Skip to main content

Self-Concept Clarity and Romantic Relationships

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Self-Concept Clarity

Abstract

This chapter reviews the empirical evidence examining the link between self-concept clarity and close romantic relationships. Overall, increased self-concept clarity among partners predicts a variety of positive relationship outcomes, including relationship quality (e.g., satisfaction and commitment), investment , and self-other correspondence that may facilitate relationship functioning. Moreover, relationship dissolution leads to the reduction of self-concept clarity (i.e., self-concept confusion) and subsequent emotional distress. We also review the literature examining the mediating variables in the association between self-concept clarity and romantic relationships, including psychological well-being, self-esteem, identity construction, and prototype matching. Finally, we examine the moderating role that self-concept clarity plays in romantic relationships, specifically related to relationship-induced self-concept change (e.g., self-expansion). This review suggests that self-concept clarity is a valuable construct, which is ripe for future research on the dynamic interplay of self-concept and romantic relationships.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    It is worth noting that these associations may be attributable to age effects (e.g., Lodi-Smith & Roberts, 2010; Lodi-Smith et al., 2017), considering that involvement in long-term committed relationships is correlated with age. Indeed, the associations between relationship involvement and self-concept clarity are significantly weakened when controlling for age.

References

  • Abrams, D., & Hogg, M. A. (1988). Comments on the motivational status of self-esteem in social identity and intergroup discrimination. European Journal of Social Psychology, 18, 317–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agnew, C. R., Van Lange, P. A. M., Rusbult, C. E., & Langston, C. A. (1998). Cognitive interdependence: Commitment and the mental representation of close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 939–954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A. (2003). Self and close relationships. In M. R. Leary & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of self and identity (pp. 442–461). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Aron, E. N., Tudor, M., & Nelson, G. (1991). Close relationships as including other in the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 241–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Ketay, S., Riela, S., & Aron, E. N. (2008). How close others construct and reconstruct who we are and how we feel about ourselves. In J. V. Wood, A. Tesser, & J. G. Holmes (Eds.), The self and social relationships (pp. 209–229). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Lewandowski, G. W., Jr., Mashek, D., & Aron, E. N. (2013). The self-expansion model of motivation and cognition in close relationships. In J. A. Simpson & L. Campbell (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of close relationships. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E. N., Vallone, R. D., & Bator, R. J. (1997). The experimental generation of interpersonal closeness: A procedure and some preliminary findings. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 363–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Norman, C. C., & Aron, E. (2001). Shared self-expanding activities as a means of maintaining and enhancing close romantic relationships. In J. Harvey & A. Wenzel (Eds.), Close romantic relationships: Maintenance and enhancement (pp. 47–66). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Norman, C. C., Aron, E. N., McKenna, C., & Heyman, R. E. (2000). Couples’ shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 273–284.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A., Paris, M., & Aron, E. N. (1995). Falling in love: Prospective studies of self-concept change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 1102–1112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arriaga, X. B., Kumashiro, M., Finkel, E. J., VanderDrift, L. E., & Luchies, L. B. (2014). Filling the void: Bolstering attachment security in committed relationships. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5, 398–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayduk, Ö., Gyurak, A., & Luerssen, A. (2009). Rejection sensitivity moderates the impact of rejection on self-concept clarity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1467–1478.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bechtoldt, M. N., De Dreu, C. K. W., Nijstad, B. A., & Zapf, D. (2010). Self-concept clarity and the management of social conflict. Journal of Personality, 78, 539–574.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bigler, M., Neimeyer, G., & Brown, E. (2001). The divided self revisited: Effects of self-concept clarity and self-concept differentiation on psychological adjustment. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 20, 396–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Błażek, M., & Besta, T. (2012). Self-concept clarity and religious orientations: Prediction of purpose in life and self-esteem. Journal of Religion and Health, 51, 947–960.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bobrowski, M., Mattingly, B. A., Lewandowski, G. W, Jr., & DeMarree, K. (2016, February). Expanding the self without compromising clarity. Presented at the 2016 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, San Diego, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. D. (1990). Self-esteem and clarity of the self-concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 538–549.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. D., Assanand, S., & DiPaula, A. (2003). The structure of the self-concept and its relation to psychological adjustment. Journal of Personality, 71, 115–140.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. D., & Lavallee, L. F. (1993). Who am I? The role of self-concept confusion in understanding the behavior of people with low self-esteem. In R. F. Baumeister (Ed.), Self-esteem: The puzzle of low self-regard (pp. 3–20). New York, NY: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. D., Trapnell, P. D., Heine, S. J., Katz, I. M., Lavallee, L. F., & Lehmann, D. R. (1996). Self-concept clarity: Measurement, personality correlates and cultural boundaries. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 141–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheryan, S., & Plaut, V. C. (2010). Explaining underrepresentation: A theory of precluded interest. Sex Roles, 63, 475–488.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, N. L., & Miller, L. C. (1994). Self-disclosure and liking: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 457–475.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, W. A., Welsh, D. P., & Furman, W. (2009). Adolescent romantic relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 631–652.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeMarree, K. G., & Rios, K. (2014). Understanding the relationship between self-esteem and self-clarity: The role of desired self-esteem. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 50, 202–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiDonato, T. E., & Krueger, J. I. (2010). Interpersonal affirmation and self-authenticity: A test of Rogers’s self-growth hypothesis. Self and Identity, 9, 322–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., Wiselquist, J., & Whitton, S. W. (1999). Close partner as sculptor of the ideal self: Behavioral affirmation and the Michelangelo phenomenon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 293–323.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, C. W. (2014). Why self-concept confusion erodes well-being: The role of self-presentational and social processes (Doctoral dissertation). Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenstadt, D., Hicks, J. L., McIntyre, K. P., Rivers, J. A., & Cahill, M. (2006). Two paths of defense: Specific vs. compensatory reactions to self-threat. Self and Identity, 5, 35–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emery, L. F., Muise, A., Dix, E. L., & Le, B. (2014). Can you tell that I’m in a relationship? Attachment and relationship visibility on Facebook. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 1466–1479.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Emery, L. F., Walsh, C., & Slotter, E. B. (2015). Knowing who you are and adding to it: Reduced self-concept clarity predicts reduced self-expansion. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 259–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, B. A., Davila, J., & Yoneda, A. (2012). Self-concept and self-stigma in lesbians and gay men. Psychology & Sexuality, 3, 161–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finkel, E. J., Fitzsimons, G. M., & vanDellen, M. R. (2015). Self-regulation as a transactive process: Reconceptualizing the unit of analysis for goal setting, pursuit, and outcomes. In K. D. Vohs & R. F. Baumeister (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (3rd ed., pp. 264–282). New York, NY: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, T. D., & McNulty, J. K. (2008). Neuroticism and marital satisfaction: The mediating role played by the sexual relationship. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 112–122.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzsimons, G. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2011). The effects of self-regulation on social relationships. In K. D. Vohs & R. F. Baumeister (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 407–421). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furman, W., & Collins, W. A. (2008). Adolescent romantic relationships and experiences. In K. H. Rubin, W. Bukowski, & B. Laursen (Eds.), Peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 341–360). New York, NY: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, J. M. (2008). Self-expansion and flow in couples’ momentary experiences: An experience sampling study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 679–694.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gurung, R. A. R., Sarason, B. R., & Sarason, I. G. (2001). Predicting relationship quality and emotional reactions to stress from significant-other-concept clarity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 1267–1276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansson, R. O., Jones, W. H., & Carpenter, B. N. (1984). Relational competence and social support. Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 265–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hassebrauck, M., & Aron, A. (2001). Prototype matching in close relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 1111–1122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, D. N., & Booth, A. (2005). Unhappily ever after: Effects of long-term, low-quality marriages on well-being. Social Forces, 84, 451–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hendrick, S. S., Hendrick, C., & Adler, N. L. (1988). Romantic relationships: Love, satisfaction, and staying together. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 980–988.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henrich, J., Heine, S., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). Most people are not WEIRD. Nature, 466, 29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T. (1999). When do self-discrepancies have specific relations to emotions? The second-generation question of Tangney, Niedenthal, Covert, and Barlow (1998). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1313–1317.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hucker, A., Mussap, A. J., & McCabe, M. M. (2010). Self-concept clarity and women's sexual well-being. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 19, 67–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Impett, E. A., Gable, S. L., & Peplau, L. A. (2005). Giving up and giving in: The costs and benefits of daily sacrifice in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 327–344.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kamp Dush, C. M., Taylor, M. G., & Kroeger, R. A. (2008). Marital happiness and psychological wellbeing across the life course. Family Relations, 57, 211–226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knee, C. R. (1998). Implicit theories of relationships: Assessment and prediction of romantic relationship initiation, coping, and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 360–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knee, C. R., Patrick, H., & Lonsbary, C. (2003). Implicit theories of relationships: Orientations toward evaluation and cultivation. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7, 41–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Le, B., Dove, N. L., Agnew, C. R., Korn, M. S., & Musto, A. A. (2010). Predicting nonmarital relationship dissolution: A meta-analytic synthesis. Personal Relationships, 17, 377–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewandowski, G. J., Aron, A., Bassis, S., & Kunak, J. (2006). Losing a self-expanding relationship: Implications for the self-concept. Personal Relationships, 13, 317–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewandowski, G. J., & Nardone, N. (2012). Self-concept clarity's role in self–other agreement and the accuracy of behavioral prediction. Self and Identity, 11, 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewandowski, G. J., Nardone, N., & Raines, A. J. (2010). The role of self-concept clarity in relationship quality. Self and Identity, 9, 416–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Light, A. E., & Visser, P. S. (2013). The ins and outs of the self: Contrasting role exits and role entries as predictors of self-concept clarity. Self and Identity, 12, 291–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lodi-Smith, J., Cologgi, K., Spain, S. M., & Roberts, B. W. (2017). Development of identity clarity and content in adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112, 755–768.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lodi-Smith, J., & Roberts, B. W. (2010). Getting to know me: Social role experiences and age differences in self-concept clarity during adulthood. Journal of Personality, 78, 1383–1410.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Loving, T. J., & Agnew, C. R. (2001). Socially desirable responding in close relationships: A dual-component approach and measure. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 18, 551–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luchies, L. B., Finkel, E. J., McNulty, J. K., & Kumashiro, M. (2010). The doormat effect: When forgiving erodes self-respect and self-concept clarity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 734–749.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, S., & Klohnen, E. C. (2005). Assortative mating and marital quality in newlyweds: A couple-centered approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 304–326.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H., & Kunda, Z. (1986). Stability and malleability of the self-concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 858–866.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, B. A., & Lewandowski, G. W., Jr. (2013). An expanded self is a more capable self: The association between self-concept size and self-efficacy. Self and Identity, 12, 621–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, B. A., Lewandowski, G. W., Jr., & McIntyre, K. P. (2014). “You make me a better/worse person”: A two-dimensional model of relationship self-change. Personal Relationships, 21, 176–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, B. A., & McIntyre, K. P. (2016). Relationship-induced self-concept change, self-concept clarity, and relationship quality. Unpublished raw data.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, B. A., McIntyre, K. P., & Lewandowski, G. W., Jr. (2016). Self-concept clarity and relationship status. Unpublished raw data.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, B. A., McIntyre, K. P., & Selterman, D. (in press). Individual differences and romantic relationships: Bidirectional influences on self and relational processes. SAGE Handbook of Personality and Individual Differences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, B. A., Straughn, S., & McIntyre, K. P. (2016). Relationship-induced self-concept change, self-concept clarity, and psychological adjustment. Unpublished raw data.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, A. R. (2011). The multiple self-aspects framework: Self-concept representation and its implications. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 3–27. Slotter, E. B.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre, K. P., Mattingly, B. A., & Lewandowski, G. W., Jr. (2015). When “we” changes “me”: The two-dimensional model of relational self-change and relationship outcomes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32, 857–878.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre, K. P., Mattingly, B. A., Lewandowski, G. W., Jr., & Simpson, A. (2014). Workplace self-expansion: Implications for job satisfaction, commitment, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem among the employed and unemployed. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 36, 59–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nardone, N. (2012). Self-expansion and self-concept clarity: The effect of expanding and rediscovery activities on perceptions of the self and relationships (Doctoral dissertation). Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nezlek, J. B., & Plesko, R. M. (2001). Day-to-day relationships among self-concept clarity, self-esteem, daily events, and mood. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 201–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niedenthal, P. M., Cantor, N., & Kihlstrom, J. F. (1985). Prototype-matching: A strategy for social decision-making. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 575–584.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reissman, C., Aron, A., & Bergen, M. R. (1993). Shared activities and marital satisfaction: Causal direction and self-expansion versus boredom. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 243–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richman, S. B., Pond, R. S., Jr., Dewall, C. N., Kumashiro, M., Slotter, E. B., & Luchies, L. B. (2016). An unclear self leads to poor mental health: Self-concept confusion mediates the association of loneliness with depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 35, 525–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie, T. D., Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Arndt, J., & Gidron, Y. (2011). Self-concept clarity mediates the relation between stress and subjective well-being. Self and Identity, 10, 493–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, B. W., & Caspi, A. (2003). The cumulative continuity model of personality development: Striking a balance between continuity and change in personality traits across the life course. In U. Staudinger & U. Lindenberger (Eds.), Understanding human development: Lifespan psychology in exchange with other disciplines (pp. 183–214). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rusbult, C. E., Finkel, E. J., & Kumashiro, M. (2009). The Michelangelo phenomenon. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 305–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlegel, R. J., Hicks, J. A., Davis, W. E., Hirsch, K. A., & Smith, C. M. (2013). The dynamic interplay between perceived true self-knowledge and decision satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 542–558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Setterlund, M. B., & Niedenthal, P. M. (1993). "Who am I? Why am I here?": Self-esteem, self-clarity, and prototype matching. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 769–780.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Showers, C. J., Ditzfeld, C. P., & Zeigler-Hill, V. (2015). Self-concept structure and the quality of self-knowledge. Journal of Personality, 83, 535–551.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slotter, E. B., & Emery, L. F. (this volume).

    Google Scholar 

  • Slotter, E. B., Gardner, W. L., & Finkel, E. J. (2010). Who am I without you? The influence of romantic breakup on the self-concept. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 147–160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slotter, E. B., Winger, L., & Soto, N. (2015). Lost without each other: The influence of group identity loss on the self-concept. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 19, 15–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sprecher, S., Treger, S., Wondra, J. D., Hilaire, N., & Wallpe, K. (2013). Taking turns: Reciprocal self-disclosure promotes liking in initial interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 860–866.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swann, W. B., Chang-Schneider, C., & Angulo, S. (2008). Self-verification in relationships as an adaptive process. In J. V. Wood, A. Tesser, J. G. Holmes, J. V. Wood, A. Tesser, & J. G. Holmes (Eds.), The self and social relationships (pp. 49–72). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talley, A. E., & Stevens, J. E. (2017). Sexual orientation self-concept ambiguity: Scale adaptation and validation. Assessment, 24, 632–645.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 193–210.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2008). Adolescents' identity experiments on the internet consequences for social competence and self-concept unity. Communication Research, 35, 208–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner, D. M., Guiliano, T., & Hertel, P. T. (1985). Cognitive interdependence in close relationships. In W. J. Ickes (Ed.), Compatible and incompatible relationships (pp. 253–276). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, C. H. (2009). The relationship between attachment style and self-concept clarity: The mediation effect of self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 42–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin P. McIntyre .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

McIntyre, K.P., Mattingly, B.A., Lewandowski, G.W. (2017). Self-Concept Clarity and Romantic Relationships. In: Lodi-Smith, J., DeMarree, K. (eds) Self-Concept Clarity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71547-6_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics