Related Experiment Videos
Agreeable fancy or disagreeable truth? Reconciling self-enhancement and self-verification
W B Swann1, B W Pelham, D S Krull
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin 78712.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|November 1, 1989
Summary
People seek positive feedback for positive self-views and negative feedback for negative self-views. This tendency depends on the positivity of self-views, not overall self-esteem levels.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Individuals exhibit two primary tendencies in feedback seeking: self-enhancement and self-verification.
- Self-enhancement theory posits a desire for positive self-regard, while self-verification theory suggests a need for confirmation of existing self-views.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the determinants of self-enhancement versus self-verification in feedback seeking.
- To determine whether self-esteem levels or the nature of self-conceptions predict feedback-seeking strategies.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted to examine feedback-seeking behaviors.
- Participants' preferences for positive versus negative feedback related to their self-views were assessed.
Main Results:
- All participants preferred positive feedback regarding their positive self-views.
- Individuals sought unfavorable feedback for their negative self-views, irrespective of their global self-esteem.
- The positivity of the specific self-conception, not global self-esteem, influenced whether people self-enhanced or self-verified.
Conclusions:
- Feedback-seeking behavior is primarily driven by the valence of the relevant self-conception.
- Both self-enhancement and self-verification tendencies can coexist and are context-dependent.
- Self-esteem level is not the sole or primary predictor of self-enhancement or self-verification strategies.