Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback01:24

Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback

207
Self-esteem is intricately tied to our perception of competence and our ability to exert control over our lives. One of the primary sources of this perception is performance feedback — the ongoing evaluation of our actions in terms of success and failure. According to Franks and Marolla (1976), people derive self-worth from experiencing themselves as causal agents, capable of achieving goals and overcoming obstacles. This process nurtures a critical component of self-esteem:...
207
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification03:00

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

5.8K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.8K
Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification01:17

Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification

248
Self-verification is a fundamental psychological drive wherein individuals seek affirmation of their self-concept from others, striving for consistency between their internal self-view and external perceptions. This drive operates even when the self-concept is negative, influencing interpersonal behavior and feedback preferences in complex and often counterintuitive ways. Unlike the self-enhancement motive, which seeks positive evaluations, self-verification prioritizes coherence and...
248
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model01:29

Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model

377
The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...
377
Self-Efficacy01:29

Self-Efficacy

303
Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capacity to organize and execute actions necessary to manage prospective situations. This belief significantly influences how individuals approach goals, tasks, and challenges across different domains of life.Psychological and Educational ImpactsIndividuals with strong self-efficacy are more resilient in the face of difficulties. They are more likely to adopt effective problem-solving strategies, persist through obstacles, and regulate emotions such as...
303
Social Foundations of Self III: Self-Evaluation01:30

Social Foundations of Self III: Self-Evaluation

221
Self-evaluation is the process by which individuals assess their abilities, behaviors, and characteristics based on feedback from others. Charles H. Cooley observed that a person’s self-perception is primarily influenced by how others see and judge them. He suggested that individuals form their identities based on their interpretations of others' reactions. As a result, social interactions play a crucial role in shaping self-esteem and personal identity. These external evaluations often...
221

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Beyond Prompt Engineering: Exploring Collaborative Dialogue with Generative AI for Problem-Solving.

Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking·2025
Same author

A Visual Interactive Narrative Intervention (VINI) for aphasia education: Can digital applications administer augmented input to educate stroke survivors with aphasia?

Patient education and counseling·2021
Same author

An <i>Auti-Sim</i> Intervention: The Role of Perspective Taking in Combating Public Stigma with Virtual Simulations.

Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking·2020
Same author

Missed Programs (You Can't TiVo This One): Why Psychologists Should Study Media.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2015
Same author

Moral license in video games: when being right can mean doing wrong.

Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking·2015
Same author

Low glucose relates to greater aggression in married couples.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2014

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Movement Retraining using Real-time Feedback of Performance
08:16

Movement Retraining using Real-time Feedback of Performance

Published on: January 17, 2013

13.9K

Self-Affirmation Theory and Performance Feedback: When Scoring High Makes You Feel Low.

John A Velez1, Michael D Hanus2

  • 11 Department of Journalism and Electronic Media, College of Media & Communication, Texas Tech University , Lubbock, Texas.

Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
|November 22, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Video games can help players accept threatening self-information by acting as a self-affirmation. However, this benefit only applies to players who value video game success, otherwise, it can be harmful.

Keywords:
Self-Affirmation Theoryfeedbackvideo games

More Related Videos

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
06:53

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

13.9K
Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
12:55

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Published on: September 27, 2020

9.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Movement Retraining using Real-time Feedback of Performance
08:16

Movement Retraining using Real-time Feedback of Performance

Published on: January 17, 2013

13.9K
Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
06:53

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

13.9K
Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
12:55

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Published on: September 27, 2020

9.2K

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Media Psychology

Background:

  • Negative self-information often triggers defensive responses.
  • Self-Affirmation Theory suggests affirming unrelated values can reduce defensiveness.
  • Video games may serve as a source of self-affirmation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if video game play can reduce defensiveness after a self-threat.
  • To explore the role of valuing video game success in this process.

Main Methods:

  • Participants received negative or no feedback on an intelligence test.
  • They then played a video game, receiving positive or no feedback.
  • Defensiveness was measured by test credibility ratings and self-perceptions.

Main Results:

  • Players valuing video game success showed fewer defensive reactions after positive game feedback.
  • This suggests video game success acts as an affirmational resource for these players.
  • Players not valuing video game success showed increased defensiveness with positive game feedback.

Conclusions:

  • Video game success can be an effective self-affirmation strategy for individuals whose identity is tied to gaming.
  • For those who do not value gaming, positive feedback may paradoxically increase defensiveness.
  • The findings highlight the importance of personal values in moderating the psychological effects of video games.