Journey 6 · Empowerment
When a Sweeping ‘I Am’ Falls Flat
In one study, students with low self-esteem who repeated a sweeping positive self-statement felt worse than those who didn’t; a replication found no effect either way.
In a 2009 study, Wood, Perunovic and Lee asked university students to repeat a sweeping positive statement, ‘I’m a lovable person,’ during a brief lab task. Those with low self-esteem felt worse than similar students who didn’t repeat it. In 2020, Flynn and Bordieri tried to replicate the finding and found no effect either way. So the evidence is mixed: one study found a backfire, and a replication did not.
Identity research suggests that who you see yourself as shapes which actions feel natural. The honest limit: saying an ‘I am’ doesn’t make it so on its own. That’s why tying an identity claim to specific actions and evidence looks like the safer bet, an inference from this research rather than something it tested.
So in Journey 6, Empowerment, guided by Rayo, your I AM says ‘becoming’ and comes with one proof you will give this week. What small act this week would count as proof?
The research
Growing evidence Real research that's still building — results are promising and still being tested.
- 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.
- Oyserman, D. (2009). Identity-based motivation: Implications for action-readiness, procedural-readiness, and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(3), 250–260.
A free account for life, with All-Access free for your first 30 days. No card.
Join free
