MENTAL MODEL · M2593

Possible Selves

BehaviorHigh supportPsychology

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-31

CORE DEFINITION

Cognitive representations of our future selves, including the 'ideal self' (who we want to become), the 'expected self' (who we might become), and the 'feared self' (who we are afraid of becoming).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Driving change. Simple goals (e.g., 'lose weight') often lack motivation, but a concrete 'feared self' image (e.g., 'an obese person lying in a hospital bed') can provide strong avoidance motivation; the 'ideal self' provides approach motivation.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Markus proposed that the self-concept includes a temporal dimension: representations of 'who one might become in the future' (ideal/expected/feared). These possible selves serve as motivational anchors—the ideal self provides approach goals, the feared self provides avoidance motivation, guiding current behavior.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/5

Practice this model in one real situation:

Write down ideal, feared, and expected selves
Make these images concrete and vivid
Use the ideal self to set approach goals
Use the feared self to set avoidance constraints
Use behaviors to narrow the gap between the 'current self' and the ideal.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
psychologicalscience.orghttps://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/want-to-make-a-change-conjure-your-possible-selves.htmlZH · Explicit
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