The Impact of Media Narratives on the Audience’s Self: Immediate and Delayed Effects

Studies commonly measure the effects of media narratives on the self immediately following exposure. We explored whether these effects on viewers’ self-esteem, self-efficacy and motivation are confined to the immediate post-exposure period and examined how they are related to the audience’s identification with the protagonist. In Study 1, participants watched movie clips that included inspiring narratives depicting protagonists who succeeded in accomplishing their goals. Implicit self-esteem was significantly higher immediately after watching than after a short break. Unexpectedly, identification was positively correlated only with delayed self-esteem. In Study 2 we changed the control condition and added explicit measures. The reduction in implicit self-esteem between the two measurement times was replicated in the no-treatment control group. Moreover, self-efficacy and motivation were higher than in the control group and were stable over time, and identification was positively related only to delayed implicit self-esteem and motivation. We conclude that the effect of inspiring narratives on the self extends beyond the immediate time of exposure, and identification with the characters contributes to this persistent effect. The findings are explained by theories of contrast and assimilation, identification and inspiring narratives.