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Reactions to flattery as a function of self‐esteem: Self‐enhancement and cognitive consistency theories
Author(s) -
Colman Andrew M.,
Olver Kevin R.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1978.tb00892.x
Subject(s) - flattery , psychology , consistency (knowledge bases) , self esteem , social psychology , cognition , laziness , internal consistency , self , developmental psychology , psychometrics , mathematics , geometry , neuroscience , psychiatry
Male subjects who had previously scored either very high or very low on a self‐esteem scale were interviewed about personal characteristics, biographical details, social activities, etc. They then received, via closed‐circuit television, flattering or neutral character assessments which were apparently based on their performance in the interviews. A highly significant interaction ( p <0.001) showed that whereas the subjects of high self‐esteem responded with far greater liking for the evaluator in the flattery than in the neutral condition, those of low self‐esteem somewhat preferred the neutral evaluator. These findings provide clear‐cut support for the cognitive consistency theory regarding reactions to flattery, but do not rule out a concomitant though weaker self‐enhancement effect.