The Role of Self-Image Concerns in Discrepancies Between Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem

Four experiments examined the hypothesis that individuals who hold discrepant implicit and explicit self-esteem possess relatively strong self-image concerns. as a result,they may act irrationally when expressing sexual health attitudes. in support of the hypothesis,experiments 1a and 1b demonstrate that large self-esteem discrepancy participants possess strong implicit self-image ambivalence relative to small self-esteem discrepancy participants. in experiments 2 and 3,participants who varied in self-esteem discrepancies received either negative or positive (or no) feedback on an intelligence test,and then they were given an opportunity to express implicit and explicit attitudes toward condoms. large self-esteem discrepancy participants who received a self-threat responded irrationally and expressed relatively strong negative implicit (but not explicit) attitudes toward condoms. however,this detrimental effect was completely reversed following a self-affirmation to large discrepancy participants. the implicit and explicit attitudes toward condoms of small discrepancy participants were unaffected by a self-threat or a self-affirmation. © 2012 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.