Title

Hopefulness: Explaining the Link Between Self-affirmation and Self-esteem

Author

Taylor Ullrich, UndergraduateFollow
Stephanie Ivanoff, UndergraduateFollow

Files

Publication Date

4-2020

Document Type

Poster

Presentation Type

Group

Degree Type

Undergraduate

Department

Psychology

Mentor

Daniel Lannin

Mentor Department

Psychology

Co-Mentor

Jeremy Kanter

Co-Mentor Department

Psychology

Abstract

Problem or Major Purpose: The present study examines the association among self-affirmation, hope,and self-esteem. Self-affirmation is a process that involves compensating for threatened domains of one's self-worth (e.g., feeling unintelligent after failing a test) by being reminded of positive aspects of one's identity that are not threatened (e.g., feeling positive about being a loving sister); the tendency to self-affirm has been linked to decreased perceptions of threat, and thus may increase faith in one's ability to achieve positive outcomes (i.e., hope) and ultimately bolster self-esteem (Sherman & Cohen, 2006; Tesser, 2000). Given that hope has been linked to accomplishing goals (Snyder, 1995) and self-esteem (Frieson & Frieson, 1997), it is possible that hope may be a critical determinant of self-esteem maintenance. The present study examined whether the link between self-affirmation and self-esteem was due to associations with greater hope. Specifically, we predicted a mediation effect wherein self-affirmation would predict greater hope, which in turn would predict greater self-esteem.

Notes

Authors: Taylor Ullrich, Stephanie Ivanoff, Daniel Lannin, Jeremy Kanter, Luke Russell, Ani Yazedjian

Recommended Citation

Ullrich, Taylor and Ivanoff, Stephanie, "Hopefulness: Explaining the Link Between Self-affirmation and Self-esteem" (2020). Psychology. 3.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/urspsych/3