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Self-esteem and counterfactual thinking

N J Roese1, J M Olson

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|July 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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High self-esteem individuals focus on their actions after success, while low self-esteem individuals focus on their actions after failure. Counterfactual thinking structures differ based on outcome valence, not self-esteem levels.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Counterfactual thinking involves mentally simulating alternative outcomes to past events.
  • Individual differences in self-esteem may influence how people engage in counterfactual thinking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between self-esteem levels and counterfactual thinking patterns.
  • To examine how outcome valence (success vs. failure) affects counterfactual structure.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies were conducted where participants imagined scenarios involving themselves and another actor.
  • Participants altered preceding events to "undo" either a success or failure outcome.
  • Self-esteem levels (high vs. low) and counterfactual modifications were assessed.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Following success, high self-esteem participants more frequently altered their own actions compared to low self-esteem participants.
  • Following failure, low self-esteem participants more frequently altered their own actions compared to high self-esteem participants.
  • Success elicited subtractive counterfactuals (removing antecedents), while failure elicited additive counterfactuals (adding antecedents), independent of self-esteem.

Conclusions:

  • Self-esteem significantly influences the focus of counterfactual thinking, particularly concerning personal actions.
  • Outcome valence, not self-esteem, dictates the structural form of counterfactual simulations.
  • These findings highlight the role of the self and individual self-esteem differences in cognitive processes like counterfactual thinking.