Abstract
During a lifetime, the integrity and organization of the self may be threatened by a variety of assaults. These may be interpersonal, ranging from personal rejection to violence; they may involve the physical self, through trauma or debilitating, disfiguring, or life-threatening disease; or they may involve assaults to one’s sense of personal security, such as a robbery, an assault, or a natural disaster. The goal of our research program has been to identify the processes through which people adjust to these negative or threatening events. Previous research has focused largely on the adverse emotional and life-style consequences of such assaults. For example, Janoff-Bulman (1989; Janoff-Bulman & Frieze, 1983) has argued that people’s benign positive conceptions of themselves and the world, which she refers to as assumptive worlds, are often shattered in response to victimizing events. Assumptions about the world and the self must then be rebuilt on a shakier foundation, accommodating the new and negative perceptions that such events inspire.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Affleck, G., Tennen, H., Pfeiffer, C., & Fifield, J. (1987). Appraisals of control and predictability in adapting to a chronic disease. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 273–279.
Averill, J. R. (1973). Personal control over aversive stimuli and its relationship to stress. Psychological Bulletin, 80, 286–303.
Cassileth, B. R., Lusk, E. J., Strouse, T. B., Miller, D. S., Brown, L. L., Cross, F., & Tenaglia, A. N. (1984). Psychosocial status in chronic illness: A comparative analysis of six diagnostic groups. The New England Journal of Medicine, 311, 506–511.
Collins, R. L., Taylor, S. E., & Skokan, L. A. (1990). A better world or a shattered vision? Changes in perspectives following victimization. Social Cognition, 8, 263–285.
Danoff, B., Kramer, S., Irwin, P., & Gottlieb, A. (1983). Assessment of the quality of life in long-term survivors after definitive radiotherapy. American Journal of Clinical Oncology, 6, 339–345.
Epstein, S., & Meier, P. (1989). Constructive thinking: A broad coping variable with specific components. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 332–350.
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 219–239.
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A., & Gruen, R. J. (1986). Dynamics of a stressful encounter: Cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 992–1003.
Janoff-Bulman, R. (1989). Assumptive worlds and the stress of traumatic events: Applications of the schema construct. Social Cognition, 7, 113–138.
Janoff-Bulman, R., & Frieze, I. H. (1983). A theoretical perspective for understanding reactions to victimization. Journal of Social Issues, 39, 1–17.
Kemeny, M. E., Taylor, S. E., Weiner, H., Visscher, B., & Fahey, J. L. (1989). Psychosocial processes as cofactors in AIDS. Research in progress.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer.
Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41, 954–969.
Michela, J. (1982). Perceived changes in marital relationships following myocardial infarction. Dissertation Abstracts Internation, 48, 4245-B.
Molleman, E., Pruyn, J., & van Knippenberg, A. (1986). Social comparison processes among cancer patients. British Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 1–13.
Perloff, L. S. (1983). Perceptions of vulnerability to victimization. Journal of Social Issues, 39, 41–61.
Reed, G. M. (1989). Stress, coping, and psychological adaptation in a sample of gay and bisexual men with AIDS. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
Reed G. M., Taylor, S. E., & Kemeny, M. E. (1990). Perceived control and psychological adjustment in gay men with AIDS. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Schulz, R., & Decker, S. (1985). Long-term adjustment to physical disability: The role of social support, perceived control, and self-blame. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1162–1172.
Taylor, S. E. (1983). Adjustment to threatening events: A theory of cognitive adaptation. American Psychologist, 38, 1161–1173.
Taylor, S. E. (1989). Positive illusions: Creative self-deception and the healthy mind. New York: Basic Books.
Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psycho- logical perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 193–210.
Taylor, S. E., Helgeson, V. S., Reed, G. M., & Skokan, L. A. (in press). Self-generated feelings of control and adjustment to physical illness. Journal of Social Issues.
Taylor, S. E., Lichtman, R. R., & Wood, J. V. (1984). Attributions, beliefs about control, and adjustment to breast cancer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 489–502.
Taylor S. E., & Lobel, M. (1989). Social comparison activity under threat: Downward evaluation and upward contacts. Psychological Review, 4, 569–575.
Taylor, S. E., Wood, J. V., & Lichtman, R. R. (1983). It could be worse: Selective evaluation as a response to victimization. Journal of social Issues, 39, 19–40.
Tempelaar, R., de Haes, J. C. J. M., de Ruiter, J. H., Bakker, D., van den Heuvel, W. J. A., & van Nieuwenhiujzen, M. G. (1989). The social experiences of cancer patients under treatment: A comparative study. Social Science and Medicine, 29, 635–642.
Thompson, S. C. (1981). Will it hurt less if I can control it? A complex answer to a simple question. Psychological Bulletin, 90, 89–101.
Weinstein, N. D. (1980). Unrealistic optimism about future life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 806–820.
Weinstein, N. D. (1982). Unrealistic optimism about susceptibility to health problems. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 5, 441–460.
Weinstein, N. D. (1984). Why it won’t happen to me: Perceptions of risk factors and susceptibility. Health Psychology, 3, 431–457.
Weinstein, N. D. (1987). Unrealistic optimism about susceptibility to health problems: Conclusions from a community-wide sample. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10, 481–500.
Wills, T. A. (1981). Downward comparison principles in social psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 90, 245–271.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1991 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Taylor, S.E., Kemeny, M.E., Reed, G.M., Aspinwall, L.G. (1991). Assault on the Self: Positive Illusions and Adjustment to Threatening Events. In: Strauss, J., Goethals, G.R. (eds) The Self: Interdisciplinary Approaches. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8264-5_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8264-5_12
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-8266-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-8264-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive