1. presenter：Huiran Yan
Horoscope

2. tolerant focus on life smart righteous Taurus Aries 4.21-5.21
Gemini
Aries
Taurus
Cancer
tolerant
focus on life
smart
righteous

3. energetic go their own way, let others talk indecisive mysterious Leo
Virgo
Leo
Libra
Scorpio
energetic
go their own way,
let others talk
indecisive
mysterious

4. optimistic cool no zuo no die virtuous Sagittarius Capricorn
Aquarius
Capricorn
Sagittarius
Pisces
optimistic
cool
no zuo no die
virtuous

5. ? prefer these tests & share the results?

6. People want others to see them as they see themselves to attain
a feeling that their selves and the world are as expected.
——Self-verification theory (Swann, 1983)

7. Content
Background information
Theorist
Origin
Theoretical model
Model
Core elements
Evaluation
Light side
Dark side
Application
Connect theory
Umbrella paradigm

8. Background Information
Theorist
A Professor of Social and Personality Psychology at the University of Texas
Achievements:
Self-verification theory,
Identity negotiation theory,
Identity fusion theory
Origin
“Looking glass self” (Cooley, 1902)
Symbolic interaction theory (Mead, 1934)
Self-consistency theory (Lecky, 1945)
Assumption: self-views—sense of coherence—predict & control
(Swann, 1983)
Bill Swann

9. Theoretical Model
Figure 1. Self- verification processes
（自我概念）
（营造自我验证的社会环境）
（对现实信息主观的歪曲）
Definition: People are motivated to maximize the extent to which their
experiences confirm and reinforce their self-views.
1.选择交往伙伴和环境
2.有意显示身份线索
3.采取能引发自我验证反馈的交往策略
1.选择性注意
2.选择性编码与提取
3.选择性解释
Self-views Me
Social feedback =

10. ? why? Self- verification processes?
Increase certainty
Make prediction
Core elements:
prediction
desire
control
? why? Self- verification processes?
Maintain a sense
Guide behaviors

11. Evaluation Light side Direct benefits: psychological coherence,
reduced anxiety (has premise)
Indirect benefits: harmony of social interactions,
relationship quality,
trust
Dark side
Direct drawbacks: lower self-esteem,
depression
Indirect drawbacks: relationship
work environment

12. Application Social psychology Psychotherapy Consumers’ brand choice
Educational psychology
“Individual with low achievement in one academic domain
reduce their self-concept in another. ” (Hay, 1999)

13. Self verification theory (consistency)
Connect theories
self assessment theory
(accuracy of self-knowledge)
Premise:
seek for real self-concept,
Then supplements.
Self verification theory (consistency)
Positive self-views,
seek for positive feedbacks
self enhancement theory
(✓ Positivity ✘ negativity)
negative self-views,
Totally different conclusions

14. Observation and experiments
Umbrella paradigm
Positivist Paradigm
Purpose: prove a hypothesis (Mack, 2010)
Definition: genuine knowledge
∵ Self-verification theory was started with a hypothesis and proved by different experiments from diverse researchers in various years,
∴ Self-verification theory ∈Positivist Paradigm
Observation and experiments
(Cohen, Manion, and Morrison, 2007)

15. References
Hay, I., Ashman, A., Van, K. C., & Stewart, A. (1999). Identification of self-verification in the formation of
children's academic self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(2), 225–229. 
North, R.J. & Swann, W. J. (2009). Self-verification 360°: Illuminating the light and dark sides. Self and Identity,
1(8), 131–146. doi: / Rosen, L. H., Principe, C. P., & Langlois, J. H. (2013). Feedback seeking in early adolescence: Self-enhancement
or self-verification?. Journal of Early Adolescence, 33(3), 363–377.
Sedikides, C. (1999). Assessment, enhancement, and verification determinants of the self-evaluation process. In R.
F. Baumeister, R. F. Baumeister (Eds.) , The self in social psychology (pp. 402–425). New York, NY, US:
Psychology Press.
Swann, W. J., & Buhrmester, M. D. (2012). Self-verification: The search for coherence. In M. R. Leary, J. P.
Tangney, M. R. Leary, J. P. Tangney (Eds.) , Handbook of self and identity (2nd ed.) (pp. 405–424). New
York, NY, US: Guilford Press.
Swann, W. J. (2012). Self-verification theory. In P. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, E. T. Higgins, P. M. Van
Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, E. T. Higgins (Eds.) , Handbook of theories of social psychology (5)2, (pp. 23–42).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. doi: / n27