Definition
The motivation to maximize the positivity of one’s self-views
Introduction
Self-enhancement is believed to be a fundamental motive to increase the positivity of one’s self-views (for a review, see Alicke and Sedikides 2009). Self-enhancement can be conceptualized as a motive to bring one’s self-views in line with a desired end state, one’s ideal self, or one’s aspirations with respect to self-views. Self-enhancement tendencies are instrumental psychological responses aimed at promoting positive self-views, and they are believed to be driven by a desire to attain or maintain self-esteem. That is, the self-enhancement motive is believed to guide people toward situations in which they believe they will excel or situations in which they can promote their positive qualities, which will help them increase their self-esteem.
Although some individuals may be more predisposed to self-enhancement than others, everyone has the propensity to self-enhance. People self-enhance in order to...
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Giacomin, M., Jordan, C.H. (2020). Self-Enhancement Motives. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1168
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