Moyer, Ryan M.

A significant portion of the self is constructed from our actions and the roles
to which they correspond. Although many of our social roles are enacted regularly,
some may lay dormant, yet still influence one's self-concept. We propose that there
are systematic differences in mental representation between these inactive roles and
more active roles. Specifically, inactive roles should be more likely to be construed
in high-level terms, while active roles should be more likely to be construed in lowlevel
terms. Experiment 1 found that for inactive roles, participants displayed an
implicit construal preference for the high-level aspects of the role. Experiment 2
provided evidence that an implicit measure of construal was necessary in order to tap
these unconscious associations. These experiments support the hypothesis that
inactive social roles are mentally represented in a unique manner with respect to more
active roles.

Superstitious behavior is still a common occurrence in modern society, seemingly impervious to intellectual progress that humans have made throughout history. While the desire to maintain a sense of control over one's environment has been investigated as one of the key motivations behind superstitious behavior, it has yet to be examined within the context of the self-concept. Threats to one's sense of control can also be construed as general threats to one's global sense of self-worth. Consequently, while superstitious behavior may be triggered by control threats, it may also occur as a result of any general threat to self-integrity. Moreover, if superstitious behavior is motivated by the desire to maintain overall self-integrity, then depriving individuals of a chance to engage in superstitious behavior should elicit subsequent attempts to repair self-integrity via alternative means. Three studies were conducted in order to establish this link between self functioning and superstitious behavior. Studies 1a and 1b did not find any evidence that manipulating the self-concept prior to an event designed to evoke superstition would increase the desire to engage in superstitious behavior. Threatening (or boosting) one's self-esteem prior to a game of chance did not affect participant's desire to use a superstitious strategy (aura color). Study 2 provided evidence that superstitious behavior is motivated by a desire to maintain self-integrity by showing that individuals deprived of their aura color prior to a game of chance were more likely to engage in self-affirmation subsequently. It also showed that the impact of depriving individuals of a superstitious strategy is independent of belief in such strategy.