COMM 300 - Interpersonal Communication Theory

Course Instructor: Ron Wright
New Technologies Consultant: Mary Flores

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Influence

Cognitive Dissonance Theory - Leon Festinger

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"The time course of the self-concept threat reduction process among low and high self-esteem individuals": Dissertation by Tor Neilands (1995) ABSTRACT

This dissertation explores the ways in which low and high self-esteem individuals cope with threats to their self-concepts. Based on previous research findings from the cognitive dissonance literature and the social psychology of the self-concept research (e.g., Steele, 1988), it was hypothesized that low self-esteem individuals would take a measurably longer period of time to reduce the impact of a threat to the self-concept than it would take high self-esteem individuals. Furthermore, low self-esteem individuals who are self-affirmed with a reminder of their high standing on a positive self-concept dimension should be able to cope with self-concept threat as well as high self-esteem individuals. Two laboratory studies were conducted to test these hypotheses. Results demonstrated support for the first hypothesis and little support for the second hypothesis: While the first study found that high self-esteem individuals more rapidly coped with a threat to their self-concepts than did low self-esteem individuals, self-affirmation had a negligible impact on the self-concept threat reduction process among both high and low self-esteem participants. One additional finding from the second study suggests that a two-stage treatment model for low self-esteem clients is in order: Self-affirmations may be effective in the treatment of low self-esteem clients only after negative thought structures have been eradicated. Implications of these findings for future research in social psychology (in terms of both methodological and theoretical issues) and the clinical treatment of low self-esteem clients are discussed.

http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~comm300/mary/interpersonal/cog_dissonance.html