To prove or to improve? Which motive distorts perceptions of personality controllability?
This research extends past work on positive illusions and self-goals by examining motivated perceptions of how much control people think they have over changing their personality traits. A self-validation motivation should cause individuals to view their personality weaknesses as uncontrollable (to avoid blame for having them) and their personality strengths as controllable (to take credit for having them). A self-growth motivation should cause individuals to view their weaknesses as controllable (to view them as improvable) and their strengths as uncontrollable (to view them as unchanging). Studies 1 and 2 find evidence for self-validation in perceptions of trait controllability. Study 3 finds this pattern to be stronger for validation-seeking individuals but weaker for growth-seeking individuals. Studies 3 and 4 find that being primed with one's successful self-improvements or one's future self can attenuate the self-validation. The potential implications of distorted perceptions of trait controllability for both well-being and self-change are discussed.
El-Alayli
Amani
A
Psychology Department, Eastern Washington University, WA 99004, USA. amani@ewu.edu
Gabriel
Shira
S
D000328:Adult; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D009042:Motivation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires