Special Issues of Self and Identity – serie

Researchers have become increasingly aware of how theories and findings regarding self- and identity-regulation have important implications for understanding health outcomes. Self- and identity concerns can prompt increases in precautionary actions and healthy behavior, but also increases in risky actions and unhealthy behavior as well as the detection, diagnosis, progression, management and treatment of a disease. At the same time, health outcomes and concerns can influence self- and identity-regulation. This special issue showcases the connections between health and recent theorizing and research in self- and identity-regulation and brings together cutting edge findings that fall at the intersection of self- and identity-regulation and health.

The ten papers in this special issue of Self and Identity use a variety of cutting-edge empirical approaches to advance social psychological theory and extend the applications of the implicit self to under-investigated domains, including the clinical consequences of the implicit self, the developmental trajectory of implicit associations, and the impact of being a minority member on implicit self-constructs. Principal questions guiding the special issue include: How does the implicit self regulate emotion and defend against ego-threats? When and how does it adapt to changes in social identity and social comparison? What are the consequences of discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-evaluations? When and how do implicit self-identities develop?

The ten papers in this special issue of Self and Identity use a variety of cutting-edge empirical approaches to advance social psychological theory and extend the applications of the implicit self to under-investigated domains, including the clinical consequences of the implicit self, the developmental trajectory of implicit associations, and the impact of being a minority member on implicit self-constructs. Principal questions guiding the special issue include: How does the implicit self regulate emotion and defend against ego-threats? When and how does it adapt to changes in social identity and social comparison? What are the consequences of discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-evaluations? When and how do implicit self-identities develop?

Reflecting the importance of the self in optimal functioning, a vast literature on the value of different self-processes is accumulating. Individual research reports, however, frequently present a one-sided view, focusing either on the benefits or the liabilities of the self-process under study. A more complete understanding of both the benefits and liabilities of a self-process is essential because it profoundly shapes the conclusions of existing research and directions of future research. To that end, this special issue brings together leading researchers to present their unique perspectives on the benefits and liabilities of the self-process they study.