Running head: SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND COMPENSATORY CONSUMPTION “Letting Go” of Compensatory Consumption

Individuals are known to respond to self-threats by increasing consumption behaviors. These are intended to ameliorate the psychological discomfort aroused by a threat by symbolically compensating for the threatened aspect of the self or by distracting attention from the threat. However, such behaviors merely mask the threat, and can result in harmful consequences, such as overeating or excessive spending. Here, we introduce an alternative means individuals might adopt to deal with threat, namely accepting the unvarnished and flawed self rather than trying to deny or escape it. In three studies, involving different threat manipulations, we show that increased self-acceptance, induced by guiding individuals to “let-go” of self-threats, reduces compensatory consumption. Further, individuals induced to accept the self appear more resilient to threats than individuals who are not so induced. We relate our findings to the concepts of selfesteem, self-improvement, psychological closure, and self-control.