Enhancing One's Sense of Self Using Self-Affirmation

This study evaluates whether a brief psychological intervention, known as a self-affirmation intervention which works by allowing one to recognise their own value, can improve well-being. This study also evaluates whether more of these interventions will lead to greater increases in well-being, and also measures self-esteem and anxiety to examine their potential involvement in the self-affirmation process. Participants are randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation intervention group, a 'booster' self-affirmation group whereby they receive the intervention twice, or a control group (no intervention). Participant's well-being, self-esteem and anxiety are assessed at baseline (before the intervention), 1 week, and 2 weeks after the intervention. It is hypothesised that those who undergo self-affirmation will have more improved levels of well-being than those who do not; those who undergo the self-affirmation twice will have the most improved levels of well-being. It is also hypothesised that self-esteem and state anxiety will be involved in the self-affirmation process and potentially mediate the effects of self-affirmation on well-being.