Everyone has an expectation of what their ideal self should be, but achieving that expectation is not such an easy goal. When people perceive there to be a gap between their ideal image and their actual selves, they may react in various ways – sometimes negatively towards who they are right now.
Known as self-discrepancy, this issue may be a cause for concern among youths. The heavy expectations a person places on themselves and from close friends and family may adversely affect their mental and emotional well-being and satisfaction with life. To understand self-discrepancy from a broader social context, a final year Psychology student embarked on a research project to identify buffer factors against self-discrepancy.
The identified factors were summarised into 3 broad categories:
- Person cause attribution – where a person believes the gap between their expected and actual selves be due to themselves;
- Situation cause attribution – where the person believes the gap to be due to factors unrelated to themselves;
- Interpersonal cause attribution- where the gap is due to expectations from peers and family members.
The research delved into a person’s personal views on themselves and whether there is a difference between their current and ideal versions of themselves. It also investigated what a person believed their close others (friends and family) expected of them, through their perceived social support and relationship and satisfaction from family and peers. The research aimed to eventually serve as a basis for interventions against the negative impact of self-discrepancy.
The Highlights
Identifying what is already known about self-discrepancy.
The student first identified the self-discrepancy theory when drawing up research methodology. This theory states that someone who believes their actual self is not aligned with their expectations, either from their own perspective or from a close other (including friends and family), may become distressed or feel uncomfortable. These expectations may cover a person’s standards, values, goals, hopes and responsibilities.
Higher depression, anxiety and stress levels in those who experience self-discrepancy.
The project found that a person who felt self-discrepancy was more likely to have higher depression, anxiety and stress levels. It also found that those who believed their close others had higher expectations of them, were less satisfied with their family lives and social support. The project highlighted the importance of being aware of the negative outcomes that may result from self-discrepancy in individuals’ and others’ expectations.
Family expectations play a large role in how a person experiences self-discrepancy.
The findings also showed that family members’ expectations of a person through interpersonal cause attribution, could heavily influence what the person felt about their family satisfaction and relationship and perceived social support. When a person believes the gap between their actual and expected selves to be due to their family’s expectations, they experience lower levels of family satisfaction, poorer family relationship and lower perceived social support. The project found that it was possible that by encouraging the person to change the way they viewed their family’s expectations, they could be less affected by self-discrepancy.
The Memories
Reflection #1 – The Challenges
Participant survey was self-reported and unsupervised.
The research project involved 227 participants doing an online survey that is self-reported and unsupervised. If participants faced any issues or had any queries while completing the questionnaire, they were unable to get timely feedback. As self-discrepancy is a subjective topic and different people may have their own interpretations of the questions asked, the research student was unsure if the participants had an accurate understanding of the questionnaire. For future research, it would be ideal for participants to complete a survey under the guidance of a research assistant who can guide the participants in the process.
Unable to create interventions like educational materials.
The project was unable to proceed with the crafting of interventions, such as educational materials and training workshops. Although the research findings suggested that interpersonal cause attribution affects what a person feels about their family satisfaction and relationship and perceived social support, the findings were not clear enough and require further testing. It was therefore considered too premature to proceed with intervention.
However, the findings served as a springboard for future research and those involved in the research shared these findings at the Asian Association of Social Psychology 2021 Virtual Conference as part of the symposium “Close Relationships and Well-Being”.
Reflection #2 – The Takeaways
The research provided a holistic understanding of the relational aspects of self-discrepancy.
The project provided a holistic understanding of self-discrepancy and its implications on both a person and the people around them. The experience of self-discrepancy predicted more negative emotional outcomes, such as higher depression, anxiety and stress levels, in a person. This study also looked into how expectations of others around a person could affect their self-discrepancy. This is likely the first time that relationship has been looked into.
The research project also found that interpersonal cause attribution was a factor that affected self-discrepancy and its impact on a person. Interpersonal cause attribution significantly impacts how a person views their social support, relationship and satisfaction with family and peers. For example, a person is more likely to experience poorer relationships with their family if they believe their self-discrepancy is largely caused by their family’s expectations of them.
More research is required to recommend interventions for self-discrepancy.
Finally, the research project highlighted that interpersonal cause attribution was important when examining self-discrepancy and how it affects the way a person views their relationships with the people around them. These findings also seemed to suggest a person may experience improved perceived social support and relationship, and satisfaction with their family if they were encouraged to change the way they viewed their family’s expectations. However, at this point, the research findings were not enough to recommend interventions and reduce the negative impact related to self-discrepancy.
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