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Pressing Obligations or Inspiring Potentials? The Influence of the Ought vs. Expected Selves on Task Performance
Waclaw Bak1, Slawomir Ciastek1, Malgorzata Michalczuk1
1Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Europe'S Journal of Psychology
|June 2, 2016
Summary
Activating the expected self, related to potential, led to slower task performance, unlike the ought self. This suggests expected self activation encourages more deliberate, less hasty work.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Self-Perception Theory
Background:
- Self-knowledge comprises various components, including the expected self (perceived capabilities and potentials) and the ought self (duties and obligations).
- Understanding how different self-guides influence behavior and performance is crucial in social psychology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of activating the expected self versus the ought self on task performance.
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms, such as work pace, influencing performance differences.
Main Methods:
- Two experimental studies were conducted.
- Participants' task performance was measured after manipulating the momentary accessibility of either the expected self or the ought self.
Main Results:
- Contrary to initial hypotheses, activating the expected self led to poorer outcomes on tasks requiring sustained attention.
- A mood difference was observed, suggesting a slower, less hasty work pace when the expected self was activated.
- Study 2 confirmed that activating the expected self results in slower work during task performance.
Conclusions:
- Activating the expected self may not universally enhance performance, particularly on attention-demanding tasks.
- The expected self appears to promote a more deliberate and less hasty approach to tasks.
- These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of self-guides and their impact on cognitive performance.
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