Different selves have different effects: self-activation and defensive social comparison. Academic Article

abstract

• Three studies show that different forms of self-activation have differential influences on the processing of social comparison information. Activating neutral self-conceptions results in defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 1). Participants maintain favorable self-evaluations in the face of upward comparison and rate the upward target of comparison negatively. Activating positive self-conceptions results in non-defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 2). Participants endorse negative self-evaluations following upward comparison and rate the upward target of comparison positively. Activating negative self-conceptions maximizes defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 3). Participants maintain favorable self-evaluations in the face of upward comparison and rate both upward and downward targets of comparison negatively. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for strategies to maintain self-esteem in the face of threatening comparisons.

authors

• Blanton, Hart

published proceedings

• Pers Soc Psychol Bull

author list (cited authors)

• Schwinghammer, S. A., Stapel, D. A., & Blanton, H.

citation count

• 42

complete list of authors

• Schwinghammer, Saskia A||Stapel, Diederik A||Blanton, Hart

publication date

• January 2006

publisher

• SAGE Publications  Publisher

published in

• Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin  Journal

keywords

• Adult
• Attitude
• Defense Mechanisms
• Female
• Humans
• Self Concept
• Social Behavior

PubMed Central ID

• 16317186

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1177/0146167205277096

start page

• 27

end page

• 39

volume

• 32

issue

• 1

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167205277096