Valence of Self-Cognitions: The Positivity of Individual Self-Statements

Abstract

Based on D. Trafimow, H. C. Triandis, and S. Goto's (1991) research on the distinction between the private, collective, and relational selves, the present authors explored the valence of each self. The authors administered to participants either a private self-prime, a collective self-prime, or a relational self-prime and then asked them to write 20 self-statements. The authors coded the statements for valence (positive, neutral, or negative) and self-statement type (individual, collective, or relational). The results indicated that the valence of individual self-statements were most positive when the collective self or the relational self was primed, indicating the possibility that positive illusions were exaggerated most in the context of other people.

An investigation of the impact of young children's self‐knowledge of trustworthiness on school adjustment: A test of the realistic self‐knowledge and positive illusion models

“…Recently, Brookings and Seratelli (2006) reported that adults with positive illusions had greater life satisfaction and lower anxiety than those individuals without such positive illusions. Also, in the presence of others, adults tend to exaggerate positive illusions about themselves (Bromgard, Tafimow, & Bromgard, 2006).…”

Understanding Stereotype Lift: On the Role of the Social Self

“…1 In the present research we argue that activation of one's social identity (i.e., the social self; see also Brewer & Gardner, 1996;Bromgard, Trafimow, & Bromgard, 2006;Stapel & Koomen, 2001)-particularly the social self or social identity that is most relevant to the current situation and task-plays a central role in determining how and when lift will occur. We further argue that the way in which one's social self is activated (either indirectly or directly) is an important, yet unexamined, moderating factor of stereotype lift effects.…”

Whose fault is it? Effects of relational self‐views and outcome counterfactuals on self‐serving attribution biases following brand policy changes

“…Other research shows that thinking of oneself in very relational terms enhances commitment to goals that are of high value to one's relationship partner (Shah, 2003) and mitigates self‐interest motives in favor of actions that benefit the relationship (Chen, Chen, & Portnoy, 2009). Consequently, individuals with a strong relational self‐view tend to think and act in ways that strengthen their connection with close others (Cross, Gore, & Morris, 2003) because seeing oneself as a positive member of a relationship can generate a feeling of self‐worth (Bromgard, Trafimow, & Bromgard, 2006).…”