Effects of Mindset on Positive Illusions
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EffectEffectss ooff MindseMindsett oonn PositivPositivee IllusionIllusionss ShelleSheJleyy EE.. TayloTaylorr PetePeterr MM.. GollwitzeGoUwitzerr UniversitUniversityy oofCalifomia,f California, LoLoss AngeleAngeless UniversitUniversityy ooff KonstanKonstanzz SS.. EE.. TayloTayklrandr and JJ.. DD.. Brown'Brown'ss (1988(1988)) positioposilionn thalhalt mentallmentallyy healthhealthyy peoplpoopIee exhibiexhibitt positivpositivee illusioni11lol5ionss raiseraisess aI dilemmadikmma:: HowHow dodo pewitpeople funC1Wnfunction effectivelyeffectively ifthc:irif their perceptionsperceptions arcare positivelypositively biased?biased? UsingUsing Gollwitzer'Go/lwiucr'ss deliberative-implementadeliberative-implementall mindseffiindsett distinctiondistinction,, wv.ee assesseassessedd whethewhetherr peoplpeoplee iinn a deliberdeliber- ativativee mindsemioosett shoshoww leslesss evidenceevidence ofof positivpositivee illusionillusionss thathann peoplpc~e inin anan implementalimplemental mindsetmind$Cl... ParticPartk·- ipantipanlSs completecompletedd aa mindsemindsett tastaskk anandd assessmentassessmentss ooff moodmood,, self-perceptionsself-perceptions,, anandd perceiveperceivedd (invul(in)vul- nerabilitnerabilityy t10o riskrisk.. DeliberatioDeliberationn leledd tloworsenedo worsened moodmood,, greatevealerr perceiveperceivedd riskrisk,, anandd poorepoorerr self-percepself.percep- tionstiool,, relativrelativee ttoo implementationimplementation;; controcontroll (n(noo mindsetmindset)) participantparticipantss typicalltypicallyy scorescoredd iinn betweenbet~n.. StudSlUdyy 3 demonstratedemonstratedd thaOIalt ththee mindsemindsett manipulatiomanipulationn correspondcorrespondss ttoo hohoww peoplpeoplee actuallactuallyy makmakee decisiondecisionss oorr implemenimplementt themthem.. ResultResultss suggessuggestt thathatt peoplpeoplee ususee relativelrelativelyy realistirealisticc thinkinthinkinag whewhenn set5et- tintinggoalsg goals andand mormorte positivposilivee thinkingthinking whenwhen implementill8implementing themthem.. TayloTaylarr anandd BrowBrownn (1988(1988)) proposeproposedd thathatt a mentallmentallyy healthhealthyy TayloTayklrr anandd BrowBrownn (1988(1988)) suggestedsuggested,, thetheyy mamayy nonott procesprocesss aa persopenonn iiss characterizedcharacterized nonott bbyy accurateaccurate assessmentsassessments ofof hihiss oror herher larglargee amounamountt ooff usefuusefull feedbackfeedback.. PerhapPerhapss ththee self-servinself-servingg illuillu- personapersonall qualitiesqualities.,, realistirealisticc estimateestimatess ooff personapersonall controlcontrol,, anandd a sionsionss thathatt bolstebolsu:rr self-esteeself-esteemm anandd producproducee a positivpositivee moomoodd iinn realistirealisticc outloooutlookk oonn ththee futurfuturee bubutt bbyy positivpositivee illusionsillusions.. SpecifiSpecifi- ththee shorshortt rurunn ultimatelultimatelyy sesett peoplpeoplee uupp foforr disappointmendisappointmentt anandd callycally., thetheyy maintainemaintainedd thathatt peoplpeq>lee typicalltypicallyy holholdd aatt leasleastt threthreee failurfailuree iinn ththee lonlongg runrun., preciselpreciselyy becausbecausee ththee negativnegativee feedbacfeedbackk mildlmildlyy self-aggrandizinself-aggrandizingg perceptionperceptionss ooff themselvesthemselves,, ththee worldworkl,, thetheyy shoulshouldd havhavee incorporateincorpor.Uedd intintoo theitheirr goagoall decisiondecisionss anandd anandd ththee futurefutu.re:: unrealisticallunrealisticallyy positivpositi~e self-perceptions,self-perceptions, aann illuillu- planninplanningg wenwentt ignoreignoredd (cf(cf.. Janoff-BulmaJanoff.Bulmann & BrickmanBrickman,, 19821982;; sionsion ooff personapersonall controlcontrol.,, anandd unrealistiunrealisticc optimisoptimismm abouaboutt ththee fufu- WeinsteinWeinstein,1984)., 1984). tureture.. TheTheyy arguearguedd thatthat,, insteainsteadd ooff beinbeingg maladaptivemaladapti~,, thesthesee pospo$- . OnOnee potentiaJX)tentiall resolutioresolutionn TayloTaylorr anandd BrowBrownn (1988(1988)) raiseraisedd iiss itivelitivelydistortedy distorted perceptionsperceptions actuallyactually fosterfoster ththee criteriacriteria normallynormally ththee possibilitpossibilityy thathatt thertheree mamayy bbee timetimess whewhenn peoplpeoplee araree mormoree associatedassociated witwithh mentamentall healthhealth:: positivpositivee self-regard,self-regard, ththee abilityability ttoo honeshonestt witwithh themselvesthemselves,, duringduring whichwhich theythey recognizerecognize andand incorincor- carcaree foforr andand aboutabout otherother peoplepeople,, ththee capacitcapacityy foforr creativcreativee anandd poratporatee negativnegativee feedbackfeedback.. ResearcResearchh onon mindsemindsett bbyy Go1lwitzerGollwitzer productivproductivee workwork,, anandd ththee abilitabilityy ttoo effectivelyeffectively managmanagee stressstress andand hihiss associatesassociates (Gollwitzer(Gollwitzer,, 1990,1990, 1991;1991; Gollwitzet,Gollwitzer, HeckHeck- (Taylor,(Taylor, 1989;1989; TaylorTaylor & Brown,Brown, 1994).1994). hausenhausen,, & Steller,Steller, 1990;1990; GoIlwitzerGollwitzer &&Kinney, Kinney, 1989)1989)suggests suggestsa a DespitDespitee empiricalempirical supportsupport foforr ththee modelmodel,, thithiss portraiportraitt raiseraisess setset ooff circumstancescircumstances whewhenn preciselpreciselyy thithiss situationsituation mamayy occur.occur. a disturbingdisturbing question:question: IfIf normanormall people'people'ss perceptionsperceptions areare DrawinDrawingg onon Heckhausen'Heckhausen'ss (1986)(1986) theortheoryy ofof actioactionn phasesphases,, GollGoIJ- markemarkedd bbyy positivepositive biasesbiases,, howhow dodo thetheyy effectivelyeffectively identifidentifyy andand witzewitzerr anandd hihiss colleaguescolleagues arguearguedd thatthat ththee predecisionalpredecisionaf phase, phase, makmakee useuse ofof negativenegative feedbackfeedback theythey maymay encounterencounter inin thetheworld? world? whewhenn potentiapotentiall actioactionn 80alsgoals entailedentailed bbyy a person'sperson's desiredesiress anandd IfIf peoplepeople areare capablecapable ofof explainingexplaining away.away, compartmentalizing,compartmentalizing, wishewishess areare deliberated,deliberated, isis characterizedcharacterized bbyy a deliberativdeliberativee mindmind- oror otherwiseotherwise dismissingdismissing oror minimizinminimizingg negativnegativee feedbackfeedback,, aass set.set. BecausBecausee deliberatiodeliberationn involvesinvolves thethe carefulcareful appraisalappraisal ofof pop0- tentiallytentially competingcompeting goals.goals, ththee weighingweighing ofof likelylikely propross anandd conscons withwith respecrespectt toto eacheach potentia)potential goal.goal, andand considerationconsideration ofof thethe feafea- sibility of these goals, it is expected to foster relatively even- sibility of these goals, it is expected to foster relatively even Sheik)'Shelley E.E. T~Taylor, DeparunentofPsycholos)',Department of Psychology, Univetsit)'ofCalifornia,University of California, handed and accurate appraisal of evidence. LosLos Arweks;Angeles;Peter PeterM. M.GoIlwitzer, Gollwitzer,Department DepartmentofP$~, of Psychology,UniYer5ity University handed and accurate appraisal ofevidence. ofKomtanz.,of Konstanz, Konstam.Konstanz, German)'.Germany. TheThe posldecisiOllQfpostdecisionalphlll~. phase,when whenpeople peopleplan planthe theimplementa implementa- ThisThis researchresearch Vo2$.wpportedwas supported byby aavant grant fremfrom thethe NationallnstiluleNational Institute ofof tiontion ofof a chosenchosen goal,goal, isis characterizedcharacterized byby anan implementalimplemental mindmind- MentalMental HealthHealth (MH(MH 42152)42152) andand fundi"lfunding fromfrom thethe MIXMax PlanckPlanck Societ)'Society set.set. TheThe implementalimplemental mindsetmindset isassumedis assumedto toinduce induceparticipants participants (Mu(Max PtaDCkPlanck InstihiteInstitute forfor P!)cho&ogicalPsychological R.eseard1.Research, Munich.Munich, German)'}.Germany). toto mustermuster motivation,motivation, resoun:c:s.,resources, andand cognitionscognitions inin serviceservice ofof WcWe thankthank lienLien PhamPham (SII.Idic:s(Studies 11and and2). 2),Juliane JulianeMalzacher, Malzacher,and andUte Ute goal-directedgoal-directed actions,actions, andand thus,thus, GoIlwitterGollwitzer (1990,(1990, 1991)1991) prepre- Bayer (Study 3) for their assistance in collecting and analyzing the data. Bayer (Stud)' 3) fO£ their assistance in colIectina and analyzinlthe data. dicted,dicted, itit willwill leadlead peoplepeople inin thethe directiondirection ofof cognitionscognitions thatthat fafa- BrettBrett ~hamPelham andand GabrielJeGabrielle Oetti'*"Oettingen mademade valuablevaluable continentscomments onon anan vorvor goalgoal achievement.achievement. TheseThese cognitionscognitions maymay includeinclude thosethose spespe- earlierearlier draftdraft ofof thethe article.article. citiccific toto lhethe goal-dirtctedgoal-directed actionsactions toto bebe implemented,implemented, asas weUwell asas CorrespondenceCorrespondence COl1ceminaconcerning thisthis articlearticle shouldshould bebe addressedaddressed 10to ShelShel- more general cognitions that constitute the environment for le)'ley E.E. TaykJr.lXpanmc:ntTaylor, Department ofPl;ychok>sY,of Psychology, 12831283Franz FranzHall, Hall,UnNetsiI)' Universityof of more general cognitions that constitute the environment for California,California, LosLos Anae1c:s.Angeles, CaliforniaCalifornia 90024.'563.90024-1563. EkctronicElectronic