Feelings of self-disgust and self-development: The intention to change the negative self

Abstract

Feelings of self-disgust may be connected with the process of self-development. The purpose of the present study was to examine this relation. The following hypotheses were examined by questionnaire method: (1) the intention to change the negative self when experiencing feelings of self-disgust would be related to daily self-reflection and positive future image ; (2) the intention to change the negative self would be facilitated by the frequency of experiencing feelings of self-disgust in daily life, and possibility by guides to adherence to feelings of self-disgust. Participants were 255 university students (M = 128, F = 127). The results were as follows: (1) The intention to change the negative self was higher in those who reflected on themselves very often, deeply and without reactance facing their own negativity. (2) The intention to change the negative self was a little higher in those whose future image was positive. (3) The intention to change the negative self was higher when the frequency of daily experiences of feelings of self-disgust was high but did not guide to the adherence to self-disgust feelings.