Abstract
Research has established that acts of self-control deplete a resource required for subsequent self-control tasks. The present investigation revealed that a psychological intervention-self-affirmation-facilitates self-control when the resource has been depleted. Experiments 1 and 2 found beneficial effects of self-affirmation on self-control in a depleted state. Experiments 3 and 4 suggested that self-affirmation improves self-control by promoting higher levels (vs. lower levels) of mental construal. Self-affirmation therefore holds promise as a mental strategy that reduces the likelihood of self-control failure.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 770-782 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of personality and social psychology |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2009 |
Keywords
- construal level
- ego depletion
- self-affirmation
- self-control
- self-regulation