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Self-enhancement, self-verification or self-assessment? The intricate role of trait modifiability in the self-evaluation process

Self-enhancement, self-verification or self-assessment? The intricate role of trait modifiability in the self-evaluation process
Self-enhancement, self-verification or self-assessment? The intricate role of trait modifiability in the self-evaluation process
The authors examined the dynamic interplay of three self-evaluation motives (self-enhancement, self-assessment, self-verification) in the affective, cognitive, and behavioral domains. Does perceived modifiability of self-attributes (i.e., assertiveness) moderate motive activation in each domain? Participants (a) rated their assertiveness and their perceived modifiability of assertiveness, (b) took an alleged assertiveness test and received bogus performance feedback, and (c) completed measures of affective, cognitive, and behavioral responding. Trait modifiability was associated with a unique pattern of motive activation in each domain. Affective responses were moderated by trait modifiability, as participants who received negative feedback felt worse when they regarded their self-attributes as unmodifiable than modifiable. Cognitive responses were driven by the self-verification motive in the case of unmodifiable self-attributes, and by the self-enhancement motive in the case of modifiable self-attributes. Behavioral responses were driven by the self-assessment motive, especially in the case of modifiable self-attributes.
La dynamique de trois motivations auto-évaluatives (valorisation, évaluation, et validation de soi) était examinée dans les domaines affectif, cognitif et comportemental. Le degré de malléabilité des attributs du soi modère t-il l’activation de chacune de ces motivations dans chacun de ces domaines ? Les participants (a) évaluaient leur degré de confiance en soi et sa malléabilité, (b) étaient soumis à un test factice mesurant ce même trait puis recevaient un feedback, (c ) répondaient à des échelles mesurant leurs réponses affective, cognitive, et comportementale. Le degré de malléabilité du trait était associé à un pattern unique d’activation motivationnelle dans chaque domaine. Les réponses affectives étaient modérées par ce degré: un feeback négatif avait un effet plus délétère lorsque les participants percevaient le trait comme fixe plutôt que malléable. Les réponses cognitives étaient influencées par la motivation à l’auto-validation dans le cas d’une conception fixe des traits et par la motivation à l’auto-valorisation dans le cas d’une conception malléable. Les réponses comportementales étaient influencées par la motivation auto-évaluative, particulièrement dans le cas de cette dernière conception.
0992-986X
89-112
Dauenheimer, Dirk G.
4eb81479-8ac9-463b-b7d7-d84e20ee1cc0
Stahlberg, Dagmar
79d07f3d-9bfc-4d13-bd67-bbf45bbd316e
Spreeman, Sandra
af6d6ac3-39ac-43c1-91aa-dd6013a4e0fb
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Dauenheimer, Dirk G.
4eb81479-8ac9-463b-b7d7-d84e20ee1cc0
Stahlberg, Dagmar
79d07f3d-9bfc-4d13-bd67-bbf45bbd316e
Spreeman, Sandra
af6d6ac3-39ac-43c1-91aa-dd6013a4e0fb
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2

Dauenheimer, Dirk G., Stahlberg, Dagmar, Spreeman, Sandra and Sedikides, Constantine (2002) Self-enhancement, self-verification or self-assessment? The intricate role of trait modifiability in the self-evaluation process. Revue Internationale De Psychologie Sociale, 15 (3-4), 89-112.

Record type: Article

Abstract

The authors examined the dynamic interplay of three self-evaluation motives (self-enhancement, self-assessment, self-verification) in the affective, cognitive, and behavioral domains. Does perceived modifiability of self-attributes (i.e., assertiveness) moderate motive activation in each domain? Participants (a) rated their assertiveness and their perceived modifiability of assertiveness, (b) took an alleged assertiveness test and received bogus performance feedback, and (c) completed measures of affective, cognitive, and behavioral responding. Trait modifiability was associated with a unique pattern of motive activation in each domain. Affective responses were moderated by trait modifiability, as participants who received negative feedback felt worse when they regarded their self-attributes as unmodifiable than modifiable. Cognitive responses were driven by the self-verification motive in the case of unmodifiable self-attributes, and by the self-enhancement motive in the case of modifiable self-attributes. Behavioral responses were driven by the self-assessment motive, especially in the case of modifiable self-attributes.
La dynamique de trois motivations auto-évaluatives (valorisation, évaluation, et validation de soi) était examinée dans les domaines affectif, cognitif et comportemental. Le degré de malléabilité des attributs du soi modère t-il l’activation de chacune de ces motivations dans chacun de ces domaines ? Les participants (a) évaluaient leur degré de confiance en soi et sa malléabilité, (b) étaient soumis à un test factice mesurant ce même trait puis recevaient un feedback, (c ) répondaient à des échelles mesurant leurs réponses affective, cognitive, et comportementale. Le degré de malléabilité du trait était associé à un pattern unique d’activation motivationnelle dans chaque domaine. Les réponses affectives étaient modérées par ce degré: un feeback négatif avait un effet plus délétère lorsque les participants percevaient le trait comme fixe plutôt que malléable. Les réponses cognitives étaient influencées par la motivation à l’auto-validation dans le cas d’une conception fixe des traits et par la motivation à l’auto-valorisation dans le cas d’une conception malléable. Les réponses comportementales étaient influencées par la motivation auto-évaluative, particulièrement dans le cas de cette dernière conception.

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More information

Published date: 2002

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 40079
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/40079
ISSN: 0992-986X
PURE UUID: cedac717-a49d-48f3-b2d7-5f9b6dc47b62
ORCID for Constantine Sedikides: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-889X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Jul 2006
Last modified: 12 Dec 2021 03:08

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Contributors

Author: Dirk G. Dauenheimer
Author: Dagmar Stahlberg
Author: Sandra Spreeman

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