Compartmentalization of positive and negative self-knowledge: Keeping bad apples out of the bunch.

Abstract

Three studies examined whether categorical organization of knowledge about the self explains variance in self-esteem and depression beyond that which is accounted for by sheer amount of positive or negative content. Compartmentalization is the tendency to organize positive and negative knowledge about the self into separate, uniformly valenced categories (self-aspects). As long as positive self-aspects are activated, access to negative information should be minimized. Compartmentalization was associated with high self-esteem and low depression scores for individuals whose positive self-aspects were important; when negative self-aspects were important, compartmentalization was correlated with low self-esteem and high depression scores. An analysis of self-aspect labels showed that individuals with compartmentalized organization define negative self-aspects in especially narrow terms. A possible relationship between compartmentalized organization and cognitive complexity is discussed.

The self-schema model: A theoretical approach to the self-concept in eating disorders

“…In addition to the overall evaluation of one's worth, people also have stable attitudes reflecting their feelings of worth in each of the behavioral domains that comprise the self-concept (Harter, 1990). Studies have shown that people evaluate themselves differently in each behavioral domain that comprises the self-concept and that these domain-specific self-evaluations serve as the foundation that gives rise to one's overall level of self-satisfaction (Marsh, 1986;Pelham and Swann, 1989;Showers, 1992).…”

Organization of Parent Knowledge: Compartmentalization and Integration in Adult Child-Parent Relationships

“…A card sorting task measured the content and structure of beliefs about the parent. This task has been used to assess the structure of knowledge about the self (Showers, 1992;cf. Linville, 1987;Zajonc, 1960) and romantic partners (Showers & Kevlyn, 1999).…”

“…Because these different types of organization of selfknowledge are believed to affect the accessibility of positive and negative self-beliefs, evaluative organization may moderate the impact of specific beliefs on self-esteem and mood (Showers, 1992). Specifically, the basic model predicts that when positive self-aspects are important, compartmentalized structures (i.e., segregating positive and negative self-traits into separate self-aspect categories) will be associated with the most positive outcomes, such as lower depression and higher self-esteem.…”

“…The model of evaluative organization suggests that depending on the overall content and importance of self-knowledge, different types of organization are adaptive ways of maintaining positive self-evaluations and mood (e.g., Showers, 1992;Showers, Abramson, & Hogan, 1998). The model identifies two types of self-structure: compartmentalized and integrative.…”

“…The present study applies the model of evaluative organization of knowledge to parent-child relationships to further our understanding of these cognitiveaffective processes. Showers (1992) first proposed the model to explain how the organization of positive and negative self-attributes is associated with a person's mood and self-esteem. Depending on the overall content and importance of self-knowledge, both compartmentalization and integration may be adaptive ways to structure positive and negative self-views.…”