Self-affirmation and self-control: affirming core values counteracts ego depletion.
Research has established that acts of self-control deplete a resource required for subsequent self-control tasks. The present investigation revealed that a psychological intervention-self-affirmation-facilitates self-control when the resource has been depleted. Experiments 1 and 2 found beneficial effects of self-affirmation on self-control in a depleted state. Experiments 3 and 4 suggested that self-affirmation improves self-control by promoting higher levels (vs. lower levels) of mental construal. Self-affirmation therefore holds promise as a mental strategy that reduces the likelihood of self-control failure.
Schmeichel
Brandon J
BJ
Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4235, USA. schmeichel@tamu.edu
Vohs
Kathleen
K
D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis