Structure of self-discrepancies. Verification of the model

Abstract

The main objective of the presented studies was to explore the internal structure of beliefs about oneself. It is assumed that the structure of the self can be described in terms of self-discrepancies, that is the relations between different aspects of self-beliefs. Multiple aspects of the self were considered (actual-self, ideal-self, ought-self, undesired-self, can-self) so it was possible to analyze many different self-discrepancies. The first study used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to group multiple self-discrepancies into more general categories. It was a basis for a hypothesis that there are three main dimensions of the structure of the self: (1) negative self-standards, (2) positive self-standards, and (3) personal possibilities. The aim of the second study was to verify this hypothesis on a different sample and using different measure of self-discrepancies (a newly developed, computer-based measure). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), verifying three-dimensional model of self-discrepancies, will be presented.