The effects of feedback self-consistency, therapist status, and attitude toward therapy on reaction to personality feedback.
Individuals' reactions to interpersonal feedback may depend on characteristics of the feedback and the feedback source. The present authors examined the effects of experimentally manipulated personality feedback that they--in the guise of therapists--e-mailed to participants on the degree of their acceptance of the feedback. Consistent with Self-Verification Theory (W. B. Swann Jr., 1987), participants accepted feedback that was consistent with their self-views more readily than they did feedback that was inconsistent with their self-views. Furthermore, the authors found main effects for therapist's status and participant's attitude toward therapy. Significant interactions showed effects in which high-status therapists and positive client attitudes increased acceptance of self-inconsistent feedback, effects that were only partially mediated by clients' perceptions of therapist competence. The present results indicate the possibility that participants may be susceptible to self-concept change or to self-fulfilling prophecy effects in therapy when they have a positive attitude toward therapy or are working with a high-status therapist.
Collins
David R
DR
La Trobe University, School of Psychological Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Stukas
Arthur A
AA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001290:Attitude; D002983:Clinical Competence; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception