Self-esteem differences in the effects of hypocrisy induction on behavioral intentions in the health domain.

Alexandra A Peterson, Graeme A Haynes, James M Olson

Journal: Journal of personality 2008;76(2):305-22

PMID: 18331278

Abstract

Two studies investigated whether individuals with varying levels of self-esteem respond differently in the hypocrisy paradigm. In the first study, all participants were regular smokers. Those in the hypocrisy condition delivered a speech in front of a camera on the dangers of smoking. The principal dependent measure was the intention to stop smoking. In the second study, participants in the hypocrisy condition wrote a public (personally identifiable) passage about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The principal dependent measure was the intention to improve one's health behaviors. In both studies, self-esteem scores were positively related to intentions to change behavior in the hypocrisy condition but not in a control condition. The implications of these findings for conceptions of self-esteem and for dissonance theory are discussed.

Address: The University of Western Ontario, London Ontario.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00487.x

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https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00487.x

MeSH Terms: Adult, Cognitive Dissonance, Deception, Female, Health Behavior, Humans, Intention, Internal-External Control, Life Style, Male, Models, Psychological, Peer Group, Self Concept, Self-Assessment, Smoking, Trust, Truth Disclosure