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Cited by 74Death Anxiety and Social ExclusionBehavioral Health and InterventionsEducation, Achievement, and Giftedness

Self-affirmation can enable goal disengagement.

Vohs, Kathleen D., Park, Ji Kyung, Schmeichel, Brandon J.·2013·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/a0030478
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Abstract

Much research has shown that after being self-affirmed, people respond to challenges in healthy, productive ways, including better task performance. The current research demonstrates that self-affirmation can also deflate motivation and performance, a pattern consistent with goal disengagement. We posited that being self-affirmed and then attempting but failing at a task would lead people to retreat from the goal. In support of this hypothesis, 4 experiments found that the combination of self-affirmation and the experience of failure led to demotivation and effort reduction. Experiment 1 found that self-affirmed participants, more so than nonaffirmed participants, reported being open to goal disengagement. Experiment 2 found that affirming core values before trying a task beset with failure reduced task motivation and performance. Experiment 3 demonstrated the robustness of the effect and found that failure on one task reduced motivation and performance on a new but related task. Experiment 4 revealed that being self-affirmed and experiencing failure caused participants to feel less capable of pursuing their goals, which produced poorer performance. These findings suggest that affirming the self can lead people to internalize the implications of failure, which in turn leads to goal disengagement.

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  • If a threat is seen as important and addressable, affirmations make it less likely that people will shrink away from the threat or deny its importance to themselves.

    “If a threat is seen as important and addressable (Vohs et al. 2013), affirmations make it less likely that people will shrink away from the threat or deny its importance to themselves.”

    From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Vohs et al. 2013

  • Without resources for growth, affirmation may even trigger disengagement.

    “Without resources for growth, affirmation may even trigger disengagement (see Vohs & Schmeichel 2013).”

    From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Vohs & Schmeichel 2013

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Authors
Vohs, K. D., Park, J. K., & Schmeichel, B. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • University of Delaware (US)
  • Texas A&M University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2013-01
Volume
104
Issue
1
Pages
14-27
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/a0030478
OpenAlex
W2012540853
Cited by
74
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5
FWCI
5.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
University of Minnesota
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
Keywords
self-affirmation, goal disengagement, demotivation, task failure, effort reduction, core values, goal pursuit, self-concept, task performance
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Goals, Humans, Male, Psychological Tests, Self-Assessment, Task Performance and Analysis, Self Efficacy

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