Persistence in the Face of Failure

Past research has found that high self-esteem individuals tend to respond to failure with increased persistence, even under conditions in which such persistence is nonproductive. Janoff-Bulman and Brickman (1982) have argued, however, that high self-esteem individuals tend to make better use of information telling them when to quit and when to persist than low self-esteem individuals. This study tested whether differential sensitivity to information about the efficacy of persistence moderates nonproductive persistence. Following initial failure, high self-esteem subjects who received information linking persistence to performance on a puzzle-solving task tended to persist longer on unsolvable puzzles than did low self-esteem subjects. The reverse was true, however, when subjects received information indicating a noncontingency between persistence and performance. Results are discussed in terms of information use and general performance expectancies.