The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Do messages about health risks threaten the self? Increasing the acceptance of threatening health messages via self‐ affirmation
Abstract
Two studies demonstrate that self-image maintenance processes affect the acceptance of personally relevant health messages. Participants who completed a self-affirmation were less defensive and more accepting of health information. In Study 1, female participants (high vs. low relevance) read an article linking caffeine consumption to breast cancer. High-relevance women rejected the information more than did low-relevance women; however, affirmed high-relevance women accepted the information and intended to change their behavior accordingly. In Study 2, sexually active participants viewed an AIDS educational video; affirmed participants saw themselves at greater risk for HIV and purchased condoms more often than did nonaffirmed participants. Results suggest that health messages can threaten an individual’s self-image and that self-affirming techniques can increase the effectiveness of health information and lead to positive health behaviors.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Indirectly, it may promote more positive health behaviors by making people more open to information that they are engaging in risky health behaviors (Harris & Napper, 2005;Reed & Aspinwall, 1998;Sherman et al., 2000).”
From The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory (2006) · cites this paper as Sherman et al., 2000
In the citing paper
“Among the participants most at risk for health problems-that is, the women who drank heavily-those who completed the self-aYrmation saw themselves as being at greater risk for breast cancer than those who were not aYrmed (as in Sherman et al., 2000), an eVect that did not diminish over time.”
From The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory (2006) · cites this paper as Sherman et al., 2000
In the citing paper
“When self-integrity is aYrmed, people are less biased in their judgments of information related to their political identity (Cohen et al., 2000), their health (Reed & Aspinwall, 1998;Sherman et al., 2000), and their impressions of others (Fein & Spencer, 1997;Spencer et al., 2001).”
From The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory (2006) · cites this paper as Sherman et al., 2000
In the citing paper
“self-aYrmation studies generally find that aYrmation of important values has no eVect on self-reported mood (Fein & Spencer, 1997;Schmeichel & Martens, 2005;Sherman et al., 2000;Spencer et al., 2001)”
From The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory (2006) · cites this paper as Sherman et al., 2000
In the citing paper
“it is only heavy caVeine consumers who respond defensively to such a report (e.g., Kunda, 1987;Liberman and Chaiken, 1992) and who exhibit greater openness to the report when self-aYrmed (Sherman et al., 2000).”
From The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory (2006) · cites this paper as Sherman et al., 2000
Citations
Cites
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173 · Cited by 91,532
Advances In Experimental Social Psychology
(2022) · Advances in experimental social psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(22)x0002-6 · Cited by 22,559
The case for motivated reasoning.
Kunda, Z. (1990) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.108.3.480 · Cited by 9,022
DeLamater, J., & Ward, A. (2013) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0 · Cited by 7,590
Book Review: The Psychology of Attitudes
Chakravarti, D., Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1997) · Journal of Marketing Research · doi:10.2307/3151869 · Cited by 7,173
Social psychology: handbook of basic principles
Higgins, E., & Kruglanski, A. (2008) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.45-3496 · Cited by 5,535
Social psychology: handbook of basic principles
(1997) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.34-3595 · Cited by 4,970
(2004) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.41-3182 · Cited by 4,740
The Psychology of Self-Affirmation: Sustaining the Integrity of the Self
Steele, C. M. (1988) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60229-4 · Cited by 3,697
Self-citation誠一, 市. (2004) · The Journal of AIDS Research · doi:10.11391/aidsr1999.6.104 · Cited by 3,233
Research works printed but not linked: 10
- Allport, G. W., 1960, Study of values
- Baumeister, R. F., 1996, The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior, 27
- Eagly, A. H., 1993, The psychology of attitudes
- Fisher, J. D., 1992, People like us
- Fisher, J. D., 1990, AIDS Education and Prevention, 2, 322
- Harber, K., 1995, Sources of validation scale
- Keough, K. A., 1998, Reducing stress and illness by affirming the self
- Morris, K. A., 1996, Safer sex in the ‘90s: Understanding and preventing HIV risk behavior
- 10.1037/0278-6133.14.2.132 · DOI
- Wolfrom, D., 1990, Journal of Medicine, 21, 225
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 601–661 of 661
Repeated exposure to smoking warning labels : the effect on smoking related cognitions
Dicker, M. (2016) · UTAS Research Repository · doi:10.25959/23239097
Diminishing the Perceived Importance of the Self: An Alternative Route to Self-Protection
Mizoguchi, N. (2012) · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network)
Counterfactual Thinking About In-Group Versus Out-Group Others
Choi, H., & Choi, H. (2017) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-017-9709-2
Moral Self-Esteem Enhancement: The Double-edge Sword in Social Judgments
Lu, X. (2012) · eScholarship (California Digital Library)
Multiple Identity Activation as Stereotype Threat Protection
Chen, S. (2018) · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh)
Thomas, C. L. (2018) · Cardinal Scholar (Ball State University)
Passionately motivated reasoning: Biased processing of passion‐threatening messages
Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2018) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/jopy.12412
The Impact of Traumatic Symptomology and Social Support on the Effective Management of Death Anxiety
Courtney, E. P. (2018) · EngagedScholarship @ Cleveland State University (Cleveland State University)
Attention bias in social anxiety : are there mitigating effects of self-affirmation?
McCarthy, S. (2014) · UTAS Research Repository · doi:10.25959/23238533
Oh, S.-S., Lee, B., 노환호, & Na, W. (2018) · Locality and Globality Korean Journal of Social Sciences · doi:10.33071/ssricb.42.2.201808.251
Developing a brief online sexual health intervention for low socio-economic status female teenagers
McKellar, K. (2017) · Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University)
Masculinity as a Psychologically Permeable Barrier to Gender Equality
Kray, L. J. (2018) · Purdue e-Pubs (Purdue University System) · doi:10.5703/1288284317218
Effects of Self-Affirmation on Trait Anxiety and Social Performance Perception
김미래, & 양재원 (2018) · Korean Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.17315/kjhp.2018.23.4.004
DiMenichi, B. C. (2018) · doi:10.7282/t35q50hh
Romani, G. (2014) · Premio ricerca Città di Firenze · doi:10.36253/978-88-6655-506-3
PRIMING OPTIMISM: THE AUTOMATICITY OF HEALTH RISK PERCEPTIONS
El‐Toukhy, S. (2019) · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · doi:10.17615/4ams-vr31
Evidence for an Automatic Medicine–Masculinity Link and its Reduction Through Self-Affirmation
Manning, A., Olson, M. A., Kendrick, R. V., Schmidt, M. R., & Moore, T. M. (2019) · Social Cognition · doi:10.1521/soco.2019.37.4.425
Shin, M., Roh, M., & Moon, M. (2020) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/0033294119899895 · Cited by 1
FEATURES OF THE EFFECT OF HYPOGEOMAGNETIC FIELD ON ECG OF WHEAT RATS IN CHRONIC EXPERIMENT
", S., Nazarenko, V. I., NAMSU, Nykyforuk, O. I., & Kudievsky, Y. V. (2017) · Hygiene of populated places · doi:10.32402/hygiene2017.67.123
Saracutu, M. M. (2019) · Cronfa (Swansea University) · doi:10.23889/suthesis.54524
Self‐Affirmation and Responses to Health Messages
Sweeney, A. M., & Moyer, A. E. (2020) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119057840.ch138
Thomas, C. L., & Cassady, J. C. (2020) · DigitalCommons@Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville State University)
Reconceptualizing self-affirmation with the Trigger and Channel FrameworkPreprint
Ferrer, R. A., & Cohen, G. L. (2018) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/y3j5a
Legacy Trail: Photovoice of African American/Black Women CES Doctoral Graduates Persistence
Garraway, A. M. (2021) · Digital Commons (Liberty University)
Self-affirmation enhances the intention to improve physical inactivity through health risk messages
Shimoda, M., & Shimoda, S. (2021) · THE JAPANESE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY · doi:10.2130/jjesp.2106
Gibbs, J. M., Swann‐Thomsen, H. E., & Aubuchon-Endsley, N. L. (2021) · Obesities · doi:10.3390/obesities1030013
Wu, Y., Dijkstra, A., & Dalley, S. E. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-02952-z
(2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-816969-8.16001-1
(2017) · Série Psychologie sociale · doi:10.3917/pug.manue.2017.01.0129
Fear appeals and mortgage protection insurance – a quantitative study
Röhl, S. E. (2023) · Sheffield Hallam University · doi:10.7190/shu-thesis-00531
มณีขาว, ธ., & จรัลรัตนกุล, ป. (2017) · Chula Digiverse · doi:10.58837/chula.the.2017.806
Wang, X. (2023) · Management for professionals · doi:10.1007/978-981-99-6183-2_2
Ronzani, P., Mittone, L., & Savadori, L. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/tmwq2
Nelson, B. (2023) · Digital Commons - Michigan Tech (Michigan Technological University) · doi:10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/1699
Coping With Experiences of Sociomoral Violations Through Consumption of Anger‐Eliciting Content
Munichor, N., & Steinhart, Y. (2024) · Psychology and Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.22171 · Cited by 1
Jiménez, M. L. V., Blukacz, M., & Paruzel‐Czachura, M. (2025) · Journal of Family Violence · doi:10.1007/s10896-025-01016-7
(2013) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-62396-318-720251014
Demetriades, S. Z., Walter, N., Robbins, C. L., & Beale, E. (2025) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2025.2603536
Harris, P. R., & Jessop, D. C. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-89095-6_9
Cox, S. R., Wester, J., & van Berkel, N. (2026) · International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3772318.3790340 · Cited by 4
Examining beliefs about the benefits of self-affirmation for mitigating self-threatPreprint
Scholer, A. A., Spencer, S. J., Reeves, S., Nguyen, T., & Fujita, K. (2022) · OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Kim, J., Jung, J., Jang, S., Jeong, J. Y., & Yang, E. (2026) · The Professional Geographer · doi:10.1080/00330124.2026.2672425
Behind the Wall: An Integrative Review of Defensiveness at Work
Yip, J., & Walker, D. O. H. (2026) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2023.0213 · Cited by 1
Yang, H., Xu, S., & Wang, Z. (2026) · Career Development International · doi:10.1108/cdi-07-2025-0376
Category bias and front-of-package labelling
Ikonen, I., & Buehler, F. (2026) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1963968
Park, J. K., Gąsiorowska, A., & Kim, H. (2026) · International Journal of Advertising · doi:10.1080/02650487.2026.2749450
Metadata
- Authors
- Sherman, D. A. K., Nelson, L. D., & Steele, C. M.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sherman, David A. K.
- ORCID
- Nelson, Leif D.
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2000-11
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1046-1058
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W1967215969
- Semantic Scholar
- b747c5fc770353298aaf5feb099e175dd8034ff9
- Cited by
- 660
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 40
- FWCI
- 219.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- self-affirmation, health risk messages, message acceptance, defensive processing, message rejection, message relevance, HIV risk perception, health behavior change, HIV/AIDS education
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
