A review of the experience and consequences of self-aspect activation,number, and distinctiveness |
| |
Authors: | Christina M. Brown |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology, Arcadia University, Glenside, PA, USAbrowncm@arcadia.edu |
| |
Abstract: | AbstractThe self-concept is an elaborate memory structure, but it operates under the same basic processes as all cognition. Within the self-concept, self-knowledge (e.g., traits, behavioral representations) is organized into self-aspects. Self-aspects vary in their momentary accessibility, and individual self-aspects can become connected through shared associations (e.g., overlapping traits). This paper reviews the author’s research on (1) the consequences and experience of activating specific self-aspects, and (2) outcomes and correlates of self-complexity, which is the number and interrelatedness of self-aspects. Important self-aspects are easier to activate and harder to inhibit, and active self-aspects moderate the accessibility of related self-knowledge with consequences for social judgment and memory. In addition, self-complexity influences emotions, self-regulation, well-being, and social perceptions, and it varies across cultures. |
| |
Keywords: | Self-concept self-aspects self-complexity identity |
|
|