Enhancing or transcending the self: The effects of different value-affirmation strategies on integrating past
Date Issued
2014
Date
2014
Author(s)
Chung, Han-Chun
Abstract
Is redefining meaningful value helpful when people struggle with painful past experience? Positive memories are easy to accept, but negative life experiences are more difficult to integrate; integrating positive and negative past identities is important for lasting well-being. According to self-affirmation theory, writing important values buffers people from threatening self-relevant material by affirming self-integrity and restoring positive self-images, which facilitates people integrate past identities. However, we argue whether the buffering effect of value-affirmation can reduces defensiveness to negative past experiences depends on what types of value is affirmed. We hypothesized that affirming self-transcendent values (ex. compassion) leads people to better integration of positive and negative past identities than self-enhancement values (ex. power).148 participants recruited in the study were randomly assigned to different value-affirmation groups (self-transcendent, self-enhancement, and control group), and reported their past significant life events (positive and negative) past identities integration, which included two concepts: past event integration and past characteristic integration. The results showed that after affirming self-enhancement value, participants were more likely to defense negative past life event and embrace positive life event than other groups. In particular, the effect showed on past characteristics integration. In addition, the two different value-affirmation strategies had moderating effect on the relationship between compassionate goal and past negative event characteristic integration.
Subjects
非防衛性
自我肯定
自我超越
自我彰顯
整合
自我認同
Type
thesis
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