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. 2023 Dec 13;18(12):e0295515.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295515. eCollection 2023.

Self-discrepancies in mind perception for actual, ideal, and ought selves and partners

Oliver L Jacobs  1 , Farid Pazhoohi  2 , Alan Kingstone  1
Affiliations

Self-discrepancies in mind perception for actual, ideal, and ought selves and partners

Oliver L Jacobs et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Defining and measuring self-discrepancies in mind perception between how an individual sees their actual self in comparison to their ideal or ought self has a long but challenging history in psychology. Here we present a new approach for measuring and operationalizing discrepancies of mind by employing the mind perception framework that has been applied successfully to a variety of other psychological constructs. Across two studies (N = 265, N = 205), participants were recruited online to fill in a modified version of the mind perception survey with questions pertaining to three domains (actual, ideal, ought) and two agents (self versus partner). The results revealed that participants idealized and thought they ought to have greater agency (the ability to do) and diminished experience (the ability to feel) for both themselves and their partner. Sex differences were also examined across both studies, and while minor differences emerged, the effects were not robust across the collective evidence from both studies. The overall findings suggest that the mind perception approach can be used to distill a large number of qualities of mind into meaningful facets for interpretation in relation to self-discrepancy theory. This method can breathe new life into the field with future investigations directed at understanding self-discrepancies in relation to prosocial behaviour and psychological well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Mind perception ratings of agency.
Means and SEM for agency ratings as a function of agent, domain, and participant sex. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Mind perception ratings of experience.
Means and SEM for experience ratings as a function of agent, domain, and participant sex. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Mind perception ratings of agency in Study 2.
Means and SEM for agency ratings as a function of agent, domain, and participant sex. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Mind perception ratings of experience in Study 2.
Means and SEM for experience ratings of agent and domain. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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