Self-Concept Integration and Its Relationship with Resilience and Well-Being
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Lakehead University Knowledge Commons,http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca Electronic Theses and Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations from 2009 2018 Self-concept integration and its relationship with resilience and well-being Fidler, Christiana http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/4320 Downloaded from Lakehead University, KnowledgeCommons Running head: SELF-CONCEPT INTEGRATION 1 Self-Concept Integration and its Relationship with Resilience and Well-Being Christiana J. G. Fidler Lakehead University Master’s Thesis (Final Copy) Supervisor: Dr. Mirella L. Stroink Second Reader: Dr. Edward Rawana External Reader: Dr. Deborah Scharf SELF-CONCEPT INTEGRATION 2 Abstract The overall purpose of the study was to evaluate if three forms of self-concept integration (i.e., authenticity, consistency, and valence/evaluative integration) relate to resilience and well- being. Additionally, the study investigated if self-concept integration moderates the relationship between stress and both resilience and well-being. Authenticity is the degree to which an individual believes the roles within one’s self-concept are fully self-endorsed, willfully enacted, and reflecting who one actually is; consistency (i.e., low self-concept differentiation) is the measure of the tendency to see oneself as similar across different roles; valence integration (i.e., evaluative integration) is the amount an individual’s positive and negative self-attributes are intermingled among roles. This study was completed online via SurveyMonkey, where participants rated five social roles and completed measures of stress, resilience, life satisfaction, and depression. Correlational analyses revealed significant positive associations between all three forms of integration and more resilience, more life satisfaction, and less depression. Regressions with simultaneous entry of the three forms of integration showed that authenticity and valence integration were both predictive of resilience and well-being when participants had perceived importance of their negative roles, whereas authenticity and consistency were both predictive of resilience and well-being when participants had perceived importance of their positive roles. There were no significant findings for self-concept integration moderating the relationship between stress and resilience/well-being. Together, with previous findings on integrative self-structure, these results suggest the importance of unifying the roles to which one ascribes, in order to have a sense of unity and render increased resilience and well-being. Keywords: Self-concept integration, authenticity, self-determination theory, consistency, self-concept differentiation, valence/evaluative integration, stress, resilience, well-being SELF-CONCEPT INTEGRATION 3 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 4 List of Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 7 The Self and the Self-Concept .................................................................................................... 8 Authenticity-Based Integration ................................................................................................. 11 Consistency-Based Integration ................................................................................................. 13 Valence Integration ................................................................................................................... 16 Psychological Resilience and Well-Being ................................................................................ 19 The Current Study ..................................................................................................................... 21 Research Question 1: Does self-concept integration relate to resilience and well-being? ... 23 Research Question 2: Does self-concept integration moderate the relationship between stress and well-being?. .......................................................................................................... 25 Research Question 3: Comparison to other studies and exploratory analyses..................... 26 Methods......................................................................................................................................... 27 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 27 Materials ................................................................................................................................... 29 Procedure .................................................................................................................................. 34 Index Computation.................................................................................................................... 35 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 38 Preliminary Analyses ................................................................................................................ 38 Research Question 1: Does self-concept integration relate to resilience and well-being? ...... 41 Research Question 2: Does self-concept integration moderate the relationship between stress and well-being? ......................................................................................................................... 44 Research Question 3: Comparison to other studies and exploratory analyses......................... 47 Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 53 Research Question 1: Does self-concept integration relate to resilience and well-being? ...... 53 Research Question 2: Does self-concept integration moderate the relationship between stress and well-being? ......................................................................................................................... 56 Research Question 3: Comparison to other studies and exploratory analyses......................... 57 Practical Implications................................................................................................................ 62 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 64 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 67 References ..................................................................................................................................... 69 SELF-CONCEPT INTEGRATION 4 List of Tables Descriptive Statistics for Main Variables ..................................................................................... 40 Correlations of Authenticity and Consistency-Based Integration with Resilience and Well-Being ....................................................................................................................................................... 41 Correlations of Role Level Authenticity and Role’s Consistency-with-the-General-Self Measures with Role Resilience, Role Satisfaction, and Role Irritation ........................................................ 42 Correlations of Valence Integration with Resilience and Well-being (with DifferentiaI Importance Below and Above the Mean) ..................................................................................... 44 Three Sets of Standardized Regressions of Resilience, Life Satisfaction, and Depression with the Interaction of Perceived Stress X 1) Authenticity, 2) Consistency, and 3) Valence Integration .. 45 Three Sets of Standardized Regressions of Resilience, Life Satisfaction, And Depression with the Interaction of Stressful Events X 1) Authenticity, 2) Consistency, and 3) Valence Integration .. 46 Three Sets of Regressions with Role Authenticity and Role Consistency as Simultaneous Predictors of 1) Role Resilience, 2) Role Satisfaction, and 3) Role Irritation .............................. 48 Associations of Mean Role Authenticity and Consistency with Resilience and Well-Being Measures: Beta Coefficients Resulting from Simultaneous Entry ............................................... 49 Associations of Authenticity, Consistency, and Valence Integration with Resilience and Well- Being Measures: Beta Coefficients Resulting from Simultaneous Entry ..................................... 50 Regressions for Resilience, Life Satisfaction, and Depression onto Measures of Self-Concept Content and Self-Concept Structure ............................................................................................. 52 SELF-CONCEPT INTEGRATION 5