Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

452 CHAPTER 10 PersonalityImagine that you harbor a hoped-for possible self of becominga professional musician. You would probably practice withgreater regularity and intensity than someone who does nothold a vivid mental picture of performing solo at Carnegie Hallor being named Performer of the Year at the American CountryMusic Awards.Dreaded possible selves can also influence behavior, whetherthey are realistic or not. Consider Don’s father, Kenneth.Although never wealthy, Kenneth was financially securethroughout his long life. Yet Kenneth had lived through theGreat Depression and witnessed firsthand the financial devastationthat occurred in the lives of countless people. Kennethseems to have harbored a dreaded possible self of becomingpenniless. When Kenneth died, the family found a $100 billtucked safely under his mattress.A positive possible self, even if it is not very realistic, can protectan individual’s self-esteem in the face of failure (Markus &Nurius, 1986). A high school girl who thinks she is unpopularwith her classmates may console herself with visions of a possibleself as a famous scientist who snubs her intellectually inferiorclassmates at her 10-year class reunion. As Hazel Markus andPaula Nurius (1986) explained:Positive possible selves can be exceedingly liberating becausethey foster hope that the present self is not immutable. At thesame time, negative possible selves can be powerfully imprisoningbecause their [emotional impact] and expectations may stifleattempts to change or develop.Possible Selves, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and MotivationSelf-efficacy beliefs are closely connected to the idea of possibleselves. Performing virtually any task involves the construction ofa possible self that is capable and competent of performing theaction required (Ruvolo & Markus, 1992).Thus, people who vividly imagine possible selves as “successfulbecause of hard work” persist longer and expend more efforton tasks than do people who imagine themselves as “unsuccessfuldespite hard work” (Ruvolo & Markus, 1992). The motivationto achieve academically increases when your possible selvesinclude a future self who is successful because of academicachievement (Oyserman & others, 1995). To be most effective,possible selves should incorporate concrete strategies for attaininggoals. For example, students who visualized themselvestaking specific steps to improve their grades—such as doinghomework daily or signing up for tutoring—were more successfulthan students who simply imagined themselves doing betterin school (Oyserman & others, 2004).Applying the Research: Assessing Your Possible SelvesHow can you apply these research findings to your life? First, it’simportant to stress again that we’re often unaware of how thepossible selves we’ve mentally constructed influence our beliefs,actions, and self-evaluations. Thus, the first step is to consciouslyassess the role that your possible selves play in your life (Oyserman& others, 1995).Take a few moments and jot down the “possible selves” thatare active in your working self-concept. To help you in this task,write three responses to each of the following questions:1. Next year, I expect to be . . .2. Next year, I am afraid that I will be . . .3. Next year, I want to avoid becoming . . .After focusing on the short-term future, take these same questionsand extend them to 5 years from now or even 10 yearsfrom now. Most likely, certain themes and goals will consistentlyemerge. Now the critical questions:• How are your possible selves affecting your currentmotivation, goals, feelings, and decisions?• Are your possible selves even remotely plausible?• Are they pessimistic and limiting?• Are they unrealistically optimistic?Finally, ask yourself honestly: What realistic strategies are youusing to try to become like the self that you want to become? Toavoid becoming the selves that you dread?How can you improve the likelihood that you will achievesome of your possible selves? One approach is to link yourexpectations and hopes to concrete strategies about how tobehave to reach your desired possible self (Oyserman & others,2004).These questions should help you gain some insight intowhether your possible selves are influencing your behavior inproductive, constructive ways. If they are not, now is an excellenttime to think about replacing or modifying the possibleselves that operate most powerfully in your own self-concept.Why is this so important? Because to a large extent, who we becomeis guided by who we imagine we’ll become. Just imaginethe possibilities of who you could become!