Self-concept Clarity Mediates the Relation between Stress and Subjective Well-being

Abstract

Three studies tested the extent to which self-concept clarity mediates the relation between different types of stressful life events and subjective well-being, independently of neuroticism. In Study 1 (N = 292), self-concept clarity fully mediated the relation between stress from various sources (e.g., work, social rejection) and subjective well-being. In Study 2 (N = 127), self-concept clarity partially mediated the relation between meaninglessness (i.e., perceptions of life as meaningless) and subjective well-being. In Study 3 (N = 78), self-concept clarity partially mediated the relation between self-discontinuity (i.e., perceptions of discontinuity between past and present self) and subjective well-being. Across studies, an alternative mediation model was unsupported. The findings provide an impetus for theoretical and empirical advancements in understanding how self-concept clarity may play a role in the impact of stress on subjective well-being.

Keywords:

• Self
• Self-concept clarity
• Existential threat
• Stress
• Well-being

Acknowledgments

We thank Rich Gramzow and Erica Hepper for their helpful comments on earlier drafts. We also thank Dmitri Nesteruk for his help with data collection for Study 1.