Previous research has examined individuals' relative preference for consistent and enhancing feedback by examining reactions to negative and positive feedback. Recent research shows that, in general, individuals prefer feedback that is consistent with self-views, even if feedback is negative. It is unclear, however, whether negative and positive feedback equally affect actual changes in individuals' self-views. Using insights from Identity Control Theory (Burke 1991, 1996) and a sample of newly married couples, we examine whether positive and negative feedback are equally influential in affecting change in individuals' self-views. We also examine possible change in spouses' views. Results show that when there is a discrepancy between individuals' self-views and their spouses' views, both change in ways to become more consistent with the views of the other. Moreover, individuals and spouses are as likely to adopt negative views as they are to adopt positive views, supporting self-consistency theories.
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