Self-Enhancing Illusions among Chinese Schoolchildren

Abstract

A study (N = 4,000) was conducted to determine if specific forms of self-enhancing illusions could be found among Chinese schoolchildren. The sample was representative of third- and sixth-grade schoolchildren from four provinces of the People's Republic of China. The authors found evidence for three kinds of self-enhancing illusions among Chinese children. First, they strongly preferred describing themselves and their classmates with positive attributes. Second, they evaluated themselves more positively than they evaluated their classmates. Third, they evaluated themselves more positively than others evaluated them. Variations in the extent of self-enhancing illusions were found for age, gender, and region of residence. Specifically, greater self-enhancing illusions were found among third graders, boys, and urban children than sixth graders, girls, and rural children. These results were discussed in terms of the function and development of self-enhancing illusions.