Skip to content

Self-Consciousness and Self-Awareness: Associations between Stable and Transitory Levels of Evidence.

Maurício Majolo, William Barbosa Gomes, Thiago Gomes DeCastro

Behavioral Sciences January 30, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/bs13020117 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Mixed methods experience sampling study Qualitative Peer reviewed
Sample size 64
Population Brazilian adult volunteers (mean age 29.7 years, SD 8.79, 64.1% female)
Duration Up to four random daily prompts across seven consecutive days
Measures Revised Self-Consciousness Scale, Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale, Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire
Keywords Assessment Self-awareness Mixed methods Self-consciousness Experience sampling
Key points The authors report that associations between dispositional self-consciousness and situational self-awareness were stronger for the awareness subscale, which correlated positively with affective situational self-awareness and negatively with mental representational transitory self-awareness. They argue that, although the evidence is relational, the data reinforce the theoretical distinction between self-consciousness and self-awareness.

Abstract

The theory of objective self-awareness predicts the assessment of stable or dispositional self-consciousness and transitory or situational self-awareness. The aim of the present research was to investigate potential associations between patterns of experiential self-description to scores on self-report measures of dispositional self-consciousness. A total of 64 Brazilian volunteers (Mage = 29.7, SD = 8.79, 64.1% female) responded to the Revised Self-Consciousness Scale, the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale, and the Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire before participating in an experience sampling protocol. The protocol consisted of random daily requests for up to four self-description experiences across seven consecutive days. Participants recorded audio messages on their mobile phones in reply to each request describing their current experience. Reports were analyzed through a reflexive thematic analysis that produced twenty sub-themes accounting for descriptive markers of experience. Based on those descriptive markers, the qualitative data were then transformed into quantitative data for the situational self-awareness indexes. Evidence of association between self-consciousness and self-awareness was stronger for the awareness subscale in a positive correlation with affective situational self-awareness and in a negative correlation with mental representational transitory self-awareness. Although relational evidence has been provided, the data reinforced the theoretical distinction between self-consciousness and self-awareness.

Citations in the library

Explore topics