The current article is a relatively brief, theoretical piece discussing reputation, social These findings suggest that self-expansion in daily life does not come at the cost of a coherent self-concept and that despite their reluctance, people with lower self-concept clarity may experience associated benefits from self-expanding. Although they were less likely to self-expand on a daily basis, when they did self-expand, they reported higher self-concept clarity and, in turn, greater satisfaction with life. In fact, self-expansion was associated with higher self-concept clarity, but especially for people with lower initial self-concept clarity. Across a 2-week daily dairy, we found no evidence for such a tradeoff-self-expanding was not associated with lower self-concept clarity, either that day, the next day, or the period as a whole. Perhaps, then, there is a tradeoff between self-expansion and self-concept clarity. Most people are motivated to self-expand, collecting new attributes and experiences in a process that boosts well-being, but people with low self-concept clarity resist it. Thus, avoidant individuals’ reluctance to trust or become too close to others may result in hidden costs to the self-concept. Longitudinally, avoidance predicted changes in self-verification, which in turn predicted changes in self-concept clarity (Study 5). The association between avoidance and self-verification was mediated by less self-disclosure and less trust in partner feedback (Study 4). Attachment avoidance was associated with lower self-concept clarity (Studies 1-5), an effect that was mediated by low self-verification (Studies 2-3). We hypothesized that avoidance would predict lower self-concept clarity and that less self-verification from partners would mediate this association. However, as partners can help people maintain stable self-views, avoidant individuals’ negative views of others might place them at risk for self-concept confusion. Although attachment avoidance and anxiety both undermine relationships, past research has primarily emphasized detrimental effects of anxiety on the self-concept. Two studies demonstrated that, for individuals who have suffered a self-threat, receiving specific evidentiary support for the threatened self-aspect was more effective at restoring confidence in both the specific self-aspect and at recovering self-concept clarity than was receiving emotional support, whether the interaction was imagined (Study 1), or offered in person (Study 2) after the threat.Īttachment shapes people’s experiences in their close relationships and their self-views. We proposed that although both types of support are likely to repair the affective consequences of a self-threat, only interacting with others who can provide evidence from the individuals' past that reconfirms a threatened self-aspect would help stabilize the self-concept. We may seek support to reassure us with warmth and acceptance after a self-threat, or to provide support for threatened self-knowledge. The current research examined the process through which individuals utilize interpersonal relationships to stabilize threatened self-views. After failure, individuals frequently turn to others for support.

Remind me who i am