Determinants of self-enhancement in the situation of failure

Dinamika reagovanja na evaluaciju ličnosti rezultat je uticaja potrebe da se održi pozitivna slika o sebi – tj. motiva samopoboljšanja, i potrebe da se održi postojeća slika o sebi – tj. motiva samopotvrđivanja. Savremena istraživanja pokazuju da, pored nivoa eksplicitnog samopoštovanja, i kvalitativne razlike u samopoštovanju – razlike u nivou implicitnog i uslovnog samopoštovanja, utiču intenzitet i način ispoljavanja ovih motiva. Cilj ovog istraživanja je bio da se utvrdi da li implicitno i uslovno samopoštovanje dovode do razlika u samopoboljšavajućem i samopotvrđujućem reagovanju kod osoba sa niskim i sa visokim samopoštovanjem, kao i da li neki drugi faktori utiču na ispoljavanje ovih motiva. Na uzorku od 341 studenta psihologije sproveden je eksperiment u kom je testiran uticaj povratne informacije o postignuću na testovima sposobnosti na način afektivnog i kognitivnog reagovanja na to postignuće. Polovina ispitanika je bila uverena da se informacija o postignuću odnosi na sposobnosti koje su važne u svakodnevnom životu, a druga polovina je bila uverena da su testirane sposobnosti irelevantne. Među osobama kongruentnog i inkongruentnog niskog samopoštovanja dobijene su značajne razlike u samopoboljšavajućoj i samopotvrđujućoj motivaciji. Pokazalo se da osobe sa inkongruentnim niskim samopoštovanjem na adaptivniji način uspevaju da zavodolje potrebe za samopoboljšanjem i samopotvrđivanjem, nego osobe sa kongruentnim niskim samopoštovanjem. Osobe sa kongruentnim i inkongruentnim visokim samopoštovanjem uglavnom se ne razlikuju u načinu reagovanja na (ne)uspeh, mada neki rezultati sugerišu da osobe sa inkongruentnim visokim samopoštovanjem imaju intenzivniju potrebu za samopoboljšanjem. Uslovno samopoštovanje uglavnom u interakciji sa eksplicitnim samopoštovanjem nije imalo velikog uticaja na reakcije na evaluaciju, ali jeste samostalno. Poređenje rezultata dobijenih pomoću implicitnog samopoštovanja i uslovnog samopoštovanja sugeriše da se radi o potpuno različitim aspektima kvaliteta samopoštovanja, koji na različit način utiču na dinamiku samopoboljšanja i samopotvrđivanja.Individuals’ reactions to evaluation of their personality are the result of the need to maintain positive self-image – i.e. self-enhancement motive, and the need to confirm the existing self-image – i.e. self-verification motive. Contemporary research showed that, aside from explicit self-esteem, the expression of these motives is influenced by qualitative differences in self-esteem – i.e. the levels of implicit and contingent self-esteem. The aim of this research was to determine whether implicit and contingent self-esteem lead to different self-enhancing and self-verifying reactions among individuals with high and low explicit self-esteem, as well as to examine some other factors that might influence these motives. Three hundred and forty one students took part in the experimental study in which they received bogus feedback on two ability tests. The feedback was either positive, negative or no feedback was provided. Half of the participants from all three groups were made to believe that the tests are measuring very important abilities, whereas others were made to believe that the tests are measuring mostly irrelevant abilities. Participants’ affective (depressiveness, anxiety, and anger) and cognitive reactions (internal and external attributions, perceived change between ideal and actual self-concept) were measured following feedback on the tests. Significant differences in reactions to evaluative feedback were found between individuals with congruent and incongruent low self-esteem. Individuals with incongruent low self-esteem use more adaptive ways to satisfy needs for self-enhancement and self-verification than individuals with congruent low self-esteem. No differences in reactions to success and failure were found between individuals with congruent and incongruent high self-esteem, although some results suggest that persons with incongruent high self-esteem have more intensive need for self-enhancement. Interaction of contingent and explicit self-esteem did not influence reactions to evaluation to a large extent, but contingent self-esteem alone did. The comparison of results obtained with implicit and contingent self-esteem suggests that these are completely different and independent aspects of quality of self-esteem and that they influence the dynamics of self-enhancement and self-verification in a different manner