Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2025
10:33
Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
12.8K
When fixing problems kills personal development: fMRI reveals conflict between Real and Ideal selves
Anthony Ian Jack1,2, Angela M Passarelli2,3, Richard Eleftherios Boyatzis2,4
1Philosophy, Psychology, Neurology, Neuroscience, Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|August 21, 2023
Summary
Exploring the Ideal versus Real self in coaching reveals inherent cognitive conflict. Brain imaging shows distinct neural activity overlaps, suggesting a biological basis for attentional conflict in self-perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Coaching often aims to enhance self-knowledge for behavioral change.
- Self-knowledge acquisition can be hindered by internal conflicts between different self-aspects.
- Intentional Change Theory (ICT) posits that effective coaching requires strategic sequencing of self-exploration, prioritizing the Ideal self before the Real self.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis of inherent attentional conflict when considering the Ideal versus Real self.
- To explore the neural correlates of conflict between Ideal and Real self representations.
- To compare brain activity patterns during Ideal/Real self-reflection with those during global/local visual processing.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine brain activity in young adults.
- Participants engaged in tasks involving reflection on their Ideal and Real selves.
- Brain activity was also measured during attention to global versus local features of Navon figures.
Main Results:
- A significant overlap in brain activity was observed between Ideal/Real self-reflection and global/local visual processing tasks.
- This overlap was particularly pronounced in the parietal and temporal brain regions.
- These regions are known to be involved in resolving attentional conflict.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide compelling biological evidence for inherent conflict between thinking about the Ideal and Real selves.
- This supports the ICT's emphasis on the deliberate sequencing of self-exploration in coaching.
- Understanding this neural conflict has significant implications for optimizing coaching practices.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
18.4K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
18.4K
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
32.7K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
32.7K
01:29Structure of Self
446
Sigmund Freud's model of the human psyche is often illustrated using an iceberg analogy. The iceberg's visible tip represents the conscious mind, which includes thoughts and perceptions that individuals are immediately aware of. However, the larger, submerged portion of the iceberg represents the unconscious mind, a reservoir of repressed desires, instincts, and memories. According to Freud, human behavior is primarily shaped by this hidden realm.
Components of the Mind: Id, Ego, and...
Components of the Mind: Id, Ego, and...
446
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
5.2K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.2K
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
50.0K
According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
50.0K
01:14Brain Imaging
258
Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
258