![]() ![]() In the first section (Setting the Stage), we briefly operationalize what is meant by self and identity, drawing on other reviews from both sociological and psychological perspectives In the second section (Understanding Process), we consider what the self is assumed to be – a stable yet malleable mental construct, and what gaps remain in how the self is studied. This flexibility is part of what makes the self useful. Choices that feel identity-congruent in one situation do not necessarily feel identity congruent in another situation. Identities are not the fixed markers people assume them to be but instead are dynamically constructed in the moment. Yet the assumption of stability is belied by the malleability, context-sensitivity, and dynamic construction of the self as a mental construct. This feeling of knowing oneself is based in part on an assumption of stability which is central to both everyday (lay) theories about the self and more formal (social science) theories about the self. Feeling that one knows oneself facilitates using the self to make sense and make choices, using the self as an important perceptual, motivational and self-regulatory tool. As we will outline in this chapter, this feeling of knowing oneself is important even though the assumptions on which it is based are often faulty. In that sense, choices large and small feel identity-based and identity-congruent. They know who they are and who they are directs their choices. People believe they do not need to seriously weigh the pros and cons of many choices before deciding, that their identities provide a meaning-making anchor. ![]()
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2023
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