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Could you be more specific, please: self-discrepancies, affect, and variation in specificity and relevance
Thomas L Rodebaugh1, Kelly L Donahue
1Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA. rodebaugh@wustl.edu
Journal of Clinical Psychology
|November 1, 2007
Summary
The Selves Questionnaire may not effectively measure self-discrepancies. A modified version showed some results, but not as hypothesized, suggesting limitations in assessing self-discrepancy theory.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Self-discrepancy theory posits that discrepancies between actual and ideal selves cause distress.
- Existing research suggests the Selves Questionnaire may have limitations in assessing these discrepancies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if increased specificity in participant characteristics, study context, and assessment methods improves the detection of hypothesized self-discrepancies.
- To evaluate the efficacy of the standard and a modified Selves Questionnaire in measuring self-discrepancies.
Main Methods:
- The study utilized the Selves Questionnaire and a modified version to assess self-discrepancies.
- Hypothesized relationships were tested under conditions of increased specificity.
Main Results:
- The standard Selves Questionnaire did not yield the hypothesized results.
- A modified version showed some expected relationships, but these were stronger for depression than anxiety, contrary to hypotheses.
- These findings indicate potential limitations of the Selves Questionnaire, particularly when used in isolation.
Conclusions:
- The Selves Questionnaire appears to have limited utility for assessing self-discrepancies as conceptualized by self-discrepancy theory.
- Further research may be needed to refine or develop more robust measures for self-discrepancy assessment.
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