Confusion or Clarity? Examining a Possible Tradeoff Between Self-Expansion and Self-Concept Clarity

• Published in: Social psychological & personality science 2023-01, Vol.14 (1), p.3-12
• Main Authors: Emery, Lydia F., Hughes, Erin K., Gardner, Wendi L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Clarity; Confusion; Life satisfaction; Self concept
• ISSN: 1948-5506; 1948-5514
• DOI: 10.1177/19485506211067040

Most people are motivated to self-expand, collecting new attributes and experiences in a process that boosts well-being, but people with low self-concept clarity resist it. Perhaps, then, there is a tradeoff between self-expansion and self-concept clarity. Across a 2-week daily dairy, we found no evidence for such a tradeoff—self-expanding was not associated with lower self-concept clarity, either that day, the next day, or the period as a whole. In fact, self-expansion was associated with higher self-concept clarity, but especially for people with lower initial self-concept clarity. Although they were less likely to self-expand on a daily basis, when they did self-expand, they reported higher self-concept clarity and, in turn, greater satisfaction with life. These findings suggest that self-expansion in daily life does not come at the cost of a coherent self-concept and that despite their reluctance, people with lower self-concept clarity may experience associated benefits from self-expanding.