Differential effects of self-statements following a self-esteem threatening situation

Positive psychology amplified the emphasis found in cognitive-behavioral therapy on the efficacy of self-statements to improve self-esteem and mood. Yet, recent studies argued that the real effectiveness of these statements remains largely unstudied. The present study examined the effects of three types of potentially beneficial self-statements in regards to their effects on self-esteem and mood (positive general, positive specific, self-acceptance) and contrasted them with a negative self-statement. Ninety participants were asked to practice repeating one of these types of statements following a self-esteem threatening situation. Results indicated that thinking positively was beneficial, regardless of whether the coping statement used was more general or more specific, exaggerated and in direct contradiction with a recent behavioral act. Moderation analysis indicated that for participants with low and average (but not high) trait self-esteem, the positive exaggerated self-statement was more useful than the negative one for negative emotions and covert measures of mood.