title: Could you be more specific, please: self-discrepancies, affect, and variation in specificity and relevance.
abstract: Multiple studies have suggested that the use of the Selves Questionnaire to assess self-discrepancies related to specific forms of affect may be problematic. The authors tested whether greater specificity in participant characteristics, study context, and form of assessment would increase the ability to detect the hypothesized differences. The Selves Questionnaire failed to show the hypothesized relations. A modified version of the Selves Questionnaire did show some of the hypothesized relationships; however, these relationships were stronger in regard to depression than anxiety, which also contradicted hypotheses. The results provide more evidence that the Selves Questionnaire, especially when used alone, may be of limited use in assessing self-discrepancies as described by self-discrepancy theory.
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA. rodebaugh@wustl.edu
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Rodebaugh
authors.forename: Kelly L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Donahue
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D018401:Sample Size; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D013060:Speech; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014743:Videotape Recording