Self-Concept Clarity (eBook)

Jenn Lodi-Smith is an assistant professor of psychology at Canisius College. Her work examines the development of identity content and metacognitive evaluation in adulthood. She is the author of two of the first manuscripts investigating the development of self-concept clarity in adulthood. Dr. Lodi-Smith has an active program of research regarding the patterns, mechanisms, and outcomes self-concept clarity development both in typical adults and in adolescents and adults with high functioning autism spectrum diagnoses.   Kenneth G. DeMarree is an assistant professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo.  His work examines metacognitive processes across multiple domains, including attitudes and persuasion, the self, and mental health.  His most relevant work to this proposal has examined the metacognitive and structural features of one’s self-conceptions and self-evaluation that affect the impact that one’s self-conceptions have on judgment and behavior and that predict the likelihood that one’s self-conceptions will be malleable.  

I.                    Introduction to the volume (DeMarree* & Lodi-Smith*) – This chapter will provide an overview of the goals of the volume with an eye to a brief definition of self-concept clarity and the overarching goal of each chapter to set the current state of the work in that area and future directions for the field II.                  Self-Concept Clarity: Definitions and Measurement – One of the core concerns with self-concept clarity research is the measurement of the construct and its nomological net. This section will map out current measurement, the placement of self-concept clarity in broader self and identity research, and future directions in measurement and assessment that can further elucidate this positioning. a.       Defining and measuring self-concept clarity (Jennifer Campbell) – A basic chapter on what self-concept clarity is and how it is traditionally measured with the self-concept clarity scale. b.      Self-concept clarity and the content of the self in the neosocioanalytic model of personality (Dunlop*) – Dunlop will outline the place of self-concept clarity within the framework of modern conceptions of personality psychology. c.       Self-concept clarity and self-knowledge (DeMarree*) – DeMarree will examine the place of self-concept clarity in relation to other constructs associated with self-structure such as accessibility, ambivalence, self-awareness, and so forth. d.      Self-concept clarity and identity certainty (Schwartz*) – Schwartz will address how self-concept clarity relates specifically to Eriksonian constructions of identity certainty. III.                Why Self-Concept Clarity Matters a.       Consequences of self-concept clarity for well-being and motivation (Light*) – Light will look at the consequences of self-concept clarity in regards to well-being in general and motivation in particular as well as how low self-concept clarity relates to negative outcomes in various domains. b.      Self-concept clarity and body image (Vartanian*) – Vartanian would cover the growing literature linking self-concept clarity to body image. This chapter will likely bring in other aspects of mental health as well as specific links to body image is a growing area and while there is evidence linking self-concept clarity to other forms of mental health such as mood disorders, this evidence is scattered across researchers. c.       Self-concept clarity and clinical populations with a focus on schizophrenia (Cicero*) – Cicero will present the role of self-concept clarity in psychosis and psychotic-like experiences suggesting “a link from self-concept clarity to a long line of research in schizophrenia on anomalous self-experiences and disturbances in self-concept in the development of psychosis.” Paired with Vartanian and Light’s chapters, these three chapters will aim to comprehensively cover mental health and self-concept clarity. IV.                Self-Concept Clarity in Context a.       Sources of self-concept clarity (Hertel*; Van Dijk) – Hertel has proposed a largely theoretical chapter on the sources of self-concept clarity building off of models regarding the development of self-esteem and work in self-concept change and self-verification. b.      Development of self-concept clarity in adulthood (Lodi-Smith*, Crocetti*, & Wong) – Lodi-Smith & Crocetti would map the developmental patterns of self-concept clarity from adolescence to adulthood based on the existing literature with theoretically grounded hypotheses for future work in this area. c.       d.      Self-concept clarity in the workplace (Spain*) – Spain will summarize the existing literature on the role and utility of self-concept clarity within I/O psychology and develop theoretical models for future directions in this area. e.      Self-concept clarity at the collective/social identity level (Gardner*) – Gardner will examine self-concept clarity at the level of social identity “with a focus on how the clarity and integration of multiple social identities leads to higher well-being as compared to more fragmented or conflicting social identities.” V.                  Conclusions and Future Directions (Lodi-Smith* & DeMarree*)