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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 1, 27-39 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167205277096
© 2006 Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Different Selves Have Different Effects: Self-Activation and Defensive Social Comparison

Saskia A. Schwinghammer

Diederik A. Stapel

University of Groningen

Hart Blanton

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Three studies show that different forms of self-activation have differential influences on the processing of social comparison information. Activating neutral self-conceptions results in defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 1). Participants maintain favorable selfevaluations in the face of upward comparison and rate the upward target of comparison negatively. Activating positive selfconceptions results in nondefensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 2). Participants endorse negative self-evaluations following upward comparison and rate the upward target of comparison positively. Activating negative self-conceptions maximizes defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 3). Participants maintain favorable self-evaluations in the face of upward comparison and rate both upward and downward targets of comparison negatively. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for strategies to maintain self-esteem in the face of threatening comparisons.

Key Words: self-activation • defensiveness • social comparison • self-processes • self-evaluation maintenance • self-affirmation


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