Category: Self-Psychology
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Read more: Lost Possible Selves: The Person I Never BecameWe sometimes mourn a life we never lived: the parent, partner, professional, or artist we expected to become. Research on lost possible selves helps explain why those futures matter, and how acknowledging them can deepen…
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Read more: Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem
A relationship can matter deeply without deciding our worth. Explore why everyday interactions sometimes become personal verdicts, and how self-compassion, accountability, and autonomy fit into the discussion.
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Read more: Contingent Self-Worth
A setback can hurt without settling our worth. Explore how approval, achievement, and relationships become conditions for feeling acceptable, and what research suggests about responding with less self-condemnation.
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Read more: Self Expansion TheoryClose relationships can change what we know, what we can do, and who we understand ourselves to be. Self Expansion Theory explains how another person’s resources, perspectives, and identities may become partly included in the…
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Read more: Psychological Mindedness: Understanding Reactions to StressImagine arriving home after an exhausting day. Your partner asks a small question, and you answer sharply. A few minutes later, the force of your response surprises you. Perhaps you were tired, felt unappreciated, or…
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Read more: Losing Face and Saving Face in Goffman’s TheoryLosing face can make an ordinary mistake feel like a threat to who we are. Erving Goffman’s theory reveals how people sustain—and sometimes undermine—one another’s social standing. Understanding face-work helps us approach embarrassment, conflict, and…
