Abstract

Self-concept clarity (SCC) references a structural aspect oftbe self-concept: the extent to which selfbeliefs are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and stable. This article reports the SCC Scale and examines (a) its correlations with self-esteem (SE), the Big Five dimensions, and self-focused attention (Study l ); (b) its criterion validity (Study 2); and (c) its cultural boundaries (Study 3 ). Low SCC was independently associated with high Neuroticism, low SE, low Conscientiousness, low Agreeableness, chronic self-analysis, low internal state awareness, and a ruminative form of self-focused attention. The SCC Scale predicted unique variance in 2 external criteria: the stability and consistency of self-descriptions. Consistent with theory on Eastern and Western selfconstruals, Japanese participants exhibited lower levels of SCC and lower correlations between SCC and SE than did Canadian participants.

Keywords

CLARITYPsychologySocial psychologyPersonalitySelf-conceptBig Five personality traitsBig Five personality traits and cultureDevelopmental psychology

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Publication Info

Year
1996
Type
article
Volume
70
Issue
1
Pages
141-156
Citations
1843
Access
Closed

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Jennifer D. Campbell, Paul D. Trapnell, Steven Heine et al. (1996). Self-concept clarity: Measurement, personality correlates, and cultural boundaries.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 70 (1) , 141-156. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.1.141

Identifiers

DOI
10.1037/0022-3514.70.1.141