Stability and change of the self-concept in self-discrepancy theory

This study investigated the issue of changes in the construction of the actual-self as a result of the accessibility of own versus other guides. The moderating effect of self-consciousness in the construction of the actual-self was evaluated. Participants were 44 female and 41 male psychology undergraduates. In phase one of the study participants filled out the Self-Consciousness scale and the Selves Questionnaire. Four week later subjects were randomly assigned to a condition of Own-guides Prime, or Other-guides Prime. Following priming, subjects filled out the actual-self section and the self-guides section of the Selves Questionnaire. Results confirmed the prediction that actual-self is anchored in own standards if no particular self-guide is accessible. The relatedness between actual-self and own guides remained stable over time, regardless of whether we primed own, or other self-guides, and was not affected by individual differences in private and public self-consciousness. Priming other guides led to an increased degree of relatedness between actual-self and other guides. Contrary to our expectation, priming of own self-guides also resulted in an increased relatedness between actual-self and other guides. Exploratory analyses indicated that women are sensitive to activation of other self-guides. For men the salience of own guides accentuated the degree of congruency between the actual-self and own standards.