Representation and processing in the self‐system: An action‐oriented approach to self and self‐relevant phenomena

Abstract

This paper outlines a cognitive model of the self‐system. The model details the structural representation of self‐relevant information in memory and the processes by which that information is retrieved and utilized. Central to the model is the assumption that self‐knowledge is held in action‐relevant modular units that are employed in guiding and regulating cognition and behavior. Five experimental tests of various facets of the model are also reported. These studies support the view that self‐relevant information is held in modular units, independent of other units comprising the self‐system. Further, it is possible to prime the symbolic primitives comprising these modules by presentation of situational features. Finally, once a particular symbolic node is activated, that activation will spread to other, associated nodes. Implications of the model and its relation to other cognitive models of the self‐system are discussed.