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Self-Concept Clarity

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Encyclopedia of Adolescence

Self-concept clarity indicates the extent to which beliefs about the self are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and stable over time (Campbell et al. 1996). Self-concept clarity belongs to a class of constructs that focus on the structural aspects of the self-concept. This class is related to, but distinct from, content dimensions of the self-concept that include knowledge of individual characteristics, commitments, and values, and purposes and evaluation of this knowledge (e.g., Campbell 1990; Campbell et al. 1996, 2003).

Self-concept clarity provides a clear indication of self-certainty. In fact, self-concept clarity is positively related to enactment of meaningful identity choices, whereas it is negatively related to identity crises driven by reconsidering and discarding current commitments (Crocetti et al. 2008, 2010; Morsünbül et al. 2014, 2015; Schwartz et al. 2011). Thus, self-concept clarity is intertwined with healthy identity development (Campbell et...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alma Mater Studiorum University of di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Elisabetta Crocetti

  2. Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Marloes P.A. Van Dijk

Authors
  1. Elisabetta Crocetti
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  2. Marloes P.A. Van Dijk
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Correspondence to Elisabetta Crocetti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Roger J.R. Levesque

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Crocetti, E., Van Dijk, M.P. (2016). Self-Concept Clarity. In: Levesque, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_808-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_808-2

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Self-Concept Clarity
    Published:
    14 July 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_808-2

  2. Original

    Self-Concept Clarity
    Published:
    21 May 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_808-1

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