TY - JOUR
T1 - Self‐Evaluation Processes
T2 - Motives, Information Use, and Self‐Esteem
AU - Wayment, Heidi A.
AU - Taylor, Shelley E.
PY - 1995/12
Y1 - 1995/12
N2 - ABSTRACT At least three motives guide self‐evaluation: accuracy, self‐enhancement, and self‐improvement. To satisfy these motives, self‐evaluation may utilize different information sources. Self‐esteem may also moderate self‐evaluation strategies. Participants evaluated the frequency and usefulness of eight types of information for meeting the three motives in two life domains: academics and social life. Personal standards information was reported to be used more frequently than objective or social comparison information and also perceived as most useful for meeting all three motives. Individuals low in self‐esteem reported using more social comparison information than those high in self‐esteem, especially upward social comparison information. Individuals with high self‐esteem reported using personal standards information more often than they used social comparison information, while individuals with low self‐esteem relied equally often on these two types of information. Discussion focuses on the role social comparison information may have for those with unstable self‐concepts.
AB - ABSTRACT At least three motives guide self‐evaluation: accuracy, self‐enhancement, and self‐improvement. To satisfy these motives, self‐evaluation may utilize different information sources. Self‐esteem may also moderate self‐evaluation strategies. Participants evaluated the frequency and usefulness of eight types of information for meeting the three motives in two life domains: academics and social life. Personal standards information was reported to be used more frequently than objective or social comparison information and also perceived as most useful for meeting all three motives. Individuals low in self‐esteem reported using more social comparison information than those high in self‐esteem, especially upward social comparison information. Individuals with high self‐esteem reported using personal standards information more often than they used social comparison information, while individuals with low self‐esteem relied equally often on these two types of information. Discussion focuses on the role social comparison information may have for those with unstable self‐concepts.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1995.tb00315.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1995.tb00315.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 8531044
AN - SCOPUS:0029441410
SN - 0022-3506
VL - 63
SP - 729
EP - 757
JO - Journal of Personality
JF - Journal of Personality
IS - 4
ER -