Do Messages about Health Risks Threaten the Self? Increasing the Acceptance of Threatening Health Messages Via Self-Affirmation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23322210 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David A Sherman (0000-0002-3027-9124, California Department of Education, corresponding author), David A K Sherman (Stanford University), L D Nelson (0000-0003-1148-4461, Stanford University), Claude M Steele (Stanford University) |
| Year | 2000 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1046-1058 |
| Publication date | 2000-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0146-1672 • E-ISSN: 1552-7433 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/01461672002611003 |
| OpenAlex | W1967215969 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 195 |
| References cited | 42 |
Two studies demonstrate that self-image maintenance processes affect the acceptance of personally relevant health messages. Participants who completed a self-affirmation were less defensive and more accepting of health information. In Study 1, female participants (high vs. low relevance) read an article linking caffeine consumption to breast cancer. High-relevance women rejected the information more than did low-relevance women; however, affirmed high-relevance women accepted the information and intended to change their behavior accordingly. In Study 2, sexually active participants viewed an AIDS educational video; affirmed participants saw themselves at greater risk for HIV and purchased condoms more often than did nonaffirmed participants. Results suggest that health messages can threaten an individual’s self-image and that self-affirming techniques can increase the effectiveness of health information and lead to positive health behaviors.
Affect (linguistics) · Relevance (law) · Self-affirmation · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Communication · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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Changing Aids risk behavior
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Defensive Processing of Personally Relevant Health Messages
The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
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Self-Affirmation Reduces Biased Processing of Health-Risk Information
Resistance of personal risk perceptions to debiasing interventions
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Health psychology
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| Unique citing works | 195 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7,5 |
| Citation span | 2000 - 2026 (27) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 176 |