Masters Thesis

Self-talk and resilience: impacts of performance in undergraduates

While the factors are numerous, the mechanisms associated with the capacity for successful outcomes despite challenging circumstances (i.e., resilience) remain underexplored. One proposed mechanism is self-talk. Self-talk is a cognitive process that serves important regulatory functions and is proposed to be influenced by individual’s dispositional sensitivities to cues of reward and punishment. The role of self-talk in the relationship between approach (BAS) and avoidance (BIS) predicting resilient outcomes was examined across three studies with either a recalled or actual stressor. In Study 1, adults use of less reassuring and greater persecuting self-talk mediated the relationship between avoidance motivation (i.e., BIS) and less resilience while the use of greater reassuring self-talk mediated the relationship between approach motivation (i.e., BAS drive and BAS funseeking) and greater resilience. In Study 2, the relationship between BAS drive was replicated in students; yet, BIS predicted less resilience mediated only through the use of less reassuring self-talk. In Study 3, the relationship between BIS and less resilience was replicated from Study 2. Students’ use of motivational, positive, and reassuring self-talk was associated with greater resilient outcomes whereas the use of critical self-talk styles were associated with greater negative emotions pre-stressor, less resilience, greater anxiety, and less positive emotions following an actual stressor. Neither motivation nor resilience correlated with students’ performance scores but inadequate self-talk was associated with higher scores on the actual stressor. Implications for the function of self-talk in a college setting are discussed.

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