Knowing who I am depends on who I’ve become: Linking self-concept clarity and temporal self-comparison

ABSTRACT

The current research examined how temporal self-comparisons influence self-concept clarity. In Studies 1 and 2, we updated and validated self-report and indirect measures of state self-concept clarity, including specific components identified in prior research. In both studies, participants’ confidence in their self-judgments, as well as the consistency of those judgments, were associated with the self-reported state self-concept clarity. Using the updated measures, Study 3 found that self-concept clarity was highest when participants engaged in temporal comparisons that focused on positive similarities between their past and present selves and when comparisons highlighted improvement over time. These findings suggest that self-concept clarity is an emergent phenomenon that arises from comparison-based self-evaluations that fit common lay theories about how the self develops over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-concept
• self-concept clarity
• temporal comparison
• temporal-self appraisal
• self and identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2023.2244722

Additional information

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1839285 to the first author. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.