Abstract
Introduction. This paper discusses the role of self-relevant information in individuals’ representations of the self. Self-relevant information is defined here as a type of social information that contains such data about an individual as other people’s opinions, judgements, and attitudes about that person. Critical assessment of the existing knowledge on the relationship between self-relevant information and individuals’ representations of the self shows its insufficiency, especially concerning Russian samples. This paper: (a) considers various concepts of individuals’ perception of self-relevant information, (b) focuses on the known properties of self-relevant information, and (c) describes the procedure and results of an empirical study of the relationship between self-relevant information and individuals’ representations of the self.
 Methods. The authors undertook a socio-psychological experiment that employed standardized self-reports and interviews as the means for data collection. Content analysis and repeated measures ANOVA were the data processing methods. The sample consisted of 129 individual participants with a mean age of 19.3 years, 49 % of whom were men.
 Results. The respondents perceived social information as self-relevant if it contained a) direct or indirect reference to them; b) information important for their actions and meeting their needs; and c) references to social objects associated with them. The study showed that self-relevant information affects individuals’ self-appraisal and the accuracy of their representations of the self. Negative self-relevant information encourages individuals to seek new social information and to verify it by social comparison.
 Discussion. This study, carried out on the Russian sample, enriches our knowledge of individuals’ perception of self-relevant information and our understanding of how self-relevant information may lead to distorting individuals’ representations of the self. The findings offer some criteria for distinguishing self-relevant information from the irrelevant one. The results can be used to further study social identity transformations among participants of Internet communities and to assess threats of online communications in different age groups.
Highlights
This paper discusses the role of self-relevant information in individuals’ representations of the self
The sample consisted of 129 individual participants with a mean age of 19.3 years, 49 % of whom were men
The findings offer some criteria for distinguishing self-relevant information from the irrelevant one
Summary
Статья посвящена обсуждению роли Я‐релевантной информации в формировании представлений субъекта о себе. Я‐релевантная информация определяется как вид социальной информации, содержащей сведения о субъек те: мнения о нем, оценки и отношение к нему окружающих. Критическая оценка современных представлений показывает необходимость получения новых знаний об отношениях между Я‐релевантной информацией и представлением субъекта о себе, в частности на русскоязычной выборке. Описывается организация и результаты эмпирического исследования, направленного на получение данных знаний. Определено, что Я‐релевантная информация влияет на самооценку и точность представлений субъекта о себе. Что негативная Я‐релевантная информация побуждает субъекта к поиску новой социальной информации, ее верификации путем социального сравнения. Новизна исследования заключается в уточнении пред‐ ставлений о восприятии Я‐релевантной информации на русскоязычной выборке. Определено влияние Я‐релевантной информации на искажение знаний субъекта о себе. Ключевые слова представление о себе, образ Я, самооценка, социальное взаимодействие, Я‐релевантная информация, негативное самопредставление, трансформация представлений о себе, социальная перцепция, самопознание, социальное поведение
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