The impact of negative moods on self-enhancing cognitions: the role of reflective versus ruminative mood orientations.
This research program examined how self-focused attention to feelings affects the relation between mood negativity and self-enhancing thought. The primary hypothesis was that the particular manner in which people focus on their moods (reflective vs. ruminative) determines whether they reveal positive (i.e., mood-incongruent) or negative (i.e., mood-congruent) self-relevant thoughts in response to negative moods. Studies 1-4 revealed that social comparisons, temporal comparisons, and other self-enhancing cognitions (i.e., attributions, disidentification, relationship evaluations) are more likely to be mood incongruent when people adopt a reflective orientation to their negative feelings and more likely to be mood congruent when they adopt a ruminative orientation. Additionally, moods and mood orientations affected self-enhancing thoughts through the mediating influence of mood regulation goals and intentions (Studies 5 and 6).
McFarland
Cathy
C
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Beuhler
Roger
R
von Rüti
Rebecca
R
Nguyen
Lewis
L
Alvaro
Celeste
C
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001955:British Columbia; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009341:Negativism; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires