The many different ways self-concept clarity relates to emotion and impatience

What is it about?

Self-concept clarity (the stability and clarity of an individual's self-concept) is thought to be quite important for the regulation of emotions and behavior, although prior research has examined these links largely through one-time questionnaire measures. Here, we show that the actual dynamics among self-concept clarity, impatience, and negative emotional states are different for different people. Moreover, we show that these patterns often change from one month to the next for a given person.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This research suggests that for some people, having a clear self-concept helps them regulate their emotions and behavior effectively, whereas for other people, this is not the case. Moreover, these patterns change from month to month in ways that seem to be related to how stressed people are. Thus, self-concept clarity probably relates to emotion and behavior in more diverse ways than is generally recognized, and these processes might also be malleable.