Rehearsal of positive self-statements and restructured negative self-statements to increase self-esteem and decrease depression.

Rehearsal of self-statements was used to modify scores on self-esteem and depression of 60 undergraduates low in self-esteem. Subjects in the rehearsal group were instructed to read 15 self-statements to themselves three times a day for two weeks. These self-statements were derived from a combination of the most frequently occurring negative thoughts and least frequently occurring positive thoughts given by the subject on the Automatic Thought Questionnaire-Revised. Negative thoughts endorsed by subjects on the questionnaire were restructured into more adaptive self-statements, and endorsed positive thoughts were modified into self-statements which accentuated the positive aspect of the thought. This procedure significantly increased scores on self-esteem and decreased depression scores. The questionnaire was effective in identifying positive and negative self-statements which were significantly related to scores on self-esteem and depression after 2 weeks.