I Think, Therefore I Change: Reflection Leads to Self-Concept Change After Discrepant Feedback.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Self-concept change is often triggered by external information that contradicts existing self-perceptions.
• Theorists suggest that reflection is a necessary precursor for self-concept modification, but empirical evidence remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the crucial role of reflection in mediating self-concept change following self-discrepant feedback.
• To provide empirical support for the theoretical link between reflection and alterations in self-perception.

Main Methods:

• Six studies (total N = 3,571) examined the relationship between reflection and self-concept change after participants received feedback.
• Studies 1a-e utilized correlational analyses, while Study 2 employed an experimental design manipulating reflection induction versus suppression.
• Self-concept change and the degree of reflection were systematically assessed across all studies.

Main Results:

• A positive correlation was consistently observed between the amount of reflection and the extent of self-concept change across Studies 1a-e.
• Experimentally inducing reflection led to significantly greater self-concept change compared to suppressing reflection in Study 2.
• Exploratory findings indicated a stronger link between reflection and self-concept change for negative feedback in Studies 1a-e.

Conclusions:

• Reflection is a significant mediator of self-concept change in response to external, self-discrepant information.
• Actively engaging in reflection facilitates the process of updating self-perceptions.
• The findings underscore the importance of cognitive processing in adapting one's self-concept.