A componential approach to self-enhancement bias

NSF提案0541896摘要：拟议的研究计划涉及两个长期存在的问题。第一个问题是，自我评价是否具有内在的偏见，如果是这样，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争论，一方认为心理健康的人能准确地感知自己，另一方认为过度积极、自我增强的幻觉更能适应。自我增强的成分方法表明，问自我增强偏见是积极的还是消极的调整可能是一个太简单的问题，因为有多个组件在自我感知。个人可能会因为三个原因而积极地看待自己：（a）他们有一种仁慈的归因风格，积极地看待他人;（B）他们有很高的价值，值得赞扬或认可;（c）他们对自己有一种过于积极的看法。只有最后一个成分与自我增强偏见有关。第一组拟议的研究应该会产生新的数据，以说明理解自我提升的价值的重要性是确定自我提升者在何种程度上具有每一个优点和仁慈成分，以及在何种配置和背景下。此外，拟议的研究结果将显示在什么情况下，自我提升引起他人的排斥，从而有助于阐明自我提升的影响，自我和社会适应。第二个问题是整体自尊是否有组成部分，以及这些组成部分是否影响调整。高自尊总是有益的，低自尊总是有害的这种简单化的概念最近受到了质疑。成分分析法可以通过解释自尊中的真实成分和防御成分来解决这个问题。真正的自尊是建立在行为现实中的，而防御性自尊则反映了一种倾向于偏袒自我的倾向。第二组研究通过对自尊的各个组成部分进行分解，可以明确各个组成部分之间的联系及其与适应的关系。建议的研究结果也作为一个概念性的指导和未来的研究自尊和自我概念的路线图。拟议的研究的更广泛的影响源于其组件的方法来理解自尊的哪些方面是有益的心理和社会调整。 本研究将为公众自尊干预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.