The effect of expecting to be evaluated on change toward favorable and unfavorable information about oneself.

Abstract

Predictions concerning self concept change followed from the point of view that amount of change is a function of an individual's expectancies concerning the consequences of change. In experimental conditions that varied according to induced expectancy about future events, subjects received messages disagreeing favorably or unfavorably with their self-assessments. Consistent with the assumptions that were made concerning the expected consequences of change, the following findings emerged: among subjects who received a favorable message, those who expected to undergo further evaluation showed significantly less change toward the message than did those who did not expect further evaluation, but, among subjects who received an unfavorable message, there were no significant differences between expectancy conditions. This paper takes the point of view that a person's willingness to accept information about himself that is discrepant from his beliefs about himself depends on his expectancies concerning the consequences of changing these beliefs. According to this framework, the consequences of change are a function of the direction (favorable or unfavorable) in which the information departs from the individual's self concept and on his assessment of the likelihood of being evaluated in the future. As a product of this expectancy analysis, the study delineates conditions under which receptivity to favorable information is likely to be greater than to unfavorable information as well as conditions under which a reversal of this effect is likely to occur. The analysis begins with the common-sense assumption that it is pleasant to view oneself favorably and unpleasant to view oneself unfavorably. In other words, it is assumed that most individuals have repeatedly experienced the increased self-esteem that follows from changing the self concept in a favorable direction and the decreased self-esteem that follows from changing