A componential approach to self-enhancement bias

美国国家科学基金会提案摘要建议的研究计划涉及两个长期存在的问题。第一个问题是，自我评估是否存在内在的偏见，如果是的话，这种偏见是否会促进调整。这个问题引发了一场旷日持久的辩论，一方认为心理健康的人对自己的认知是准确的，另一方则认为过度积极、自我增强的错觉更适合自己。自我提升的成分方法表明，询问自我提升偏见对调整是积极的还是消极的可能是一个过于简单的问题，因为自我认知中有多个组成部分。个人可能会出于三个原因积极地看待自己：(A)他们有一种仁慈的归因风格，积极地看待他人；(B)他们有很高的优点，值得表扬或认可；以及(C)他们对自己的看法过于积极。只有最后一个成分与自我提升偏向有关。第一组拟议的研究应该会产生新的数据，以说明要理解自我提升的价值，重要的是确定自我增强者在多大程度上拥有每一种优点和善行成分，以及在什么情况下和在什么背景下。此外，拟议的研究结果将揭示在什么情况下自我增强会引起他人的排斥，从而有助于阐明自我增强对个人和社会适应的影响。第二个问题是，全球自尊是否有组成部分，以及这些组成部分是否会影响适应。认为高自尊总是有益、低自尊总是有害的简单化观念最近受到了质疑。成分方法可以通过解释自尊中真正的和防御的成分来解决这个问题。真正的自尊植根于行为现实，而防御性自尊反映了一种偏爱自我的倾向。通过分解自尊的各个组成部分，第二组研究可以准确地确定每个组成部分之间的联系及其与适应的关系。这项拟议的研究结果也可以作为未来自尊和自我概念研究的概念指南和路线图。这项拟议的研究的更广泛的影响来自于它对理解自尊的哪些方面有利于心理和社会适应的成分方法。本研究将为公众自尊干预措施的设计提供坚实的理论基础。

Abstract for NSF Proposal 0541896The proposed program of research takes on two long-standing questions. The first question is whether self-evaluation is inherently biased and, if so, whether this bias promotes adjustment. This question has led to a protracted debate between those who believe that psychologically healthy individuals perceive themselves accurately and those who believe that it is more adaptive to have overly positive, self-enhancing illusion. The componential approach to self-enhancement shows that asking whether self-enhancement bias is positive or negative for adjustment may be too simple a question to ask, because there are multiple components in self-perception. Individuals may perceive themselves positively for three reasons: (a) they have a benevolent attributional style, seeing others positively, (b) they have high merit, deserving praise or approval, and (c) they have an overly positive view of themselves. Only the last component is relevant to self-enhancement bias. The first set of the proposed studies should yield new data to illustrate that what is important in understanding the value of self-enhancement is pinpointing the degree to which a self-enhancer has each of the merit and benevolence components and in what configuration and in what context. Moreover, the findings of the proposed studies will show under what conditions self-enhancement evokes exclusion by others, thus helping to shed light on the effect of self-enhancement on both intrapersonal and social adjustment. The second question is whether global self-esteem has components and whether these components influence adjustment. The simplistic notion that high self-esteem is always beneficial and that low self-esteem is always detrimental has recently been called into question. The componential approach can address this issue by explicating the genuine and defensive components in self-esteem. Genuine self-esteem is anchored in the behavioral reality, whereas defensive self-esteem reflects a tendency to favor the self. By decomposing the components in self-esteem, the second set of the proposed studies can pinpoint the link between each component and its relation with adjustment. Findings of the proposed research also serve as a conceptual guide and a roadmap for future research into self-esteem and self-concept. The broader impact of the proposed research stems from its componential approach to understanding which aspects of self-esteem are beneficial for psychological and social adjustment. The proposed research will provide solid theoretical base for the design of self-esteem interventions for the public.