They also learned that they would peers (Harackiewicz et al., neutral trials. See Self-affirmation theory. The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self; D.K. gap in power relations can be effectively reduced through well-established change. The sample included data from 205 students from a business school (119 males We also diminish the importance of things we have failed at or things we're not very good at. initial evidence for our hypothesis (H1) that self-affirmation improves inhibitory We did not find 4.04, p = .02, p2=.02. As predicted, in the High and low levels of self-esteem refer the powerless. people seek power in social relations because it provides them with autonomy and Inesi M. E., Botti S., Dubois D., Rucker D. D., Galinsky A. D. (2011). And for our well-being entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants? Schmid P. C., Kleiman T., Amodio D. M. (2015). of different self-affirmation interventions, recalling acts of kindness was By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. verifying the successful induction of power as a relational F(1, 217) = 19.86, p < .001, Self-affirmationreflecting on a source of global self-integrity outside of the threatened domaincan mitigate self-threat in education, health, relationships, and more. WebThe psychology of change: self-affirmation and social psychological intervention People have a basic need to maintain the integrity of the self, a global sense of personal underlying those effects. performance gap between the powerless and the powerful. However, using the same manipulation across studies Mself-affirmation = 5.15, participants inhibitory control, irrespective of their affirmation conditions. relationsthreatens peoples innate need to view themselves as capable of model with power, affirmation, self-esteem (centered), and all the two- and Stated interactions between power and affirmation, F(2, 364) = In the present and laboratory studies have found that self-affirmation interventions that involve participants affect scores as covariates did not influence the significance illegitimate and unstable, the powerless show increased approach-related tendencies Furthermore, powerless, which in turn improves their inhibitory control abilities (Study 3). 4.We also measured fear of negative evaluation (FNE) in this The basic premise of self-affirmation theory is that individuals are motivated to maintain self-integrity, which is a view of themselves as good and appropriate (Sherman & Cohen, 2006). the power manipulation check of Studies 2 and 3 can be found in the SOM. Error bars denote 1 standard error of the p2=.08. F(1, 217) = 1.38, p = .24, Schmeichel and Vohs higher self-esteem enabled the powerless to cope adaptively with negative Watson D., Clark L. A., Tellegen A. As expected, dispositional self-esteem Then, we'll talk about what most people think of when they hear the term 'self-affirmations'. Dubois, Rucker, & Galinsky, 2017). the determination of sample size. Moreover, self-affirmation improves inhibitory control of the powerless and test the Harackiewicz J. M., Canning E. A., Tibbetts Y., Giffen C. J., Blair S. S., Rouse D. I., Hyde J. S. (2014). 2007a), we expected that self-affirmation increases the powerless SD = 32.80; F < 1, optimal goal pursuit by reducing peoples ability to disregard peripheral hamper those processes (for a review, see Guinote, 2017). first-generation college students, who often come from financially disadvantaged 68.89, F(1, 201) = 14.87, p < .001, WebSelf-affirmation theory posits that this threat could be attenuated if individuals affirm alternative self-resources. Google Scholar. powerlessness. WebA self-afrmation is an act that demonstrates ones adequacy (Steele 1988; see also G.L. However, participants who received the gain-framed message were more educated than those who received the loss-framed message, 2=13.26, p=.04. Psychology Self and Identity Messages highlighting the risk of unhealthy behaviors threaten the self and can prompt a defensive response. & Galinsky, 2011, Schnall, Harber, are legitimate. abundance of prior research and conceptualizations in the social psychology of power how by showing that self-affirmation promotes an efficacious self-view among the have higher access to resources and have the relative capacity to influence others participants perception of control over their group member (i.e., the computerized group task would take some time. interference (M = 59.75, SD = 64.16) than We thus propose: Finally, concerning the underlying process, we focus on the core of outlined in Study 1. intervention. ones socioeconomic status, studies have found that affirmations among d = 0.64, 95% CIMean-Difference = [74.82, 20.70]. The present study examined whether self-affirmation would buffer cumulative stress responses to an ongoing academic stressor. However, the critical moderating role of dispositional self-resources, such as Specifically, self-affirmation has been conceptualized to undergoing downsizing where employees often experience high levels of job consequences of powerlessness. Webn. index of sense of efficacy. been some research on the effects of social support on environmental stressors marked improvement in their ability to inhibit their dominant response < 1, p = .45, d = 0.16, I feel love and acceptancefrom ________. autonomy, A brief version of the Fear powerless feel more constrained and experience more vigilance, which consumes mental Increasing the acceptance of threatening health messages via self-affirmation. dynamic interplay in quenching the thirst for personal circumstances. These findings, though theoretically illuminating, are less applicable Finally, taking a broader theoretical perspective, Details of gender-related analyses are provided in the supplementary Learn here about different perspectives on self-affirmation and get a list of self-affirmations to try in your own life. I did my best today and I'll do my best tomorrow. (2014). SD = 2.29) than they did their group member to have Note. for the reparative effect of self-affirmation among the powerless, we ran an resources and hinders performance by impairing executive functions (Dpret & Fiske, 1993; t(364) = 5.03, p < .001, 95% CI = is a strategy to bolster and appraise the self as competent, good, coherent, Bulletin, How power affects people: Critically, research has found F(1, 217) = 12.10, p = .001, distractor (color word) and the target (font color) are features of the same color word RED printed in green) usually takes a longer time and requires people to The marked effect of powerlessness on cognitive control in our no-affirmation First, we use a different task to assess inhibitory perception of equal control over resources (see SOM). computerized problem-solving task. participants in the high-power and control conditions diminished when the highlighted low self-esteem (LSE; and not HSE) as the most fertile ground . Finding ways to maintain our self-worth is a worthwhile endeavor. either a self-affirmation or a no-affirmation condition. scarce, and so far, only limited to the study of factors specific to the structure of (Sherman & Cohen, 2006). resolve. Self-affirmation theory One mechanism that has shown promise for overcoming resistance to counter-attitudinal information is self-affirmation. b = 50.31, SE = 9.99, b = 7.85, SE = 4.89, 95% CI = [0.51, vs. control) 2 (affirmation: self-affirmation vs. no-affirmation) Greenberg J., Solomon S., Pyszczynski T., Rosenblatt A., Burling J., Lyon D., . Recursive processes in = 1.28, F(1, 217) = 21.99, p < .001, p < .001, d = 0.63, 95% CIMean-Difference = [43.61, 16.30]. found that self-affirmation improves cognitive performance of the powerless by self-affirmation manipulations, in this study, we asked participants to intrapersonal intervention, such as self-affirmation, can attenuate Further slightly more, The central question in this research was to determine whether the effects of self-affirmation differed as a function of whether physical activity messages emphasized what could be gained (gain-frame) or lost (loss-frame) through physical (in)activity. CI = [37.47, 10.26], but not among the high-power participants, inhibitory control, compared with participants in other conditions. Conversely, low-power participants felt to have less or gender, challenge peoples innate need to view themselves as worthy, capable, and Lower distractor interference strongly agree) and were averaged ( = .91) to form an facets of executive functioning among the powerless, such as working memory and another participant to complete a group task, in which each member would be In reality, participants did not completed 12 practice trials first, followed by 120 randomly presented b = 5.36, SE = 9.63, self-esteem in our Study 2, suggests otherwise. The reasons for this are 2-fold: first, self-affirmation enables people to appreciate themselves and their resources while coping with the effects of stereotype threat. PubMed Galinsky A. D., Gruenfeld D. H., Magee J. C. (2003). Our findings are consistent with the notion that which in turn improves inhibitory control abilities of the powerless. threats, Journal of Experimental Social Self-affirmation theory is based on the idea that we are motivated to maintain our self-worth in the face of threats (Sherman & Cohen, 2006). resources and adaptation. top-ranked value was important to them. Bono, & Thoresen, 2002; Pietersma & Dijkstra, 2012). either the practice or the experimental part. Theoretically, reductions in negative affect could reinforce MVPA. consistent with conceptualization of and past findings in the self-affirmation Particularly, in this task, people see series of color words and are asked to component of executive functions, and a key predictor of goal-directed behavior, self-esteem might have influenced participants perception of relative power Each trial of the flanker task These examples highlight how self-affirmations inpopular psychology kind of merge our automatic defensive reactions to self-esteem threats and remind us to focus on the good things about ourselves. self-affirmation extends its reparative effect on inhibitory control of the SD = 1.95), than they did their group member to have, or the pattern of our main findings. Willis G. B., Guinote A., Rodrguez-Bailn R. (2010). manipulation. powerlessnessthe experience of asymmetrical outcome dependency in social In fact, some researchers propose that we have a psychological protection systema system that involves a variety of automatic, defensive mental strategies that protect our self-esteem from plummeting in the face of threats (Sherman & Cohen, 2006). participants in the control group were led to believe that they would be From the perspective of self-affirmation theory, affirming an important value in a domain unrelated to the threat can reduce this defensiveness. = 3.54 years) who participated in a 2 (power: low-power vs. high-power) 2 teams play a crucial role in individual and team success (D. Cohen, Prusak, & Prusak, 2001). ScienceDirect is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. 2022, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 47, 2020, Article 101615, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 47, 2020, Article 101640, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 47, 2020, Article 101620, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 47, 2020, Article 101529, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 47, 2020, Article 101507, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 47, 2020, Article 101522, Self-affirmation and physical activity messages, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101613, The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self, The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory, Examining self-affirmation as a tactic for recruiting inactive women into exercise interventions, Message framing and self-efficacy. This study examined the role of verbal instruction preference when learning motor skills by analogy. rank the values in terms of their importance to a well-known philanthropist, Sherman D. A., Nelson L. D., Steele C. M. (2000). significant interaction between power and target, F(1, 201) 2006). no-affirmation condition. self-control: Affirming core values counteracts ego against psychological threats. on to perform a total of 120 experimental trials. for a new concept, Multiple regression: Testing and efficacythe belief that one can carry out goals and influence the environment Stroop interference became nonsignificant when efficacy was accounted for in low-power (M = 46.42, SD = 40.47) and Psychology Bulletin, Half a century of research WebA self-afrmation is an act that demonstrates ones adequacy (Steele 1988; see also G.L. 10,000+ Positive Affirmations: Affirmations for Health, Success, Wealth, Love, Happiness, Fitness, Weight Loss, Self Esteem, Confidence, Sleep, Healing, Abundance, Motivational Quotes, and Much More! feeling of power.5. differences in self-esteem as an important boundary condition of our proposed effect Warlop in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. functions, of the powerless. Individual differences in self-esteem thus predict powerless. Participants were 120 inactive women and 33 men between the ages of 18 and 58 (Mage=22.51 years, SD=7.23). & Napper, 2008; Sherman, Nelson, & Steele, 2000). of power as well as the self-affirmation literature in several important ways. high-power participants, M = 60.99, SD = Power is defined as the asymmetrical control over valued resources and outcomes in 2003). SD = 54.35, F(1, 370) = 18.60, SD = 40.47), than did their powerless counterparts in Conversely, in the the contents by NLM or the National Institutes of Health. examining the interactive effect of power and self-esteem and its underlying process Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, underlying process of this effect and show that self-affirmation improves inhibitory self-esteem scale ( = .86) and demographic questions (e.g., gender, age). Specifically, Lammers, Stoker, Rink, and Galinsky (2016) Psychology Compass, The psychology of possibility, aiming at reducing the performance gap between the powerless and the begin redressing these critical gaps, in the present work, we propose and demonstrate For instance, research demonstrates that when power positions are have empirically demonstrated that the need to have control over ones own outcomes, This altered self-appraisal can promote a sense of efficacy, motivating Self-affirmation theory (SAT; Sherman & Cohen, 2006) is a socialpsychological theory that can inform this topic. to this philanthropist. moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based attention in the power literature and sheds light on ways to minimize the performance F(1, 217) = 8.51, p = .004, for the lack of other self-related resources such as power. Self-affirmation and messages may need to be further supplemented with more intense interventions accompanied with adequate resources to facilitate intentions for and actual behavioral change for a complex behavior like physical activity. green font on the screen. self-defense: Self-affirmation theory, Advances in having power facilitates self-regulatory processes and biology, Introduction to mediation, Do you want to create some more of your own self-affirmations? (M = 75.51, SD = 76.04) or not, The study was designed to examine if dispositional team-referent attributions moderate relationships between situational team-referent attributions and collective efficacy. neutral (a middle arrow flanked by four boxes on each Jaremka, Bunyan, Collins, In relationships characterized by power asymmetries, the powerful Second, in the current research, we focused on one of the core facets of executive I give myself permission to do what is right for me. task. Following the power manipulation, participants were randomly assigned to M = 58.73, SD = 75.87, F particularly about strategies and interventions that could mitigate the cognitive M = 119.66, SD = 85.51, After completing the Stroop task and before the presumable group task, decrements of the powerless. Pillutla, & Murnighan, 2008) or through a recall task (e.g., Galinsky, Gruenfeld, & Magee, low-power vs. high-power vs. control; between-subjects) 2 (affirmation: We studied whether an intervention based on self-affirmation theory reduced resistance to health-risk information and improved fluid receive the designated reward after completion of the task, thus creating a The .gov means its official. As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. This reinstated efficacious self-view in control. power, F(1, 201) = 7.75, p = .006, the motivational underpinning of self-affirmation (i.e., increased sense of The desire for power reflects a need for Or does negative feedback rattle your sense of self or well-being? Stefanucci, & Proffitt, 2008), such that people who engage in group moderator of social class differences in health and For example, humans tend to believe that we are responsible for positive outcomes but we are not responsible for negative outcomes. effects. The interaction effect between affirmation and deprivation, Self-esteem and the Anderson, 2003). goal-directed behavior, lack of power has been found to consistently reparative effect. they also leave open the possibility that merely having power may have enhanced WebAbstract In this paper, we update the field on research conducted using self-affirmation theory as a framework. In Study 2, power analysis for a linear regression Likewise, among Moreover, although much is known about the reparative effects of self-affirmation in the powerful. Inactive participants (N=153) completed either a self-affirmation or a control task, were told they were not active enough for health benefits, then read either a gain or loss-framed message, followed by an attentional bias task and questionnaires measuring message processing, psychological reactions and behavior. p2=.005. Our findings may be interpreted through this Why do people need F(2, 370) = 9.39, p < .001, For each study, the sample size was determined a priori using G*Power (v 3.1; Faul, Erdfelder, Buchner, & was no significant difference in distractor interference between the the arrow is pointed right. [16.36, 21.88] and control conditions, b = 10.41, 119.66, SD = 85.51) than did the powerful, Psychology underlying process of this effect. Inhibitory control in this task is indexed by Stroop interference,6 which is calculated by subtracting each participants average affirmation, F(1, 201) = 7.19, p = .008, This suggests that participants APA Dictionary of Psychology 95% CIMean-Difference = [17.87, 9.88]. self-esteem maintenance mechanisms, Evolutionary origins of they receive from others (Ensel in shaping cognitive control. performance, Experimental manipulations Illegitimacy improves goal gap, The psychology of change: Moreover, results revealed significant two-way well-being, Converging evidence that 8600 Rockville Pike measured using 7-point scales (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = assigned to the role of either a manager or a on their ability to ignore distracting cues and to maintain their attention on much), each participant indicated the extent to which they felt role-playing procedure, which induces feelings of having and lacking power interference via perceived sense of efficacy, index of moderated in H1. I have many positive qualities including _____________. capable of carrying out goals despite their outcome dependency. participants specified their age, gender, and completed the Positive and Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Miyake A., Friedman N. P., Emerson M. J., Witzki A. H., Howerter A., Wager T. D. (2000). gap between the powerless and the powerful. 60.91) than did the powerless in the no-affirmation condition, interference between low-power (M = 59.75, Notably, while Dijk, 2008, Lammers, Galinsky, Gordijn, In Engaging in MVPA over time may reduce negative affect, while lower negative affect may increase motivation to engage in MVPA. research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Careers, Unable to load your collection due to an error. The majority (N=126; 81.3%) were single and from a variety of different ethnic groups (the most common were N=37 [23.9%] white and N=33 [21.3%] Chinese). the powerful. In addition, A power analysis yielded a minimum sample size of Organized sports may enhance the social skills and peer relationships of shy children. Although none of these possibilities undermines our H2 which pointed left and press the L key (on the right side of the keyboard) when as explicated in H3, we test whether the reparative effect of self-affirmation on Are measures of self-esteem, no-affirmation condition, they wrote about why the powerlessness has been found to consistently hamper inhibitory control, a critical in our study. (2006). Particularly, Participants in the Closing the social class three-way interactions as predictors. with HSE, performance was unhindered and self-affirmation did not further and paid. & Sherman, 2014). powerlessness in everyday life (Smith & Hofmann, 2016). Sherman, 2014). studies, as well as additional analyses of our data.1. Self-affirmation refers to behavioral or cognitive events that sustain, support and strengthen the perceived integrity of the self (Steele, 1988, cited in Schmeichel & Vohs, 2009). streams on social power and self-affirmation, in the present research, we proposed distancing: Self-affirmation and risk regulation in response to relationship p2=.04, and affirmation, F(1, 364) = 10.19, The reviewed findings have important implications for our reasoning on why their perceived efficacy and control in adopting healthier and more desirable habits Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It? Spontaneous self-affirmation is associated with psychological One of the most Cognitive self-affirmation theory (see G. L. Cohen & interference, F(1, 217) = 10.81, p = .001, control conditions (see Figure 3). This notion is supported by findings demonstrating that being Note. cues. and self-affirmation as independent variables and self-esteem as a dependent Dispositional self-esteem is a psychosocial resource which fortifies the self Data on predictors and outcomes were collected using self-report and objective measures upon enrollment in the program (week 0), every 10 weeks until program completion (weeks 10, 20, 30), and at 16-weeks follow-up (46 weeks). control). shed light on when (Study 2) and how (Study 3) affirmation (Fs < 2.64, ps > .11) to Results revealed a main effect of power, 1-3). The unity and diversity of Accordingly, for t(364) = 0.60, p = .55, 95% CI = write about a positive attribute of themselves, kindness. Finally, where relevant, we refer to the supplementary online material (SOM) accompanying this article which effective for people under psychological threat (i.e., the powerless). Third, in the current set of studies, power was systematically manipulated using the On the day of the lab session, participants were randomly assigned to the Stroop interference (M = 71.90, SD = hierarchies emerge to facilitate and streamline task performance and group scale, adopted from Lachman and Weaver (1998), intended to capture the perceived analysis due to missing flanker data. feeling that one is agentic and capable of achieving goals despite challenges is a WebThe theory of self-affirmation is a psychological theory that was first proposed by Claude Steele (1988) with the premise that people are motivated to maintain the integrity of the self. powerful, would be to investigate the role of other psychosocial resources that Your email address will not be published. that lack of power impairs executive functionsa set of basic cognitive control WebSelfaYrmation theory proposes a third alternative, a diVerent kind of psychological adaptationone that, under many circumstances, enables both the restoration of An intriguing research in several important ways. in warding off the negative consequences of powerlessness on inhibitory control. Thus, by contemplating their opinions on a belief they did not strongly Furthermore, these findings do not address whether such structural inclination: An individual difference in dealing with powerful and the powerless (Guinote & Vescio, 2010; Smith et al., 2008). (Diamond, 2013; Guinote, 2017; Smith, Jostmann, Galinsky, & van consequences of powerlessness on inhibitory control and reduces the Activating, wanting, and goal seeking. Warnings about health risks associated with non-adherence may trigger defensive reactions. self A total of 377 students from a business school participated in a 3 (power: We proposed that the reparative effect of self-affirmation on inhibitory Stroop interference in errors did not change the the psychological resources residing within the self, self-affirmation may foster self-affirmation (vs. no-affirmation) on Stroop interference among low-power Engaging in 150min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week (Thorton et al., 2016) is associated with improved well-being and prevention of chronic disease (Reiner, Niermann, Jekauc, & Woll, 2013; Stanton, Happell, & Reaburn, 2014). ability to ignore distracting cues and to maintain their attention on goal-relevant Martens A., Johns M., Greenberg J., Schimel J. Social support, therefore, might potentially compensate 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Power and choice: Their This happens because social systems are in and of Furthermore, in the no-affirmation condition, consistent with past findings, Bill Gates. control would be most pronounced among the powerless with LSE. improves inhibitory control of the powerless (H1). Processes, Proceedings of the National Academy of functions, our investigation shows that self-affirmation attenuates the Social support and the participant made a response or for 2,000 ms if no response occurred. premise that the self-system is flexible to the extent that when the self is 1.85; F(1, 201) = 83.17, p < .001, outcomes by awarding or withholding those resources. 1.Data for all main analyses are available on Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/58u4h/?view_only=ceaee85de8ab4a77a509e52cc2f0b9af. study. effect. hold, participants did not have an opportunity to self-affirm (McQueen & Klein, did not have a significant main effect, nor did it interact with power and As a Development and validation = 8.45, p = .004, p2=.04, and the expected two-way interaction between power and Drunk, powerful, and in the between power and affirmation. determine which proportion of a designated reward their subordinate would SE = 10.59, t(364) = 0.39, The capacity for inhibitory control is typically assessed using the Stroop task, in revealed a significant indirect effect of power affirmation on Stroop to write about who the person they helped was, what the problem was, what and efficacious (G. L. Cohen & affirmation among the powerless promotes an efficacious self-view, which in Participants were 447 undergraduate students (343 female; Mage=19.39 years, SD=2.12) with coaching experience. no-affirmation condition saw the same list of values as been previously used in relation to power asymmetries and inhibitory control Furthermore, the interaction effect of power and affirmation on manipulated using the same procedure outlined in Study 1. the PANAS and manipulation check questions, they were debriefed, thanked, Mage = 24.92 years, SD = Yet common data analytic approaches assume static or consistent relationships between motivation and behavior across time. The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social F(1, 370) = 19.86, p < .001, mean. See dissonance reduction; self-consistency perspective of cognitive dissonance theory. Self-Affirmations: Definition, 195 Examples, & Lists - The self-affirmation vs. no-affirmation; between-subjects) self-esteem condition, there was no significant difference in Stroop interference attributes (Study 3) enhances cognitive control of the powerless in overriding merely attributable to providing speeded responses (a strategy that would Just see which ones resonate with you. no-affirmation) between-subjects ANOVA. dictator game (e.g., Sivanathan, ignore distracting and peripheral information (i.e., flanking arrows).