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Background: Research and theoretical models of self-determination and self-concept claim that microsystem ecological factors have an influence and manifest a predictive role in the relationship between self-concept and self-determination. Knowing the mechanisms through which personal and contextual factors influence or predict the self-determined behavior of students with disabilities, they will become benchmarks in the development of educational and therapeutic intervention programs that aim to promote and enhance the actions and skills associated with self-determination. Methods: The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which several personal and family factors affect and explain the relationship between students' self-concept and self-determination actions, attitudes, and skills. The adapted ARC's Self-Determination Scale for Romanian adolescents and Five-Factor Self-Concept questionnaire were administrated to 304 students with learning disabilities, and mild and moderate intellectual disabilities, aged between 12 and 19 years (M = 14.93; SD = 1.42). Individual and family factors were treated as predictor variables for analytic purposes. Results: The disability label significantly predicts behaviors associated with self-realization, gender has a moderator role in the relationship between self-concept and psychological empowerment, and the family socio-economic factor predicts the self-determined abilities related to self-realization. Conclusion: The study findings contribute to current Romanian research in this field, and practical educational implications were discussed. Future research is needed to investigate the moderating role of disability labels in relation to the self-concept regarding the mechanisms of autonomy and psychological empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Podcasts have gained popularity with the advent of sound consumption. Based on the social identity theory and through a dual identification framework, this research investigates why audiences are willing to pay and keep subscriptions to digital podcast platforms. The data are collected from 321 podcast audiences in Taiwan and analyzed via a structural equation model. The results herein find that audiences' parasocial relationship, self-congruity, and personal self-concept have a direct and positive influence on podcaster identification. At the same time, audiences' conscious participation and enthusiasm have a direct and positive influence on group identification. Podcaster identification and group identification are positively associated with listeners' willingness to keep their subscription. Furthermore, companionship partially moderates the impact of identification on continued subscription intentions. Insights from this study extend the social identity theory, podcaster-audience interaction, and subscription behaviors to a new and emerging context as well as help marketers better understand how to engage more effectively with podcast audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the rising interest in ethical fashion consumption among consumers this study posits the reasons behind getting involved in such consumption behavior. Using self-concept theory, this study investigates the influence of internalized moral identity, symbolized moral identity, green self-concept, product self-concept, perceived self-enhancement and green self-identity to explain consumers' intention to buy vegan leather. In addition, the moderating role of perceived social stigma was also analyzed. Standardized scales were used to collect the data from 348 participants from India. Data were analyzed using the AMOS-based structural equation modeling technique. The results indicate that internalized moral identity, green self-concept, and product self-concept shape the green self-identity of an individual consumer. Further, only moral identity (both internalized and symbolized) influences perceived self-enhancement. This study contributes to the literature on ethical fashion buying behavior from an individual's values point of view that may be applied by practitioners to comprehend the global vegan market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe dimensional comparison effect is a phenomenon in which achievement in one domain negatively affects self-concept in another as a consequence of comparing one’s achievements across multiple domains. The present study examined whether the dimensional comparison effects on self-concept and intrinsic value would differ according to middle school students’ fixed mindset in the domains of math and first language. Data from a sample of 6,817 Korean middle school students obtained from a nationwide database was analyzed. The results revealed that Korean achievement negatively predicted math self-concept and intrinsic value (contrast effect), whereas math achievement positively predicted Korean self-concept and intrinsic value (assimilation effect). The contrast effect revealed the moderating role of a fixed mindset in dimensional comparisons. Specifically, Korean achievement predicted math self-concept more negatively, especially among students with a stronger fixed mindset. This study discusses the need to consider cultural aspects in dimensional comparisons and the potential limitations of adopting a fixed mindset, which can strengthen the dimensional comparison effect in learning situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the inspiration of self-concept and Information Technology (IT) identity on the behavior of Social Media Influencers (SMI), specifically regarding their utilization of technology features. With the advent of social media, individuals have been presented with a unique opportunity to showcase their creativity and connect with a broader audience, known as "followers." Drawing upon the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), this study examines the relationship between SMIs behavior in utilizing technology features, self-concept, and IT identity within the context of social media platform usage. The research methodology employed in this study is partial least squares (PLS) regression, providing a comprehensive understanding of how individuals' self-concept shapes their IT identity concerning the usage of social media platform features. The findings of this study have significant implications for businesses seeking to engage with SMIs and individuals aiming to establish their presence on social media. The research highlights TikTok's potential as a platform for self-expression and personal brand development, underscoring the importance of self-concept and IT identity in the realm of SMIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWhile existing research on solo travel often focuses on how solo travel affects tourists’ consumption-related (e.g. satisfaction, expenditure) or self-related consequences (e.g. self-growth), less is known about how solo travel exerts social and environmental consequences in destination-related domains. Through three experimental studies in incentive-compatible measures, this research proposes that at the longer post-trip stage, solo travelers, are more likely to engage in donation behavior toward the destination than those with companions. The present work demonstrates that this happens because solo travel creates enhanced destination memory associations, leading to more destination-related memories incorporated into their own self-concept, that is, enhanced psychological connectedness toward the destination. This stronger feeling of connectedness ultimately increases donation behavior. Moreover, this research identifies a boundary condition: when the companionship is highly meaningful, both tourists engaged in solo travel and travel with companions are equally likely to exhibit donation behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal ethnographic study examines the development of the occupational self-concept of low socioeconomic status ultra-Orthodox women participating in a government-sponsored program to promote integration into the workforce. We followed participants for 18 months to learn about their experience and its effects, using group observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. The findings revealed central elements of the intercultural encounter of ultra-Orthodox women with a neoliberal organization. A year after the program’s conclusion, the participants unexpectedly underwent occupational regression, intensifying their commitment to their roles in the home arena rather than achieving the declared goal of occupational integration. The process led the women to embrace a self-concept resonating with the neoliberal characteristics presented in the program but applying it in the home and not the occupational space. This article suggests that neoliberal discourse, with its Western, secular, and class origins, left participants with a self-concept incompatible with the collective self characterizing their culture. We emphasize the importance of incorporating culturally sensitive practices for occupational rehabilitation which consider the potential conflict between the hegemonic discourse (represented by the organizations) and the program participants (minority groups from diverse cultural backgrounds). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated whether ideological attitudes (beliefs about religion, social justice) are central to the self-concept. Participants rated ideological attitudes as more self-defining than relevant attitudes (about family, hometown), even though were liked equally (Study 1). Ideological attitudes were as self-defining as attitudes that were personally meaningful, even though the latter were liked more and more psychologically valuable (Study 2). In Study 3, participants reported that if they changed their ideological attitudes or their moral traits (honesty, generosity), they would see themselves as a different person more than if they changed their attitudes about relevant attitudes and their perceptual abilities (hearing, pain tolerance). These studies underscore the important role of ideological attitudes to the self-concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationships between students' self-concept, self-efficacy, and achievement in mathematics, considering contextual factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, and immigration background, by using Swedish data from PISA 2003 and 2012. Additionally, these relationships between the two types of schools in Sweden are compared. In Sweden, the school system generally includes municipally-run schools (public) and independent schools (also funded by the state but run privately). Findings indicate a positive correlation between robust mathematics self-concept and self-efficacy and enhanced mathematics performance. Notably, students with better socioeconomic status exhibit heightened levels of mathematical self-concept and self-efficacy, corresponding to superior mathematics outcomes. Gender nuances reveal that, despite superior mathematical performance, girls report less positive self-concept and self-efficacy in mathematics than boys. Surprisingly, mathematics self-concept tends to have a closer association with achievement in independent schools than in public schools, while mathematics self-efficacy influences achievement more in public schools than in independent schools. Besides, independent school students' mathematics achievement is more associated with socioeconomic status and gender compared to their public-school peers. Immigration background seems to play a more important role in predicting mathematics achievement in public schools than in independent schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research literature indicates that school climate is important for student outcomes; however, research assessing school climate and achievement-related outcomes across time is limited. In this study, the relationship between school climate, students' psychosocial perceptions, and student achievement was examined across an academic school year in a cohort of 531 9th-grade students. A series of hierarchical linear regressions indicated that school climate predicted 10.5% of the variance in both hope and academic motivation, 8% of the variance in self-efficacy, 5% of the variance in academic self-concept, 3% of the variance in goal valuation, and 2% of the variance in spring semester GPA. Further, despite school climate being operationalized as school culture, attitude toward teachers, and attitude toward school, only attitude toward teachers significantly predicted any of the outcome variables. These results suggest that some aspects of school climate contribute more than others in crafting students' psychosocial perceptions and achievement. Impact Statement Despite the widespread belief that school climate is important for student outcomes, the existing school climate research lacks investigations across time. This study assessed the relationship between school climate, academic-oriented psychosocial perceptions, and student achievement across an academic school year. This study's results indicate that attitude toward teachers was the only significant predictor of psychosocial perceptions and that hope and academic motivation were most influenced by school climate perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to examine the perceived changes in the impressions of others or self on 133 trait dimensions. Attributions to others were reportedly more negative over time whereas attributions to self were more positive over time. Perceived changes in others' traits appear to be guided by basic behavioral inference processes. Trait beliefs about others tend to be revised when the traits are common and disconfirming behavior is infrequent and more diagnostic. Positive trait impressions of others change more frequently because they are more prevalent and because negative behaviors (that disconfirm positive attributions) are less frequent and more diagnostic than positive behaviors. In contrast, revisions of trait impressions of the self appear to be driven heavily by self-evaluation motivations such as the desire to see self-improvement. The favorableness of changes in trait self-concepts were positively correlated with self-esteem. The consequences of the observed patterns of attributional change for interpersonal relations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is my joy, your joy? Recent theory suggests the key mechanism of joy as the right relation between self and situation. To investigate joy at the intersection of culture and self, we collected quantitative and qualitative data from White, Asian American, and Asian International participants (N = 257). Based on their own definition of joy, participants recalled a recent joy experience. We found significant cultural differences in three dimensions of self during joy experiences: Asian International participants sampled less from the personal dimension than White participants. They also sampled less from the relational and more from the collective dimensions than both Asian American and White participants. The resulting qualitative themes support the mechanism of right relation across culture – joy is shared, fulfilling, and experienced in the moment – with cultural nuances in composition, source, and timeframe. This research thus reveals how personal identity and cultural milieu are engaged in affective experience and meta-affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has shown a moderately positive association between financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling. Because most prior research was cross-sectional, it is unclear whether financially focused self-concept contributes to the onset and maintenance of disordered gambling whether a financially focused self-concept is a consequence of disordered gambling, or both. Thus, we addressed this gap in knowledge by examining the temporal association between financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling symptoms. Two longitudinal studies were conducted, involving participants who gamble. Study 1 included 308 university students and Study 2 included 2,008 community members. They completed the Financially Focused Self-Concept Scale (FFS) and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) at two separate measurement occasions, spaced approximately 6–7 months apart. Preliminary analyses confirmed that the FFS and PGSI each had strict or at least partial temporal measurement invariance in both studies. As expected, in Studies 1 and 2, participants with higher (relative to lower) initial financial focus had more disordered gambling symptoms 6-7 months later. Conversely, in Studies 1 and 2, participants with more (relative to less) severe initial disordered gambling symptoms increased their financial focus 6-7 months later. The magnitude of the effects was moderate in size. Findings suggest that the temporal relation between financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling is bidirectional. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for prevention and treatment interventions as well as for the FFS and PGSI psychometric literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into the self-concept of students with an intellectual disability (ID) or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) educated in special education is relatively scarce. This, whilst many students with ID or students with SEBD still reside in special rather than inclusive school settings. This study aimed to gain insight into the self-concept of students with either ID or SEBD in special education and examined variables that might relate to the self-concept of these students. A total of 171 students educated in special schools filled out the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC). T-tests utilising bootstrapping and variance analyses were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that girls with ID and boys with SEBD assess their self-concept more negatively than typically developing students. Gender, age and formally assessed classifications of ASD or ADHD yielded different self-concept scores in both groups of students on different dimensions of self-concept. The expected positive illusory bias was not found in this study. The results of the study are discussed in light of the educational setting of the students with ID or students with SEBD. This study demonstrates that interventions are needed to improve the self-concept of students with ID or students with SEBD in special education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show self-concept highly correlates with mental well-being. Few show self-concept change over time, including the effect of therapeutic interventions and gender differences. Studying how therapy connects with self-concept improvement can lead to improved mental well-being. Over six weeks, 452 college students' self-concept, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being was measured every two weeks for a total of four times. Self-concept scores were significantly lower for those in therapy than those not. Compared with females, males had a higher self-concept overall but a lower self-concept when in therapy. Those in and out of therapy had an improving self-concept score. Latent class growth modeling identified six trajectory groups for self-concept, where the lower the starting point, the more likely participants were to be in therapy. Future research may investigate the ceiling effect on improvement and extend the study with less frequent testing to better understand long-term self-concept changes in and out of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the average levels and the temporal extension of self-continuity varied over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three demographically matched adult life-span samples (n = 223 each) were gathered in the U.S. in fall 2016, summer 2020, and winter 2022/23. Participants rated their self-continuity 1/5/10 years into the past and future. Multi-level analyses examined the effects of temporal distance, past/future direction, and assessment time while controlling for demographics. The tendencies to report lower self-continuity for more distant times and for past versus future were weaker during the pandemic, and past/future differences remained after the pandemic. Discussion focuses on the possibility of mid-pandemic slowed time perception, increasing nostalgic self-reflection, and uncertainty about the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies report low self-concept clarity in depression, but they are limited to nonclinical samples and self-report questionnaires. To comprehensively understand the relationship between self-concept clarity and depression, this study expanded the range of depression to include clinical samples and explored self-concept clarity through a behavioral task. In Study 1, the self-concept clarity scale was administered to 48 nonclinical and 53 clinical participants, and the quadratic model best explained the relationship. In Study 2, 24 undergraduates and 21 depressed patients completed the me/not-me task. Shorter reaction time and greater internal consistency of negative self-descriptive words were associated with higher depression severity. The results suggest that a certain and consistent negative self-view relates to more severe depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) is a 12-item self-report measure that assesses self-concept clarity (SCC). Previous research has identified a relationship between lower SCC and higher levels of social anxiety. As a measure of positive psychological well-being, the SCCS can be used as a tool to examine and monitor SCC in populations with social anxiety disorder (SAD) who appear to be susceptible to inconsistent or unstable self-concept. However, the scale has yet to be validated with a SAD sample. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the SCCS data of sample of 87 individuals who met criteria for a diagnosis of SAD (M = 20.15, SD = 3.55; 83% female) and the reliability, convergent validity and norm scores of the SCCS with a SAD were also investigated. Results of the CFA supported a unidimensional factor structure. The SCCS was found to have good internal consistency (Cronbach's α =.80) and SCCS scores were found to correlate with measures of psychological distress and social fears, however, no correlation was found with measures of social anxiety behaviours. Also, overall results found that the SAD sample scored lower on SCC than other clinical samples in previous literature. These findings suggest that the SCCS is a psychometrically sound measure with unidimensional factor structure and demonstrated reliability and validity with a SAD sample, although additional research is warranted to replicate and extend the results of the current research. What is already known about this topic: The SCCS is a valid and reliable measure of self-concept clarity (SCC) with unidimensional factor structure, developed by Campbell et al. (1996). The SCCS has been used to identify that individuals with social anxiety symptomology demonstrate lower SCC. To the authors' knowledge, previous literature has not yet used the SCCS to measure SCC in a SAD clinical sample. What the current research adds: The findings of the original development paper and recent validations of the SCCS were supported by the current study – i.e., unidimensional factor structure and sound psychometric properties were demonstrated. Lower SCC was associated with social worry and cognitive distress. No association was found with behavioural symptoms of SAD. The SCCS demonstrated clinical utility as a measure that can be used to assist with treatment planning and formulation, and to address a client's beliefs about the self and their identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study examined the utility of a practice-based coaching (PBC) intervention in Swedish elementary schools designed to support the classroom climate and benefit students. The intervention involved activities, self-assessment, observation, and coaching to the teachers, with the aim of improving the classroom climate and students’ self-concept, prosocial behavior, well-being, and academic achievement. The design was a cluster randomized trial with the school as the assignment unit. Participants in the intervention were 66 students in four classes, and in the control, four classes with 77 students. The duration of the intervention was five months. An autoregressive structural equation model was estimated. The correlations between the latent variables at pre-test ranged from low to high. There were significant standardized path coefficients concerning all the latent variables pre- and post-test. The estimates of the intervention at the post-test were non-significant. The results suggested a longer duration of the intervention with more frequent coaching sessions, which may enhance its effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stress, exhaustion, and negative impacts on sexual relationships associated with parenthood are well documented, but father’s perceptions of these changes are underexplored. Since sexuality and physicality are cornerstones of traditional/hegemonic masculine norms, changes in these domains resulting from fatherhood may produce concerns about masculinity maintenance and loss of masculine status. However, fatherhood provides clear evidence of a man’s sexual capability and virility – highly valued masculine traits. Therefore, fatherhood could theoretically make perceptions of masculinity more stable. The present study compared fathers and non-fathers on perceptions of masculinity and sexuality, and explored potential predictors of sexual esteem versus sexual depression during fatherhood. A sample of primarily heterosexual, White North American fathers and non-fathers participated in an online survey (N = 564) including measures of sexual esteem, sexual depression, and precarious manhood belief. Fathers were also asked to report their perceptions surrounding parenthood. Fathers endorsed precarious manhood beliefs less than non-fathers, and reported higher levels of both sexual esteem and sexual depression. Among fathers, a high personal sex drive predicted sexual esteem, while parental stress, low partner sex drive, and low self-perceived masculinity after parenthood predicted fathers’ sexual depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers strongly prefer brands that resonate with their own self-concepts, life tasks, themes, and concerns; in response, brands increasingly seek to connect with multiple aspects of their target marketsʻ self-concepts. Considering these ongoing developments, current conceptualisations of self-congruity in marketing may be inadequate, in that they tend to feature a unidimensional construct, based primarily on personality. Therefore, the current article proposes and confirms the appropriateness of a multidimensional conceptualisation of the self-concept, adopted from psychology literature, that is comprised of personality, beliefs, interests, social roles, aspirations, and abilities. For managers, this article shows how expanding self-congruity dimensions beyond personality provides opportunities for evoking stronger perceptions of congruence among consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given consumers desire to prioritize their physical health, there has been a marked growth in the alcohol beverage industry toward the production of no and low-alcohol beer (NLAB). While NLAB offerings have attracted a lot of attention on the store shelves, little academic research has been given to exploring consumer perceptions of appeals used in product messaging. Utilizing a between-subjects experimental design, results from 287 participants suggest that congruent advertising appeals can play a meaningful role in influencing certain consumer response behavior to NLAB products. Specifically, consumers exposed to messaging that is congruent with their value-expressive or social adjustive attributes of self-concept had higher NLAB purchase/trial intentions. Practical implications for beverage manufacturers and directions for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to investigate the prediction effect of future self-continuity (FSC) on health-promoting behaviors (Health Responsibility, Physical Activity, and Nutritional Habits) and the impact of urban-rural differences in Chinese college students, further verifying the effect of mental imagery practice on enhancing FSC and promoting health-promoting behaviors among students from rural areas. Study 1 used the Future Self-Continuity Questionnaire and a sub-scale of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II to examine the relationship between FSC and health-promoting behaviors among 788 college students (430 from rural areas and others from urban areas). Study 2 was designed to examine the impact of intervention on FSC and health-promoting behaviors among Chinese rural students. The intervention activities lasting 4 wk. 162 freshmen were randomly divided into intervention or control groups to practice the mental imagery about the future self or meditation in the present once a week. FSC and health-promoting behaviors were tested for 3 times. The results demonstrated that: (1) Rural students had lower scores in FSC and health-promoting behaviors than urban students; (2) Urban-rural differences of students moderated the effect of FSC on health-promoting behaviors; (3) The mental imagery practiced increased FSC; and (4) FSC played a complete mediating role in the effect of condition (intervention or not) on health-promoting behaviors for rural college students. Overall, these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between FSC and health-promoting behaviors, and suggest that mental imagery practice can increase Chinese rural college students' health-promoting behaviors by enhancing their FSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) is a mental disorder impairing health and functioning and increasing suicide risk and it is a stigmatised condition among healthcare professionals. EUPD diagnosis may significantly affect self-concept, yet no previous investigation has explicitly examined this. To explore service user perspectives on (a) the impact of EUPD diagnosis on self-concept and (b) mediators of positive and negative impacts. Service user-led, qualitative semi-structured interviews with n = 10 participants with EUPD. Perceived impacts of diagnosis on self-concept were, broadly, negative. Factors mediating between positive and negative impacts included: exposure to online stigma and public understanding, the responses of relatives, friends, intimate partners and trusted communities, and the attitudes and behaviours of healthcare staff. There were indications that recent guideline and practice developments (guidelines recommending alternatives to inpatient admissions for people with EUPD and "recovery-focused" approaches to self-harm) may have worsened inpatient staff attitudes and led to more rejecting service user experiences. Mitigating negative impacts of EUPD diagnosis on self-concept may require addressing hateful, online content related to EUPD; revisiting use of the personality disorder label; improving medical communication around diagnosis and improving practice and policy in the management of EUPD in inpatient settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine the link between narcissism, stress, and problematic digital behaviors. We used a cross-sectional approach that explored the indirect effects of nomophobia and social media addiction on the link between narcissism and chronic nonspecific arousal (i.e., stress symptoms). Our sample included 559 adults aged 18 to 45 (M = 27.14, SD = 8.43). Results suggested that narcissism was positively related to nomophobia and social media addiction. Also, nomophobia and social media addiction were positively related to stress. Further analyses suggested that nomophobia and social media addiction mediated the association of narcissism with stress symptoms. We discuss our findings considering their implications for adults' psychological health considering the current digital context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth materialism excites adolescents' unethical consumer beliefs (UCB-dishonesty). We develop a second-stage moderated mediation model, investigate the relationships between materialism and Generation Z teenagers' consumer ethics (UCB-dishonesty), and treat two self-concept mechanisms (power and self-esteem) as dual mediators and culture as a moderator (China vs. France). We theorize that materialism enhances power (public self) and reduces self-esteem (private self). French adolescents' sense of power increases UCB more than their Chinese counterparts. Chinese teenagers' self-esteem reduces UCB more than their French counterparts. We challenge the assumption that the interaction effects between consumers' self-concepts and UCB are the same across cultures. We offer the following discoveries based on 1,005 (409 Chinese and 596 French) adolescents. First, the measurement model of consumer ethics with four subconstructs is superior to the model with one overall construct. Second, a sense of power and self-esteem mediate the relationships between youth materialism and consumer ethics, creating two positive and negative paths for power and self-esteem, respectively. Third, French adolescents display a higher magnitude and positive intensity between adolescents' power (public self) and UCB-dishonesty than their Chinese counterparts across all four subconstructs. Chinese teenagers illustrate a lower magnitude but a higher negative intensity between self-esteem and UCB than their French counterparts across three subconstructs, with one exception: Adolescents' self-esteem has no impact on "no harm, no foul" across cultures. Neither buyers nor sellers experience substantial financial gains or losses. Finally, cultures moderate the second-stage mediation effects. Scholars must enhance adolescents' self-esteem and curb their power to promote honesty. We offer implications for materialism, consumer ethics, self-concepts, and culture for consumers and retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Two-Dimensional Model of Relational Self-change (TDM) suggests four types of self-change that may be elicited by romantic relationships: self-expansion, self-adulteration, self-pruning, and self-contraction. Previous research has shown that these four types of relational self-change were associated with relational outcomes. Prior research has also shown that positive illusions and expectations in romantic relationships can lead to positive relational outcomes. The current study used a longitudinal design to investigate how the four types of expected relational self-change affect future relationship satisfaction and commitment. Results indicated that participants had higher expected self-changes than their actual self-changes after three months, but their expected self-changes and actual self-changes were correlated. At Time 1 of their relationship, participants' relationship satisfaction and commitment were related to their expected self-changes. However, controlling for Time 1 relationship satisfaction and commitment, expected self-changes predicted commitment, but not relationship satisfaction, three months later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current studies tested whether self-essentialist beliefs (SEBs; that is, believing one's identity is defined by enduring, inherent properties) enhance self-perceptions and psychological well-being. In Studies 1A (n = 208) and 1B (n = 305), we found that SEBs predicted self-perceptions and well-being, even with related variables controlled. Study 2 (n = 129) replicated and extended these findings in a short longitudinal design. In Studies 3A (n = 488), 3B (n = 404), 4 (n = 232), and 5 (n = 390), we manipulated SEBs and tested for effects on self-perceptions and well-being. Our manipulations successfully influenced SEBs, but generally did not directly affect self-perceptions and well-being. However, we consistently found indirect effects of the manipulations (via manipulation-check measures) in the predicted directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the course of time, the propagation of "impossible" beauty standards in consumer culture has had a negative impact on women. Aware of the issue, the revered personal care brand, Dove, enhanced customer attitudes and perceptions about the brand through the application of social marketing. This study attempts to assess the concept of the ideal self and the factors that contributed to the effectiveness of Dove's marketing strategies in terms of shifting the notions of the ideal self among women and the exchange of influence among brands to address an emerging social problem which mass media largely contributed to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four studies, three pre-planned on Open Science Framework, with 2296 participants explored the potential role of recollecting autobiographical memories in enhancing the sense of identity. Among emerging adults (college students under age 25), recollecting important autobiographical memories did not strengthen sense of identity. Autobiographical memories failed to strengthen identity among emerging adults despite inducing low self-clarity first; despite attempts to prime self-consistent memories by having emerging adults report their stable self-aspects first; and despite attempts to inspire self-event connections by asking emerging adults to explain how the memories exemplified something enduring about the self. Among mature adults (age 25 and older), recollecting important autobiographical memories strengthened sense of identity. Identity was strengthened regardless of whether mature adults were asked to explain how the memories exemplified something enduring about the self. Differences in types of memories or motivation did not account for the differential effects of recollecting autobiographical memories in identity. In short, mature adults appear to readily use autobiographical memories as a resource for identity in a way that emerging adults have not yet mastered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of an individual navigating life in the first year after stroke, with attention to the influence of health professionals on adjustment. In-depth interviews were completed at regular intervals with an individual in rural Australia. This longitudinal approach supported the exploration of views over time. Interview transcripts were coded and analysed using strategies consistent with constructivist grounded theory methods. Findings are presented as an instrumental case study. The experience of stroke was one of adjustment to a new reality and of an altered and evolving concept of self: captured within the themes of fragmentation, loss, and reconstruction. Self-efficacy emerged as a driver in the adjustment process. Interactions with health professionals influenced adjustment and impacted on conceptualisations of self and self-efficacy. Adjustment to stroke necessitated a reconceptualization of self. Relationships and interactions with others emerged as potential facilitators. For health professionals working with people after stroke, knowledge of the adjustment process and attention to practices that affirm personhood and enhance self-efficacy have the potential to facilitate long term outcomes. Processes linked to adjustment are represented visually to guide conceptual understandings and facilitative actions. All interactions with health professionals, including casual or ad hoc interactions, have the potential to influence adjustment after stroke. Health professionals who interact in ways that recognise personhood may have an especially positive influence on processes linked to adjustment. Giving time to listen to personal narratives and reflections may assist with sense-making and support the process of reconceptualising self after stroke. Through bidirectional sharing of experience and ideas, health professionals can facilitate the experience of self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed at researching whether students with formally diagnosed behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) differ in their self-perceived emotional and social inclusion as well as in their academic self-concept, depending on individual behavioural pattern (externalising and internalising behaviour) and school setting (inclusive and special education). In order to examine these research issues, N = 119 students with diagnosed BESD from grade five to eight in inclusive and special school classes in Germany, North-Rhine Westphalia were questioned about their school-linked self-perceptions. Two-way analyses of variance were applied in order to investigate the relations between the included variables. The results indicate that academic self-concept of students with BESD is significantly more positive in special education than in inclusive education. Self-perceived social inclusion and academic self-concept of students with internalising behaviour prove to be significantly more negative in comparison to students with externalising behaviour. Descriptive statistics indicate that especially students with internalising behaviour in inclusive education are affected by low self-perceptions in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been agrowing interest in using artistic interventions as a method of developinginterpersonal competence. This paper presents a meta-analysis evaluating the impact of theatre interventions on social competencies. Methods: Twenty-one primary studies totaling 4064 participants were included, presenting evidence available since 1983. Included studies were assessed in terms of quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias. Results: Our findings indicated that active theatre participation significantly improved participants' empathic abilities, social communication, tolerance, and social interactions, with the largest pooled effect size for social communication (0.698) and the smallest for tolerance (0.156). Our findings did not corroborate the impact of theatre on self-concept. Conclusions: This paper shows that theatre interventions have a positive impact on social competencies. The paper makes a methodological contribution by showing that randomized and non-randomized studies yielded comparably valid results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adults can experience conflicts with their dating partner, leading to intimate partner violence (IPV). In order to understand the vulnerability factors involved in IPV victimization, the current study explored a serial multiple mediation model to determine the links between parental attachment (to the father and mother), self-esteem, and social problem solving (SPS) on the three forms of IPV (psychological, physical and sexual). Based on an online survey, 756 emerging adults (84.8% women, mean age = 23.52) completed self-report questionnaires related to parental attachment, self-esteem, SPS (avoidance and impulsive/carelessness style), and IPV during the past year. The study design was cross-sectional and data were analyzed through partial least structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings did not support serial multiple mediation model, as the indirect effects of the two specific mediation models were not significant. However, the total indirect effects were significant, indicating a cascade effect chain of events between the variables; insecure parental attachment was related to lower self-esteem, which was associated with poor SPS skills (especially impulsive/carelessness style), which in turn was associated with both psychological and physical violence victimization. The implications of the findings for promoting the life skills of emerging adults, such as problem solving or self-esteem, to enable them to handle their relationship conflicts are discussed. IPV in emerging adults shows specific dynamics, different from those of adults. Understanding the interactions of vulnerability factors of these IPV, particularly among victims, is important for developing prevention programs based on evidence. Using a new multiple mediation approach, this study explores the interactions between parental attachment, self-esteem, problem solving and IPV victimization. It highlights the need to act on life skills such as problem solving or self-esteem to prevent IPV victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of self-concept change in the process of psychosocial adjustment following multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis has become more apparent in recent years. The current study aimed to investigate the experience of self-concept change as described by an MS sample. Sixteen people (aged 26–67 years, 62.5% female) who had been living with MS for an average of 12 years, participated in a single online semi-structured interview. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis guided by phenomenology produced three superordinate themes: 1) Changing life (salient external events that were related to changing views of self), 2) Changing self (the experience of self-concept change), and 3) Changing thoughts (the internal thought processes that served as the filter between changing life circumstances and changing self-views). Overall, external events appeared to facilitate a process of internally driven revaluations and redefinitions of self-concept both globally and within specific self domains. Self-concept change due to MS emerges as a complex internal process, often arising from external challenges and changes in everyday life. These novel findings illustrate the need to better support people with MS to make sense of changes to their self-concept, particularly during key transitions across the illness. Self-concept change following MS diagnosis and throughout the disease course has wide-ranging impacts on psychological adjustment. Several key external events contribute to changing the self-views of people living with MS. While external events prompt change, key internal processes likely facilitate the redefinition of self-concept. Targeted support during key transitional periods to assist pwMS to productively renegotiate and manage these changes to their self-concept is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjects suffering from extreme peripheral deafferentation can recruit vision to perform a significant range of basic physical actions with limbs they can't proprioceptively feel. Self-ascriptions of deafferented action – just as deafferented action itself – fundamentally depend, therefore, on visual information of limb position and movement. But what's the significance of this result for the concept of self patently at work in these self-ascriptions? In this paper, I argue that these cases show that bodily awareness grounding employment of the self-concept in self-ascriptions of action can be fundamentally third-personal and concern a body that is not presented as one's own, but as an object among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research examined how temporal self-comparisons influence self-concept clarity. In Studies 1 and 2, we updated and validated self-report and indirect measures of state self-concept clarity, including specific components identified in prior research. In both studies, participants' confidence in their self-judgments, as well as the consistency of those judgments, were associated with the self-reported state self-concept clarity. Using the updated measures, Study 3 found that self-concept clarity was highest when participants engaged in temporal comparisons that focused on positive similarities between their past and present selves and when comparisons highlighted improvement over time. These findings suggest that self-concept clarity is an emergent phenomenon that arises from comparison-based self-evaluations that fit common lay theories about how the self develops over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instagram is increasingly used in advertising, yet little is known about the unintended consequences of Instagram advertising on women's and girls' body image. Also largely unexplored is if and how curvy models (large breasts and buttocks, wide hips, and small waist) used in this advertising affect women's and girls' body image. We drew on social comparison and cultivation theories to explore if exposure to thin and curvy models through Instagram advertising is associated with late-adolescent girls' willingness to take action to be thinner or curvier, respectively. Two mediation models examined the mechanisms through which any such effects occur. A sample of 284 17-19 year old girls completed self-administered online questionnaires. Results revealed that exposure to thin and curvy models was positively associated with willingness to take action to be thinner and curvier, respectively. These associations were mediated by thin/curvy body preference (model 1), and by thin/curvy body preference, upward physical appearance comparisons, and body dissatisfaction (model 2). Results suggest that although exposure to different body types may be associated with different types of unhealthy (body-altering) actions, the processes underlying these effects are similar. This research highlights possible cultural shifts toward more diverse body ideals and informs tailored body concern interventions and media literacy programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social cognitive theory suggests students with low mathematics self-concept and low mathematics self-efficacy often display high mathematics anxiety. A better understanding of the antecedents of mathematics anxiety could lead to more effective interventions. However, findings from empirical research examining mathematics self-concept and self-efficacy as related to mathematics anxiety are inconsistent, perhaps due to overlapping definitions and operationalization. We investigated the relations of mathematics anxiety, self-concept, and self-efficacy using multidimensional scaling. Attention was given to the relationships across varying levels of specificity of self-efficacy (e.g., course, task, and problem). Participants were undergraduate students in an introductory quantitative reasoning course (N = 457). We found that mathematics self-efficacy occupied a distinct space, but there is considerable overlap in the areas of mathematics anxiety and self-concept. This study contributes to the literature on how these constructs are defined operationally and provides guidance on the use of measures for future studies on the antecedents of mathematics anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enactive education is an innovative model based on embodied cognition. This quasi-experimental controlled study with pretest-posttest design investigated the effects of an online enactive school program on students' learning, academic self-concept, and physical selfconcept. The study was conducted in three secondary schools in Salerno and Potenza, Italy, in 2021. Participants were 431 students, 52.4% girls, mean age 14.27 years (SD=1.01). The study instruments included a school questionnaire and the multidimensional self-concept scale (MSCS). The experimental group received online sessions on mind-body wellbeing, healthy eating, and movement. Controls received non-enactive online classes on the same subjects. Findings indicate that the experimental group, compared to controls, showed higher levels of all the variables considered. Overall effect sizes were high (Hedge's g 0.69 for learning, 0.36 for academic self-concept, and 1.23 for physical self-concept). Implications include that online enactive education should be used at secondary level to promote desirable educational and psychological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of the changes in the strategies to stimulate self-concept used by teachers, that received training, in the academic self-concept of its students. A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-application measures was used. A total of 36 secondary school teachers and 814 students participated. The program consisted of four months of workshop sessions and accompaniment in the classroom. It was found that changes in the teaching strategies mediated the effect of the intervention on students' self-concept. In addition, the change in the students' type of self-concept depended on the change in the teachers' specific strategies. In conclusion, the training program designed for stimulating academic self-concept was effective in promoting strategies in teachers that increased student's self-concept. Thus, it can be concluded that the intervention is an approachable methodology to support the development of self-concept, potentially impacting students' academic success. The findings contribute to the design of future interventions in school contexts for the improvement of students' self-concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore how someone perceives the process of becoming a person-centered therapist, and if (and in what way) the person-centered approach changes their self-concept during this process. Six person-centered therapists were interviewed about the way they experienced their process of 'becoming', the way they perceive their self-concept with regard to this process, and how this perception changed during their training and practice. These semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Interpretative-Phenomenological Analysis. Four main themes were identified: perceiving themselves through the process of becoming a person-centered therapist, experiencing themselves as clients, relating to significant others, and comparing and differentiating person-centered therapy and other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent UK study found that 28% of autistic children were diagnosed with autism after starting secondary school, a stage where self-concept and social identity are the main developmental tasks. This study uses Foucauldian Discourse Analysis to explore the discourses ten girls with a diagnosis of autism use in their constructions of self-concept and social identity in interviews and written journals. The actions that are made possible through the discourses employed are considered. Three discourses which participants draw upon are: a diagnostic discourse; an individualistic discourse; and a normativity discourse. These discourses were used to construct the self as a "legitimised autistic", as "a person with support needs", as "uniquely individual", as a person "in the process of becoming" and as a "self in hiding from a hostile world". Social identities based around constructs of "fitting in" and "sticking out" were identified. Implications for practice are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adolescent perceptions of their physical self-worth (PSW) and the component domains draw upon physical attributes, such as motor competence, physical fitness, and self-perceptions, which in turn enhance the desire to engage in physical activity. Whilst these relationships have been researched in populations with typical motor development, little is known of the interplay of these contributors to PSW with those with low motor competence (LMC). Even less is known of how importance placed on particular physical subdomains may be used by the adolescent with LMC to mitigate negative effects on their perceptions of PSW. Method: Thirty-four adolescents with low motor competence, 25 boys and 9 girls (Mage = 13.89 yrs, SD = 1.49), completed the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND), the Children's Physical Self-Perception Questionnaire (C-PSPP) and a range of physical fitness tests. Results: All self-perception subdomain score was lower than importance ratings. Physical fitness measures were also low but were not significantly associated with PSW. However, the higher importance scores relative to physical self-perceptions resulted in greater discrepancy scores in all subdomains. Conclusion: Adolescents with LMC have low PSW, and low self-perceptions relative to importance ratings for most physical self-subdomains. These discrepancies, rather than actual fitness, potentially reduce their motivation to be physically active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materialism has been consistently linked to Internet-related addictions, including compulsive online shopping, problematic online gaming, and excessive smartphone use; however, the relationship between materialism and social networking site (SNS) addiction has remained unclear. Thus, this study aims to examine the association between materialism and SNS addiction and investigate the mediating effect of fatalism and moderating effect of self-concept clarity in this relationship among 703 Chinese adolescents. Materialism was significantly positively associated with SNS addiction in adolescents, and fatalism partially mediated this association. Moreover, self-concept clarity moderated the direct and indirect relationships between materialism and SNS addiction. Specifically, for adolescents with low (versus high) self-concept clarity, those who also had high levels of materialism were more likely to develop fatalistic beliefs and showed further symptoms of SNS addiction. This study's findings imply that decreasing materialism and fatalism and developing self-concept clarity might be effective interventions for reducing SNS addiction among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the direct and indirect relationships between key motivational constructs and science achievement using TIMSS 2019 data sets for Japan, Norway, and the United States. The sample of the study includes 4,446 and 8,698 eighth graders in Japan and the United States, with 4,575 ninth graders in Norway. The structural equation model was built on the self-determination theory (SDT) and the self-enhancement model of self-concept. The study's findings show that self-concept is consistently the strongest predictor of science achievement among motivational constructs for all three countries. In addition, the significant relationship between self-concept and autonomous motivation supports the SDT's claims about basic psychological needs. Although this relationship is consistent, as SDT predicts, across three countries, the magnitude of the relationship seems to be culture-dependent. The findings of this study are discussed using the SDT and self-concept theory from a cultural standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreased participation and life satisfaction are common post-stroke. Exploratory studies have indicated associations between these outcomes and personal factors. Information remains limited and experiences of people with stroke are not well-represented or understood. The aim of this study was to explore how personal factors influence experiences of participation and life satisfaction for people with stroke living in the community. Qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants living in the community post-stroke, chosen purposively based on participation and life satisfaction levels. Data were interrogated using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes were identified: (1) What does participation mean to me? (2) Looking forward or looking back, and (3) Appraisals, avoidance, and "getting on with it". The first acknowledged the multifaceted nature of participation, although it was typically viewed as incorporating active involvement and social interaction. The additional two themes explored impacts of pre/post-stroke self-discrepancies and threat appraisals on participation and life satisfaction outcomes. Relationships between participation and personal factors seem to be bidirectional. Life satisfaction appeared to be influenced by rumination on negative self-discrepancies based on difference in pre/post-stroke participation. Findings suggest there may be value in examining the influence of personal factor-related interventions on post-stroke outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'risky' label attached to certain groups of young people has disproportionately made them the target of 'interventions' designed to monitor, rehabilitate or punish. This article explores how young people experience and respond to that label across many aspects of their lives from school to leisure and from justice to welfare. We employ the notion of self-concept to understand the negative impact of labelling on young people and by contrast, the enabling influence of supportive relationships. Our analysis points to a relevant link between labelling and conflict and young people's self-concept, as well as to the relationship between self-concept and demonstrations of different forms of agency. Drawing on key findings from a meta-ethnographic synthesis of case studies from three countries (Estonia, Portugal and UK), we find that, regardless of the country where young people live, the significant relationships in their lives are essential for breaking the 'risk-labelled' cycle and to promote a more positive path. The case studies were developed with 71 participants (49 male), mostly aged between 15 and 24 years old, who presented long paths of conflict with major normative social institutions like the family, school, or the law, frequently leading to school exclusion and, sometimes, anti-social or criminal behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-concept has been associated with health-related behaviors and emotional self-regulation, which can improve sleep. However, its involvement in sleep quality in a healthy adolescent population has been little studied. This study evaluated the association between self-concept and sleep quality in adolescents adjusting for sleep/wake habits. The cross-sectional study included 1,751 adolescents, 54% females, with an age of M = 16.76 ± 1.04 years. The information was collected through an electronic survey that contained the Patient Health Questionnaire, Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Self-Concept Scale. A significant association between self-concept, adjustment for adolescents´ characteristics and sleep/wake habits was observed (R2 =.17, F = 26.61, p <.001). That is, in addition to the adolescent habits, self-concept also contributed to the explanation of sleep/wake habits. These results reinforce the idea that the self-concept can be an essential factor that contributes to better sleep quality, despite the habits of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-compassion, rooted in common humanity, self-kindness, and mindfulness, is an adaptive self-concept that assuages defensiveness to self-image threats. We hypothesized that self-compassion would buffer the need to express negative intergroup attitudes and that this relation would be explained by compassion for others. In a preregistered study, participants (N = 163) with stronger self-compassion rooted in common humanity, but not self-kindness or mindfulness, expressed less negative attitudes toward outgroups than those with lower self-compassion rooted in common humanity. Moreover, this relation persisted even after controlling for self-esteem, a construct related to but distinct from self-compassion. Finally, compassion for others mediated the relation between self-compassion and intergroup attitudes. These findings support the positive and unique role of individual-level self-compassion in intergroup relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]