Estime de soi et appropriation cognitive du feedback en contexte d’évaluation de potentiel : le rôle de la valence et de l’influence de la source

Self-esteem plays a central role when it comes to predicting people's reactions to feedback. Despite its undeniable influence on people's reactions to feedback in the context of personnel selection and development, few studies have focused on the factors that may mitigate this effect. This thesis aims to fill this gap through two empirical articles each addressing several research objectives. To this end, data were collected from two independent samples of candidates (Study 1, N = 111; Study 2, N = 153) who underwent an assessment center in a consulting firm specializing in industrial psychology. The first paper aims to test two theories related to self-esteem that oppose each other in terms of predicting cognitive reactions to feedback, self-enhancement and self-verification theories. To better understand this phenomenon, the influence of self-esteem and the objective valence of feedback on the two components of cognitive appropriation of the feedback in assessment settings, acceptance and awareness, was tested. The results support the postulates of self-enhancement theory when it comes to predicting the acceptance of feedback. In contrast, the results offer little support for self-evaluation theory in the prediction of awareness with regard to feedback. The second article aims to identify levers that could be used to positively influence the reactions of individuals with low self-esteem. To do this, two variables related to the influence of the source were targeted: perceived credibility and practices of constructive confrontation. This article includes two studies, the first aimed at validating an instrument measuring the perceived credibility of the source and the second examining the relationship between three determinants, namely self-esteem of the candidate, the perceived credibility of the source, and the practice of constructive confrontation, and two cognitive reactions to feedback, acceptance and awareness. Results of the first study indicate that the perceived credibility scale has satisfactory psychometric properties and support a single-factor structure. The results of the second study suggest that the three determinants studied were positively related to acceptance and awareness. The results also show that perceived credibility attenuates the relationship between self-esteem and acceptance, and constructive confrontation moderates the relationship between self-esteem and both acceptance and awareness. Finally, perceived credibility and constructive confrontation interact in the prediction of awareness, thus emphasizing the importance of establishing credibility to increase the positive effect of constructive confrontation. The theoretical and conceptual contributions of each article, as well as practical implications, are discussed separately and included in an overall conclusion. The impact of this thesis on both research and intervention is also addressed in this final section.

Keyphrases: self-esteem, valence, perceived credibility, constructive confrontation, cognitive appropriation, feedback, assessment