| dc.description.abstract | the influences of interpersonal interactions on psychological constructs have been studied
extensively in the research literature. however, due to the inherent complexities involved in
such interactions, a comprehensive understanding of such relationships is currently limited. selfaffirmation
theory provides a framework for understanding the way in which individuals cope
with threats to the self in everyday life circumstances. self-affirmation theory states that when
individuals are exposed to a threat to the self, they are motivated to affirm another aspect of their
self-worth in an attempt to maintain a sense of self-integrity. the current study investigated the
relationship between self-affirmation and self-esteem during an ecologically valid interpersonal
interaction. emphasis was placed on exploring the utility of self-affirmation theory in
understanding threats to appearance self-esteem. ninety-eight female undergraduates
participated in the current study during which they took part in a videotaped role play with an
experimenter. during the role play, an appearance or academic-related topic was discussed, after
which participants then viewed their role play. results of the study provided partial support for
self-affirmation theory; specifically, individuals who discussed an appearance-related topic and
had low appearance self-esteem responded by investing their stake in an appearance domain of
self-worth, contrary to the basic premise of self-affirmation theory. individuals who discussed
an academic-related topic also did not decrease stake in the academic domain of self-worth.
however, individuals in both groups re-invested stake generally in other domains of self-esteem,
as predicted by self-affirmation theory. furthermore, exploratory analyses revealed that the
study has implications for understanding the enduring quality of body image concerns as well as
interventions designed to improve such concerns. | |
