Browsing by Subject "Self"
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Item Open Access COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN RESPONSE TO PROMOTION AND PREVENTION FAILURE: A STUDY OF MALADAPTIVE RUMINATION AND ITS AFFECTIVE CONSEQUENCES(2007-07-13) Jones, Neil PatrickTheories of self-regulation have not adequately specified the psychological events and processes that cause an emotional response following acute failure to be prolonged and intensified. Research on repetitive thought suggests that engaging maladaptive rumination can prolong and intensify existing mood states. However, theories of rumination have not incorporated the implications of failing to attain different types of desired end states for rumination, that is failing to attain goals associated with nurturance and advancement (i.e., promotion goals) versus goals associated with safety and security (i.e., prevention goals). In this investigation, 78 graduate and professional students participated in a within-subjects experimental design testing the overall hypothesis that exposure to past failures to attain promotion and prevention goals will promote maladaptive rumination on dejection- and agitation-related emotions, respectively. Furthermore, under conditions of high negative affect engaging in maladaptive rumination will cause the specific type of negative affect experienced to be intensified and prolonged. Study findings did not result in clear support for the proposed model in the prevention condition. The prevention manipulation failed to induce agitation-related emotions associated with anxiety and instead appeared to induce emotions associated with anger. The prevention condition also did not result in unique changes in quiescence. However, as predicted decreases in quiescence uniquely predicted increased engagement in maladaptive rumination. In this condition, engagement in rumination did not interact with low levels of quiescence to prolong and further decrease quiescence. Stronger support was found for the proposed model in the promotion condition. Individuals with chronic promotion failure experienced significant increases in dejection following exposure to past promotion failures. The level of dejection experienced significantly predicted engaging in greater maladaptive rumination. Furthermore, engaging in maladaptive rumination in the presence of high levels of dejection intensified and prolonged of the experience of dejection-related emotions. Overall, the results suggest that self-regulatory cognition, the level of affect that results, and variability in the tendency to engage in maladaptive rumination all play a significant role in determining a person's cognitive and emotional experiences in the ongoing process of self-regulation.Item Embargo Dispassion and the Good Life: A Study of Stoicism and Zhuangism(2021) Ren, SongyaoAlthough the notion of dispassion has played an important role in many different traditions, such as Stoicism, Buddhism, Daoism, and eastern Christianity, it does not seem to hold much appeal to people today. To the modern ear, dispassion is often associated with apathy, which refers to a lack of feeling, motivation, or concern. Because of this association, dispassion carries a negative connotation and is frowned upon by many. In this dissertation, I hope to do justice to the notion of dispassion and identify a version of it that can be attractive as an ethical ideal. To do so, I focus on Stoicism and Zhuangism, the traditions of dispassion with which I am most familiar. After discussing Stoic dispassion and Zhuangist dispassion respectively, I argue that dispassion as they conceive it bears little resemblance to apathy. That is, dispassion does not extirpate all emotions, but simply takes us away from emotional upheavals in search of emotional peace. I also argue that Zhuangist dispassion is more plausible than Stoic dispassion through a comparison of their notions of the self. In particular, the Stoics in identifying the self with the self-sufficient virtue or reason not only fails to do justice to our patiency but also renders the self formalized and empty. By contrast, the Zhuangists in identifying the self with the plurality of daos makes possible a kind of self-sufficiency that is more appropriate to our embodied and relational existence.
Item Open Access Identity Change Impacts Autobiographical Reconstruction of Identity-Relevant Events: Influences of the Self-System on Remembering(2016) Deffler, Samantha AnnThe focus on how one is behaving, feeling, and thinking, provides a powerful source of self-knowledge. How is this self-knowledge utilized in the dynamic reconstruction of autobiographical memories? How, in turn, might autobiographical memories support identity and the self-system? I address these questions through a critical review of the literature on autobiographical memory and the self-system, with a special focus on the self-concept, self-knowledge, and identity. I then outline the methods and results of a prospective longitudinal study examining the effects of an identity change on memory for events related to that identity. Participant-rated memory characteristics, computer-generated ratings of narrative content and structure, and neutral-observer ratings of coherence were examined for changes over time related to an identity-change, as well as for their ability to predict an identity-change. The conclusions from this study are threefold: (1) when the rated centrality of an event decreases, the reported instances of retrieval, as well as the phenomenology associated with retrieval and the number of words used to describe the memory, also decrease; (2) memory accuracy (here, estimating past behaviors) was not influenced by an identity change; and (3) remembering is not unidirectional – characteristics of identity-relevant memories and the life story predict and may help support persistence with an identity (here, an academic trajectory).
Item Open Access Look on the Bright Side: Self-Expressive Consumption and Consumer Self-Worth(2008-04-24) Dalton, Amy N.This research investigates the interplay between self-worth and consumption, and explores the substantive phenomenon of trading up. Laboratory experiments were conducted in which participants were led to fail (or not) on an intelligence test, which threatened their feelings of self-worth (or not). Following the failure, participants made consumer choices. Of key interest was whether threatened self-worth would result in more "trading up" - that is, selecting more expensive products or retail stores. Results revealed that compared to consumers whose self-worth was not threatened, threatened consumers demonstrated more self-expressive consumption: trading up when a product portrayed "me" (high on self-relevance), or not trading up when a product portrayed "not me" (low on self-relevance). Self-relevance was operationalized in terms of choice sets (i.e., the choice between two Duke t-shirts vs. two white t-shirts) and individual differences in the tendency to consider material objects part of the self (this was measured via a questionnaire).
This research also examined two hypotheses regarding how consumption could, in turn, affect feelings of self-worth. The first hypothesis stated that negative feelings of self-worth can be immediately repaired via consumer decisions (here, the decision to trade up or not). Indeed, results revealed that among consumers whose feelings of self-worth were threatened, self-expressive consumption repaired negative feelings of self-worth. The second hypothesis stated that positive attachments between possessions and consumers' feelings of self-worth enable consumers to rely on possessions to protect self-worth. To test this, participants wrote about a possession that was important for who they are and how they feel about themselves (participants in a control condition wrote about a possession important to other people for this reason). Results showed that writing about a self-relevant possession before failing a test buffered the impact on feelings of self-worth. This finding was particularly robust for possessions important to consumers' social relationships.
These findings highlight the bright side of the relationship between consumption and self-worth: consumers respond to threats adaptively - sometimes spending more and sometimes spending less - and functionally - by making consumption decisions that repair self-worth and by relying on possessions to protect self-worth.
Item Open Access Self-assembled DNA Nanostructures: from Structural Material to Biomedical Nanodevices(2008-08-08) Li, HanyingIn addition to being the natural genetic information carrier, DNA can also serve as a versatile material for construction of nanoscale objects. By using the base-pairing properties of DNA, we have been able to mass-produce nano-scale structures in a variety of different shapes, upon which patterns of other molecules can be further specified. The diversity of molecules and materials that can be attached to DNA and the capability of providing precise spatial positioning considerably enhance the attractiveness of DNA for nano-scale construction. A further challenge remains to use these DNA based structures for biomedical applications.
As proof-of-concept, a DNA-based nanodevice for multivalent thrombolytic delivery is designed, which intends to employ DNA nanostructures as carriers for the delivery of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen. Universal modular adapter molecules that can simultaneously bind "down" to the DNA structures and "up" to these thrombolytic drugs are further proposed. We begin with exploring the molecular recognition properties provided by biotin-avidin and aptamer-ligand pairs, and are able to achieve site-specific display of certain protein targets along the DNA nanostructure scaffold. Yet for both of these approaches, only biotinylated or specially selected proteins can be patterned. We further propose to develop single-chain diabodies (scDb) as the adapter molecules. This scDb approach is highly modular and can be extended to assemble virtually any proteins and therapeutic molecules of interests, which at the same time will greatly enhance our molecular toolbox for nanoscale construction.
Item Open Access Self-Regulation before and after a Developmental Transition: a Study of Adaptive Goal Change in Retirement(2008-08-08) Aspnes, AnnRetirement is the quintessential transition from mid-life to late-life for many working Americans. However, questions about the positive and negative effects of retirement have sparked widely divergent empirical findings. Developmental theories of self-regulation may add to the understanding of the subtle differences and transitions within retirement. Retirement may be viewed as a transition in resources (e.g., psychological, social, and financial), so that individual mental health outcomes are linked to how well these resources are reallocated. According to goal disengagement perspectives, failure either in disengagement from past goals or reengagement in new goals can lead to decreased well-being and increased depression. Further, as individuals enter late-life, their focus may turn away from growth and achievement and more toward preventing losses and maintaining current resources. In the present study, it was hypothesized that when pre-retirement individuals were compared against early and late post-retirement individuals, engagement in developmentally relevant goals (e.g., self, family, and leisure) in retirees would be associated with better mental health outcomes while retirees who reported continued engagement in less developmentally accessible goals (i.e., occupational and financial) would report worse outcomes.
A total of 100 study participants (aged 50 to 84) were interviewed about their current goals and completed self-report measures of depression, well-being, social support, physical health, and regulatory focus. Interview data were coded for goal content as well as for regulatory focus. Findings did not support the hypotheses, as there were no significant differences among the 47 pre-retirement, 29 early post-retirement, and 24 late post-retirement participants in their goal content or regulatory focus. Goal content also was not associated differentially with depression or well-being among the three groups. However, the interview data did provide valuable information about the heterogeneous and fluid nature of retirement. Retirement, rather than a clear loss in certain resources (i.e., financial and occupational) and a clear gain in others (i.e., time and personal freedom), seemed to be a renegotiation of those resources. Furthermore, even pre-retirement participants named retirement goals, suggesting that, if a goal transition did occur, it may have been a more conscious, gradual process.
Item Open Access The Development of Structure and Centrality in the Self System: Implications for Appearance Concerns(2008-04-22) Hoy, Melanie B.Appearance-related self worth occupies a central role in the self-structure of many individuals. While many social psychological theories may be employed to understand the role of appearance in individuals' self-structures, thus far developmental theories have not been widely used to understand how these structures come to be and how they change throughout development. The current project integrates social and developmental theories of self to understand the role that important domains may play in the development of self-structure. Participants between the ages of 9 and 21 completed a set of questionnaires assessing various self-concept and self-esteem related variables to address these questions, allowing a cross-sectional view of the development of self-structure. In addition, multiple regression analyses were used to address several research questions, and five clear patterns emerged. First, connections between domains of self increase developmentally, a finding which replicates and adds depth to previous self research. Second, discrepancies between how individuals see themselves and how they would ideally like to be are positively related to how connected that domain is within the self-structure. Third, malleability of self worth is negatively related to domain connectedness such that higher levels of connectedness are associated with decreased malleability of self feelings in response to challenges to self-esteem. Fourth, domain importance does not play a strong role in the development of self-structure. Connectedness of domains increases developmentally regardless of individual beliefs about domains. Finally, development of self-structure differs according to the universality of the self domain that is being considered. Universally important cultural areas, such as appearance, show markedly different developmental associations than do domains that are not as universally stressed. Implications of these findings for prevention programs aimed at decreasing centrality of appearance and future directions for research are discussed.Item Open Access The Differential Effects of Relational and Group Collectivism on Social Motivation: Evidence from Two Cultures(2008-10-01) Li, MinMotivated by recent academic inquiry into the distinction between relational collectivism and group collectivism that characterize different cultures, I empirically investigate the differential effects of relational and group collectivism on social motivation across cultures. The present research contextualizes motivation in social interactions and illustrates the influences of different types of interaction partners on social motivation through self-construal. To unpackage the psychological process in which social motivation is elicited, I develop a two-step theoretical model: In the first step, I examine how different types of interaction partners activate the individual, relational and collective aspects of the self construal. The second step of my model investigates how the activated self-construal shapes individuals' social motivations toward their interaction partners.
Empirical studies were conducted in an individualist culture (US) and a collective culture (Singapore). Results from the studies identified both culturally specific and culturally universal patterns in self-construal activation. Interacting with a friend elicits relational self across both cultures. When interacting with a stranger, members of individualist cultures activated their collective and relational selves whereas members of collectivist cultures activated their individual self. Another interesting finding is that interacting with an ingroup member evokes the relational aspect of the self-construal in collectivist cultures, but it elicits the collective aspect of the self-construal in individualist cultures. An outgroup member evokes the collective aspect of the self-construal across both cultures. The studies also examined the link between the activated self-construal and its motivational consequence, and established the mediating effect of self-construal between interaction partner and social motivation. Applying the two-step model to both individualist and collectivist cultures, I demonstrate that individualist and collectivist cultures vary in the self-construal activation process in response to different types of interaction partners, but once certain aspect of the self is activated, it is likely to lead to the same social motivations across the two cultures.
Item Open Access The Intergenerational Transmission and "Moralization" of Appearance and Achievement Values and Their Influence on Children's Contingencies of Self-Worth(2008-02-21) Quinlan, Nicole PolanichkaChildren's internalization of parental values is differentially influenced by discipline and parent-child relationship quality. Beyond simply affecting values, parents can influence the development of underlying belief structures children use to make sense of behaviors and attributes. Parental values might lead children to experience domains as differentially important and then use this structure when building and judging the content of their self-concept. The intergenerational transmission of values may therefore also differentially influence appraisals of the self. Crocker and colleagues (e.g. Crocker, Sommers, & Luhtanen, 2002) present a model of self-esteem that emphasizes "contingencies of self-worth", which are domains on which individuals stake self-esteem. Although the existence of contingencies of self-worth (CSW) has been supported, their origin has not been addressed. This dissertation is a preliminary investigation into the origins of CSW. It is proposed that early adolescents' CSW will reflect parents' values in domains that carry a 'moral' weight due to parental socialization. The domains of physical appearance and academic achievements were of particular interest. Participants were 127 early adolescents (51% female) and their parents (102 mothers, 62 fathers) recruited from three populations in an effort to sample individuals for whom appearance and academics are differentially salient. Youth and parents each completed questionnaires addressing self-concept/self-esteem, CSW, parenting style, parent-child relationship, and domain-specific beliefs and behaviors. Results indicated that more negative ratings of transgressions in traditionally moral domains (kindness and honesty) as well as the non-traditional domain of academics were associated with higher ratings for these domains on the CSW. Parental discipline moderated the association between parents' and adolescents' ratings of transgressions in kindness, honesty, and academics, and parenting style and parent-child relationship quality moderated the association between parents' domain values and adolescents' domain ratings on the CSW. This suggests that the internalization of moral standards influences developing self-structure and that a domain that is not traditionally considered 'moral' can be raised to a 'moral' level. The results also indicate that parental socialization influences the importance adolescents' place on given domains when evaluating self worth and developmental theories regarding socialization of traditional values can also be used to understand the transmission of non-traditional values.
Item Open Access The Situational Adaptiveness of Implicit Theories of Intelligence and Achievement Goal Orientations(2009) O'Keefe, Paul AndrewPrevious research has largely highlighted the maladaptive consequences of holding an entity theory of intelligence and the adaptive consequences of holding an incremental theory (for reviews, see Dweck, 1999; Dweck & Leggett, 1988). This research, however, has largely ignored the role of the achievement context and how it may conflict with the goals that naturally arise from implicit theories of intelligence. The present research demonstrates that the adaptiveness of theories of intelligence may depend on the demands of the situation. Across two studies, the most adaptive motivation, affect, and use of self-regulatory resources was observed when entity theorists pursued performance goals and when incremental theorists pursued learning goals (fit). Conversely, maladaptive outcomes were observed when entity theorists pursued learning goals and when incremental theorists pursued performance goals (nonfit). For several achievement-related outcomes, however, this pattern of results was moderated by perceived competence, suggesting that fit may be most adaptive when confidence in abilities is high, and nonfit may be most adaptive when it is low. Implications for achievement motivation and goal pursuit are discussed.
Item Open Access Who am I in English? Language as the Face of Identity in Bilingual Individuals(2018-08-31) Larson, Andrea J.How does switching to a life in a foreign language and culture affect one’s identity? Specifically, I ask: Do I have a true self unaffected by language and culture, or am I merely a construct of my environment? Studies in sociolinguistics overwhelmingly point to our sense of self as being largely informed by our place in the world: language, culture, gender and society weave together the intricate fabric of our being. The social and linguistic constructs available to us at any given time form the margins to who we think we are. For bilinguals like me, life in a foreign culture and language stretches these margins, as new experiences and linguistic concepts gradually alter accessible constructs and impact our sense of self. To many of us immigrants, living in an unfamiliar place and speaking in a foreign tongue can also pose a threat to our identity: the fabric of our being comes apart, forming gaping holes where cultural and linguistic concepts have fallen away and new ones have yet to be discovered. This two-part project examines the connection between language and identity creatively as well as academically. In an extended personal essay, I consider how my immigration experience and linguistic assimilation affected my sense of self. Loosely connected memories and reflections weave together into a cohesive storyline of being and changing and becoming, thus documenting the simultaneous sense of lightness and loss, of reinvention and confusion frequently felt by immigrants. The second part of this project consists of an academic research paper examining the unique qualities and struggles of bilingual individuals’ identities and how they are echoed in literature by immigrant, exiled and translingual writers.