SELF-REGULATORY ASPECTS OF POSITIVE ILLUSIONS

描述(申请人摘要)：以前的研究表明 积极的错觉(自我夸大的自我认知， 控制力和不切实际的乐观主义)与心理指标有关 健康。本申请提出了一项实验研究计划，以 审视一下这些错觉的好处和责任。操纵是 提出了可靠地增强积极错觉的建议：它们对 坚持、动力、业绩和心理调整都会 评估(研究1-2、8-10)。这项研究还探讨了潜在的 积极错觉的局限性。具体地说，如果人们拿着它们，如何 他们是否将有价值的反馈和负面信息纳入他们的 决定和行动方案？拟议的研究验证了这一假设 人们通过深思熟虑来吸收负面反馈 显著减少积极错觉的过程(研究3-4)。我们 我还提出了一项调查，绘制出积极因素的潮起潮落 项目过程中的错觉(研究5)，预测 错觉是对反馈的反应，使人们在他们的 在功能正常的时候思考。当积极的时候会发生什么 幻觉被证实了吗？我们研究了不确定的影响 最初无症状的艾滋病毒感染男同性恋者样本中的错觉 要么抱有积极的幻想，要么健康恶化，要么 而不是在随后的研究过程中(研究6)。批评者们对 积极的错觉框架表明，它们代表着压抑或 以一种表面上健康的伪装否认。研究7提出了一项深入的 对120名成年人进行问卷和访谈研究，以测试两种模式 心理健康，并在经验上区分否认或压抑和 积极的错觉。在最后三项研究(研究8-10)中，我们采用了 操纵积极的错觉，试图提高人们的能力 处理某些生活问题，特别是拖延症，很差 计划和抑郁。

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract): Previous research suggests that positive illusions (self-aggrandizing self-perceptions, the illusion of control, and unrealistic optimism) are associated with indicators of mental health. This application proposes a program of experimental research to examine the benefits and liabilities of these illusions. Manipulations are proposed that reliably enhance positive illusions: their effects on persistence, motivation, performance, and psychological adjustment will be assessed (Studies 1-2, 8-10). The research also addresses the potential limitations of positive illusions. Specifically, if people hold them, how do they incorporate valuable feedback and negative information into their decisions and courses of action? Proposed research tests the hypothesis that people incorporate negative feedback by virtue of deliberative processes that substantially reduce positive illusions (Studies 3-4). We also propose an investigation that charts the ebb and flow of positive illusions across the course of a project (Study 5), predicting that illusions are responsive to feedback, making people realistic in their thinking at times when that is functional. What happens when positive illusions are disconfirmed? We examine the effects of disconfirmed illusions in a sample of initially asymptomatic HIV infected gay men who either hold positive illusions or not and whose heath either deteriorates or not over the subsequent course of the study (Study 6). Critics of the positive illusions framework suggest that they represent repression or denial in an apparently healthy guise. Study 7 proposes an in-depth questionnaire and interview study with 120 adults to test two models of mental health and distinguish empirically between denial or repression and positive illusions. In the last three studies (Studies 8-10), we employ manipulations of positive illusions to try to improve people's ability to cope with certain life problems, specifically procrastination, poor planning, and depression.