Hurtful Messages and Self-Concept: Parental Pessimistic Messages and Emerging Adults’ Possible Selves

Abstract

The present study experimentally investigated college students’ perceived message hurtfulness (PMH) associated with a parent’s pessimistic message about their future. The originality of this study is its 2 x 4 x 3 factorial design, which included 24 different combinations of self-perception and parental pessimistic messages as the independent variables and PMH as the dependent variable. Four hundred eighty-four participants completed the online, cross-sectional survey. They were randomly assigned to a writing exercise for priming the self (best vs. worst possible self) and its domain (subjective well-being, personal relationship, career, and general). After the priming exercises, participants were randomly assigned to read one of three hypothetical situations involving a child’s receiving a father’s pessimistic comment on the future (a child’s future on their subjective well-being, relationship, and career). After reading, participants assessed the degree of PMH. ANOVA and multiple regression were used for data analysis. Neither analysis elicited statistically significant results at the .05 level for the influences of self-priming factors on PMH (H1) or domain homogeneity of PMH (H2). Although the manipulation did not work, this study found that biological sex was the most significant factor of PMH at the .05 level. More research is needed to further explore biological sex to better understand the differences between children’s sex and PMH in a parent-child relationship.