Effect of Psychological Distance on Intention in Self-Affirmation Theory

In previous studies, self-affirmation has been shown to have no effect or have a negative impact on intention to change. We applied construal level theory to examine possible reasons for inconsistencies among findings in existing self-affirmation studies. In Study 1, when female college students in...

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Veröffentlicht in:Psychological reports 2020-12, Vol.123 (6), p.2101-2124
Hauptverfasser: Shin, Myoungjin, Kim, Yeonjin, Park, Seungha
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:In previous studies, self-affirmation has been shown to have no effect or have a negative impact on intention to change. We applied construal level theory to examine possible reasons for inconsistencies among findings in existing self-affirmation studies. In Study 1, when female college students in their 20s (N = 113) received health threat information with a psychologically proximal breast cancer message, it induced low-level construal and increased specific physical activity intention. In Study 2, when self-affirmed participants were exposed to health threat information with a psychologically distal Alzheimer’s disease message, there was no increase in specific physical activity intention. These results suggest that when a discrepancy exists between the psychological distance of health threat information and the intention reflecting the construal level, no change of intention occurs, even in self-affirmed individuals.
ISSN:0033-2941
1558-691X
DOI:10.1177/0033294119856547