Compartmentalization of positive and negative self-knowledge
Keeping bad apples out of the bunch
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6201731 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carolin J Showers (University of Wisconsin–Madison, corresponding author), Carolin Showers |
| Year | 1992 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1036-1049 |
| Publication date | 1992-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037//0022-3514.62.6.1036 |
| PMID | 1619548 |
| OpenAlex | W1988844740 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 157 |
| References cited | 7 |
Three studies examined whether categorical organization of knowledge about the self explains variance in self-esteem and depression beyond that which is accounted for by sheer amount of positive or negative content. Compartmentalization is the tendency to organize positive and negative knowledge about the self into separate, uniformly valenced categories (self-aspects). As long as positive self-aspects are activated, access to negative information should be minimized. Compartmentalization was associated with high self-esteem and low depression scores for individuals whose positive self-aspects were important; when negative self-aspects were important, compartmentalization was correlated with low self-esteem and high depression scores. An analysis of self-aspect labels showed that individuals with compartmentalized organization define negative self-aspects in especially narrow terms. A possible relationship between compartmentalized organization and cognitive complexity is discussed.
Categorical variable · Cognition · Compartmentalization (fire protection · Depression (economics · Developmental psychology · Negative information · Self-concept · Self-esteem · Variance (accounting · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Chemistry · Knowledge Management and Sharing · Mental Health Research Topics · Neuroscience · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 101 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,62 |
| Citation span | 1992 - 2026 (35) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 140 |