People have a basic need to maintain the integrity of the self, a global sense of personal
adequacy. Events that threaten self-integrity arouse stress and self-protective defenses that …

Self‐affirmation theory proposes that individuals possess a flexible self‐system, such that
they can respond to threats in one domain of life by affirming self‐worth in other domains. In …

One common obstacle to the audience's embracing the persuader's advocated action or
viewpoint is the audience's current attitudes, that is, the audience's general evaluations (of …

Objectives: Self-affirmation (induced by reflecting upon important values, attributes, or social
relations) appears to reduce defensive resistance to health-risk information and increase …

Objective: The present study aimed to quantify the magnitude of the effect of self-affirmation
manipulations on health messages' influence on both intentions and behavior. Methods: A …

Many psychological theories suggest a link between self-regulation and identity, but, until
now, a mechanistic account that suggests ways to improve self-regulation has not been put …

There is growing evidence that self‐affirmation–the process of reflecting upon cherished
values or attributes–may have implications for health. Postulated effects range from reducing …

Rationale Perceived risk for health problems such as cancer is a central construct in many
models of health decision making and a target for behavior change interventions. However …

Although screening for medical problems can have health benefits, the potentially
threatening nature of the results can lead people to avoid screening. In three studies, we …

Self-affirmation—a theory-based technique to affirm the adaptive adequacy of the self—can
promote positive behavior change and adaptive outcomes, although effects are variable. We …