L03 - The Organization of the Self-Concept Flashcards
How is self-knowledge organized? (self-complexity, self-concept clarity) Why does the organization of self-knowledge matter?
What is self-complexity?
People’s self-concepts differ in:
1. # of self-aspects (attributes, roles, relationships, goals, etc.)
2. Degree to which these self-aspects are distinct from each other
High self-complexity: many self-aspects that are relatively distinct from each other
Low self-complexity: few self-aspects that have a high degree of overlap with each other
What are the implications of self-complexity?
Affective spillover
Affective extremity for low self-complexity
High self-complexity as a stress buffer
What is affective spillover?
(one of the implications of self-complexity)
Because the links between self-aspects and spreading activation, emotions associated with one self-aspect will “spillover” to other self-aspects
More affective spillover for people with low self-complexity
- because of high degree of overlap/links between self-aspects
What is affect extremity?
(one of the implications for self-complexity)
Low self-complexity: Greater spillover causes more extreme emotional reactions and changes in self-esteem
- in response to both negative and positive life events
High self-complexity: less spillover allows for more emotional stability
Describe Linville’s study on spillover and affective extremity.
(study 1)
How does self-complexity affect the relationship between failure and emotional reactions?
Methods:
- self-complexity measured via trait sort
- Experimental manipulation: participants given bogus success/failure feedback from analytic task
- current (state) mood and self-esteem assessed
low self-complexity showed largest change in mood and self-esteem folllowing failure/success feedback
- evidence of spillover and affective extremity
Describe Linville’s study on mood fluctuation/
Is low self-complexity also associated with more variation in mood over time?
Method: field study to look at swings in emotions over 2 weeks
- self-complexity measured using trait sort
- participants completed daily emotion diary for 14 days
Results: low self-complexity associated with greater variation in emotion ratings over time
- i.e., more fluctuation in mood over time
How does self-complexity work as a stress buffer?
(one of the implications of self-complexity)
High self-complexity may serve as a buffer against negative consequences of stressful life events
- may explain why some people are more resilient in the face of stress
Describe Linville’s study of stress buffering.
Does high self-complexity protect against the negative health effects of stress?
Method: Measured the following at baseline and again 2 weeks later
- self-complexity using trait sort
- stressful events experienced by studnet (e.g., finances, employment, accidents, living situation)
- indicators of negative health consequences:
– depression
– perceived stress
– illness symptoms
Results: Following stressful events, people high in self-complexity (vs. low in self-complexity) showed:
- Less depression
- Less perceived stress
- Fewer physical symptoms of illness (including flu)
- No difference in # of stressful events experienced between low and high self-complexity people
Evidence that self-complexity buffers against negative effects of stress
- resilience and vulnerability to stress-related depression and illness due in part to self-complexity
What is the existing mixed evidence for self-complexity as a stress buffer?
Review of 24 studies examining buffering effects of self-complexity
- 7 studies support stress buffering hypothesis
- 4 found reverse
- rest didn’t show any effect
Why are there mixed evidence of stress buffering?
- Differences in well-being measure (dependent variable)
- positive effect of self-complexity on mood and emotional stability but more mixed results when measuring self-esteem or depression - One part of definition of self-complexity is more important than the other (independent variable)
- # of self-aspects –> positive effect on well-being
- degree of distinction between self-aspects –> no effect on well-being - Integration of self-aspects also matters
- Having high self-complexity (many self-aspects) may only be helpful if self-aspects are well-integrated into a clear and coherent sense of self
- if someone has many self-aspects BUT has unclear, incoherent sense of self (doesn’t know how to integrate these different self-aspects), then high self-complexity may lead to confusion about self
What is Self-Concept Clarity (SCC)?
Extent to which the contents of the self-concept are:
- clearly defined
- consistent with each other
- stable
Reflects the extent to which you feel like you know who you are
Compare SCC and Self-Complexity.
SCC is unrelated to self-complexity
A person could be high in self-complexity but low in SCC
- many different self-aspects but lacking in clarity, consistency, and coherence between these different self-aspects
A person could be low in self-complexity but high in SCC
- few self-aspects but high degree of clarity, consistency and coherence between these self-aspects
How does SCC relate to well-being?
high SCC is associated with:
- less neuroticism
- less rumination about the self
- less loneliness
- lower feelings of depression and perceived stress
- higher self-esteem
- higher perception of meaning in life
- higher general life-satisfaction
Suggests that SCC is important for well-being
Describe the SCC and COVID-19 study by Alessandri et al., 2021
Is SCC a protective factor that promotes more adaptive responses during times of uncertainty?
Method: longitudinal daily diary study during COVID-19 outbreak in Italy in March 2020
- monitored negative emotions
- measured SCC
on average, high SCC people experienced fewer negative emotions compared to low SCC people
not only is SCC important for well-being, it also appears to facilitate more adaptive responses during times of intense uncertainty/stress
What factors influence SCC?
Age
Changes in social roles?
- academic/job changes
- relationship changes
- hobby changes
Describe Slotter & Walsh’s study on SCC and Role transitions (2016).
Do role changes lead to lower SCC?
Methods: collected writing samples from an online forum for new parents
- research assistants analyzed and rated writing for:
– Degree of self-concept confusion (more self-concept confusion = lower SCC): “To what extent is the P confused or uncertain about who they are as a person/about their identity?”
– Amount of self-concept change: “To what extent has the transition to parenthood changed the Ps’ perceptions of who they are as a person - the content of their self-concept?”
– Positivity of self-change: “How positive would you rate the P’s feelings about their experienced role transition?”
Self Change X Positivity
- SCC depends on amount of self-change AND how positive the person feels about the change
- for those who felt positively about the role transition, no relationship between amount of self-change and SCC
- for those who felt less positive about the role transition, more self-change associated with less SCC (more self-concept confusion)
- same pattern across different role transitions: new parents, newlyweds, newly divorced, etc.
What are the implications of relationship between SCC and Role transitions?
role transitions are one factor affecting SCC
role entries AND exits predict lower SCC if person doens’t feel particularly positively about the way the new role has changed them
In terms of what can the organization of the self-concept can be understood?
complexity and self-concept clarity
