Thine own self: true self-concept accessibility and meaning in life.
A number of philosophical and psychological theories suggest the true self is an important contributor to well-being. The present research examined whether the cognitive accessibility of the true self-concept would predict the experience of meaning in life. To ensure that any observed effects were due to the true self-concept rather than to the self-concept more generally, the authors used actual self-concept accessibility as a control variable in all studies. True and actual self-concepts were defined as including those traits that are enacted around close others vs. most others (Studies 1 through 3) or as traits that refer to "who you really are" vs. "who you are during most of your activities" (Studies 4 and 5), respectively. Studies 1, 2, and 4 showed that individual differences in true self-concept accessibility, but not differences in actual self-concept accessibility, predicted meaning in life. Studies 3 and 5 showed that priming traits related to the true self-concept enhanced perceptions of meaning in life. Implications for the study of the true self-concept and authenticity are discussed.
Schlegel
Rebecca J
RJ
Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA. rjs2m9@mizzou.edu
Hicks
Joshua A
JA
Arndt
Jamie
J
King
Laura A
LA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D005086:Existentialism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult