Psychology of Self-Image: Break the Loop That Keeps You Stuck

Psychology of Self-Image: Break the Loop That Keeps You Stuck This video breaks down why falling back into your old habits isn't a willpower problem, and why your mind keeps correcting new evidence back to the self-image you already hold. We get into Hazel Markus's 1977 research on self-schemas at the University of Michigan, William Swann's work on self-verification at the University of Texas, including the 1992 study where about three in four men with negative self-views chose to spend time with the evaluator who saw them negatively, and Joanne Wood's 2009 study on why "I am a lovable person" can backfire, along with the replication that didn't find the same effect. Then the 5 hidden ways your mind pulls you back: the refund, the dampener, the pre-made excuse, the familiar mirror, and the ceiling sentence, with Steven Berglas and Edward Jones's 1978 self-handicapping study and Daphna Oyserman's research on what difficulty means to you. And 4 principles to actually change the picture: make the claim small enough to prove, keep the receipts, act first and let the label follow, and give it 66 days, not 21, drawing on Albert Bandura, Daryl Bem, and Phillippa Lally's habit study at University College London. You don't change who you are by shouting a new word. You change it by typing it every day. Which of the 5 is yours: the refund, the dampener, the pre-made excuse, the familiar mirror, or the ceiling sentence? Be honest. Tell me in the comments. #psychology #selfimage #selfsabotage #identity #selfimprovement #mentalhealth #selfawareness #psychery --- Research referenced: Markus, H. (1977). Self-schemata and processing information about the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(2), 63-78. Swann, W. B., Jr., Stein-Seroussi, A., & Giesler, R. B. (1992). Why people self-verify. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(3), 392-401. Maltz, M. (1960). Psycho-cybernetics. Prentice-Hall. Wood, J. V., Heimpel, S. A., & Michela, J. L. (2003). Savoring versus dampening: Self-esteem differences in regulating positive affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(3), 566-580. Berglas, S., & Jones, E. E. (1978). Drug choice as a self-handicapping strategy in response to noncontingent success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(4), 405-417. Swann, W. B., Jr., Hixon, J. G., & De La Ronde, C. (1992). Embracing the bitter “truth”: Negative self-concepts and marital commitment. Psychological Science, 3(2), 118-121. Oyserman, D., Elmore, K., Novin, S., Fisher, O., & Smith, G. C. (2018). Guiding people to interpret their experienced difficulty as importance highlights their academic possibilities and improves their academic performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 781. Wood, J. V., Perunovic, W. Q. E., & Lee, J. W. (2009). Positive self-statements: Power for some, peril for others. Psychological Science, 20(7), 860-866. Flynn, M. K., & Bordieri, M. J. (2020). On the failure to replicate past findings regarding positive affirmations and self-esteem. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 16, 49-61. Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1-44. Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998-1009. Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. Sitzmann, T., & Yeo, G. (2013). A meta-analytic investigation of the within-person self-efficacy domain: Is self-efficacy a product of past performance or a driver of future performance? Personnel Psychology, 66(3), 531-568. Bem, D. J. (1972). Self-perception theory. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 6, pp. 1-62). Academic Press. Aristotle. (n.d.). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). The Internet Classics Archive. (Original work written ca. 350 B.C.E.) --- Disclaimer: This video is made for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional psychological, medical, or therapeutic advice. If you are going through a hard time, please consider talking to a licensed therapist or a qualified mental health professional.