selfaffirming

Self-affirming refers to acts or statements that reinforce an individual's sense of worth, values, or identity. In psychology, self-affirmation is the process of sustaining self-integrity by focusing on important personal values in the face of threat.

Self-affirmation theory, developed by Claude Steele and colleagues, posits that threats to self-worth provoke defensiveness, which can undermine judgments and performance. By affirming core values not directly related to the threat, people can restore balance and reduce defensiveness.

Practices include writing about core values, recalling strengths, or engaging in positive self-talk. These can be brief, daily exercises or integrated into therapy, education, or health programs. Self-affirmation is also used in educational and clinical settings to help individuals cope with feedback, stress, and riskier health behaviors.

Evidence indicates self-affirmation can reduce stress responses, support healthier behaviors, and improve performance under threat in some settings, and can decrease stereotyping and defensiveness. However effects vary by context, and meta-analytic results show modest average effects with notable heterogeneity.

Limitations and criticisms include the importance of authenticity; stereotyped or forced affirmations can backfire or feel insincere. Some replications of related effects have been inconsistent, fueling ongoing methodological debates in psychology. Despite variable effects, self-affirmation remains a commonly explored technique in research and applied settings for mitigating threat responses and promoting adaptive functioning.