Synonyms
Definition
Self-enhancement is a term encompassing a range of psychological phenomena whose common denominator is the possession or pursuit of a tendentiously positive view of self – in terms of what the self can do, currently is, or will be in future (Taylor & Brown, 1988).
Description
For the purposes of exposition, the phenomena comprising self-enhancement can be divided into one of three classes: ostensible signs, dynamic processes, and personality traits (Sedikides & Gregg, 2008).
Ostensible signs provide prima facie evidence of self-enhancement. A well-known ostensible sign is the better-than-average effect, whereby most people rate themselves above most of their peers in terms of desirable abilities or characteristics (Alicke & Govorun, 2005). Other examples include people’s tendency to make self-serving attributions (i.e., claim credit for success but disavow blame for failure; Sedikides & Alicke, 2012), succumb to...
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References
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Gregg, A., Sedikides, C. (2014). Self-Enhancement. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2634
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