Vicarious self-affirmation: Understanding key mechanisms

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent work on self-affirmation, or buffering against self-threats by affirming a separate domain of the self, has investigated the use of manipulations via narrative messages to increase self-appraisal (i.e., positive thoughts toward the self) and reduce message derogation. This study furthers this initial work by investigating the dual roles of identification with a character and value congruency in facilitating greater self-integrity (i.e., feelings of moral and adaptive adequacy) and openness to counter-attitudinal information. An experiment (N = 286) exposed participants to separate narrative messages to test whether identification with the main character, and strongly holding the value affirmed for the character, influence global self-integrity for audience members. Results demonstrate that such a vicarious self-affirmation experience does lead to greater self-integrity, and that this effect is strongest at high levels of identification with the main character. However, when identification is low, whether or not the value affirmed is one strongly held by the audience member determines whether self-integrity is bolstered. Finally, we show that increased self-integrity through such a vicarious experience leads to greater openness toward a subsequently presented abortion article that was attitudinally incongruent.