department,Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands. d.a.stapel@uvt.nl
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|April 6, 2011
Summary
Different self-affirmation techniques yield distinct psychological outcomes. Value affirmation boosts self-clarity, while attribute affirmation enhances self-esteem, impacting responses to social comparison and cognitive dissonance.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Self-Affirmation Theory
- Cognitive Dissonance
Background:
- Self-affirmation is a psychological process involving affirming core values or positive self-attributes.
- Previous research suggests self-affirmation can buffer against threats to self-integrity.
- The differential effects of various self-affirmation strategies remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct psychological effects of value affirmation versus attribute affirmation.
- To examine how these different affirmation types buffer against specific self-threats.
- To compare the efficacy of value and attribute affirmation in mitigating social comparison and dissonance.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted to compare value affirmation and attribute affirmation.
- Study 1: Assessed changes in self-clarity and self-esteem following each affirmation type.
- Study 2: Examined responses to upward social comparison after value or attribute affirmation.
- Study 3: Investigated attitude change after a counterattitudinal essay following value or attribute affirmation.
Main Results:
- Value affirmation increased self-clarity but not self-esteem; attribute affirmation increased self-esteem but not self-clarity.
- Attribute affirmation was more effective in buffering against self-deprecating social comparison.
- Value affirmation was more effective in buffering against cognitive dissonance, evidenced by less attitude change.
Conclusions:
- The type of self-affirmation procedure critically determines its psychological impact.
- Value affirmation enhances self-clarity, offering protection against dissonance.
- Attribute affirmation boosts self-esteem, providing a buffer against social comparison threats.
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