ABSTRACT

Recent work on self-affirmation, or buffering against self-threats by affirming a separate domain of the self, has investigated the use of manipulations via narrative messages to increase self-appraisal (i.e., positive thoughts toward the self) and reduce message derogation. This study furthers this initial work by investigating the dual roles of identification with a character and value congruency in facilitating greater self-integrity (i.e., feelings of moral and adaptive adequacy) and openness to counter-attitudinal information. An experiment (N = 286) exposed participants to separate narrative messages to test whether identification with the main character, and strongly holding the value affirmed for the character, influence global self-integrity for audience members. Results demonstrate that such a vicarious self-affirmation experience does lead to greater self-integrity, and that this effect is strongest at high levels of identification with the main character. However, when identification is low, whether or not the value affirmed is one strongly held by the audience member determines whether self-integrity is bolstered. Finally, we show that increased self-integrity through such a vicarious experience leads to greater openness toward a subsequently presented abortion article that was attitudinally incongruent.

摘要

最近关于自我肯定的工作，或者通过肯定自我的一个独立领域来缓冲自我威胁，已经研究了通过叙事信息使用操纵来增加自我评价（即对自我的积极想法）并减少信息贬损。本研究通过调查性格认同和价值一致性在促进更大的自我完整性（即道德和适应性充分感）和对反态度信息的开放性方面的双重作用来推进这项初步工作。一个实验（N= 286) 将参与者暴露于单独的叙述信息中，以测试对主角的认同，并强烈地持有对角色的肯定价值，是否会影响观众成员的全球自我完整性。结果表明，这种替代性的自我肯定体验确实会导致更大的自我完整性，并且这种效果在与主角高度认同的情况下最为强烈。然而，当认同度低时，所确认的价值是否为观众所强烈持有的价值决定了自我完整性是否得到支持。最后，我们表明，通过这种替代体验增加的自我完整性会导致对随后提出的态度不一致的堕胎文章更加开放。