Talk:Self-affirmation

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Self-affirmation: the recognition and assertion of the existence of the conscious self.

Self-affirmation restores self-worth when positive images of self-integrity are threatened by fear or guilt. In its absence such threats may generate shock, rage or panic. Self-worth is the basis for self-confidence which in turn is the basis for self-motivation. Self-motivation reduces bias in perceptions and leads to improved behavior. This is the process by which self-affirmation brings about improvements in behavior.

59.93.50.73 (talk) 05:14, 13 July 2009 (UTC)Ravi R.

Is there a reason this page focuses so strongly on the individualist vs. collectivist political divide? Although a few researchers have tried to shoehorn it in that direction (and that single reference is being milked a long way), it has nothing to do with anything inherent in the theory. In fact, the theory stands up just as well when examining the reactions of one person within a large workforce, the reaction of that workforce as a whole (see recent union reaction during the financial crisis of 08-09) or even the reaction of an entire country. The attempt even leads to direct contradictions such as
 * Collectivists are less likely to be motivated to protect the self-integrity since self esteem is less emphasized in their culture. However, the general process that affirmation reduces defensive responses to threats appears to be culturally invariant.

I will swing back here in a couple of days and see if there are any responses. If not, the above quote and a few other sections will be edited appropriately, with significantly expanded citations. - Tenebris —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.254.156.203 (talk) 13:07, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

Because of the date placed next to Claude Steele's name, it would seem like there is a specific work in which Self-affirmation was first proposed, but the work itself is not listed as such, as far as I can tell. From the point of view of someone trying to find more information about self-affirmation theory, it seems like that work should be referenced somewhere in the article, since it would be a key starting point in beginning to study self-affirmation theory. 70.33.93.63 (talk) 18:21, 30 August 2010 (UTC)

For the ordinary visitor seeking less theoretical, more practical information on the topic, some less academic yet authoritative pointers would be useful. As well as a clarification as to the differences (and similarities) with the "pop psychology" conception of affirmations as advocated by mainstream self-improvement texts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.8.94.215 (talk) 03:08, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

New edit - affirmations and self esteem
However, if a person's self esteem is low at the baseline, affirmations will actually lower that person's self esteem

References:

This is an important change because no where in the article does it clarify the effects of affirmations on high versus low self esteem. Affirmations should not be used on those with low self esteem at the baseline because it will cause adverse effects than intended. --Cgulker (talk) 00:50, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

I agree it is important to bring awareness to this issue, but note that the research on how affirmations don't work for those with low self-esteem refers specifically to simplistic positive affirmations(e.g., "I am loved by many," "I am competent," "I am beautiful," in other words, the stuff commonly touted in psychobabble and pop psychology), rather than the self-affirmations this Wikipedia page is referring to. The self-affirmation this page is talking about (and the kind that psychology researchers have been examining) refers more to personal values. I know this is confusing (I was extremely confused by this myself), and perhaps the term "self-affirmation" should be replaced by a term that is more relevant to its actual content (e.g., "personal values"). Nevertheless, it is important to note that the self-esteem study referenced above on Neurological Blog refers to "positive affirmation," which is distinctively different from the topic of "self-affirmation" discussed here. Thus, although positive affirmations are ineffective for those with low self-esteem (and are likely useless in general anyway), this doesn't necessarily apply to self-affirmations as well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jennwangster (talk • contribs) 02:39, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

IMHO this article reads like it has been machine translated from another language. It really needs to be rewritten. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.5.67.29 (talk) 21:16, 3 May 2014 (UTC)

Revision and Expansion of Article
Hi,

Over the next month I plan on revising and expanding the current article. I will be adding new section in order to include more information on the theory, empirical support, and applications. Please let me know if you have thoughts on the matter. Thank you. Mrbauer1234 (talk) 00:19, 30 October 2014 (UTC)

MOS/MSH
please see WP:MOS and specifically, WP:MSH; cleaning up the section headings here would be appreciated. Wikipedia does not use uppercase throughout, and does not repeat words in section headings. Sandy Georgia (Talk) 01:09, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"Extant research"?
The use of the term, "extant" in this context does not fit. For example "extant archeological records", meaning that they currently exist after having endured over time is correct. However "extant" used in this article seems to simply imply that there is scholarly research. Therefore to avoid confusion it would seem prudent to remove this term from the text. If there are no onbjections the correction should be made. Dr.khatmando (talk) 03:07, 17 April 2017 (UTC)