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Effects of Self-Concept on Subjective QOL

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Book cover The Psychology of Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 50))

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Abstract

This chapter describes the effects of self-concept on subjective well-being. Social psychologists have long recognized that the self-concept is not a unidimensional construct. The self-concept is multidimensional in that in the mind of every person there may be multiple selves (Brewer & Nakamura, 1984; Garza & Herringer, 1987; Hoelter, 1985; Markus, 1977; McCall & Simmons, 1978). The self-concept is divided in terms of psychological life domains. Thus, a person may have a self-concept in relation to education, family, health, job, friends, and romantic relationships, among others. In other words, the psychological world of a person is divided into life domains, and within each life domain, the person has certain self-related beliefs and values (Burke & Tully, 1977; Campbell, Converse, & Rodgers, 1976; Griffin, Chassin, & Young, 1981). In addition to segmenting life experiences in life domains, people also have a self-concept of their overall life, a global domain that captures one’s emotional state as a function of one’s global feelings about one’s major successes and failures in life.

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Sirgy, M.J. (2012). Effects of Self-Concept on Subjective QOL. In: The Psychology of Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 50. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4405-9_14

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