title: The dynamic self: how the content and structure of the self-concept change with mood.
abstract: Change in the content and structure of the self-concept was examined in a 2-year prospective study of depression. A self-descriptive card-sorting task measured the self-concepts of participants who were either high or low in cognitive vulnerability to depression at 2 times, once when their mood was low and once when it was not. Analyses examined change in the positive and negative content of the self-concept and in 3 features of self-structure: differential importance, compartmentalization, and self-complexity. Findings suggest that change in the content of the self-concept simply reflects life circumstances, whereas change in self-structure may help to counteract stress and negative mood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Showers
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hogan
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology