Lecture 2: Self-Affirmation and Health

Question 1

psychology of self-defense

Answer 1

• everyday we are faced with threats to our self-integrity, we often use maladaptive defence mechanisms
• we could use self-affirmation as a more adaptive strategy

Question 2

Self Affirmation Theory

Answer 2

people are motivated to maintain the integrity of the self

Question 3

How do we respond to threat

Answer 3

1. accomodate the threat - change attitude and behaviour
2. directly reduce the threat by changing construal of event
   - affirm other self-resources unrelated to that threat

Question 4

self-systems

Answer 4

we all have global self-integrity with various rules about the self

Question 5

Basic tenets of self-affirmation theory

Answer 5

1. people are motivated to protect self worth and integrity
2. motivations to protect integrity can result in defensive responses
3. self-system is flexible, can hold different beliefs
4. people can be affirmed by reminding themselves of who they are

Question 6

Self-affirmation and health information

Answer 6

• If we engage in self-affirmation, we may be less defensive to health threatening messages, and be more accepting.