Abstract
We examined the influence of a 'possible self' activity on antecedents, identification, and outcomes of global citizenship. Participants wrote about either hoped-for selves as active global citizens, feared selves as inactive global citizens, or a typical day (control) and then answered questions to gauge their global citizenidentification. Results show that the saliency of a feared self as an inactive global citizen led to greater identification with the global citizen identity. A structural equation model shows that feared self (vs hoped-for self) predicted greater global citizenship identification, through the perception of one's normative environment as prescribing a global citizen identity and global awareness. Global citizenship identification predicted greater endorsement of prosocial values and behaviours (e.g.intergroup empathy and helping). The results support the use of a 'feared self' activity to engender global citizenship identification and prosocial values instudents.
Highlights
We examined the influence of a ‘possible self’ activity on antecedents, identification, and outcomes of global citizenship
The emotion results suggest that the inactive global citizen ‘possible self’ task was a ‘feared self’
The results suggest that thinking of a feared future self as an inactive global citizen was effective at influencing global citizen identification and related prosocial values and behaviors
Summary
We examined the influence of a ‘possible self’ activity on antecedents, identification, and outcomes of global citizenship. Markus and Wurf (1987), contributing to the discussion about the durability or malleability of the self-concept, presented a dynamic model in which the self-concept was portrayed as consisting of various self-representations (e.g. self-schemas, standards, and possible selves) that, along with intrapersonal behaviour, form a part of the affective–cognitive system This dynamic model of the self-concept operates in the context of the social environment and includes a working self-concept that is composed of active and salient self-representations, which are immediately accessible from the interaction between the affective–cognitive system (that is, the self-concept and intrapersonal behaviour) and interpersonal behaviours. The interaction between these intrapersonal and interpersonal processes serves to determine which self-representations will become salient in the working self-concept and influence the person’s motivational state in a particular social environment In this dynamic model, the working selfconcept represents a path through which the possibility for temporary or permanent change can be introduced and realized in the overall self-concept
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