A Nondefensive Personality: Autonomy and Control as Moderators of Defensive Coping and Self-Handicapping

@article{Knee1998ANP,
  title={A Nondefensive Personality: Autonomy and Control as Moderators of Defensive Coping and Self-Handicapping},
  author={Christopher Knee and Miron Zuckerman},
  journal={Journal of Research in Personality},
  year={1998},
  volume={32},
  pages={115-130}
}
Abstract Previous work (Knee & Zuckerman, 1996) found that the combination of high autonomy and low control was associated with fewer self-enhancing attributions after success and fewer self-protective attributions after failure. The present research again found strong support for a synergistic effect of causality orientations on defensive behavior through a prospective examination of defensive coping strategies (e.g., denial, behavioral disengagement, and mental disengagement) and self… 
View via Publisher
web.mit.edu
122 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
9
Background Citations
58
Methods Citations
5
Results Citations
12

Tables from this paper

122 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Self-determination and the consequences of social comparison
Abstract The present research examined the consequences of social comparison as a function of individual differences in self-determination. Competing hypotheses were made regarding whether the…
Self-Determination as Growth Motivation in Romantic Relationships
Self-determination theory was applied to coping, emotion, and behavior in romantic relationships. Sixty heterosexual couples were videotaped in a semistructured interview designed to emphasize…
The effects of autonomy support versus psychological control and work engagement versus academic burnout on adolescents’ use of avoidance strategies
This study examines the relationships among Taiwanese ninth graders’ perceptions of autonomy support versus psychological control in the classroom context, work engagement versus academic burnout,…
Autonomy and defensiveness: Experimentally increasing adaptive responses to health-risk information via priming and self-affirmation
TLDR
Three studies assessed whether experimentally elevating autonomy led to adaptive responses to risk information about alcohol consumption to find that for high-risk participants who read risk information, autonomy prime participants reported less subsequent alcohol consumption than did neutral prime participants.
Feeling Controlled and Drinking Motives Among College Students: Contingent Self-Esteem as a Mediator
This article presents an examination of college student drinking motives from a self-determination perspective. We predicted positive associations between controlled orientation (a chronic…
Posttraumatic Growth and Bereavement
TLDR
Results indicated that in comparison to controlled motivation, autonomous motivation was positively related PTG, even after controlling for previously researched correlates, suggesting the importance of incorporating motivation into models of PTG.
Individual differences in authenticity and mindfulness as predictors of verbal defensiveness
Abstract We examined the extent to which individual differences in authenticity and mindfulness predicted verbal defensiveness. Participants first completed measures of authenticity [Kernis, M. H., &…
Autonomy and control motivation and self-esteem
Two studies examined the hypothesis that primed autonomy and control motivations would influence self-esteem (SE) in the direction of autonomy increasing and control decreasing SE. Explicit,…
Self-Determination, Coping, and Goal Attainment in Sport
The aim of the present study was to verify, during a stressful sport competition, the associations between motivational antecedents and consequences of the coping process. Using a two-wave design, we…
Do Autonomous Individuals Strive for Self-Positivity? Examining the Role of Autonomy in the Expression of Self-Enhancement
In an effort to further understand factors that influence the expression of self-enhancement, two studies explored the association between autonomy motivation and self-enhancement motivation. We…
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 58 REFERENCES
Self-Regulation and Consistency between Attitudes, Traits, and Behaviors
This research examined the impact of self-regulatory styles on the degree of consistency between behaviors and self-reported attitudes and traits. It was predicted that individuals who regulate their…
The support of autonomy and the control of behavior.
  • E. Deci, R. Ryan
  • Psychology, Medicine
    Journal of personality and social psychology
  • 1987
TLDR
It is argued that the regulation of intentional behavior varies along a continuum from autonomous (i.e., self-determined) to controlled, with a particular emphasis on its implications for the study of social psychology and personality.
Further Examining the American Dream: Differential Correlates of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Goals
Empirical research and organismic theories suggest that lower well-being is associated with having extrinsic goals focused on rewards or praise relatively central to one's personality in comparison…
Causality Orientations and the Disappearance of the Self-Serving Bias
Abstract Theoretical work (Deci & Ryan, 1987) has implicated causality orientations as potential moderators of defensive attributions. The present study examined whether autonomy and control…
Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach.
TLDR
A multidimensional coping inventory to assess the different ways in which people respond to stress was developed and an initial examination of associations between dispositional and situational coping tendencies was allowed.
Does coping help? A reexamination of the relation between coping and mental health.
TLDR
Those in poorer mental health and under greater stress used less adaptive coping strategies, such as escapism, but coping efforts still affected mental health independent of prior symptom levels and degree of stress.
Sex Differences in the Relationship of POI Self-Actualization to Other Adjustment and Maturity Measures
Self-actualization, internality (locus of control), and moral reasoning, though developed in somewhat different arenas,,are all concepts theoretically related to personal adjustment. The relationship…
Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health.
TLDR
Research suggesting that certain illusions may be adaptive for mental health and well-being is reviewed, examining evidence that a set of interrelated positive illusions—namely, unrealistically positive self-evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism—can serve a wide variety of cognitive, affective, and social functions.
Self-handicapping among competitive athletes: The role of practice in self-esteem protection.
Jones and Berglas (1978) have described self-handicapping as a set of behavioral strategies enacted before a performance that permits the individual to externalize failure and internalize success.…
Life stressors, personal and social resources, and depression: a 4-year structural model.
TLDR
Findings with 254 adults show that adaptive personality characteristics and positive family support operate prospectively over 4 years in predicting reduced depression, even when prior depression is controlled, and suggest the potential for a general, adaptively oriented framework applicable to adjustment under both high and low stressors.
...
1
2
3
4
5
...