self-affirmation
Sign in to saveAlso known as self-affirmation theory
Self-affirmation theory is a psychological theory that focuses on how individuals adapt to information or experiences that are threatening to their self-concept. Claude Steele originally popularized self-affirmation theory in the late 1980s, and it remains a well-studied theory in social psychological research.
~15 min read
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Overview
- People try to protect their self-integrity
- Drives to protect the sense of self are often defensive
- Self-integrity is flexible
- Actions that promote one's values can reduce perceived threat
- Paradigms used to study self-affirmation theory
- Values essay
- Values list
- Empirical support
- Buffering against stress
- Reducing defensiveness
- Applications
- Education
- Health
- Factors that influence the effectiveness of self-affirmations
- Culture
- Importance of the threatened domain
- Factors underlying the effects of self-affirmation theory
- References
Self-affirmation theory is a psychological theory that focuses on how individuals adapt to information or experiences that are threatening to their self-concept. Claude Steele originally popularized self-affirmation theory in the late 1980s, and it remains a well-studied theory in social psychological research.
Self-affirmation theory contends that if individuals reflect on values that are personally relevant to them, they are less likely to experience distress and react defensively when confronted with information that contradicts or threatens their sense of self.