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Postmodern selves and the problem of self-identity Hennig, Karl H.
Abstract
This research sought to operationalize some of the central psychological elements of emergent contemporary selves, herein broadly dubbed, postmodern. These elements involve both the multiplicity of the self-concept (as measured by Linville's self-sorting task) and the accounts that people employ to justify their self-identity (obtained by semi-structured interview and scored using Chandler's developmental taxonomy). Participants also responded to six measures of wellbeing and adaptiveness: perceived stress, locus of control, behavioral flexibility, self-concept confusion, self-esteem, and self-focused attention. It was hypothesized that the combination of high self-multiplicity with more dynamic, or functional, accounts of self-identity, termed multiplicitous functionalism, will contribute to well-being. Participants were 64 female and male undergraduates in the 18- to 24-year age group - a point in the lifespan when self-identity is undergoing considerable flux. Results indicated that, as expected, higher levels of self-identity were associated with greater self-multiplicity. The various measures of well-being were meaningfully correlated. The locus of control construct was used to make a number of important distinctions. For example, those low in perceived stress and those high in behavioral flexibility, self-esteem, and self-clarity reported greater internality. Consistent with the central thrust of this research, multiplicitous functionalism (high in both self-multiplicity and self-identity) was associated with overall psychological adaptiveness and well-being, as evidenced by greater behavioral flexibility and reflection, and less rumination and perceived stress. This thesis has sought to buttress the argument for a developmental consideration of selfhood, contending that recent talk of protean, polyphonic selves do suggest themselves as adaptive, particularly in a culture where instability and fragmentation seem often the case.
Item Metadata
Title |
Postmodern selves and the problem of self-identity
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1995
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Description |
This research sought to operationalize some of the central psychological elements
of emergent contemporary selves, herein broadly dubbed, postmodern. These
elements involve both the multiplicity of the self-concept (as measured by
Linville's self-sorting task) and the accounts that people employ to justify their
self-identity (obtained by semi-structured interview and scored using Chandler's
developmental taxonomy). Participants also responded to six measures of wellbeing
and adaptiveness: perceived stress, locus of control, behavioral flexibility,
self-concept confusion, self-esteem, and self-focused attention. It was
hypothesized that the combination of high self-multiplicity with more dynamic,
or functional, accounts of self-identity, termed multiplicitous functionalism, will
contribute to well-being. Participants were 64 female and male undergraduates
in the 18- to 24-year age group - a point in the lifespan when self-identity is
undergoing considerable flux. Results indicated that, as expected, higher levels
of self-identity were associated with greater self-multiplicity. The various
measures of well-being were meaningfully correlated. The locus of control
construct was used to make a number of important distinctions. For example,
those low in perceived stress and those high in behavioral flexibility, self-esteem,
and self-clarity reported greater internality. Consistent with the central thrust of
this research, multiplicitous functionalism (high in both self-multiplicity and self-identity)
was associated with overall psychological adaptiveness and well-being,
as evidenced by greater behavioral flexibility and reflection, and less rumination
and perceived stress. This thesis has sought to buttress the argument for a
developmental consideration of selfhood, contending that recent talk of protean,
polyphonic selves do suggest themselves as adaptive, particularly in a culture
where instability and fragmentation seem often the case.
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Extent |
6900326 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-01-21
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0086852
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1995-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.