Defensiveness versus remediation: self-theories and modes of self-esteem maintenance.
How people maintain and repair their self-esteem has been a topic of widespread interest. In this article, the authors ask, What determines whether people will use direct, remedial actions, or defensive actions? In three studies, they tested the hypothesis that a belief in fixed intelligence (entity theory) would produce defensiveness, whereas a belief in improvable intelligence (incremental theory) would foster remediation. In each study, participants assigned to the entity condition opted for defensive self-esteem repair (downward comparison in Studies 1 and 3; a tutorial on already mastered material in Study 2), but those in the incremental condition opted for self-improvement (upward comparison in Studies 1 and 3; a tutorial on unmastered material in Study 2). Experiment 3 also linked these strategies to self-esteem repair; remedial strategies were the most effective in recovering lost self-esteem for those in the incremental condition, whereas defensive strategies were most effective for those in the entity condition.
Nussbaum
A David
AD
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. davenuss@psych.stanford.edu
Dweck
Carol S
CS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012073:Remedial Teaching; D012649:Self Concept; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology