Synonyms
Definition
Self-consciousness is a dispositional tendency to spend time in a state of heightened self-awareness.
Introduction
Self-consciousness is a personality variable that predicts complexity and consistency in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with the self-concept. This entry will begin by defining the concept of self-consciousness and discussing the scale designed to measure it. Consequences and correlates of high and low self-consciousness will be briefly reviewed, followed by a discussion of the primary measure of self-consciousness and potential future directions.
Self-Awareness as a Trait
“The consistent tendency of persons to direct attention inward or outward is the trait of self-consciousness” (Fenigstein et al. 1975, p. 522).
Self-consciousness is intimately related to self-awareness (see the “Self-Awareness” entry in this encyclopedia for a detailed description). Heightened or objective self-awareness is a state in which...
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References
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Phillips, A.G. (2017). Self-Consciousness. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1161-1
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