Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

A person possesses a self-discrepancy when the represented attributes in one self-state do not match those in another self-state ( see Higgins, 1987 ). Self-discrepancies produce both emotional and motivational predispositions because each type of self-discrepancy reflects a distinct type of psychological situation. For example, a discrepancy between people's “actual” self-representation and their own or a significant other's hopes and wishes for them (their “ideal” self-representation) reflects the psychological situation of the “absence of positive outcomes,” producing sadness and disappointment. In contrast, a discrepancy between people's actual self and their own or a significant other's beliefs about their duties and responsibilities (their “ought” self-representation) reflects the psychological situation of the “presence of negative outcomes,” producing fear and worry. It is the psychological situations experienced in interpersonal interactions that underlie both the motivational significance of self-discrepancies and the construction of distinct regulatory systems – focusing on either regulating positive outcomes (presence or absence) or regulating negative outcomes (absence or presence). A self-discrepancy involving a person's own standpoint versus the standpoint of a significant other also produces different motives and behaviors. See also: emotional experience ; mood ... log in or subscribe to read full text