Examining the Relationship Between Self-Perceptions of Person, Role, and Social Identity Change and Self-Concept Clarity

Abstract

Past research in the literature on the self has addressed how self-concept clarity changes over time. In this study, we use a cross-sectional research design to examine the relationship between self-perceptions of identity change and self-concept clarity, showing how fluctuations in self-concept clarity relate to two discrete dimensions of perceived identity change: the magnitude and direction of change. A survey was administered to 854 study participants that measured perceived changes in 12 discrete identities (four person, four role, and four social identities) over a 6-month period. The results reveal that generally the more severe one's perceived experience of identity change, the lower their degree of self-concept clarity. However, when the direction of one's perceived identity change is progressive (i.e., developing into an identity) rather than regressive (i.e., exiting out of an identity), one's degree of self-concept clarity increases.