Self-ideal Congruence Research Articles

Life Satisfaction and the Self: Structure, Content, and Function

Seventy-nine participants rated their involvement and satisfaction with time spent in each of 14 roles (e.g., me as a student), as well as overall life satisfaction. They also described themselves in each of these roles, as well as five general self-conceptions (e.g., ideal self), by repeatedly selecting from a list of traits. Each participant’s set of self descriptions was idiographically modeled using hierarchical classes analysis, from which three indices were coded: trait overlap between actual, usual, ideal, ought, and future selves (self-ideal congruence), trait overlap between each of the 14 roles and actual and usual selves (self-role congruence), and dispersion of negative traits across self-aspects (negative elaboration). Within-person correlations were computed as a measure of satisfaction with time spent in self-congruent roles (TSR). Self-ideal congruence, negative elaboration, and TSR each independently accounted for variance in life satisfaction. For all 14 roles, self-role congruence was correlated with involvement in the target role. Self-ideal congruence and negative elaboration were not highly correlated with role involvement, and self-role congruence was not a robust predictor of life satisfaction. Role-based self-aspects might contribute to life satisfaction to the extent they are enacted according to one’s wishes and are congruent with the more general, actual self.

Self-Ideal Congruence as Measure of Self-Esteem

This study concerned whether self-ideal congruence correlates with general self-esteem and what aspects of self-esteem are better measured by the self-ideal congruence. For 25 men and 82 women ( M age = 21 yr.) self-ideal congruence correlated (-.28 to -.48) with general self-esteem and measured Sociability and Social Intelligence better (.34 to .42).

Perceived change of self among adolescents

In order to examine the sense of continuity of adolescents, self-appraisals of retrospective and prospective change or sameness were elicited from Israeli boys and girls in grades 7, 9, and 11 (N=186). With reference to each of 60 self-attributes, these adolescents indicated the amount of change they perceived in themselves, compared with what they were like five years ago. They then estimated how much they expected to change on each attribute five years from now. Most respondents perceived minimal change in themselves, both retrospectively and prospectively. Regression analyses indicated that the lower the amount of perceived change of self, the higher the level of self-perceived adjustment and self-ideal congruence. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future studies of the sense of continuity in adolescence and beyond.

Personality and Political Participation: Does Self-Ideal Discrepancy Make a Difference?

Rival accounts of the relation between personality adjustment, e.g., psychic fulfillment, self-actualizarion, and the like, and political participation are summarized, and the notion of self-ideal congruence introduced as an independent variable of relevance. The latter, as an aspect of self-actualization, was then investigated for its relationship to political participation. Findings from a sample of 85 college students did not conform to expectations derived from “actualization” theory but were not inconsistent with “compensation” perspectives, as no positive relationship was found between congruence and two measures of political participation.

A new scale for the adjective check list based on self vs. ideal-self discrepancies

Obtained self and ideal-self protocols on the Adjective Check List for 100 American Air Force officers and 95 Italian young men who were applying for a nation-wide precollege military training school. Comparison of endorsement rates for the 300 items in the ACL detected 44 that showed appreciable and similar shifts in both samples. On 31 endorsement increased and on 13 it decreased. The real-self protocols then were scored, +1 each time a positive item was checked and - 1 for each endorsement of a negative item. Self-ideal congruence was measured by the phi correlation between the two protocols from each person. Scores on the new scale correlated. 63 with phi in the American and 0.46 in the Italian samples. Ratings and adjectival descriptions by observers were available for the American sample. Their relationship to scores on the new scale suggested it to be a measure of social poise, ambition, and initiative more than of personal soundness or self-insight.

Differences in self-ideal congruence between social classes.

Differences in self-ideal congruence between social classes.

Effects of Teacher-Led, Curriculum-Integrated Sensitivity Training in a Large High School 1

AbstractIn an attempt to develop a widely applicable, practical means of reducing students' alienation from school, family and community by increasing self-ideal congruence, encounter groups were offered as elective courses to 10th grade students. The groups were led by teachers and professional trainers in the first year and by teachers alone in the second. Small and standard size classes comprised the control groups. Personal adjustment and social attitudes were measured by the California Test of Personality, self-ideal congruence by Miskimins Self-Goal-Other Test. Ratings of change were also obtained from parents. Results suggest limited positive effects of the encounter groups and some negative effects of small classes. Many positive changes noted in the school, possibly related indirectly to the experimental intervention, indicate a greater impact on other parts of the school environment than on the immediate consumers of

Relationships among self-ideal congruence, adjustment, and fear-of-failure motivation.

Relationships among self-ideal congruence, adjustment, and fear-of-failure motivation.

Self-ideal congruence as a function of human relations training.

Self-ideal congruence as a function of human relations training.

Self-esteem and social-personal orientation of Indian 12- and 18-year-olds.

Measures of self-ideal congruence and of social-personal orientation were obtained in Delhi from groups of 50 Indian males and females of about age 12 and age 18, predominantly of socio-economic Class I. These data were compared with longitudinal American data obtained by Carlson. Among the preadolescents, the average self-ideal congruence score for the Indian girls was highest, followed by Indian boys, American girls and boys. Only the differences involving the Indian girls were statistically significant. At age 18 the average female congruence score was insignificantly above the average male score. In social-personal orientation, over half of the Indian preadolescent and adolescent girls were socially oriented. About one quarter of the Indian preadolescent boys were socially oriented; almost half of the older boys were. In contrast, the American girls had changed from one quarter socially oriented to over one-half; the American boys had changed from almost one-half to approximately one-eighth.

Discussion of: "Self-Ideal Congruence in Psychotherapy."

Discussion of: "Self-Ideal Congruence in Psychotherapy."

Self-ideal congruence in psychotherapy.

Self-ideal congruence in psychotherapy.

Discussion of: "Self-ideal congruence in psychotherapy."

Discussion of: "Self-ideal congruence in psychotherapy."

Self-ideal congruence as an index of adjustment.

Self-ideal congruence as an index of adjustment.