Representations of the self in the near and distant future.
Seven studies provide evidence that representations of the self at a distant-future time point are more abstract and structured than are representations of the self at a near-future time point and that distant-future behaviors are more strongly related to general self-conceptions. Distant-future self-representations incorporate broader, more superordinate identities than do near-future self-representations (Study 1) and are characterized by less complexity (Study 2), more cross-situational consistency (Study 3), and a greater degree of schematicity (Study 4). Furthermore, people's behavioral predictions of their distant-future (vs. near-future) behavior are more strongly related to their general self-characteristics (Study 5), distant-future behaviors are seen as more self-expressive (Study 6), and distant-future behaviors that do not match up with acknowledged self-characteristics are more strongly rejected as reflections of the self (Study 7). Implications for understanding both the nature of the self-concept and the way in which distance may influence a range of self-processes are discussed.
Wakslak
Cheryl J
CJ
Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. cjf236@nyu.edu
Nussbaum
Shiri
S
Liberman
Nira
N
Trope
Yaacov
Y
D000328:Adult; D001325:Autobiographies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011584:Psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012649:Self Concept; D013997:Time Factors