SELF-ENHANCING ILLUSIONS AMONG CHINESE SCHOOLCHILDREN

A study (N = 4,000) was conducted to determine if specific forms of se lf-enhancing illusions could be found among Chinese schoolchildren. Th e sample was representative of third- and sixth-grade schoolchildren f rom four provinces of the People's Republic of China. The authors foun d evidence for three kinds of self-enhancing illusions among Chinese c hildren. First, they strongly preferred describing themselves and thei r classmates with positive attributes. Second, they evaluated themselv es more positively than they evaluated their classmates. Third, they e valuated themselves more positively than others evaluated them. Variat ions in the extent of self-enhancing illusions were found for age, gen der, and region of residence. Specifically, greater self-enhancing ill usions were found among third graders, boys, and urban children than s ixth graders, girls, and rural children. These results were discussed in terms of the function and development of self-enhancing illusions.